Vectorization in graphics recognition: to thin or not to thin

Vectorization, i.e. raster-to-vector conversion, is a central part of graphics recognition problems. We discuss the pros and the cons of basing one´s vectorization process on skeletonization. While distance skeletons have proven to be robust and precise, they tend to distort the results at line extremities and junctions. In these cases, contour-matching approaches yield better results, but they have their own specific problems. A perspective is probably to combine the best of both methods