From: sgrenander@NASAMAIL.JPL.NASA.GOV (Sven U. Grenander)
Subject: Re: TypeReader, OCR, Scanner Bundle
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.apps
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 22:30:48 GMT

I'm leaving all of the original text in place to keep the context.

I just got TypeReader for $99.xx + $8.xx for shipping as a limited (?)
competative upgrade offer. For the price I just couldn't pass it up.

It is version 1.0, and it still has some minor bugs, but all in all I'm
really impressed !

I haven't used it with any scanners (only plan to use with fax files), but
it does a respectable job on the TIFF + PICT files I get out of my
InterFax. It "seems" a lot faster than earlier OCR s/w I experimented with
a while back.


In article <1992Dec11.183618.9800@netcom.com>, tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C.
May) wrote:
> 
> Here are some comments on ExperVision's fairly new OCR program,
> "TypeReader," and also some comments on a bundled deal whereby you
> "Buy TypeReader, Get a Scanner for Free."
> 
> TypeReader got a very positive review in the the Dec., '92 "MacUser,"
> and in the 10-19-92 issue of "MacWeek." "MacWorld" has not yet
> reviewed it. Both reviews said it was more accurate than Caere's
> "Omnipage Pro," and faster as well. (It came out of practically
> nowhere, so how could it challenge Caere, Calera, and Xerox? The
> answer seems to be that it was developed for a large Japanese Kanji
> recognition product, which underwrote the development costs. Also, it
> appeared for Windows a while back...from what I can see, with its fine
> interface, it's one of the rare DOS-world products that has migrated
> to the Mac with grace and style.)
> 
> I was eager to try it, especially when my dealer, the famous
> "ComputerWare" (of the Bay Area, with my dealer in Santa
> Cruz/Capitola), told me about the "Buy TypeReader, get a scanner for
> free." special bundled offer (which I had not seen advertised anywhere).
> 
> Here's the deal (then I'll report on the results):
> 
> * TypeReader + Abaton TranScribe 300 scanner = $650
> 
> TypeReader has a street price of around $500, with a $100 rebate from
> ExperVision, for an effective stree price of $400. (It is also
> available for $150 as a "competitive upgrade" if you already have an
> OCR program...see ExperVision's ads for details.)
> 
> So this made the Abaton scanner a real deal, at $250. Even though it's
> only black and white (NO 8-bit grey-scale), it's perfectly fine for
> OCR, and works well with TypeReader.
> 
> For comparison, I also looked at the H-P ScanJet IIp for $650 (after $50
> rebate from H-P), the Microtek Scanmaker II (a 24-bit color scanner)
> for $900, and even the H-P ScanJet IIc (color, true 400 dpi) for $1300
> (after $100 rebate). Though I don't critically need color, I thought
> the price on the ScanMaker II was low enough to be tempting.
> 
> After nearly 5 hours of scanning, OCRing with both OmniPage Direct
> ($275, street price, or $225 if purchased with the H-P IIp) and with
> TypeReader, I concluded I wanted TypeReader.
> 
> Advantages of TypeReader:
> 
> * more accurate than OmniPage Direct (Note: OmniPage Direct is Caere's
> low-end, but is nearly the same recognition engine as OmniPage Pro, so
> say the reviewers. I didn't evaluate Pro, because it was $700 just by
> itself, and TypeReader seemed to outmatch it anyway, at least in the
> reviews.)
> 
> * more features than OmniPage Direct...dictionaries, nice on-screen
> corrections (with a bit image displayed simultaneously...a very useful
> feature!), deferred processing (e.g., scan in 20 pages and then let
> the Mac crunch later), and a nicer interface than OmniPage Direct
> (though Direct has the convenient feature of placing the recognized
> text directly into the word processor or whatever that you're in when
> you open it).
> 
> 
> The H-P ScanJet IIp is undeniably a very fine scanner, with both 8-bit
> grey-scale and H-P's "AccuPage" autobrightness system, which handles
> colored or stained paper much better. The H-P + OmniPage Direct
> solution would have cost me $650 + $225 = $875. Upgrading to
> TypeReader would have added $150, for a total of $1025.
> 
> So I went with the TypeReader + Abaton TranScribe = $650 deal.
> 
> I'm happy so far. I've been scanning articles, reports, letters, and
> pages out of books. TypeReader is a joy to use.
> 
> I hope these comments help someone out there.
> 
> 
> --Tim May
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> ..........................................................................
> Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
> tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
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