Re: Scanning Tips
- From: "W. Nick Dotson" <nickdotson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 13:23:17 -0500
There is a certain distance the columns have to be apart to not be considered
as proportionally spaced text. However, you might want to turn on "keep
images", not saving it in your default settings file, scan a page or so of the
difficult text, then, send the text to <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> using the
"file.send.send to an e-mail recipient" feature in K1000. Bob can look at the
page image, and tell us what the problem is. It might also be a good idea to
attach a copy of your "default.ost" file to that message. Your "default.ost"
settings file can be located in your "c:\documents and settings\your user name
\applications data\kesi\kurzweil 1000" folder.
W. Nick Dotson
On Fri, 5 May 2006 10:10:48 -0700, Linda Gehres wrote:
Thank you, Nick and Catherine. The column identification settings are on,
but I can't remember which recognition engine I'm using. I have a
newsletter which sometimes has three columns per page, closely formatted,
and I suspect it would be hard no matter what the settings are for the
scanner to recognize what text goes where, so I've just read it with the
Optacon. Catherine, thanks for the idea of covering the unwanted columns
with paper as I hadn't thought of that.
Linda Gehres
----- Original Message -----
From: "W. Nick Dotson" <nickdotson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 6:18 AM
Subject: Re: Scanning Tips
> Without more information, it is difficult to give you any suggestions.
> What is the nature of the material you are having difficulties reading?
> Also, what have
> you tried: recognition engine, column identification settings, Ignore
> Suspicious Regions settings, Etc?
>
> W. Nick Dotson
>
>
> On Fri, 5 May 2006 06:01:31 -0700, Linda Gehres wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> Does anyone have suggestions for better scanning columns on pages? I've
> got
> Kurzweil Version 10.1, and even this does a bad job with columns as far as
> I'm concerned. Thanks for any help anyone can give.
>
> Linda Gehres
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Deborah Kent Stein" <dkent5817@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 2:04 PM
> Subject: Re: Scanning Tips
>
>
> >
> > I've sometimes prepped a book for scanning by completely covering
> > pictures
> > with Post-Its. The Optacon is a great help with this.
> >
> > Debbie
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Catherine Thomas" <braille@xxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 3:50 AM
> > Subject: Scanning Tips
> >
> >
> >> Because I am a Braille transcriber by profession, I use the
> >> scanner and the Optacon together very often. I thought I would share
> >> with
> >> you some ways in which you can use your Optacon to help make scanning
> >> or
> >> photocopying easier. If you don't use a scanner, you might want to
> >> share
> >> some of these tips with friends. I have arranged them so that each one
> >> shows the problem, the reason, and the solution which we Optacon users
> >> can
> >> do without sighted help usually. I'll limit this message to three
> >> common
> >> situations. Let me know if you want any more posts like this.
> >>
> >> PROBLEM: THE SCANNER ISN'T PICKING UP ANY PAGE NUMBERS:
> >> REASON: In some print documents, page numbers appear in the
> >> opposite color from the rest of the text. They are also often
> >> surrounded
> >> by a square or circle. The scanner will often not pick these up. The
> >> location of page numbers has also changed. In many documents, the page
> >> number is not in a corner. It is often in the middle of the top or
> >> bottom
> >> line and sometimes it is located in the middle of the page in the left
> >> or
> >> right margin.
> >> SOLUTION: It's best to determine in advance if the page numbers
> >> are going to be a problem. Open the book or document to somewhere in
> >> the
> >> middle and search for a page number. If you can't find one after using
> >> the
> >> Optacon on several pages, try again using diffferent adjustments on the
> >> Optacon including the invert switch, the zoom lens, and the threshold
> >> knob.
> >> For users without an Optacon, it's best to ask someone sighted not
> >> only
> >> where the page numbers are located but what color they are.
> >>
> >> PROBLEM: Every page in this book has a stupid border around it.
> >> REASON: The book or document has been deliberately scan-proofed by
> >> the publisher. Slabs of color in strategic places are not just a
> >> decoration. They serve the purpose of obstructing a scan or photocopy
> >> by
> >> causing these devices to miss top and bottom lines of print, headings
> >> and
> >> other truly necessary elements. This is to prevent companies and
> >> schools
> >> from making multiple copies of material instead of purchasing it.
> >> SOLUTION: If you must scan a document with a thick border on every
> >> page, be sure to carefully check that the top and bottom lines of each
> >> page got included in the scan. If you are enterprising and find that
> >> the
> >> thing is not scanning well, take some strips of white paper and lay
> >> them
> >> on the scanner glass to correspond approximately with the border. Then
> >> lay
> >> the page to be scanned on top of these. It may take a little
> >> experimenting
> >> but soon you will be scanning your pages with all the print, and no
> >> gibberish from the decorative borders.
> >>
> >> PROBLEM: THIS BOOK IS FULL OF PICTURES.
> >> REASON: Visual appeal.
> >> SOLUTION: The Optacon user definitely has the advantage here.
> >> Pages with pictures can make a scan infinitely slower and often full of
> >> unnecessary gibberish and errors. For these reasons, using your Optacon
> >> to
> >> examine eah page is well worth the time. If every page containing a
> >> picture places it in the same location, e.g. the top half of the page,
> >> most scanning programs will catch on to this after scanning several
> >> pages.
> >> You might, at the end of the scan, go back and re-scan the first couple
> >> of
> >> pages to get a better result. To speed up the scan, or if the pictures
> >> are
> >> on a different place on each page, you can use a piece of plain white
> >> paper cut to the needed size. Place this paper on the scanner glass.
> >> Then
> >> place the page to be scanned on top. Check your scan to be sure that
> >> you
> >> got the first couple of lines. If it's easier, you can use tape and
> >> position the paper over the picture write in the book.
> >>
> >> THESE PROBLEMS AND A WHOLE LOT MORE, MAKE ME GLAD THAT I HAVE AN
> >> OPTACON
> >> TO HELP ME SCAN.
> >> Catherine
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> -Catherine Thomas
> >> braille@xxxxxxxxx /
> >>
> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
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> >
> >
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>
>
>
> To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to:
>
> optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the
> quotes) in the message subject.
>
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>
>
> W. Nick Dotson
> Technical Support Group
> Senior Support Engineer for Kurzweil 1000
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to:
>
> optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the
> quotes) in the message subject.
>
> Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message
> to:
>
> optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the
> quotes) in the message subject.
>
>
To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to:
optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the
quotes) in the message subject.
Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to:
optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes)
in the message subject.
W. Nick Dotson
Technical Support Group
Senior Support Engineer for Kurzweil 1000
To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to:
optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the
quotes) in the message subject.
Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to:
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