17. A method of creating a document layout using a computer processing system comprising the steps of: (a) scanning and digitizing a document to create computer understandable binary data corresponding to an image of said document; (b) creating a list of primitive objects from said binary data, said primitive objects being data structures representing a rectangular portion of said digitized document containing an image of a letter, a group of letters, or a picture; (c) building a list of rectangular text areas and picture areas, said text areas being formed by grouping primitive objects from said list of primitive objects that contain letters and groups of letters together and said picture areas being formed from said primitive objects in said list of primitive objects that contain picture images; (d) creating an ordered list of object areas by allowing a user to assign reading order numbers to said text and picture areas in said list; (e) creating a plurality of document layouts by recursion, where each invocation of said recursion produces a document layout, each document layout including all of said object areas in said ordered list positioned in a document, by successively placing each of said object areas in said document, according to said order numbers, at one of a set of possible locations for said object area, each location being determined by a rule of placement, said recursion continuing until each of said object areas has been placed at every one of said possible locations in said set; and (f) selecting, according to a criterion, a particular document layout from said plurality of document layouts.
17. A method of creating a document layout using a computer processing system comprising the steps of: (a) scanning and digitizing a document to create computer understandable binary data corresponding to an image of said document; (b) creating a list of primitive objects from said binary data, said primitive objects being data structures representing a rectangular portion of said digitized document containing an image of a letter, a group of letters, or a picture; (c) building a list of rectangular text areas and picture areas, said text areas being formed by grouping primitive objects from said list of primitive objects that contain letters and groups of letters together and said picture areas being formed from said primitive objects in said list of primitive objects that contain picture images; (d) creating an ordered list of object areas by allowing a user to assign reading order numbers to said text and picture areas in said list; (e) creating a plurality of document layouts by recursion, where each invocation of said recursion produces a document layout, each document layout including all of said object areas in said ordered list positioned in a document, by successively placing each of said object areas in said document, according to said order numbers, at one of a set of possible locations for said object area, each location being determined by a rule of placement, said recursion continuing until each of said object areas has been placed at every one of said possible locations in said set; and (f) selecting, according to a criterion, a particular document layout from said plurality of document layouts. 18. The method of creating a document layout of claim 17 further comprising the step of creating and outputting a formatted document using said particular document layout.