I cannot get my scanner to scan a newspaper or magazine article to file to where I can send it by email. The OCR program will not read it properly so it comes out garbled. I have gotten from various places the answer that the OCR programs are just not very good. My scanner will copy any document and print it out perfectly. It is an HP 5550 and I am using XP. I have reinstalled with no improvement. There must be a good scanner out there somewhere. I build my own computers.
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Is there a good OCR scanner?
- Thread starter lynbo11
- Start date
Hi,
I think you'll find that it's not the scanner hardware that makes a difference, it's the software. There are many other packages out there, from < $100 to many thousands. The software that is packaged with any scanner is an inexpensive compromise; if you really want to do this, you need a good quality tool. Many people don't do this with their scanner, if the manufacturers included better software, they would just be pricing themselves out of the market!
The key is to find a product that works well on your originals. Exact fonts, print sizes, paper type, color, all make a big difference on how well this works.
If you seek out publications about desktop publishing, etc. you can find many product reviews that will put you in the right direction, after that, insist on a demo, so that you can see what it will do in your environment. good luck.
p.s. I've used some products from Caere (now ScanSoft) with success, we currently use a Toshiba product that's sold as a system with their digital copiers. Of course, in your environment, your mileage may vary!
---Will
I think you'll find that it's not the scanner hardware that makes a difference, it's the software. There are many other packages out there, from < $100 to many thousands. The software that is packaged with any scanner is an inexpensive compromise; if you really want to do this, you need a good quality tool. Many people don't do this with their scanner, if the manufacturers included better software, they would just be pricing themselves out of the market!
The key is to find a product that works well on your originals. Exact fonts, print sizes, paper type, color, all make a big difference on how well this works.
If you seek out publications about desktop publishing, etc. you can find many product reviews that will put you in the right direction, after that, insist on a demo, so that you can see what it will do in your environment. good luck.
p.s. I've used some products from Caere (now ScanSoft) with success, we currently use a Toshiba product that's sold as a system with their digital copiers. Of course, in your environment, your mileage may vary!
---Will
In order to get good OCR, you'll need to spend a LOT of money. First you'll need a fairly high end scanner. You'll also need a VERY good OCR program. I've seen a couple of them. However for home use, you'd have to take out a second mortage. Plus the application is specific to the scanning process itself (Rather, I should say the work flow process).
I work in a large companies Corporate Records department. We do a LOT of scanning and imaging. Very little is OCR, do to the fact that it doesn't work very well. Even worse is with people's hand writing.
I work in a large companies Corporate Records department. We do a LOT of scanning and imaging. Very little is OCR, do to the fact that it doesn't work very well. Even worse is with people's hand writing.
Hi,
I've had some really great results with OCR, and Will is correct; it's the software and not necessarily the scanner. I have a USB CanoScan 5000F from 2003 and a USB/Serial HP ScanJet 5300C from 2000, and both have done an excellent job.
The simplest software for just getting the job done without all kinds of fancy bells and whistles is included in Microsoft Publisher. I have Version 2002.
I bought OmniPage Pro 10 that was no longer in use by an individual. They still kept it in the original sleeve, which is good, because that's where the software Serial Number is located. This particular OmniPage version requires registration to give you unlimited usage; but they allow you a certain number of uses before you need to register. There's a lot of bells and whistles with OmniPage Pro 10.
My CanoScan came with an OmniPage version that requires no registration and works just fine.
One thing that you should know, the media considers OCR to be cheating. I don't understand that. If someone with a Mac types up a raffle ticket with 250 plus line-items of prizes and hands you four sheets of paper and states, "We need 8,500 raffle tickets just like last year," what are you going to do? They don't have Adobe Acrobat to make you a PDF, or even an easy-button to generate one. Even if they did, they don't know composition and how to lay out the ticket job so it fits 2-up on an 8 1/2" x 14" sheet, has clearance for a perforation across the top, which makes for a stub, while at the same time there needs to be room for four numbering machines--one on each stub, which matches the two numbers that are on the ticket bodies. The copy they just handed you is in 10 point Arial and it needs to be in 6 point Helvetica.
Throw it on the scanner and get it scanned. You can crank out the job in good time, while giving the costomer something that they themselves could never possibly do.
Kemisco
-----
Take your computer outdoors when blowing out the dust; it's mostly skin dust. A clean computer is a cool computer.
I've had some really great results with OCR, and Will is correct; it's the software and not necessarily the scanner. I have a USB CanoScan 5000F from 2003 and a USB/Serial HP ScanJet 5300C from 2000, and both have done an excellent job.
The simplest software for just getting the job done without all kinds of fancy bells and whistles is included in Microsoft Publisher. I have Version 2002.
I bought OmniPage Pro 10 that was no longer in use by an individual. They still kept it in the original sleeve, which is good, because that's where the software Serial Number is located. This particular OmniPage version requires registration to give you unlimited usage; but they allow you a certain number of uses before you need to register. There's a lot of bells and whistles with OmniPage Pro 10.
My CanoScan came with an OmniPage version that requires no registration and works just fine.
One thing that you should know, the media considers OCR to be cheating. I don't understand that. If someone with a Mac types up a raffle ticket with 250 plus line-items of prizes and hands you four sheets of paper and states, "We need 8,500 raffle tickets just like last year," what are you going to do? They don't have Adobe Acrobat to make you a PDF, or even an easy-button to generate one. Even if they did, they don't know composition and how to lay out the ticket job so it fits 2-up on an 8 1/2" x 14" sheet, has clearance for a perforation across the top, which makes for a stub, while at the same time there needs to be room for four numbering machines--one on each stub, which matches the two numbers that are on the ticket bodies. The copy they just handed you is in 10 point Arial and it needs to be in 6 point Helvetica.
Throw it on the scanner and get it scanned. You can crank out the job in good time, while giving the costomer something that they themselves could never possibly do.
Kemisco
-----
Take your computer outdoors when blowing out the dust; it's mostly skin dust. A clean computer is a cool computer.
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