From: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)
Subject: TypeReader, OCR, Scanner Bundle
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 18:36:18 GMT

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






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