PURPOSE: To reproduce and store graphics with the data amount smaller than that for processing of all of these graphics as picture information and to improve the precision of character recognition by recognizing characters among graphics drawn on a board and processing them as a character signal.

CONSTITUTION: Squares 16 are fixedly drawn on a board 12 of an electronic blackboard 10, and graphics drawn on the board 12 are read as a picture to obtain a picture signal, and graphics drawn on the board 12 are subjected to character recognition based on the picture signal with two or more areas 16a and 16b, which are sectioned by squares 16, as one unit.