Well, it seems to me she may need to decide whether cost or ease of
use matters most. For scanning of bills, leters, and magazine, I
bought a CanoScan LiDE 70 which came with OCR software for the Mac.
The software is very usable, but she will need sighted assistence to
install it, as she is a computer newby. Once it works, it works well
if a little tricky at first. One must use the VO command to click
the mouse on the buttons and such. If you are only doing a little
scanning, like I am, it is perfect. Scanned documents are saved as
PDF files, which are extremely easy to read with the Mac's built-in
Preview program.
For more robust scanning, I think Red Iris is the better bet, based
on discussions on this list previously. I haven't personally used
it, but plan to eventually upgrade to it. Others will likely be able
to give you more information on that product. It sounds like
OmniPage would be overkill for her, IMO.
Josh de Lioncourt
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
...my other mail provider is an owl...
On Sep 5, 2007, at 12:48 AM, John Lee wrote:
Hi,
I just joined the list and have found the input by everyone to be
very helpful. I work at an assistive technology center in
California and am currently working with a client who is interested
in getting a MacBook with VoiceOver. She has limited computer
experience and realizes that she has a lot to learn. Ulitmately,
she would like to use the computer for email, Internet, and reading
scanned materials, such as letters, bills, magazines, etc. What are
the best options for scan and read software for Mac users these
days? I realize that there is no Open Book or Kurzweil 1000 for the
Mac. Is OmniPage Pro X for Mac the only viable OCR option out
there? Keep in mind we are talking about a very novice computer
user here, so the simpler the better. Also, which flatbed scanners
are you finding most effective? Canon LiDe? Ideally she'd like to
get the whole system, including laptop, scanner, and software, for
under $2000 if at all possible.
Thanks,
John
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