Machines, systems and methods for enhanced optical character recognition are provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises identifying a sample character in a textual context to be optically recognized; comparing the sample character with a template character, wherein the sample character is scaled into a first grid and the template character is scaled into a second grid; identifying one or more pixels in the sample character within the first grid and one or more pixels in the template character in the second grid, wherein the one or more pixels are identified as belonging to a foreground category in the textual content, a foreground pixel having at least N gradients corresponding to edges of the foreground pixel that are juxtaposed to a neighbor pixel, wherein a contour foreground pixel has at least one gradient that is neighbored by a background pixel in the textual context.