Scanning Articles

[tvgordon]

Photography is another hobby of mine and I subscribe to several magazines.  There is usually only an article or two that I would like to save for reference, so I wanted to scan those articles into the computer and recycle the pile of magazines.  I use a Mac and wanted to know if there was a good way to save the articles in such a way that I can search for them later?  This can be by adding keywords to the articles or by creating different folders (for example, one for software articles, one for lighting articles, etc).

Any help would be appreciated,

Tom

 

[nclemmons]

I'm aware of a couple of ways:

- if you select the file in the finder and 'Get Info' or using keystroke Command-I, there is a space in the info window at the top for 'Spotlight comments' and you can add comments there.

- you can also just import the documents as JPG or PDF's into iPhoto and tag them / categorize them / etc just like you'd do with your Photos.

Spotlight will find them with either method.

Hope this helps -

neil

 

[pugilato]

Like in a PC, organizing the articles by type in directories can help you find them as well if you forgot the title.  I dont think there are keywords possible, but you might maybe want to consider buying Bento, which is a database, to add keywords to your files.

 

[Sparktrician]

I frequently scan items into PDF files for long-term storage.  I find that using the file name to record source, subject, date is a big help and aids in searching.  For example, if Fine Homebuilding had an article on a house I liked, I would scan that article and save it as "FHB209-HouseDesign-20110829.pdf".  PDFs are also searchable when saved by an application that will do the right stuff to make them searchable. 

[smile]

 

[tvgordon]

Like in a PC, organizing the articles by type in directories can help you find them as well if you forgot the title.  I dont think there are keywords possible, but you might maybe want to consider buying Bento, which is a database, to add keywords to your files.

I have Bento, but I can't scan pdf's into it can I?

I do like the idea of scanning I the articles and put the description in the title. 

Thanks for the help!

Tom

 

[peter halle]

You can scan and print (in apple talk) the pdf's.  Then set up bento and link to the image.  You could also set up a field with keywords.

What version of Bento do you have?

Peter

 

[nclemmons]

Peter

I have Bento 3, but I can't get it to search a PDF that I import into an image field.  Nor can I get it to show multiple pages of a PDF.

Have you been able to do this?

After my earlier post, I tried importing a PDF into iPhoto but it won't import one.  it will only import a JPG image, which means if you download a PDF from a woodworking site, the only way I can see to easily index it is to store in a file folder and then use spotlight to search the spotlight tags or the full text if it has text in the file.

There is an automator workflow that converts a multipage PDF to JPG images for each page and saves them to a folder, but then you have to tag each page, so not ideal

Perhaps I'm doing something wrong or have the wrong version of Bento versus what you have.

neil

 

[Sparktrician]

Peter

I have Bento 3, but I can't get it to search a PDF that I import into an image field.  Nor can I get it to show multiple pages of a PDF.

neil

I can't address the Mac world, but in the Windows world, when one creates a PDF file using Acrobat and some other utilities such as gDoc Creator, one can make the PDF itself searchable.  If the PDF is not created to be searchable, no other complementary utility that I'm aware of will allow one to search the file. 

[smile]

 

[atomicmike]

You might want to look at NeatWorks for Mac: http://www.neat.com/products/neatworks-for-mac. It handles everything you're trying to do, from scanning, to OCR, to indexing and searching. While it was originally intended for handling receipts, it has expanded quite a bit over the years, and does a pretty good job of taking any paper documents and digitizing them.

- Mike

Edited to fix link.

 

[peter halle]

The link in the post above didn't work for me.  Try this one:  Neatworks for Mac.  If you interested take a look at the scanners supported.

I found out that I had never registered my Bento version, so I downloaded the trial version of Bento 4 this morning.  In the preview window it will only show the first page of a pdf.  But if you create a file field where if you click on the small image it will open in the native program.

You might want to take a look at Photoshop Elements for the Mac.  I haven't played with the version on my wife's computer, but I know that in it's organizational pane you can add keywords, etc to help with searching.

I started to do a Filemaker (just another software package I have never used) database for you, but it doesn't translate out to Bento.  Oops.

Peter

 

[pugilato]

looking around in the app store, i found something called Evernote... check it out.  It accepts files, and has keyword functionality

 

[tvgordon]

I use ever Evernote so I can see the same files on all my devices. I don't know if I want to use it for the articles as I don't think I'll need to view them on my phone. Never know though, I could be taking pictures somewhere and wish I could remember how the magazine article said was the best way to take them. Might be a good idea.

Tom

 

[KenFitz]

I use Adobe Acrobat to scan my articles.  I keep them all in one folder and update the idx file when I have added several new articles.  Adobe does an ocr on each article. When you go to search use the latest index and it will find your article right away since the entire article is listed as key words.  Hope that's helpful.

I also have NeatWorks that is an electronic filing cabinet for your home or office.  They have been advertising on TV for over  a year now.  I have no connection with them whatsoever other than that of a satisfied customer.    I have started importing my articles into NeatWorks and new articles get scanned at high speed two sided black and white or color, it's your decision.  Same thing happens.  You search and it finds a keyword and points you to the article.  You can actually set up folders to separate different articles such as Bandsaw, Tablesaw, Domino etc.  It's pretty slick and gets rid of the clutter.

I know that they are expensive and not everyone can afford them,  but the DVD compilation of magazines such as Fine Woodworking, Wood, American Woodworker, Woodworkers Journal are a fantastic way to save you entire magazine collection.  I put my Fine Woodworking Mags all of them from the very beginning on Craig's List and ended up giving them to a new woodworker who was just getting started.  He's kept in touch by email and sends me pics of his new projects.  Felt great giving them to someone who definitely is using them.

 

[joraft]

I also have NeatWorks that is an electronic filing cabinet for your home or office.  They have been advertising on TV for over  a year now.  I have no connection with them whatsoever other than that of a satisfied customer.    I have started importing my articles into NeatWorks and new articles get scanned at high speed two sided black and white or color, it's your decision.  Same thing happens.  You search and it finds a keyword and points you to the article.  You can actually set up folders to separate different articles such as Bandsaw, Tablesaw, Domino etc.  It's pretty slick and gets rid of the clutter.

Like many people, I have been trying to go completely "paperless" for several years, and it hasn't been as easy as I first thought. For it to work you have to get your digital files well organized and keep them that way. And for me, scanning has to be fast and convenient or I'm not likely to keep up with it.

I got Neatworks several years ago, and started out with their little portable scanner, which is a nuisance to use. When they came out with the desktop unit I was one of the first to get one, and what a difference. Yeah, it's a little pricey, but it's so fast and easy to use it has pushed me well on my way to paperless. Well worth the price. It sits on top of my desk right next to the computer and everything goes right into it and then into the shredder.

As for scanning in magazines, I just buy the DVDs whenever they're available. For me, it's just not worth the time to scan them.

 

[andvari]

I use Copernic Desktop Search (freeware) to make the content on my PC searchable. If you use this in conjunction with a scanning setup that does OCR you should get good results.

 

[GreenGA]

We picked up the Neat Receipts a few years ago.  It worked well, although the human interface was clunky and left a lot to be desired. That said, I could not fault their scanner-interpretation software.

Just yesterday, while cleaning off my desk, I started thinking that the new Desktop unit may be worth a serious look-see.  After being audited for a few years, we throw nothing away.  Problem is, with all that paper, we have a tough time organizing it so we can put our hands on the piece of paper quickly.  Hence, the Neat Desktop unit.

I also have NeatWorks that is an electronic filing cabinet for your home or office.  They have been advertising on TV for over  a year now.  I have no connection with them whatsoever other than that of a satisfied customer.    I have started importing my articles into NeatWorks and new articles get scanned at high speed two sided black and white or color, it's your decision.  Same thing happens.  You search and it finds a keyword and points you to the article.  You can actually set up folders to separate different articles such as Bandsaw, Tablesaw, Domino etc.  It's pretty slick and gets rid of the clutter.

Like many people, I have been trying to go completely "paperless" for several years, and it hasn't been as easy as I first thought. For it to work you have to get your digital files well organized and keep them that way. And for me, scanning has to be fast and convenient or I'm not likely to keep up with it.

I got Neatworks several years ago, and started out with their little portable scanner, which is a nuisance to use. When they came out with the desktop unit I was one of the first to get one, and what a difference. Yeah, it's a little pricey, but it's so fast and easy to use it has pushed me well on my way to paperless. Well worth the price. It sits on top of my desk right next to the computer and everything goes right into it and then into the shredder.

As for scanning in magazines, I just buy the DVDs whenever they're available. For me, it's just not worth the time to scan them.

 

[nnordrum]

I can talk on this one...

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500

My wife uses this one in her law practice (the Mac version though), and it's *AMAZING*. It's a little more than the Neatworks, but it comes with a FULL version of Acrobat 9 standard (8 pro on the mac) which is $189 on amazon.

We also had the Neatworks portable one, and this one is *MILES* better than that one. My only complaint is it's not TWAIN-compliant, but that isn't an issue for most people.

For Costco members, they have this for $429 w/ free shipping. Still time to order one to get it on your 2011 books

Also, we use it for way more than just articles. When you combine it with a "cloud-storage" automatic backup, we used it to scan an entire filing cabinet of stuff that is now remotely backed up, freeing up a ton of office space. Highly recommended!

 

[JeromeM]

If you have a scanner but don't have (or want) Acrobat Pro. Then http://www.smilesoftware.com/PDFpen/ PDF Pen will OCR the text and that is what you need to make it searchable. While finder comments, file naming and location based storage are all good and (apart from finder comments as I'm lazy) should be part of your system. Nothing beats ful OCR'd documents. After that then Leep or Yep http://www.macworld.com/article/132363/2008/03/leap1.html can be very helpful. http://yepthat.com/yep/index.html