1. Target Language

• The text shown in the photo must be in the targeted language.
• Some mixing of languages is okay as long as the main content of the photo is in the required language (e.g. restaurant menus with two languages, product labels with parts in English).

Examples:

2. Text Content

• 5% - 90% of the photo must contain text.
• The text in the photo must contain at least three words in the target language.
• NOTE: Photos for the "documents" category must have more content, and must look like a formal business document.

3. Readability

• Text should be easily readable by the human eye.
• This means that all text must be properly focused, and large enough to read without zooming in.
• If the text of a whole page is too small to be easily read by the human eye, please focus your picture on one or two complete paragraphs.
• Reflection: It is acceptable if small parts of the text are obscured by reflection. However, the majority of the text must still be easily readable.

Examples:

4. Text prominence

• Make sure the target text is prominent in the photo.
• Don't use images where the text is in the background, obscured by foreground objects, or by watermarks that make the main text hard to read.
• Thin paper: If the content from the back side of the paper (receipt, doc, invoices, etc.) bleeds through the page (can be seen from the front) and overlaps with the text on the front side, the picture will not be valid. (However, the following are okay: If the see-through content is located in blank areas or corners and does not overlap with the main text, the picture will be valid. Logos and images from the back side of the receipt are OK.)

Examples:

5. No formulas, handwriting, photos of screens

• Images of documents that contain formulas are not accepted.
• Handwritten text ONLY is not accepted. However, it is acceptable if the photo contains handwriting that does not overlap with the printed content, or only a little.
• Photos of text directly on TV or on computer screens are not accepted. (For slides/presentations, taking a picture of the projected slide on a wall or on a projecting screen is acceptable, though.)
• The following are NOT acceptable:
  • advertisements from booklets/brochures/fliers/pamphlets
  • brochures from supermarkets/department stores
  • whole pages of advertisements in magazines
  • dictionary pages

Examples:

6. No duplicates

• Do not upload multiple photos of the same object, or of objects that have very similar size/fonts/content/etc.
• For example, do not upload images of multiple pages from the same book.

7. Text Layout

• Keep the text in your photos horizontal. Small deviations (within an angle of ± 20 degrees) are acceptable.
• TIP: The easiest way to ensure that your text is horizontal is to turn on the grid feature on your phone camera.
• Both horizontal ("landscape" mode) and vertical ("portrait" mode) photos are acceptable.

Examples:

8. No filters or special effects

• Do not modify your photo after you have taken it. Upload the original version.
• In particular, do not apply any filters or special effects to the photo.

Examples:

9. File Format

• Photos taken with a mobile phone must be in .JPG format.
• Photo resolution must be at least 5 Megapixel.

10. Photo Rotation

• Please make sure to enable rotation on your phone before taking pictures. As long as you do that and take the picture with the text in horizontal, it doesn’t matter how the picture is displayed during upload; it will be correct for QA.

11. Data Diversity

• Please consider taking photos in diverse scenarios: different background, different font, different shooting angle, different layout and etc.
• Take your photos in different angles (take photo from left side, right side, hold it in your hand, etc)
• Different Environments: Bright/dark light, shadow, fold state.
• You can upload digitally scanned Invoices, Documents and Receipts

Documents

• These include but are not limited to: business documents, certificates, legal documents, diplomas, contracts, newspapers, magazines, book pages, etc.
• NOTE: For newspapers, magazines and book pages, don’t take a picture of every page and then submit it. We are looking for different sizes, fonts, layouts. The more diverse the better. You might find such diverse examples in a magazine, but a single book would have the same text format on every page (which would count as an invalid duplicate).
• Scanned pictures are no longer acceptable for this category.
• If the text is too small to be easily readable by the human eye, you can take photos of only part of the page, or one or two paragraphs.

Examples:

Invoices

• These are more formal and larger documents compared to receipts. They can be given for a due payment (eg. electrical, water, gas bills), but also after a transaction has been done. They would usually contain an official stamp of the business issuing the invoice.
• Scanned pictures are also acceptable for this category. Electronic invoices must be printed out; then scanned or photographed. Electronic invoices or screen shots are not acceptable.
• Invoices with the same layout but different content (for different items) are acceptable, but if the clients or items are listed using IDs/numbers instead of names, only one is valid. However, invoices such as water/gas/electricity bills for the same person but for different months will be considered duplicates.
• NOTE: Resumes, application forms, registration forms, etc. should be uploaded to the "table" category.

Examples:

Receipts

• A basic small receipt received from a business after a purchase/transaction.
• The majority of the text content must be clearly readable.
• It is acceptable if a coupon is printed on the receipt (as part of the receipt). However, pictures of coupons only are not acceptable.
• Photos of tickets are NOT acceptable for this category.
• Scanned pictures are no longer acceptable for this category.

Examples:

Tables/Forms

• A table/form that contains text, for example, a weekly fitness schedule in your local gym.
• NEW: A table should be clearly structured as a table with rows/columns, but it does not need to contain visible gridlines.
• A table has to contain at least two lines of entries. A table with only the header line and one line of values is invalid.
• NOTE: Please do not take photos of different table/form from the same source (book, file, etc.) since these would share same/similar content/layout/font. You can however, pick tables from the same source with different content or layout. Tables containing only numbers are not acceptable!

Examples:

Product labels

• Quite straightforward, take pictures of the labels for various products you can find in your local shop, store, supermarket, etc.

Examples:

Street signs

• Includes road signs containing text, street names, store fronts (with more than one word), and such. Make sure the focus is on that one item and not the entire street. Don’t submit pictures that only contains a sign or images like "STOP". Go for more text within a single item, and more diversity.
• NOTE: This category includes basic road signs, street names; signs on store front and building signs (e.g. with the name of the building).

Examples:

Menus

• A bar/pub/café/restaurant menu is preferable.
• Take pictures of the whole menu page, not of individual dishes (unless they cover an entire page).
• The following menu types are also acceptable: menus that don't have prices; "daily menus" on the outside of a restaurant; non-food/drink menus - for example, price lists for services in fitness studios, for manicure/pedicure/beauty salons, salon/laundry price lists.

Examples:

Book covers/spines

• Only book covers and spines in this segment. Do not submit book pages in this segment (these go to documents).
• NOTE: For book spines, please take only pictures of one book spine at a time. For example, rows of books in a library are not acceptable.

Examples:

Slides

• Pictures of PowerPoint slides in presentation format, using a projector (projected on a wall or projector screen). Do not take pictures from the computer screen.
• Photos can be taken from various angles, and can be zoomed in or out.

Examples:

Posters

• Can be posters posted at your university bulletin board (for school events, sports events, etc.), can be posters that shops put on their windows, restaurants in their front or the usual posters for music concerts. Refrain from submitting pictures of posters that have only 1-2 words.
• Ideally, try to take photos including the poster frame, or outline. Posters with streetscapes (trees, streets, buildings, sky, etc.) in the background should be classified as "street sign".

Examples:

Business cards

• As the name suggest, this is also quite clear. Type of business does not matter as long as it’s a business card containing text in your locale. You can collect these from shops, restaurants and various doctor/dentist offices.
• The following types are also acceptable: member and VIP cards.

Examples:

Clothes

• Take photos to get text (of target locale) shown on clothes (for example jacket, T-shirt, etc.) either on front side or back side. Please try to get complete text content without truncation.
• Please note that photos of clothing with only brand names and clothing tags cannot be accepted.

Examples: