New Scanner, Need Advice on What Comes Next

kazbates · 12-27-2009, 11:11 AM

My darling husband bought me the Cannon DR2510 scanner for Christmas so that I can convert my vast collection of paperbooks to ebooks for my Sony 600 . I think it is his attempt to keep me out of the malls!

I love the idea of converting to digital but I have no idea where to begin. I have calibrated the scanner and have successful created pdf files. I would like to take those pdf files and to ultimately convert them to either epub of lrf (which is actually my format of choice for my reader).

The scanner came with Omni Page 4 SE OCR software but I have no idea what to do with it or whether I need to invest in better OCR software like AABBYY.

So the BIG question is: What steps do I need to take to my scanned pdf files and convert them for use on a Sony reader?

Any advice?

chainring · 12-27-2009, 02:38 PM

I don't have much to add, but want to follow this thread since I have a Canon DR-2050C. Great scanner and I love the duplex scanning feature.

What I can tell you is, if at all possible scan to html instead of pdf. At least that's what I gather from skimming the various sub forums here, especially the Calibre, ePub, and Workshop forums. ABBYY Finereader is fantastic software.

kazbates · 12-27-2009, 03:05 PM

An update: I've managed to get the OCR software that came with the scanner to work fairly well. I plan to save it to MS Word as both a doc and html file. I've been looking at the Book Creator template that's here at MR and the Book Designer software that's also available here. I have not been able to successful install the Book Designer app but really haven't filled with it since I am concentrating on getting the scanned file OCRed.

delphidb96 · 12-27-2009, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kazbates

My darling husband bought me the Cannon DR2510 scanner for Christmas so that I can convert my vast collection of paperbooks to ebooks for my Sony 600 . I think it is his attempt to keep me out of the malls!

I love the idea of converting to digital but I have no idea where to begin. I have calibrated the scanner and have successful created pdf files. I would like to take those pdf files and to ultimately convert them to either epub of lrf (which is actually my format of choice for my reader).

The scanner came with Omni Page 4 SE OCR software but I have no idea what to do with it or whether I need to invest in better OCR software like AABBYY.

So the BIG question is: What steps do I need to take to my scanned pdf files and convert them for use on a Sony reader?

Any advice?

Ouch! Is there a particular reason why he didn't buy you an OpticBook for scanning in the books?

Anyway, have fun!

Derek

kazbates · 12-27-2009, 04:23 PM

Derek, I've learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth!

The scanner works very well actually. It's getting the scanned text into a format that I can convert for use on my Sony that's giving me the biggest headache.

hidari · 12-27-2009, 04:57 PM

If you are looking for OCR software at a normal price range that can handle a Apple, Windows, or Linus OS, I recommend Vuescan. I have used it for several years now....

http://www.hamrick.com/

kjk · 12-27-2009, 06:55 PM

Sounds like an adventure!
Glad the scanning/OCR phase went well-how much hand-editing do you see having to do now? The thought of that part always scares me.

kazbates · 12-27-2009, 07:52 PM

@hidari ~ Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it. The software that came with the scanner is version 4 and the company is on version 17. I think I can upgrade but it won't be cheap.

Initially, there were very few errors detected by the OCR software (only about 1 every 5 or so pages). The problem now is in what format to save the file. Saving to .doc places each page of text into text boxes. Saving to .rtf or .txt removes much of the formatting and creates a messy file. I can't save to .html because that option is only available in the updated version of the OCR software. Consequently, I will need to do some major editing to get any of the MS type files ready for ebook conversion. Some of the editing will include deleting lines from the scanned edge of the book page, removing the author's name, book title and page numbers from each page. My next step is to see if I can get the Book Designer software working and perhaps upgrading my OCR software.

I don't mind all the work, I love a challenge. I just wish I knew the correct steps to take in advance. I tend to be a bit obsessive compulsive about these kinds of things.

frabjous · 12-27-2009, 11:20 PM

If you're at all considering using the scans without OCRing them, then I highly recommend PDFLRF for cutting the text into reader-sized chunks, and removing margins/splitting columns, etc. This is usually the way I read scanned material on my Sony.

kazbates · 12-28-2009, 07:43 AM

I don't mind OCRing the pages. Using the Omnipage software I was able to find and repair several errors. My biggest problem is in saving the file. With the version of Omnipage that I have (very limited) I cannot save it as an html file. If I save it as a doc or rtf file and then open it in Word, the software has placed each page of text into individual textboxes. I don't know what to do with it at the point. If I try to save the file as an html, it removes all the formatting and it ends up looking like a txt file. Any suggestions?

rogue_ronin · 12-28-2009, 05:26 PM

You do really need to get the content into HTML.

From the RTF document, can you remove the styles that apply to the text (which are probably creating the text boxes?)

Try selecting a section (are headers/chapters also in the text boxes?) and applying the "Normal" format. See what happens.

If applying styles changes the text look, you should be able to simplify everything (except, hopefully, italics, bold and headings) and then export it to HTML.

m a r

kazbates · 12-28-2009, 08:17 PM

Thanks for the suggestion! I did try it (and I honestly thought it would work) but it was already in the "Normal" style. We even tried to "Select All" to see if we could make some changes that way and Word wouldn't let us do that. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the Compatibility Mode I'm forced to use by the OCR software.

rogue_ronin · 12-28-2009, 09:55 PM

Hmmm...

Try OpenOffice? It's free.

m a r

Kolenka · 12-31-2009, 08:51 PM

Word's conversion to HTML usually produces rather messy HTML, but it tends to work okay. It's also worth giving a shot. The borders you see are the page margins which usually get ignored when converting to HTML.

rogue_ronin · 12-31-2009, 09:13 PM

There's also a rumor floating here on the boards that there exists a plugin for Word that strips almost everything but the basic italics and bold tags.

m a r

12-27-2009, 11:11 AM	#1
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	New Scanner, Need Advice on What Comes Next My darling husband bought me the Cannon DR2510 scanner for Christmas so that I can convert my vast collection of paperbooks to ebooks for my Sony 600 . I think it is his attempt to keep me out of the malls! I love the idea of converting to digital but I have no idea where to begin. I have calibrated the scanner and have successful created pdf files. I would like to take those pdf files and to ultimately convert them to either epub of lrf (which is actually my format of choice for my reader). The scanner came with Omni Page 4 SE OCR software but I have no idea what to do with it or whether I need to invest in better OCR software like AABBYY. So the BIG question is: What steps do I need to take to my scanned pdf files and convert them for use on a Sony reader? Any advice?

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12-27-2009, 02:38 PM	#2
chainring Addict Posts: 210 Karma: 1000659 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Sunnyvale, CA Device: Kindle Voyage, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650 (black), Kindle 3G	I don't have much to add, but want to follow this thread since I have a Canon DR-2050C. Great scanner and I love the duplex scanning feature. What I can tell you is, if at all possible scan to html instead of pdf. At least that's what I gather from skimming the various sub forums here, especially the Calibre, ePub, and Workshop forums. ABBYY Finereader is fantastic software.

12-27-2009, 03:05 PM	#3
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	An update: I've managed to get the OCR software that came with the scanner to work fairly well. I plan to save it to MS Word as both a doc and html file. I've been looking at the Book Creator template that's here at MR and the Book Designer software that's also available here. I have not been able to successful install the Book Designer app but really haven't filled with it since I am concentrating on getting the scanned file OCRed.

12-27-2009, 04:23 PM	#5
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	Derek, I've learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth! The scanner works very well actually. It's getting the scanned text into a format that I can convert for use on my Sony that's giving me the biggest headache.

12-27-2009, 04:57 PM	#6
hidari MR Drone Posts: 1,613 Karma: 15612282 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: DRONEZONE Device: PB360+, Huawei MP5, Libra H20	If you are looking for OCR software at a normal price range that can handle a Apple, Windows, or Linus OS, I recommend Vuescan. I have used it for several years now.... http://www.hamrick.com/

12-27-2009, 06:55 PM	#7
kjk . Posts: 3,408 Karma: 5647231 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: never enough	Sounds like an adventure! Glad the scanning/OCR phase went well-how much hand-editing do you see having to do now? The thought of that part always scares me.

12-27-2009, 07:52 PM	#8
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	@hidari ~ Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it. The software that came with the scanner is version 4 and the company is on version 17. I think I can upgrade but it won't be cheap. Initially, there were very few errors detected by the OCR software (only about 1 every 5 or so pages). The problem now is in what format to save the file. Saving to .doc places each page of text into text boxes. Saving to .rtf or .txt removes much of the formatting and creates a messy file. I can't save to .html because that option is only available in the updated version of the OCR software. Consequently, I will need to do some major editing to get any of the MS type files ready for ebook conversion. Some of the editing will include deleting lines from the scanned edge of the book page, removing the author's name, book title and page numbers from each page. My next step is to see if I can get the Book Designer software working and perhaps upgrading my OCR software. I don't mind all the work, I love a challenge. I just wish I knew the correct steps to take in advance. I tend to be a bit obsessive compulsive about these kinds of things.

12-27-2009, 11:20 PM	#9
frabjous Wizard Posts: 1,213 Karma: 12890 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Amherst, Massachusetts, USA Device: Sony PRS-505	If you're at all considering using the scans without OCRing them, then I highly recommend PDFLRF for cutting the text into reader-sized chunks, and removing margins/splitting columns, etc. This is usually the way I read scanned material on my Sony.

12-28-2009, 07:43 AM	#10
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	I don't mind OCRing the pages. Using the Omnipage software I was able to find and repair several errors. My biggest problem is in saving the file. With the version of Omnipage that I have (very limited) I cannot save it as an html file. If I save it as a doc or rtf file and then open it in Word, the software has placed each page of text into individual textboxes. I don't know what to do with it at the point. If I try to save the file as an html, it removes all the formatting and it ends up looking like a txt file. Any suggestions?

12-28-2009, 05:26 PM	#11
rogue_ronin Banned Posts: 475 Karma: 796 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Honolulu Device: Nokia 770 (fbreader)	You do really need to get the content into HTML. From the RTF document, can you remove the styles that apply to the text (which are probably creating the text boxes?) Try selecting a section (are headers/chapters also in the text boxes?) and applying the "Normal" format. See what happens. If applying styles changes the text look, you should be able to simplify everything (except, hopefully, italics, bold and headings) and then export it to HTML. m a r

12-28-2009, 08:17 PM	#12
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	Thanks for the suggestion! I did try it (and I honestly thought it would work) but it was already in the "Normal" style. We even tried to "Select All" to see if we could make some changes that way and Word wouldn't let us do that. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the Compatibility Mode I'm forced to use by the OCR software.

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12-28-2009, 09:55 PM	#13
rogue_ronin Banned Posts: 475 Karma: 796 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Honolulu Device: Nokia 770 (fbreader)	Hmmm... Try OpenOffice? It's free. m a r

12-31-2009, 08:51 PM	#14
Kolenka <Insert Wit Here> Posts: 1,017 Karma: 1275899 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Puget Sound Device: Kindle Oasis, Kobo Forma	Word's conversion to HTML usually produces rather messy HTML, but it tends to work okay. It's also worth giving a shot. The borders you see are the page margins which usually get ignored when converting to HTML.

12-31-2009, 09:13 PM	#15
rogue_ronin Banned Posts: 475 Karma: 796 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Honolulu Device: Nokia 770 (fbreader)	There's also a rumor floating here on the boards that there exists a plugin for Word that strips almost everything but the basic italics and bold tags. m a r