h a l f b a k e r yWhat's a nice idea like yours doing in a place like this?
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A Copy Holder (for those that don't know) is the little tilted plastic thing that typists put next to their PCs. The document to be typed up is placed on the holder, and small magnifying bar can be used to keep your place.
Swap the place holder bar for a sliding single line OCR scanner. Press the
scan button on the top, and the scanning bar will travel down the document and OCR the text. When the scan is completed, scroll through the text on screen to check the scan is correct - the bar will follow your place on screen, on the copy holder. If something looks incorrect, check on the copy holder, which will be underlining the mistake with the scanner bar, and amend on screen.
A typical copy holder
http://www.ergoindemand.com/ech008bz.htm
This one is slightly flasher than the one everyone here has, but its the same thing. [Danzarak, Mar 06 2002]
High volume OCR system
http://www.zylab.nl...highvolume/high.htm
ZyLAB claim their system can process up to 10 000 pages per day per operator, using a PC network and high-spec scanner. [pottedstu, Mar 06 2002]
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Annotation:
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But scanners are baked. OCR is baked. The only difference is that this scanner is attached to the monitor. I could do that with some Superglue. |
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Er... its not attached to the monitor, and when you scan something you cant see it to edit it as it scans. |
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It would work as an upright scanner, but since you're obviously not someone who has to type and scan vast amounts of text in a day, you dont see the benefit of having the scanned item readily in front of you. Most people who type have a copy holder.. if you could replace that with a scanner then you'd save space and time. Like Doctor Who. |
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My OCR software (Omni Page, I think version 7.0) shows you the document as it's processing it. If there's a bit it's unsure of, it displays the appropriate scanned-in part of the document as a bitmap, and the text it guesses side by side. You can then change its interpretation based on an image of the actual document. |
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This software seems a lot more convenient than having to constantly turn your gaze from screen to document. Not to mention the risk of damage, dirt or other failure involved in an uncovered bar constantly moving up and down (vertical movement's a lot harder than horizontal.) Plus hardware is always more expensive than software. And the software plus flat-bed OCR solution works better with books and non-standard paper sizes than anything based on a copy-holder. |
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I don't see the advantage of having the scan occur on a copy holder vs. a scanner. And as 'stu indicates, it makes much more sense to do all the checking/editing right on screen than to force gaze changing constantly. |
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I don't have a copy holder, and frankly I don't know anyone who does. Waste of money. For those few times when I actually have to hold a document in place for retyping, I find a file folder, standing on edge, and a paper clip work just fine. |
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Okay, the scanner is attached to a copy holder which is attached to the monitor. |
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Another disadvantage is that it'll be a single-sheet scanner. For someone who does as much scanning as you claim to, I'd think you'd want something with a sheet feeder. |
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Are we talking about the same item here? My copy holder is a free standing item (I'll post a link) - also, most scanners are single sheet anyway, and it would be a lot faster to just insert a sheet horizontally, scan it, and quickly insert another. It would help me, and I believe many people... |
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//I don't have a copy holder, and frankly I don't know anyone who does//
You're joking? In my office of 40 people, more than half have a copy holder - even my boss (who types very rarely..) it's a universally useful item! |
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Look at the link - if I could have my scanner in the format suggested, it would save me the entire space of the scanner - I work in an open plan office, and dont have a (uuuhhhh) cubicle.. this would help me. |
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You can get scanners that aren't flat-bed designs; that feed the paper through a unit with smaller footprint (I'll try to find a link). However, these are significantly less accurate than flat-bed scanners because of the difficulty of moving the paper and scan head evenly without jamming. Professional auto-feed scanners come somewhere inbetween, I believe. I see this would save desk space, but at a cost of significantly poorer results. |
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On the other hand, my biggest suggestion would be to change your working practices so you don't have to OCR as much text, or can do it via a central sheet-fed document processor (see link). |
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// "I don't have a copy holder, and frankly I don't know anyone who does" You're joking? In my office of 40 people, more than half have a copy holder - even my boss (who types very rarely..) it's a universally useful item! // |
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Nope, not kidding. As I said, I found a cheaper alternative that works just as well... better, really. |
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The idea has the appeal of a JPG photostation printer
elderly 20th century secretaries will find the idea
thrilling, that is a big plus as secretaries do a bunch of
that typing thing |
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