Lottery tickets are a form of input that an optical mark reader uses to input data.

The lottery card has a number of small squares printed on it that you colour in or mark with a dark pen.

The input reader senses those dark squares and converts them into the lottery number you have selected.

Example of optical mark input:

• Lottery ticket
• Official forms

Advantage:

• Good for inputting large volume of data at low cost.
• Very little training or instruction required to use the forms/card.
• Good for multi-choice questionnaires.

Disadvantage:

• Can only input a limited data set
• Poorly marked forms/cards cause errors.
• Creased/folded forms cause errors.