Review by Mrs. Night Owl

I have used PaperPort on and off for 10 years. The software allows users to convert scanned documents into editable digital documents through optical character recognition (OCR). If you have a need to scan original paper documents into editable electronic file formats then you should consider buying PaperPort 12 Professional because the software is easy to use and very powerful. I have divided this review into two parts; 1) basic explanation of technology and terminology, 2) product review.

1) TechnologynMost documents, when scanned, are put in TIF format (although there are various other formats as well). OCR converts those scanned documents to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc., and then the documents can be edited. OCR software analyzes each pixel in a scanned file (we’ll use TIF as our example) and tries to figure out and recognize symbols and letters. A TIF is made up of thousands of individual pixels just like the resolution on a digital camera (measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI). The OCR software compares what it is sensing in the TIF file to character tables and charts until it finds a match. The OCR recognition process happens very quickly so an entire TIF page could be recognized in a few seconds. PaperPort’s OCR engine can process a multi-page TIF document (think of a 20-30 page scanned file) and open it in MS Word for editing or cataloging. PaperPort controls the entire process of scanning a document to opening it in Word or another program.

2) Product ReviewnInstallation was easy. The software found my all-in-one HP printer/scanner/copier and I was easily able to scan documents using the PaperPort scan interface. Once I scanned a few documents, I played around with the OCR technology which was impressive. I scanned a 3-page legal document into TIF format, then with PaperPort I used the drag-and-drop feature to convert the TIF into MS Word so I could make edits. PaperPort quickly converted the TIF into MS Word. Once in Word, I could edit the document as if I had just typed it. PaperPort does a decent job at preserving formatting but it isn’t perfect. For example, you might need to clean up the alignment or occasional spacing, but overall I am pretty satisfied with formatting preservation.

Conclusion:nIf you need to scan paper documents into digital format for editing and storage, then consider PaperPort 12 Professional. If you just need to scan documents for storage, then you do not need PaperPort’s advanced capabilities, you can simply use the software that came with your scanner to capture images for digital storage.

P.S. This review seems to keep defaulting to the PaperPort 12 product page, although my review is actually for the PaperPort 12 Professional version (Amazon glitch, I guess).