MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Best Format method for Scanning and storing Notes

DDHarriman · 09-13-2009, 12:24 PM

Hi

Scan at 300 dpi (if your notes are one colour) or at least 200 dpi if they are more than one colour.
Save as TIFF uncompressed.
Create PDF’s from the TIFF files with the settings (compression/etc… you want).
Save the TIFF files as your base digital “negatives” from where you will be able to do more conversions in the future if you want, use a USB HD for this, a 80 gig drive will cost you peanuts for this, best do 2 of them, so if one goes south you still have the other.

Use:
You can take notes in any PDF, being those with the free acrobat reader or with any other software for that - ex: PDF Annotator if you have a tabletpc or a umpc lets you annotate with text or with a pen.

Final, with PDF you can also see it in any reader who supports PDF, per example with a 6” screen reader as the Sony ones you can easily see your notes in landscape one half page at a time.
With readers who permit taking notes (sony 600 and 700, Irex DR, etc…) you can take them.
And if you destroyed your original paper notes and one day you will need to get them in analogue format (paper…) just print the PDF’s and presto.

Concerning OCR, forget it, there is no OCR program (reliable) for hand notes.

Best regards,

09-13-2009, 12:24 PM	#2
DDHarriman Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 4380 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Almada, Portugal Device: Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS 505, Kindle DXG and Samsung Galaxy Note	Hi Scan at 300 dpi (if your notes are one colour) or at least 200 dpi if they are more than one colour. Save as TIFF uncompressed. Create PDF’s from the TIFF files with the settings (compression/etc… you want). Save the TIFF files as your base digital “negatives” from where you will be able to do more conversions in the future if you want, use a USB HD for this, a 80 gig drive will cost you peanuts for this, best do 2 of them, so if one goes south you still have the other. Use: You can take notes in any PDF, being those with the free acrobat reader or with any other software for that - ex: PDF Annotator if you have a tabletpc or a umpc lets you annotate with text or with a pen. Final, with PDF you can also see it in any reader who supports PDF, per example with a 6” screen reader as the Sony ones you can easily see your notes in landscape one half page at a time. With readers who permit taking notes (sony 600 and 700, Irex DR, etc…) you can take them. And if you destroyed your original paper notes and one day you will need to get them in analogue format (paper…) just print the PDF’s and presto. Concerning OCR, forget it, there is no OCR program (reliable) for hand notes. Best regards, Last edited by DDHarriman; 09-13-2009 at 12:35 PM.