A system enables users at different locations (e.g. different geographic
locations) to work collaboratively on a document, and to view each
other's annotations to the document. Each user can work with a paper
document, and make handwritten annotations to the paper document. The
system includes a plurality of workstations communicating with a server.
Each workstation comprises a document-imaging device, such as a camera,
for generating a digital image of the document. Handwritten annotations
are identified by image processing, and new annotations made by each user
can be tracked in real time. Image bitmaps of the annotations are
distributed by the server to each workstation so that each user can view
other user's annotations. In one view, the annotations from different
users are superimposed in a combined image.