RE: j Macarty, could use your assistance! was: Re: Introducing PDF2OCR and seeking testers

I agree with inthane; I suppose it is possible. Although, given that it
isn't usually hard to throw off most OCR packages with some unusual font
or background, I'd not have high expectations of getting the code right.


-----Original Message-----
From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of inthaneelf
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 8:14 PM
To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: j Macarty, could use your assistance! was: Re: Introducing
PDF2OCR and seeking testers

its possible, stress the possible, I would try selecting the graphic, 
copying it and pasting it into an open paint file, so your not trying to
dig 
the image out of the surrounding text that you already have access to,
then 
run printscreen on it there.

and I say might, because some places, like Microsoft I know, use blurry 
backgrounds and oddly formed but readable (to someone with really good 
eyesight)  forms of the numbers and letters, as well as sometimes
putting 
something crossing the background to blur the letter formation, to keep
them 
from being scanned and auto inputted by programs, which is the whole
reason 
there doing that, to block automated generation bots.

HTH,
inthane
. For Blind Programming assistance, Information, Useful Programs, and
Links 
to Jamal Mazrui's Text tutorial packages and Applications, visit me at:
http://grabbag.alacorncomputer.com
. to be able to view a simple programming project in several programming

languages, visit the Fruit basket demo site at:
http://fruitbasketdemo.alacorncomputer.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dale Leavens" <dleavens@xxxxxxx>
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 10:31 AM
Subject: Re: j Macarty, could use your assistance! was: Re: Introducing 
PDF2OCR and seeking testers


So,

Is it likely this could be used to read those graphics used to secure
Web 
sites, the image of a password or number the user must enter to gain 
admission?


Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
DLeavens@xxxxxxx
Skype DaleLeavens
Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jamal Mazrui" <empower@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 12:28 PM
Subject: RE: j Macarty, could use your assistance! was: Re: Introducing 
PDF2OCR and seeking testers


> Thanks, Jay and Inthane.  I did some web research and found out the
> following.
>
> The current version is PrintKey Pro 1.04, costing about $20 and
apparently
> published in 2003.  A 30-day, fully functioning demo is available from
> http://www.warecentral.com
>
> I installed the demo and converted the CHM help file to text in the
> archive at
> http://www.empowermentzone.com/pkey_doc.zip
>
> Several graphics output types are possible, though Microsoft Document
> Image format is not mentioned in the documentation or listed in the
> options dialog.  TIFF is an output type, which I then tried to convert
to
> text with Tesseract-OCR.  Unfortunately, the result was gibberish,
even
> though Tesseract recognized it as a TIFF type it could handle.  I
suspect
> the problem may be one of resolution since Tesseract reported only 96
MDI.
> Unfortunately, however, I have not found a setting that can increase
TIFF
> resolution.  If anyone else does, please let me know.  Although the
> program would not be free, at a modest cost one could tie together
> components that let one perform OCR on a window that a screen reader
fails
> to incorporate readably in its off screen model.  The converted text
could
> automatically be presented in a message box, multiline edit box, or
JAWS
> user buffer.
>
> Jamal
>
> P.S.  I was confused by the one from Grab Bag partly because the
> PrintScreen key was not bringing up the program for me, and there had
not
> been any messages when I ran the program.  It turns out that my
computer
> does not let PrintKey grab the PrintScreen key, but this is a known
issue
> with some computers, so the program allows one to change the hot keys.
I
> later learned about Alt+PrintScreen for the active window only, which
does
> work in the current demo.  The program is also available in the system
> tray.
> On Sat, 15 Sep
> 2007, Macarty, Jay  {PBSG} wrote:
>
>> Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 07:48:50 -0500
>> From: "Macarty, Jay  {PBSG}" <Jay.Macarty@xxxxxxxx>
>> Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: RE: j Macarty,
>>      could use your assistance! was: Re: Introducing PDF2OCR and
seeking
>>     testers
>>
>> inthane,
>> You have summarized the features of PrintKey nicely; thanks. Just a
>> couple of additional notes.
>>
>> 1. The most recent version of PrintKey is a licensed software package
(I
>> don't recall the cost at this point). The latest free version was
>> version 4.0 which is the one I posted about originally.
>>
>> 2. My most common method for invoking PrintKey to capture a window is
to
>> launch the software by selecting the printkey.exe program in Windows
>> Explorer or FileDir.  Then, I normally use the keystroke to capture
only
>> the specific window with focus; the key is alt+printscreen. That way
I
>> only get the window I am interested in and not everything around it.
>>
>> 3. Once you press printscreen or alt+printscreen, you will hear a
sound
>> like a camera and then the PrintKey window will pop up. I then select
>> the print button and my printer dialog is set to go to a .MDI
document
>> instead of a regular printer. It should be noted that one other
useful
>> action when the PrintKey dialog comes up is to press ctrl+c to send
the
>> window image to the clipboard. Then, you can paste it into a document
or
>> an e-mail.
>>
>> 4. When the print selection creates the .MDI document, you will
>> automatically be placed in the Microsoft image viewer program. You
then
>> select the Tools menu and press enter on Send this image to a Word
>> document. You will then be asked if you want to perform OCR on the
>> image. I am not sure if you can override the OCR program the viewer
>> invokes at this point but it would be worth researching.
>>
>> I'm thinking that, if PrintKey has the ability to save the image in
>> another format such as tif, it might be possible to try running the
>> image through the tool included in Jamal's PDF2OCR package to
compare.
>> My general impression is that the OCR included with Office Tools
isn't
>> the greatest. PrintKey gives you the ability to play with some
aspects
>> of the image in order to get it like you want and some of those
setting
>> may allow for better OCR translation. I just haven't been able to
find
>> what might improve it.
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
inthaneelf
>> Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 1:58 AM
>> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: Re: j Macarty, could use your assistance! was: Re:
Introducing
>> PDF2OCR and seeking testers
>>
>> Jamal,
>>
>> all I have at this time is the information that j Macarty's E mail
gave,
>>
>> which I included in the text around the link. its a stand alone
>> application,
>> and if I remember right, one starts the application by entering on
it,
>> then
>> uses the screen print key on the image one is trying to OCR and I
>> believe
>> the application will open then to ask what you want to do with this
>> captured
>> image.  and I believe that you save it as a .MDI document, then you
open
>>
>> that file which should start the correct Microsoft  program to OCR
the
>> file
>> and render it for your reading.
>>
>> if j catches this post maybe he can clarify this whole thing further
>> than
>> this, and I'll nab his explanation and put it with the application
for
>> folks
>> to get with it.
>>
>> I set it up and ran through it once, found that it seemed to be
working
>> alright, and haven't put it back on my newly reloaded machine yet due
to
>> the
>> fact that I rarely deal with screen images, the old "once in a
harvest
>> moon"
>> scenario.
>>
>> there is stuff on the web about it though, I found the app in a
Google
>> search after J's post on the list about it and its value to him.
>>
>> sorry I can't be of more help at this point, but if he doesn't have,
or
>> he
>> misses this post and doesn't expand on it, I will see what I can
find.
>>
>> inthane
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jamal Mazrui" <empower@xxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 8:21 PM
>> Subject: Re: Introducing PDF2OCR and seeking testers
>>
>>
>> > Thanks for the info.  Can you distribute more documentation with
it?
>> I
>> > guess PrintKey.exe is the utility, itself, rather than an
installer.
>> > When I ran it, there were no messages, either from a GUI or a
command
>> > prompt.  I tried typical help command-line parameters to no avail.
>> What
>> > is .mdi format (I have not heard of it before)?  Can any version of
>> > Microsoft Word read it?  How does one do this with Word?
>> >
>> > Assuming the program works as you have described (though I need to
>> learn
>> > specific steps of invocation), it seems considerably different in
>> purpose
>> > than PDF2OCR.  It seems that PrintKey is for learning about a
screen
>> > image, whereas PDF2OCR is for learning about a PDF file.  Both
involve
>> OCR
>> > (though PrintKey does not do this, itself), but the types of
>> information
>> > to be accessed in a typically temporarl, static screen image are
>> usually
>> > different than the content of a potentially large or formal piece
of
>> > writing in a PDF.
>> >
>> > Jamal
>> > On Fri, 14 Sep 2007,
>> > inthaneelf wrote:
>> >
>> >> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:03:32 -0700
>> >> From: inthaneelf <inthaneelf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> >> Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> Subject: Re: Introducing PDF2OCR and seeking testers
>> >>
>> >> you can google for it, but I have put it up on my grab bag site
for
>> >> download, and the text that accompanies the link tells you how to
use
>> it
>> >> for
>> >> this purpose.
>> >>
>> >> its a self contained executable, that you generally would go and
>> click on
>> >> to
>> >> use, I put it in a folder in my programs files folder and
generally
>> put a
>> >> shortcut to it in CO:\Documents and Settings\[my user named
>> folder]\Start
>> >> Menu\Programs\Startup
>> >> or for a universal (all users of the computer run on it:
>> >> CO:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
>> >>
>> >> this loads it at start up and makes it available by just hitting
the
>> old
>> >> "print screen" button on your keyboard.  but you can just make a
>> shortcut
>> >> to
>> >> it anywhere, and start it if you need it, so your not loading
>> unneeded
>> >> items
>> >> at boot up.
>> >>
>> >> HTH,
>> >> Inthane
>> >> . For Blind Programming assistance, Information, Useful Programs,
and
>>
>> >> Links
>> >> to Jamal Mazrui's Text tutorial packages and Applications, visit
me
>> at:
>> >> http://grabbag.alacorncomputer.com
>> >> . to be able to view a simple programming project in several
>> programming
>> >> languages, visit the Fruit basket demo site at:
>> >> http://fruitbasketdemo.alacorncomputer.com
>> >>
>> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> From: "Eileen Lafond" <Eileen.Lafond@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>> >> To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> >> Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 2:38 PM
>> >> Subject: Re: Introducing PDF2OCR and seeking testers
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Where do you get print screen?
>> >>
>> >> Eileen La Fond
>> >> Phone (206) 386-0011
>> >> e.mail Eileen.LaFond@xxxxxxxxxxx
>> >>
>> >> >>> "inthaneelf" <inthaneelf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 9/14/2007 2:29 PM >>>
>> >> I understand, print screen is a small utility that Jay Macarty ,
put
>> out
>> >> as
>> >> a interim solution for folks that had to deal with screen images
sent
>> to
>> >> them by clients, to OCR them, so I thought in the spirit of seeing
>> how
>> >> this
>> >> free OCR module that your using did compared to other scanners
that
>> are
>> >> free
>> >> also I would run it through it.
>> >>
>> >> and yes, the setup I am talking about is for OCRing a completely
>> graphic
>> >> image and attempting to render it into a text version.
>> >>
>> >> I wasn't trying to be offensive Jamal, but testing your program
>> against
>> >> some
>> >> others isn't a bad idea, to give you an idea of how well it, and
this
>> >> freebee OCR module does compared to other things out here, that
are
>> free,
>> >> or
>> >> included in suite's that a lot of us have?
>> >>
>> >> inthane
>> >> . For Blind Programming assistance, Information, Useful Programs,
and
>>
>> >> Links
>> >> to Jamal Mazrui's Text tutorial packages and Applications, visit
me
>> at:
>> >> http://grabbag.alacorncomputer.com
>> >> . to be able to view a simple programming project in several
>> programming
>> >> languages, visit the Fruit basket demo site at:
>> >> http://fruitbasketdemo.alacorncomputer.com
>> >>
>> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> From: "Jamal Mazrui" <empower@xxxxxxxxx>
>> >> To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> >> Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 5:29 AM
>> >> Subject: Re: Introducing PDF2OCR and seeking testers
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> > FYI -- the 1.0 release version is considerably better than the
beta
>> >> > version due to performing OCR on a page-by-page basis and to the
>> >> > convenience of converting any number of PDFs in a directory with
a
>> >> > single command.  PDF2OCR does work on text-based as well as
>> image-based
>> >> > PDFs, but the results on text-based ones are generally not as
good
>> as
>> >> > with other utilities that extract the text directly rather than
>> >> > analyzing the picture of each page.
>> >> >
>> >> > Jamal
>> >> > On Thu, 13 Sep 2007, inthaneelf wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:52:12 -0700
>> >> >> From: inthaneelf <inthaneelf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> >> >> Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> >> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> >> Subject: Re: Introducing PDF2OCR and seeking testers
>> >> >>
>> >> >> and print screen, lets see how this freebee works out, smile
>> >> >>
>> >> >> and Jamal, I appreciate what your working on, just want to make
>> sure
>> >> >> your
>> >> >> getting at least 60% of what your hoping for out of it.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> inthane
>> >> >> . For Blind Programming assistance, Information, Useful
Programs,
>> and
>> >> >> Links
>> >> >> to Jamal Mazrui's Text tutorial packages and Applications,
visit
>> me
>> >> >> at:
>> >> >> http://grabbag.alacorncomputer.com
>> >> >> . to be able to view a simple programming project in several
>> >> >> programming
>> >> >> languages, visit the Fruit basket demo site at:
>> >> >> http://fruitbasketdemo.alacorncomputer.com
>> >> >>
>> >> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> >> From: "Lloyd Rasmussen" <lras@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>> >> >> To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> >> >> Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2007 3:47 AM
>> >> >> Subject: RE: Introducing PDF2OCR and seeking testers
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> > If someone wants to submit a sample, I can run it through the
>> PDF
>> >> >> > tools
>> >> >> > that
>> >> >> > come with OmniPage 15.  Also, someone else should run the
sample
>> >> >> > through
>> >> >> > the
>> >> >> > image printer and OCR built into MS Word.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Lloyd Rasmussen, Kensington, Maryland
>> >> >> > Home:  http://lras.home.sprynet.com
>> >> >> > Work:  http://www.loc.gov/nls
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> >> >> From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> >> >> [mailto:programmingblind-
>> >> >> >> bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jamal Mazrui
>> >> >> >> Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2007 5:42 AM
>> >> >> >> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> >> >> Subject: Re: Introducing PDF2OCR and seeking testers
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> I would expect better results from Kurzweil 1000, which uses
>> >> >> >> arguably
>> >> >> >> the highest grade commercial OCR technology.  The free Adobe
>> Reader
>> >> >> >> does
>> >> >> >> not do OCR, so would not make the sample file accessible.
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> Jamal
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > __________
>> >> >> > View the list's information and change your settings at
>> >> >> > http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >
>> >> >>
>> >> >> __________
>> >> >> View the list's information and change your settings at
>> >> >> http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>> >> >>
>> >> > __________
>> >> > View the list's information and change your settings at
>> >> > http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >> __________
>> >> View the list's information and change your settings at
>> >> http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>> >>
>> >> __________
>> >> View the list's information and change your settings at
>> >> http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>> >>
>> >> __________
>> >> View the list's information and change your settings at
>> >> http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>> >>
>> > __________
>> > View the list's information and change your settings at
>> > http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>> >
>> >
>>
>> __________
>> View the list's information and change your settings at
>> http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>> __________
>> View the list's information and change your settings at
>> http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>>
> __________
> View the list's information and change your settings at
> http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
>
>
__________
View the list's information and change your settings at
http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind

__________
View the list's information and change your settings at 
http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
__________
View the list's information and change your settings at
http://www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind

Other related posts: