Scanning Text
with OmniPage Pro OCR
| It is possible, using a scanner,
to convert printed text to a word
processing document. This process is called Optical Character Recognition (OCR). This may be useful if you lose a document and your only backup is hard copy. The GSLIS TechLab uses Caere OmniPage Pro OCR software. |
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To begin, position the text to be scanned on the scanner bed. If you are using an HP scanner: Lift the top of the scanner, revealing the scanner bed. Place the text face down on the scanner bed with the top of the text against the top edge (the far edge). |
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If you are using a Microtek scanner: Lift the top of the scanner, revealing the scanner bed. Place the image face down on the scanner bed with the top of the image against the bottom edge (the near edge). NOTE: If you are scanning transparent media (i.e. a slide), use the middle tray instead of the scanner bed. Gently pull out the tray, position the slide, and gently push it back in. |
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Next, launch Caere OmniPage Pro. Click on Start. Select OmniPage Pro from either the Programs folder or the Scanners folder. (This will vary depending on which terminal you use.) |
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Once OmniPage Pro has launched, initiate the first step, scanning the document. Click on the View menu. Select OmniPage Toolbox > Manual OCR. Click on the Process menu. Select Scan B&W. OmniPage will now scan your document. The scan of the document will appear in the Image View window. |
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After OmniPage has finished scanning, select the portion of the scanned text that you want to recognize. In the Image View window toolbar, click on the uppermost tool, the Draw Rectangular Zones tool. Position the mouse over the upper left-hand corner of the portion of text you want to recognize. Press and hold the mouse button. Drag the mouse to the lower right-hand corner of the image, and release the mouse button. You should see a numbered box around the section you selected. If you want to recognize an entire page and not just a section, be sure still to draw a box around the entire page. |
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Having selected your text, begin character recognition. Click on the Process menu. Select Recognize Current Page. The Zoning Instructions pop-up will ask, "What would you like to do now?" Select "Use only current zones." Text will now appear in the Text View window. Depending on the program's preferences, OmniPage's Proofread tool may be started automatically. If so, you can either choose to use it or click on Cancel. If it does not start automatically, you may choose to start it by clicking on Tools and selecting Proofread OCR. |
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Finally, you can save the recognized text in the file format of your choosing. Click on the Process menu. Select Save as File. Pull down the "Save in:" menu and select the drive on which you want your file to be saved. In the "File name" box type a name for you file. Pull down the "Save as file type:" menu and select your desired file type. Click Save. The Export Progress Monitor will briefly display, after which the new file will be saved and will open in a new word processing window. |