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Rolando
Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Gainesville, Florida
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 Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:50 pm Post subject: OT: Scanning paper documents into the Mac |
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Does anyone have any experience using the HP scanners with document feeders (HP 8290, 8250, and 5550c) to scan letters or other letter size documents? I want to scan paper documents so I can file and store them in the computer.
The HP web site talks a lot about PC uses but only that the scanners are compatible with the Mac in both OS9 and X. I don't have a complicated need, I just want to convert documents to PDF for easier access or to email an electronic version of the paper document.
Is anyone doing this and have comments about how well it works?
Thanks,
Rolando
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Bill Stanley
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 315
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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Rolando,
I have photocopied multiple sections of E size drawings onto letter size paper, scanned and put them into a single drawing as bitmaps in order to create an as built working drawing. Rotation and alignment was somewhat of a problem. A large number of letter size bitmaps will tax the computer sometimes.
Today printing to PDF might be desirable.
Bill Stanley |
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huc
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 661
Location: ::caddpower.com:: (Aurora, CO)
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:15 pm Post subject: Re: OT: Scanning paper documents into the Mac |
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| Rolando wrote: | ...The HP web site talks a lot about PC uses but only that the scanners are compatible with the Mac in both OS9 and X. I don't have a complicated need, I just want to convert documents to PDF for easier access or to email an electronic version of the paper document.
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Why does the document need to be converted to PDF?
Why not just email or archive the TIF/Jpeg/Pict or whatever format the data is acquired in from the scanner?
Does the original document contain formatted text and graphics (e.g. a catalog page) or simply text or just graphics?
The conversion to PDF may not save anything depending on the source document, what tools are available and how much time/$'s wants to be spent on the task. Passing the file through OCR software may be worth while. Passing the file through Acrobat Pro to capture and covert to text and/or graphics might be worth the effort, depending on various factors.
The process is less dependent on the type of scanner and more on the type of original, available software, and required end result.
Hope that helps
Brian |
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Rolando
Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Gainesville, Florida
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 4:18 pm Post subject: Actually thinking about memos and forms |
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I've been using my printing shop to scan large hand-drawn drawings (size 'D'). They convert them to PDF file that I can then open in Acrobat or Pcadd.
Actually, I was thinking of memos and other documents that are already letter size. I'm trying to file them in the computer instead of filing cabinets. I was curious about how well these scanners interface with Macs.
Thanks
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Rolando
Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Gainesville, Florida
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:31 pm Post subject: In ref to Huc's comments |
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Basically, I'm looking to do filing to the hard disk instead of having to keep track of a paper file. I need to save memos and documents I receive in paper form, so an accurate and complete image is necessary, including signatures, so OCR would not be appropriate. I was thinking of using the PDF format since it is fairly compact and also because it is a common file format across platforms with both graphic and non-graphic people. If I needed to forward a document to someone, I could simply send the PDF file instead of having to print then fax the item.
Again, my main motivation is to avoid having to keep track of papers I receive from other people. My inquiry here was to find out if anyone else is doing this and how well or easily it works with the Mac. For example, I receive a letter from a lender. I want to save it to the hard disk so I scan it. Is it fairly straight forward to tell the scanner or the computer the file format to save in and the location to store it in?
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Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 425
Location: Sterling, Virginia
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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| the advantage of OCR is that you can search for text and find the document you're looking for much faster, otherwise you have to open and read the image files. Paperless filing is a dream of many, an accomplishment of few... damn few. |
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Rolando
Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Gainesville, Florida
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:05 pm Post subject: In file and folder names |
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I see what you mean about searching. But I would need the actual image of the document.
I was thinking that a way to track the files would be to create folders with the names of senders, then name the files first with a date (ei. 04.07.19) of the memo, or date received, then a few key words on the subject matter. At least that way the letters would be in chronological order with some topic info and grouped by senders.
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huc
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 661
Location: ::caddpower.com:: (Aurora, CO)
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:07 pm Post subject: Re: In ref to Huc's comments |
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| Rolando wrote: | ... Is it fairly straight forward to tell the scanner or the computer the file format to save in and the location to store it in?
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The scanning software is akin to print driver software. Scanning software has simple, straight forward, preferences allowing you to specify what file format to save the data in and where. The software ships free with the scanner and varies with scanner manufacturer. Third party scanning software solutions are also available.
Scanner plug-in's are often included allowing data to be acquired directly into Photoshop or other image editing applications.
Matt's point about being able to index the data is an important point to consider.
Time and effort to scan vs. filing the paper will be different for everyone based on volume. For example, the time, $'s, and storage space required to scan, perform OCR and save the data may be too much if paper volumes are high. In low volume situations is may be worth the effort.
Other methods to reduce paper before it arrives may be worth considering and yield better ROI. For example, digital fax services (for inbound and outbound faxes) make the world of sense for reducing paper. Inbound faxes are automatically converted to PDF (albeit they are a simple low quality picture, not real text and graphics) which can be a real time saver.
Digital signatures are being more common; education is still taking place but it is happening and makes a difference. This starts to remove the need for paper in the first place.
People generate paper... the sad part is more of it starts out as zero's and one's these days, but get's converted to atoms based on old workflow habits. Trying to find ways to keep it as zero's and ones, vs converting from atom's back to bits is a tough curve to climb but ultimately is the best solution for sender and receiver. |
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Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 425
Location: Sterling, Virginia
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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most scanners come with software that offers you to save the file in multiple formats, although I'm not sure you could get pdf's without "printing" them. check the specific one you're looking at to see what the choices are.
You can fax directly from your mac, without printing the document out, Rolando, no matter what format the file is in.
Before you implement your system, I hope you'll imagine what how it will function a couple years from now. Filing isn't a *storage* process...it's a *retrieval* process. and although studies show that less then three percent of all documents, once filed, are ever looked at again, there ain't no study to tell you which three percent that will be... |
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Derek
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 570
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Matt wrote: | | ... and although studies show that less then three percent of all documents, once filed, are ever looked at again, there ain't no study to tell you which three percent that will be... |
Oh yes there is Matt, it is invariably the three percent that was never filed in the first place and is now lost ..... |
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Derek
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 570
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, BTW, congratulations Brian and Matt on reaching 100 posts.  |
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ms
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 613
Location: Naples, Florida
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 4:28 am Post subject: |
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I tried a few years ago to scan and save, as part of an overall effort to reduce filing requirements, and eventually stopped.
What we do now is pretty simple. We don't save anything on paper that is also on disk. Simple. As to paper we receive, we look at it very, very hard, and save it only if it's deemed important. A compromise, I know, but easy to implement into office workflow.
Almost everything that originates here comes out of a FileMaker database [memos, transmittals, plants lists, etc], PowerCadd, or AppleWorks, so that's simple to save, and incremental backups give data retrieval real punch.
We never have paper prints of our projects unless the project is in design development or construction.
These two things have dramatically reduced the amount of clutter in the office. And have made it much easier to find things sent to us by others simply because there is less stuff to look through.
Periodically we want to scan and save a document. Again I take the lazy approach: make it a tiff, and put the project number in the file name. This gives me enough info for later document processing into whatever format is desired, and enough information to narrow down the location of the file.
–ms |
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ETEaster
Joined: 20 Apr 2004
Posts: 100
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| Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 6:29 am Post subject: OT:Scanning Paper |
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| I use the canon flatbed ($100) to make PDF's from documents. It is really quite easy. |
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