1. A method of extracting at least one string of characters forming a word object within rasterized data defining an image, comprising the steps of: (a) finding the connected components within the image wherein the image comprises at least one text row including a plurality of word objects; (b) identifying rectangular boundaries about each group of connected components within the image; (c) locating text rows using the rectangular boundaries identified in step (b); and (d) combining adjacent groups of connected components within the text rows located in step (c), based upon a relationship between the rectangular boundaries of the adjacent groups, so as to segment the image into strings of characters forming word objects.