PURPOSE: To minimize the recognition waiting time by each user and to improve the working efficiency of a document preparation, etc., in a character recognition device shared by plural users.

CONSTITUTION: Users set originals for which character recognitions are to be performed to a scanner, read the picture data of the originals, transmit the read picture data with self ID to a shared character recognition device 1 and requests to perform the character recognitions. A transmission and reception control part 7 stores the picture numbers corresponding to the ID of users terminals and originals in a user terminal job control table 8 when the part 7 receives a recognition request from users terminals. The part 7 receives the picture data of the originals and stores them in a picture memory 3. A character recognition processing part 2 selects the originals of different users successively from the table 8 and performs the recognition processing.