the PaperPort Vx upgrade.
Hewlett-Packard has a newer approach to the same problem: its unique
HP ScanJet 4Si
network scanner, which comes with an older edition (3.0) of the PaperPort software. An entire workgroup shares a single ScanJet 4Si, with each workstation running a local copy of the software.
If you want to include color elements in your document/image repository, consider Logitech's PageScan Color (see the sidebar
"ScanMan Scans 24-bit Color"
).
Personal PaperPort
The Visioneer PaperPort is a simple, no-frills solution that does a specific job and does it well. It manages your
personal
paper. When you feed in a page, the scanner cranks up, pulls the page through, a
nd scans it. The only mechanical adjustment is a sliding cover that changes the paper path from a loop (to drop the paper out in front) to a direct pass-through (to drop the paper out the back--good for business cards and other small items).
It takes about 6 seconds to scan in a full page. The image then appears on the PaperPort 3.5 desktop. You can drag the scanned image onto PaperPort links at the bottom of the screen. If you drop it on the Word icon, PaperPort transparently converts the image into a Word document using the bundled version of OmniPage Lite OCR and then fires up Word with the new file.
Also, you can drop the image on the cc:Mail link and send it to a coworker. The coworker will then need the PaperPort software, or a PaperPort Viewer utility, to read the document and add annotations. Annotations include sticky notes, highlighting, overlay text, freehand pencil, and straight lines.
From the desktop, you can drag the electronic documents (or images) into folders that live a
long the left side of the screen. Unfortunately, PaperPort doesn't support hierarchical organization (i.e., a folder within a folder). A single level of folders is a real drawback when it comes to organizing all that electronic paper.
Using PaperPort's 2.0 file format, the stored images are fairly compact. We found that an 8.5- by 11-inch text document typically consumed from 35 to 55 KB of disk space (turning on the SharpPage feature generates larger files but makes OCR more accurate). A 3- by 5-inch, 8-bit gray-scale photo took up about 40 KB, and a business card about 15 KB.
Visioneer's PaperPort Vx is a refreshingly simple idea done right. We intend to put it to good use clearing out our piles of personal paper. Now if it could only file boxes of software.
If you're familiar with PaperPort, here's what's new with Vx:
-- 8-bit gray-scale
images, for 256 levels of gray (up from 1-bit monochrome)
-- OmniPage Lite,
for transparent OCR
-- CardScan SE
Business Card Reader software, for scanning business cards
-- PictureWorks Copy Machine
software, for making PaperPort and a printer function as a copy machine
-- New links and file types:
Lotus Notes and cc:Mail, Microsoft Mail and Exchange, Novell InForms, Xerox TextBridge Pro, Corel Photopaint, Adobe Acrobat, JPEG, and GIF.
Workgroup Scanning
Hewlett-Packard's new network scanner, the HP ScanJet 4Si, extends the PaperPort model out to the workgroup. It connects directly to a NetWare network (3.1x and up) and includes a 20-seat user license for the PaperPort 3.0 software. It's a 15-page-per-minute, 300-dot-per-inch, 8-bit flatbed (8.5- by 11.7-inch scan area) scanner with a 50-page document feeder and a 10Base-T or Token Ring connection.
The ScanJet 4Si compresses scanned documents, using G4 and Packbits compression, to its own 135-MB hard drive before sending it over the network for temporary storage on a N
etWare server. We confirmed HP's claimed performance of approximately 2 1/2 minutes for a 15-page text-mode (1-bit) job.
HP's Windows 3.x software makes NetWare installation and administration easy. You run the installation program from any Windows client to install the NetWare loadable module (NLM) and administration utility on a server. From the administration utility, you configure the scanner, connect it to other servers, build user lists, and set up print queues to enable copying. Workstation users can download drivers, a client version of PaperPort, and a utility for monitoring the scanner's status.
To scan, you scroll to your workstation's name from the ScanJet 4Si's LCD panel, load up to 50 pages in the feeder, select a mode (text, photo, or mixed), hit the start button, and wait for the images to appear on your local PaperPort desktop. PaperPort loads if it's not already running, and the scanner remembers individual user settings. From that point, you can OCR, fax, print, or drop the im
age on application links. Version 3.0 of the PaperPort software does not include CardScan SE Business Card Reader, PictureWorks Copy Machine, or desktop folders.
That's right: This PaperPort version doesn't let you organize your images into folders. All the images share the same PaperPort desktop, so there is no way to organize your stuff beyond stacking pages on top of each other. It's sort of like selling a bookcase and charging extra for shelves. You'll want to upgrade to version 3.5 of PaperPort ($599 for a 20-user upgrade) for any serious archiving needs.
With a network scanner, your entire workgroup requires only a single hardware device, saving hardware costs and centralizing maintenance. And best of all, you can load up to 50 pages at once. All the scanned pages will appear on the PaperPort desktop as a single stack, so you may need to perform the time-consuming task of separating the stack into individual documents.
The ScanJet 4Si lets your entire workgroup easily standardize on
the PaperPort software. Once standardized, the workgroup can share PaperPort documents, route them across the network or as E-mail attachments, annotate them, and establish a work flow by way of PaperPort.
Solutions for a Small Cubicle
We think the PaperPort Vx is the best general solution for personal paper management. For the scanning of smaller documents scattered throughout the day, it proved most convenient.
However, for batch jobs and large documents, the ScanJet 4Si's 50-sheet feeder is well worth the walk to the scanner. Price and number of users will then drive your buying decision. The combination of a ScanJet 4Si with a 20-user upgrade to PaperPort 3.5 software costs about the same as 10 PaperPort Vx units. So, if your installation requires more than 10 users, you should choose the ScanJet 4Si.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
HP ScanJet 4Si
Ethernet.............................$2999
Toke
n Ring...........................$3199
Hewlett-Packard Co.
Santa Clara, CA
Phone: (800) 722-6538 or (208) 396-2551
Internet:
http://www.hp.com
Circle 1130 on Inquiry Card.
The Paperless Cubicle
