Hi Sandi. I like the idea about the hovercam, but there are a few things that you need to be aware of. There is a problem with hovercam if you run windows under vmware, I do not know, if it has been fixed. The twain driver will not work under vmware. I have tried one of these cameras, it would have been great for me too, because my hands have difficulties lifting the books all the time, I had so many problems with that camera, I did not get very good results. I tried everything, at last I got sighted assistance, and he could not get these good results too. Maybe mine was broken or maybe something special with the light conditions maybe my books or something else. I had to send my camera back, it costed a lot of money, and they were very quickly to refund the price for the camera, so maybe something was wrong.
I like the idea about a camera solution. I have had some promising results with standscan and taking pictures with my phone, but we really miss an app that will take the pictures itself and make a PDF that we can recognize with finereader. Best regards Annie. Den Oct 3, 2013 kl. 4:59 AM skrev Sandi Jazmin Kruse <[email protected]>: > Hi Eric. > So it will eventually be about 2 times faster than what i do now. > That i don't have to move the book would be a massive plus for me. > Yes the optic book comes with super proof software that should work > under normal situations, however if the books are thick plus 500 > pages, depending on the thickness of the page they are nearly > unmanageable, and that is what i wanted too find an solution for. > And it seems you have just been giving me that. > Sorry too hear that your company is shutting down btw. i have for some > time been reading your blog with great interest as i may just start > something up in dk my self. > > best Sandi > > > On 10/2/13, erik burggraaf <[email protected]> wrote: >> Hi Sandy, I've read your post below about 5 times. It's fascinating and >> well written. >> >> You wrote: >> "Eric, how well is the OCR after you have used the cam, i wonder, if >> that process is faster i might consider it seriously." >> >> In my experience, it's good for about 500 pages per hour. The dimensions of >> the scanning area are 8.5 by 14 inches. The scanning accuracy is about 95% >> on average depending on the layout and quality of the text. A black and >> white page of 12 point font is usually good for about 99% accuracy. >> >> It also has the advantage of not having to lift the book. I remember >> cutting my 2000 page html textbook in three back in my college days. I was >> scanning with a little cannoscan portable at the time and I had a broken >> shoulder, having recently been hit by a car. So, it was a bit of an ordeal. >> Ah, memories… laughs. >> >> I've tested the hovercam here myself and trained two clients on it this >> year, and they have both been very happy. >> >> The drawback is, you really need the kurzweil 1000 software to get the most >> out of your hovercam on windows, or docuscan to maximize it under mac. >> >> Your opticbook came with bundle software that you could use very well to do >> professional quality OCR. The hovercam doesn't come with good software and >> so you'll need to buy something more professional. I suppose even abby fine >> reader would do on either windows or mac once you have the images. >> >> Best, >> >> Erik Burggraaf >> Ebony Consulting will close it's doors for good on december 20th. Thanks to >> everyone who contributed to the past four years of success for my little >> consulting business. It means a lot to me. >> Ebony Consulting toll-free: 1-888-255-5194 >> or on the web at http://www.erik-burggraaf.com >> >> On 2013-09-27, at 12:34 AM, Sandi Jazmin Kruse <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> hi, when i decided too become a nurse i had too find out how too get >>> my information, obviously it meant i had too scan the books, i could >>> see what was around me , but obviously not read any single letter, and >>> well seen from my perspective, if an dyslexic can go through live with >>> out being able too connect letters and live happily so can i. >>> okies, so well a scanner was obviously what i needed, too me i knew it >>> was about getting the right tool for the right job, never mind if it >>> meant getting windows in a vmware image. As Eric i believe it was >>> said, study books and i tell you especially medical books can fast run >>> up in over $ 10000. So i had too find a way i could get some of my >>> money back once i was done with the books. >>> >>> >>> >>> How i did it. >>> >>> >>> >>> I don't know how long time others have had too prepare for classes >>> etc, but it is not a unknown fact that nurses read massive amounts of >>> books, so for me it had to work the first time. and which solution >>> could give me that? >>> I started googling as a mad girl, 1 month to go, it was a tight fit. I >>> was actually unlike me not far from giving up when i found a store in >>> Copenhagen, called scan data or some such. >>> I told the owner what i needed and 50 minutes after i received a huge >>> package,. one scanner, a cd and the different connectors. >>> , it was a optic plus 2500 or so i believe, but i can find that out >>> more precisely later, the reason i got that scanner is as follows. >>> I knew my time table would be tight so i needed something both complex >>> and simple at the same time, i had been working with computers for >>> over 10 years, so i was relatively confident i could make it work one >>> way or the other. >>> The special thing about this scanner is not that it scans the books, >>> obviously, which it does relatively fast or slow, it is 23 seconds >>> before the scanning head is ready to go round the bush again. And >>> since it was the best solution i could get at that time all in all, it >>> was what i got. For medical books it works, if you do not scan the >>> whole book at one time. if you do your arms will be tired at the end. >>> >>> The scanning process. >>> Okay so now we come too the most complex part of it all, or maybe not, >>> the scanning process, and how too do it. >>> Press contact, flip book over too the other half of its open page, >>> press contact again, turn page, press contact, do it as many times as >>> you need, for a book on about 400 pages , that would mean about 800 >>> times. >>> >>> So now that we got the book done and finish, what do you do? you OCR >>> it. press tab on your computer a few times, and it goes about doing >>> its thing as you go do something else, when it is done, it lays in a >>> notepad document and is ready to be read, as fast as you can manage. >>> Is it the Fastest way too scan a book on about 400 pages, i doubt it , >>> but for OCR and scanning over all i say that it works pretty well if >>> you want it simple, also the alinement of the book is quite easy, so >>> far my only worry have been if it could run under vmware on my mac. >>> And it does that gorgeously with nvda. >>> >>> >>> >>> A few words about why i got exactly this scanner. >>> I am not kidding when i say the following, medical books will in the >>> long run cost me more than my car, but too me it means that if i use a >>> scanner solution with out cutting the book up that i can sell it >>> again, and by that way get some of the money back from the book, >>> meaning obviously that i can use them for getting the rest of the >>> needed money for more books. >>> As i have said before, unless you are a really strong female, scanning >>> 1000 pages in one go will tire you out. >>> I do believe i did it one time, and that was only cause i got Sandi >>> stubborn, and is not too be repeated. The other reason for getting >>> that scanner is that medical books are huge, page vice, it is not your >>> normal book sized novel. >>> The scanner it self was invented too scan old books, at least if i >>> shall trust the homepage. And i have too admit that it does that >>> really well, you see there are 2 things we have too remember when we >>> scan for studying, accuracy and speed. and i choose too call it >>> reusability of the scanned book, so at least for me cutting the books >>> too pieces is not an option, hey i am not rockefella, i am the other >>> fella smiles. >>> so realistically, how many pages can you scan on, say 1 hour, i will >>> say, 200 if you are focused about it. I am a bit of an airhead at >>> times, so it is most likely you can get it up too about 300. >>> So all in all, if you want the book scanned ultra fast this option is >>> most definitely not for you, but i am pretty sure it is the one that >>> gives the best solution in the long run, but then again, if you are >>> just needing it for reading a novel, i don't know how much the >>> accuracy means too you. >>> I personally have the scanning process running under windows xp >>> installed under vmware fusion, and i got to admit i was pretty >>> surprised too discover that the process worked as well under fusion as >>> it would under a native windows environment. >>> Eric, how well is the OCR after you have used the cam, i wonder, if >>> that process is faster i might consider it seriously. >>> >>> >>> best sandi. >>> >>> >>> On 9/26/13, James Lee <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> Thanks Anne for explaining the process. >>>> I'll let you know if I go into Vuescan+Abby route. >>>> >>>> JL >>>> >>>> On 9/25/2013 5:25 AM, Anne Robertson wrote: >>>>> Hello James, >>>>> >>>>> I use a flatbed scanner and scan a double page at a time. I use VueScan >>>>> to >>>>> capture the images and ABBYY FineReader Express to do the OCR. This is >>>>> faster than just using FineReader and the images are better so the OCR >>>>> is >>>>> more accurate. >>>>> >>>>> This does however mean buying two applications to get the job done. If >>>>> you >>>>> don't buy a license for VueScan, it leaves a watermark on each scan >>>>> which >>>>> can really mess up the OCR. The License for VueScan costs $39 for one >>>>> year >>>>> or $79 for life. >>>>> >>>>> If you choose to use VueScan plus ABBYY FineReader Express, let me know >>>>> and I'll send you my little set up guide for VueScan. >>>>> >>>>> Cheers, >>>>> >>>>> Anne >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 25 Sep 2013, at 10:44, James Lee <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Hi Anne, >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks for the suggestion. >>>>>> This is true, scanners with automatic document feeder are much faster >>>>>> than flat bed. I haven't used one of those, so I haven't thought of >>>>>> it. >>>>>> What if you can't take books apart. What would be the best solution? >>>>>> Thanks for help, >>>>>> >>>>>> JL >>>>>> >>>>>> On 9/24/2013 1:55 PM, Anne Robertson wrote: >>>>>>> Hello James, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> If you can take the books apart, you'd be fastest with the kind of >>>>>>> scanner that will scan both sides of a sheet and also has an >>>>>>> automatic >>>>>>> feed. The application VueScan can probably handle one of these and it >>>>>>> produces very good images. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> However, VueScan is not good for OCR. It will do it, but not very >>>>>>> well. >>>>>>> You can, however, feed the file of images to ABBYY FineReader Express >>>>>>> for Mac which does an excellent job on OCR. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Here is a link to the page showing which scanners are supported by >>>>>>> VueScan: >>>>>>> <http://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/vuescan.htm#supported> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Cheers, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Anne >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On 24 Sep 2013, at 15:41, James Lee <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Hi All, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I'm wondering what would be the fastest way for a college student to >>>>>>>> scan books with accurate OCR? >>>>>>>> I know there are cameras out there for scanning documents like hover >>>>>>>> cam and pearl, but I haven't actually used them. >>>>>>>> I could be wrong, but pearl is only works with Open Book, right? >>>>>>>> Can someone share their experience, and recommend what to buy? >>>>>>>> Especially comparison would be very helpful. >>>>>>>> Thanks so much, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> JL >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>>>> Groups "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, >>>>>>>> send >>>>>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>>>>> To post to this group, send email to >>>>>>>> [email protected]. >>>>>>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>>>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>>>> -- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups >>>>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>>> an >>>>>> email to [email protected]. >>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups >>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an >>>> email to [email protected]. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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