Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Before getting Omnipage 18, I read reviews of previous versions of the software. Reviewers were very critical of the difficulties in getting started with older versions (17 and earlier). So, I was nervous that the new version would be just as difficult.
I am happy to report that I found Omnipage 18's automated "Workflow" options to be extremely easy to use, and I've now used it to take care of a task that I've been dreading for months: Processing tables of data that I have on printed pages...
I have ten years worth of paper documents that contain a combination of text and numeric data (mostly the latter) stored in tables. I need to do some statistical computations on this data, but I don't have access to the original files. I was beginning to think that my only solution was to manually enter the data into Excel. Well, it turns out that Omnipage 18 has a mode that will automatically import scanned data into an Excel document, putting each scanned page into a separate "sheet" in the document. This is exactly what I needed. So, I used my scanner at work to quickly scan in 30 pages as a pdf, and then opened the document with Omnipage. Conversion was almost instantaneous, and the numeric data itself seems to have been recognized flawlessly! When I began skimming through the data for the first couple imported pages, I was just so relieved to see how perfectly this was imported. Now, I can use Excel to perform the calculations I need. Omnipage 18 has saved me hours of work on this task. I've never used those older versions of Omnipage, but this one has been extremely easy to use. (And, for those concerned, I went with pdf format just because that was easy for me with my work scanner. Omnipage can take data from many other sources, including scanners, cameras, and more.)
One other scenario where Omnipage has proven its value: My wife had several pages of family reunion address data on paper, again stored in tables. I scanned it in and tried to use Google Doc's automatic OCR features by uploading the document online. It did a lousy job, and so the scanned image sat on my computer untouched for a month. Finally, I opened the same document in Omnipage 18, and imported it as a tabular Word document. I was done after just a couple minutes of checking over the few spots where Omnipage had trouble with the recognition.
So, why four stars instead of five? Two reasons:
1) Sparse documentation. The box contained nothing but the disc. The help menu is not very well organized, at least for my needs. In the two examples above, I didn't need the documentation because everything worked so smoothly. But when I tried working with a not-so-easy document (a webcam photo of a recipe from a cookbook), I really needed to read the documentation to figure out how to deal with some of the trickier parts of the scan (tricky because the photo I took was sloppy). I fumbled around for quite a bit before I found what I needed. Within the Help menu, I found "The Text Editor" and "Customizing Zones" sections to be particularly helpful in learning how Omnipage handles converting images to text. I just wish that the information were easier to find.
2) The unnecessary "Nuance Cloud Connector". I guess, in an effort to show that the company is on the "cutting edge" of technology, they have provided an additional piece of software for staying connected to various "clouds" such as Google Storage, Amazon S3, WebDAV, and more. I am already as cloud-connected as I want to be (Dropbox is already meeting my needs), so I didn't appreciate Nuance kind of coercing me into installing this add-on feature that runs every time my computer starts up. It wasn't obvious to me whether I could skip the installation of the Cloud Connector software. So I installed it, confirmed that it was not going to help me in my day-to-day workflow, and then used Windows Control Panel to uninstall it. I'm glad to find that Omnipage 18 seems to run just fine without the Cloud Connector.
All in all, I'm very happy so far with what Omnipage 18 has done for me, and expect it will continue to come in handy!
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Omnipage 18OmniPage 18
Save Time and Money with Superior Accuracy
Don't retype your documents--convert them! OmniPage 18 is the fastest and most precise way to convert paper, PDF files, and even digital camera pictures into documents you can edit in your favorite PC applications. OmniPage 18 delivers unrivaled accuracy, speed, and innovative features.
All of this means OmniPage 18 will significantly reduce the amount of time spent converting important files, so you can focus on more important business goals.
Improve productivity--OmniPage 18 is fast, easy and productive and works with all scanners, all-in-ones, and digital cameras
Automatically receive emailed pictures of documents from your devices through Microsoft Outlook
Maintain formatting--converted documents look just like the original
Features
Better Accuracy = Better Editing
Don't waste time re-creating information trapped on paper. Typing a typical 20-page document (6,000 words) take about 150 minutes for the average person. OmniPage 18 can re-create the same 20 pages as an editable digital file in your favorite format in less than two minutes. OmniPage 18 is faster and more accurate, so you can get more done than ever before.
OmniPage 18 is Great for Users on the Go
Capture text from any number of devices, including digital cameras, portable scanners, and all-in-one printers. Any device that can capture your document as an image can be used with OmniPage 18.*
Supports All Your Favorite Applications
Supports the widest range of output formats, including PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint (pptx), HTML, Corel WordPerfect, and many more.
Access and Convert Documents in the Cloud
Storing, sharing, and archiving documents online in cloud storage is a fast, inexpensive, and convenient option today. OmniPage is designed to connect to a variety of cloud storage and online document websites. Now you can convert documents stored in Windows Live SkyDrive, GoogleDocs, Evernote, Dropbox, and so much more.**
With OmniPage 18, you can:
Instantly edit scanned paper, images or PDF files in your favorite applications
Improve productivity--OmniPage 18 is fast, easy and productive and works with all scanners, all-in-ones, and digital cameras
Automatically receive emailed pictures of documents from your devices through Microsoft Outlook
Maintain formatting--converted documents look just like the original
Take advantage of simple, fast, and effective conversion using Cloud storage services
* Minimum 2-megapixel and auto-focus are required for phone cameras. ** Nuance Cloud Connector is powered by Gladinet.
Benefits of OmniPage 18
Superior word accuracy
Transform words on paper and in images to accurate textfor the best conversion and archiving of any document.
Perfect formatting
Converted documents look like the original--completewith columns, tables, bullets, and graphics--and are easier to edit than ever before.
Simply the easiest to use
Converting documents doesn't have to be complicated. The new Start Page gets it done in seconds so there's no need to learn a lot of options and tools.
One-click workflows
Use the built-in workflows or create your own to get recurring conversion jobs done with just a push of a button.
Unlock PDF files
Use the eDiscovery Assistant to keep originally searchable content intact and process just the non-searchable elements. Now you don't have to open PDF files one by one, or use an OCR process that might unintentionally wipe out valuable information.
Send to Amazon Kindle
Scan a document, automatically convert into a readable format and send it to the AmazonKindle electronic book reader in one easy step.
Supports all your favorite applications
Supports the widest range of output formats, including PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel,PowerPoint 2007, Corel WordPerfect, HTML and many more formats.
Automatically process emailed documents
Now you can receive scanned papers or PDFs via Microsoft Outlook email. OmniPage 18 will automatically convert them and save them in your preferred format.
Recognizes over 120 languages
Process, edit, and store documents from virtually anywhere in the world. OmniPage includes the recognition of languages based on the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic alphabets as well as the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Use images from iPhone, iPad, or a digital camera and convert them into a readable format for mobile devices and electronic book readers.
Save time, increase productivity, and get back to what's really important. Discover the advantages of OmniPage 18 today.
Click here for more information about Omnipage 18
