Need advice on a scanner

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Swede88

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Howdy folks. I hope I'm posting this on the right sub-forum, at least I think the people that regularly post here would have the best input.

So here's the thing....I just took on a project that requires me to take the master copies (paper copies) of the Policy and Procedures manual at work and edit every single one of them with a particular change/update.

I was thinking that I could get a scanner and scan the master copy and save it as a word document, then edit the document and save the finished product. FYI, if you have a better idea I'm all ears :)

So, I need advice on what kind of scanner to get.

Also, I'm not sure whether the scanner or the software determines whether or not I can scan and save something as a word document.

I appreciate any help you can offer.
 
Well, scanned documents are actually captured as graphical images, and as such are uneditable by Word-related programs. To edit the text, you'll need some sort of character recognition software to convert the image to text, and even then I'm not sure if the formatting, spacings, etc... will be accurately converted.

Try to see if you can get a hold of Fine Reader Pro, I heard it's easy to use and converts some of the formatting/spacing/etc...
 
I've tried doing it at a friend's house and I can convert it right into a word document, but it doesn't retain the correct formatting...you are right about that. I'm curious if Fine Reader Pro will retain the formatting?

Also, what about advice on a scanner? I don't know anything about graphics, pictures, etc... much less scanners.
 
Mmm, okay forget about Fine Reader Pro, it's expensive and probably outdated. Instead, maybe you can try this:
http://www.scansoft.com/omnipage/standard/

Some scanners do come bundled with OmniPage Pro, like Canon's D1250 U2. But I think these are probably crippled versions, so you'll still probably need to upgrade to the full version. In any case, that software should be right for you. It scans the text, and properly converts the layout for you (http://www.scansoft.com/omnipage/demos/).

As for scanners, I've no idea sorry. I have an Acer. It's probably crap, but it does basic scan jobs. Maybe Canons are nice.
 
I'll give Omnipage a try...some of the Canons do come bundled with it like you said. I think I'll probably give the Canons a try regardless, because the cheaper ones have gotten good reviews and I shouldn't need anything fancy for just scanning black and white word documents.

Thanks for your help!
 
i'd personally recommend the Canon LiDE 35. i have the previous version, the LiDE30, and it will get you up to 1200dpi, which is good for damn near anything you would want to use it for, except possibly professional-grade stuff. of course, i can't comment on the bundled software, cause i don't use it...i just import stuff directly through Photoshop

and i also like them cause they aren't as bulky as other scanners, and they don't even require a power cable....it's powered directly by USB
 
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