I don't know which packages come standard, but the Abbyy fine reader is an excellent program. It does have the duplex feature for scanning books and I use the program all of the time. OmniPage also has this feature but takes some getting used to with JFW. I have a very high end scanner with exceptional scan quality and speed so I don't know how these packages will work with the various scanners that are on the market. Take care, John -----Original Message----- From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Yardbird Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 8:20 AM To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Jaws and OCR software In what sense do these off-the-shelf OCR applications offer no accessibility? I don't know about the type you're referring to that come preloaded on some computers. But I've heard other such programs, full featured ones not meant specifically for blind use, discussed and compared in terms of their functionality for blind and low vision users, and I would have the same question about what's inadequate about them. I understand that of course they don't do things like search for and download bookshare files, if that matters to someone, and they aren't self-voicing, a feature I deliberately have stopped using in Open Book and switched to Eloquence. but if they can scan with acceptable accuracy, including with a two page mode for efficient book scanning, and they have standard Windows interfaces for familiarity and can be accessed with Jaws or Window Eyes just like Word or Outlook express, what is it about them that you'd say makes them so inaccessible and nearly useless as you say to a blind or low vision user? I'm sorry that I can't remember off the top of my head the two or three brands that are in fact sold to blind customers and discussed from time to time on other blind tech lists, but my impression is that they are anything but some bare bones shareware-style applets such as come preloaded with some Windows computers. thanks for clarifying. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Hebert" <roberthebert@xxxxxxxxx> To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 9:58 PM Subject: Re: Jaws and OCR software If you just want to scan the occasional page, cheap software will do the trick. Abby Fine Engine Scanning software even came on my machine. However, for a blind or visually-impaired individual, speech-friendly OCR software such as Kurzweil or Openbook can't be beat. Without such programs there is virtually no accessibility. If you have enough vision to read your screen though, you can likely get by with the scanning software that may have come with your machine. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Willows" <mwillows@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: "jfw" <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 9:44 PM Subject: Jaws and OCR software Does anyone know if it is really necessary to use Openbook or Kurzweild? Is there a reason why a Jaws user can't use cheap OCR software? Is it just a matter of ease of usability? Can't I scan a document, save it as a word doc and then read it with Jaws? Mary -- JFW related links: JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/ Scripting mailing list: http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com JFW List instructions: To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. 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Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx -- JFW related links: JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/ Scripting mailing list: http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com JFW List instructions: To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx