OmniPage Professional 15
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When it comes to getting data in to your computer without resorting to the keyboard, ScanSoft is definitely a market leader. Not only does it have Dragon Naturally Speaking, the market-leading speech recognition software, but also the worlds most popular optical character recognition (OCR) package entitled OmniPage. Having recently looked at Dragon Naturally Speaking, it is now time to check out the latest version of the OCR software in its OmniPage Professional 15 implementation.
This latest version of OmniPage has extended PDF capabilities in the form of ScanSofts PDF Create 3.0 technology. Those who already possess PDF Create 3.0 will quickly discover the OmniPage installation objects to its presence and will ask permission to remove it before continuing with the installation. Later, a new version of PDF Create 3.0 will be installed. As with all its products, ScanSoft requires its software to be activated via the Internet. If this process is not carried out, you will only be able to run the software on five occasions.
In order to ensure the best possible results, you will need to introduce your scanner to the software. OmniPage has its own database of preferred scanners. If your scanner is not included then a wizard will lead you through the process of checking it for suitability. Tests will be carried out using different types of documents to identify any possible problems, report on available paper sizes, and check for ADF (Automatic Document Feed) support. The results will then be used to define the partnership between the scanner and OmniPage.
OmniPage provides three different methods of dealing with the processing of documents. You can choose from the automatic, manual or workflow routes. Basically the actual processing is the same, the difference is in the way each one is implemented as the document is accessed with a range of pre-defined or custom layouts, the OCR procedure is carried out, and the end product is dispatched to the desired location.
The automatic method uses general settings to work through the three stages and is activated by a single mouse click. This method should suffice for the majority of general tasks. As its name indicates, manual allows the user to single step through the process and adjust the settings for each stage. In this way one-off unusual documents, that might cause problems, can be processed. Zones can be assigned for areas that could be avoided; designated as graphics or maybe a table; and handled in a precise way.
The third method consists of a series of steps governed by pre-defined settings. To help create a workflow, there is a wizard that leads you through the process. Workflows can be set up for different types of jobs and these will be available from a drop-down pick list.
Batch operations can be set up. There is also an option to specify folders and mailboxes to be watched. Any new content of these will then be automatically processed.
The OmniPage interface is divided into three main working areas with various toolbars and control buttons. On the left is the Image Panel which, as its name indicates, displayed an image of the current page plus thumbnails of any associated pages. Taking over the right section of the screen is the Text Editor which has its own Formatting toolbar. The third area, positioned across the bottom of the interface, is the Document Manager. This presents an overview of the current document presented in a table format. Each row represents a page with columns containing statistical and status information.
The results I achieved, using various types of documents, were generally good. When issues did arise, such as recognising the trademark symbol when using certain fonts, it was relatively easy to train OmniPage to accept future occurrences. To help with editing, OmniPage has a read-back facility that makes use of ScanSoft RealSpeak technology. There is a choice of voices available with user-defined volume and speed levels you can even have your document read back with a foreign accent.
As mentioned earlier, OmniPage Professional 15 comes with PDF Create. You also get PDF Converter. These two applications allow you to turn your documents into PDF format and convert PDF documents into Word, Excel and WordPerfect documents. Both applications have their own entry in your Start menu.
There is no doubt that OmniPage Professional 15 is a powerful application with a price to match. At £435.00, it is not a purchase to take lightly. However if you rely heavily on the need to convert documents from paper to electronic format, then this product sets the standard that other products will struggle to meet.
You will need a Pentium III or equivalent, Windows 98SE or later, 256MB of RAM, and 200MB of free hard disk space.
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