Workaround for clipping text

[Prince Hal]

If you have seen my posts, you will know that one of the most important features for me is the ability to clip out text into a Word document. The Kindle does this very well, the Sony 600 and 900 are both limited to 100 characters.

The two PocketBooks also clip well. But the PRS 600 / 900 can add hand written notes and keyboard notes on the touchscreen. This is not really practical with the PocketBooks as you have to use a cursor to select each letter. The Kindle (and I have had one) uses a terrible keyboard.

Anyway, I am experiementing with a workaround. It's not perfect, but here it is:

Use the 600 / 900 to read and highlight text in comfort. Then sync to the Sony Reader desktop application. Then find your highlighted text (easy peasy), and then use the desktop tool Snagit. This product has a 30 day free trial, and costs $45 for the full license. The tool is used to select your highlihted text on the Reader desktop and then can send it to Word. You can send multiple clippings to Word, or Excel or PowerPoint. It might work with other applications too. You can manipulate the clipping and add arrows etc. The downside ? Snagit clips as a type of bitmap rather than text. It's basically a picture.

So, take an article of 20 pages, read it and find 5 key quotes. Highlight them, then sync, use Snagit and voila, you have a Word document with the quotes at pictures, then add you own text above and below to clarify what you thought of it. The majority of your reading is done on the e-Ink screen (so your eyes say thank you), and you have much less time at a PC.

Might be useful for some until Sony realise that people really want an option of clipping more than 100 characters.

If anyone has any other workarounds, then I would love to hear them. There probably is a better way.

Hal.

[SCION]

Thanks for sharing the workaround!

For Mac users you can use keyboard commands to do the same (select what you want):

http://guides.macrumors.com/Taking_S...ts_in_Mac_OS_X

Doesn't Windows 7 have a utility for screenshots or keyboard commands?

[Prince Hal]

Originally Posted by SCION

Thanks for sharing the workaround!

For Mac users you can use keyboard commands to do the same (select what you want):

http://guides.macrumors.com/Taking_S...ts_in_Mac_OS_X

Doesn't Windows 7 have a utility for screenshots or keyboard commands?

Windows does have a screen capture - Ctrl/Prt Scr - but as I understand it takes a shot of the entire screen. With Snagit you can clip exactly what you want, so two lines or four, or a whole paragraph. The Windows screen shot utility would take the text, the Sony Reader controls and icons and everything that is in the active window.

I have attached a document that consists of two clips from a book in the Sony Reader desktop application. The second clip has a fancy edge that Snagit allows.

All the best,

Hal.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Prince Hal

Windows does have a screen capture - Ctrl/Prt Scr - but as I understand it takes a shot of the entire screen.

No, I'm not referring to that. Control / Print Screen applies to all Windows machines, and yes it prints the whole screen. I believe Windows 7 allows screen captures similar to Macs (select what you want). I'm waiting for a Windows 7 user to chime in. Just trying to save (some) people $45.

[Prince Hal]

Originally Posted by SCION

No, I'm not referring to that. Control / Print Screen applies to all Windows machines, and yes it prints the whole screen. I believe Windows 7 allows screen captures similar to Macs (select what you want). I'm waiting for a Windows 7 user to chime in. Just trying to save (some) people $45.

Absolutely, money is very hard earned these days. If this can be done using Windows c7 (apologies I wasn't picking up on the "7"), then fantastic. I would also be interested in such a method. I only have Windows Vista, and probably will not be updating anytime soon.

With Snagit, if it looks interesting to anyone, give it a try, compare it against Windows 7 and see which is better.

Of course the real solution is for Sony to lift the 100 character limit.

Thanks for the comment.

If anyone has Windows 7, can you cut pieces out of a book in Sony Reader desktop ? Let us know.

Thanks Scion as always,

Hal.

[brainycat]

In windows, you can use ALT+PrtScn to only capture the focused window. From there, the standard utility Paint can cut the image down to size.

That said, being able to highlight small sections of text and export them to say.... my blog should not be so difficult. My next ereader will be able to do this.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by brainycat

... My next ereader will be able to do this.

Care to share?

[Andy_W]

Windows 7 users should have an application called Snipping Tool pre-installed on their machines. This application allows you to capture a portion of the screen by selecting a box around what you want to capture.

Hope this helps!

Andy
Windows Canada

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Andy_W

Windows 7 users should have an application called Snipping Tool pre-installed on their machines. This application allows you to capture a portion of the screen by selecting a box around what you want to capture.

Hope this helps!

Andy
Windows Canada

Thank you. I started to doubt myself!

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Andy_W

Windows 7 users should have an application called Snipping Tool pre-installed on their machines. This application allows you to capture a portion of the screen by selecting a box around what you want to capture.

Hope this helps!

Andy
Windows Canada

On a Mac, hit "Command-Shift-4", then click in the corner of what you wish to copy and drag the outline around it. It will be saved as a .png file.

Neither Microsoft's Clipping Tool (which saves files in .jpg format) nor Mac's "Command-Shift-4" saves the file as text, however.

[brainycat]

Originally Posted by SCION

Care to share?

I don't know yet what my next reader will be, but as I've only had my PRS-600 for 4 months I am hoping the historical trend for devices to develop greater interoperability continues to hold true, and when I'm ready to upgrade there will be functional software.