GMG Classical Music Forum

The Back Room => The Diner => Topic started by: Sean on August 23, 2007, 08:03:47 AM

Title: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: Sean on August 23, 2007, 08:03:47 AM
I have a large old file in hard copy only that I'd like to get onto a Word document to proofread and edit. It's about 27000 words so I'm not too keen on the thought of all that typing practice: are there some kind of text recognition scans out there that can understand old Amstrad font and translate it directly into something on Word?
Title: Re: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: beclemund on August 23, 2007, 08:12:52 AM
Sounds like you'll want something like Omnipage (http://www.nuance.com/omnipage/)... There are other apps that do the same, there may be even freeware programs. Just Google text scanning or OCR and see what you come up with other than a pricey suite like Omnipage that it seems you may not use often enough to justify the price.
Title: Re: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: Sean on August 23, 2007, 08:20:59 AM
Many thanks. Maybe I'll try a computer services centre, asking them about Omnipage first- looks like just what I want...
Title: Re: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: Gurn Blanston on August 23, 2007, 08:33:58 AM
Quote from: Sean on August 23, 2007, 08:20:59 AM
Many thanks. Maybe I'll try a computer services centre, asking them about Omnipage first- looks like just what I want...

I got "TextBridge" with my scanner and have had surprisingly good results from it. As Becle says, Omnipage is pretty expensive, TextBridge less so. Of course, there is always going to be work to do after the scanning is done, so a service could well be your best bet, especially if there are any time limitations on you...

8)

Edit - Here's a link. It is only $80 US to download it. It works really well for me, I even scanned a bunch of CD booklets which are pretty hard to do, no problem.

http://www.nuance.com/textbridge/
Title: Re: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: Sean on August 23, 2007, 09:13:46 AM
Cheers Gurn. I did have the floppy discs to some other Amstrad files but somehow lost the one to my undergraduate dissertation, which I'd like to access again on the screen here...
Title: Re: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: head-case on August 23, 2007, 09:19:26 AM
Quote from: Sean on August 23, 2007, 08:03:47 AM
I have a large old file in hard copy only that I'd like to get onto a Word document to proofread and edit. It's about 27000 words so I'm not too keen on the thought of all that typing practice: are there some kind of text recognition scans out there that can understand old Amstrad font and translate it directly into something on Word?
Planning a second edition of "Sean's Illustrated Guide to Third World Sex?"   >:D
Title: Re: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: Sean on August 23, 2007, 09:53:53 AM
No, you'll just have to start your own thread on that. It's a dissertation on the Self or the individual subject, looking at traditional and modern Western and Eastern perspectives- took over 900 hours to write in 1996-7.
Title: Re: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: Renfield on August 23, 2007, 12:15:23 PM
Quote from: Sean on August 23, 2007, 09:53:53 AM
No, you'll just have to start your own thread on that. It's a dissertation on the Self or the individual subject, looking at traditional and modern Western and Eastern perspectives- took over 900 hours to write in 1996-7.

Interesting subject.
Title: Re: Computing question: scanned text recognition??
Post by: BachQ on January 14, 2008, 10:30:08 AM
Quote from: Sean on August 23, 2007, 09:53:53 AM
It's a dissertation on the Self or the individual subject, looking at traditional and modern Western and Eastern perspectives- took over 900 hours to write in 1996-7.

Please share this dissertation with us, Sean........ Please .........