through b4 and s4 along a convex arc that is drawn with a solid line and along a concave arc that is shown with dotted lines fig1 schematically shows a respective convex and a respective concave descriptor cycle and the appertaining cycle directions fig1 shows a plurality of picture element patterns for a text symbol from an artwork original namely with various rotational positions and various sizes with entered decriptor symbols fig1 shows the arc structures that have arised as a result of the processing fig1 shows a schematic overview of the possible basic pattern types 1 through 14 in two successive scan lines as already set forth fig8 shows a scanning system of the present invention a scanner means 2 is moved over an artwork original 1 in a known way the analog image signals thereby arising are digitized in a known way in a threshold arrangement 3 and are then input into a two line image store an event computer 5 following the two line image store 4 accepts the stored image data and works them off with lists l1 and l2 in accord with the invention the image of the artwork original 1 present as digital information is thereby analyzed from different projection directions to which end the program module pmd45 u00b0 pmd135 u00b0 and pmv serve.