[blindLaw] OCR Question

Wed Jan 22 15:55:18 UTC 2020

Thank you, I recently purchased voice dream reader and scanner based on discussion from this group. I haven’t had a reason to spend a lot of time using either app yet. That said, it was not immediately apparent to me how voice dream reader was different from the Books app which is native to my iPhone. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t really put it through its paces.

Sincerely,

Maura Kutnyak  MPA.
716-563-9882

> On Jan 22, 2020, at 10:46 AM, Aser Tolentino via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> K1000 and OpenBook both have document markup capabilities that make them good study tools. I always thought K1000 seemed a little more polished, but OpenBook is snappier when working with a document camera, which I think was why vocational rehabilitation agencies fell in love with it.
> 
> If you want mobile access to your textbooks, I’d use VoiceDream Reader. If the PDF has text, the app can extract it with heading structure intact. If it’s an imaged-based PDF you could use an OCR app to convert it. Theoretically, I think you could use VoiceDream Scanner to process it, but but don’t hold me to that. K1000 can produce any number of formats that VoiceDream can read, including ePub.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Jan 22, 2020, at 7:05 AM, Maura Kutnyak via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hello everyone, 
>> 
>> I am anticipating a similar bout of a valuation and subsequent tech purchase as I prepare for law school.  does anyone know if K 1000 has a companion app which can be used on tablets or smart phones? I’m thinking it would be nice to be able to have textbooks loaded and portable. Sincerely,
>> 
>> Maura Kutnyak  MPA.
>> 716-563-9882
>> 
>>>> On Jan 22, 2020, at 9:53 AM, James via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> In K1000, you can hit a single key to scan a page or a key sequence for repeated scanning. You can also do tons of markup, create outlines, add marginal notes, etc. I frequently opened my PDF textbooks in K1000 as soon as I got them. It is not as easy to perform all of these functions in Word, not to mention that Word has a tendency to crash or freeze up when handling large files with an abundance of extraneous formatting. I can't speak to OpenBook, since I have never used it. I would strongly suggest trying both programs before being pushed into choosing one. But if that is not possible, consider using whichever program you end up getting to read textbooks you receive in electronic format and not just for scanning.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>>> On 1/22/2020 9:29 AM, Sanho Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw wrote:
>>>> All,
>>>> 
>>>> Thank you. What is the benefit of OpenBook or K1000 above something
>>>> like FineReader or Omnipage? My plan, such as there is one, is to
>>>> simply drop the text into a Word document, anyway.
>>>> 
>>>> Warmth,
>>>> Sanho
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On 1/21/20, Aser Tolentino via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>> I prefer working with K1000 myself, and yes, OpenBook hasn’t been updated in
>>>>> something like a decade. TO be fair, K1000 hasn’t seen an update in about
>>>>> half a decade. FineReader and OmniPage are both perfectly serviceable
>>>>> options that cost half as much if that and give you equally usable OCR if
>>>>> you plan on using the finished product in a different application anyway.
>>>>> One advantage OpenBook has is that you can disable editing and just arrow
>>>>> around the document without fear of adding or modifying the scanned text.
>>>>> Once OCR has completed, K1000 drops you in something like a word processor.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Jan 21, 2020, at 8:54 AM, rjaquiss via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Hello Sanho:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>   Unless it has been recently updated, OpenBook is an older program. I
>>>>>> would look at Kurzweil K1000 or Abby FineReader. The K1000 software has a
>>>>>> nice user interface designed for the blind. It is also more expensive. I
>>>>>> haven't tried FineReader, but understand it is accessible. It is certainly
>>>>>> less expensive than K1000. Kurzweil uses the FineReader and I think the
>>>>>> Omnipage scanning engine. You can download OpenBook from Freedom
>>>>>> Scientific
>>>>>> and give it a try for free. The last I knew, you could also get a CD from
>>>>>> Kurzweil which will run for 30 days. Hope this helps.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Robert
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sanho
>>>>>> Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2020 9:17 AM
>>>>>> To: Blind Law Mailing List
>>>>>> Cc: Sanho Steele-Louchart
>>>>>> Subject: [blindLaw] OCR Question
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> All,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> VocRehab is purchasing me an OCR program. They recommend OpenBook. Can
>>>>>> someone tell me the pros and cons of different OCR technologies, and
>>>>>> which you'd recommend for legal work?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Warmth,
>>>>>> Sanho
>>>>>> 
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>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
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