Slightly O.T. - Oh hell, way O.T! Need to scan data directly into Access data fields

[MLH]

I would like a scanner - something like a pencil that would
allow me to attempt to scan printed text off hardcopies. Not
all text on a page, mind you. Something I could use to scan
just the words "scan printed text" off the second line in this
post would be great! A selective scanning tool - I guess is
what you would call it.

I did a search for pencil type scanners and came up empty
handed. Anybody got ideas?

[MLH]

A bit more follow-up...

What I wanna do is allow slow typists entering data
into MS Access forms from printed hardcopies an
alternative to typing. Holding something in their hand
akin to a pen or pencil, they can move the pointer
over some printed words (kind-a-like they would if
they were holding a hi-liter), scanning the text, OCR'ing
the bitmap and dumping it into the current textbox
control.

It would be nice if the pointer (call it a light-pen or
something) had a button you press and hold down,
then do your drag-n-release to "read" the text and
another button that could be programmed so that
it would be interpreted as a TAB keystroke.

[MLH]

I'm in luck. Here's what I found...
http://www.wizcomtech.com/Wizcom/pro...fo.asp?fid=100
Its a pen-like device called the InfoScan, mfd by WizCom.

My question now is:
Has anyone ever used the input device as an input tool to scan 'n dump
alphanumeric data directly into MS Access 2.0 forms? If so, Were you
happy with the process?

[Tony Toews]

MLH <CR**@NorthState.net> wrote:

I'm in luck. Here's what I found...
http://www.wizcomtech.com/Wizcom/pro...fo.asp?fid=100
Its a pen-like device called the InfoScan, mfd by WizCom.

My question now is:
Has anyone ever used the input device as an input tool to scan 'n dump
alphanumeric data directly into MS Access 2.0 forms? If so, Were you
happy with the process?

To me the biggest problem is going to be the quality of the OCRing. Among other
things the higher the resolution the better. However this may mean they will need
to go slower than they'd like.

Also does this device do on the fly OCRing? Hmm, looks like it might do the OCRing
right in the device. Impressive.

That device just might work. And that price it's almost a throwaway item.

Note that you may still run into problems no matter what you try. FWIW a variable
width font, ie Arial or Times Roman, is significantly worse than fixed width font, ie
Courier..

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

[MLH]

Your concerns were certainly justified. I bought one yesterday and am
returning it today. Oh, it OCR's perfect stuff (IE, typewriter Courier
10) easy enough. But get into fonts with character kerning and you
can forget it. Too bad. It was a sexy idea!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx
On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 23:27:31 GMT, Tony Toews <tt****@telusplanet.net>
wrote:

MLH <CR**@NorthState.net> wrote:

I'm in luck. Here's what I found...
http://www.wizcomtech.com/Wizcom/pro...fo.asp?fid=100
Its a pen-like device called the InfoScan, mfd by WizCom.

My question now is:
Has anyone ever used the input device as an input tool to scan 'n dump
alphanumeric data directly into MS Access 2.0 forms? If so, Were you
happy with the process?

To me the biggest problem is going to be the quality of the OCRing. Among other
things the higher the resolution the better. However this may mean they will need
to go slower than they'd like.

Also does this device do on the fly OCRing? Hmm, looks like it might do the OCRing
right in the device. Impressive.

That device just might work. And that price it's almost a throwaway item.

Note that you may still run into problems no matter what you try. FWIW a variable
width font, ie Arial or Times Roman, is significantly worse than fixed width font, ie
Courier..

Tony

[Tony Toews]

MLH <CR**@NorthState.net> wrote:

Your concerns were certainly justified. I bought one yesterday and am
returning it today. Oh, it OCR's perfect stuff (IE, typewriter Courier
10) easy enough. But get into fonts with character kerning and you
can forget it. Too bad. It was a sexy idea!

Darn, it was a nice looking product. Can you somehow up the resolution. Ie from 150
dpi to 300 or 600 dpi? Mind you each time you double the scanning resolution you
quadruple the CPU power required.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

[Chuck]

On Tue, 12 Oct 2004 19:50:46 GMT, Tony Toews <tt****@telusplanet.net> wrote:

MLH <CR**@NorthState.net> wrote:

Your concerns were certainly justified. I bought one yesterday and am
returning it today. Oh, it OCR's perfect stuff (IE, typewriter Courier
10) easy enough. But get into fonts with character kerning and you
can forget it. Too bad. It was a sexy idea!

Darn, it was a nice looking product. Can you somehow up the resolution. Ie from 150
dpi to 300 or 600 dpi? Mind you each time you double the scanning resolution you
quadruple the CPU power required.

Tony

If the data entry person is a slow typist, That person probably makes a lot of
typo's also.

Have you considered that maybe the best solution is to hire a very good typist
and pay a good wage for the service.

Does the data you enter have to be editable? Could you copy the material and
enter it as an image? This is the only method that does not introduce its own
errors.

Could you use a scaner that outputs to a text file? Open the text file in
Word, spell check, then copy and paste from Word.

Except for entering an image, the data entered into the program is going to
have to be checked for accuracy. That is a slow process at best.

Any method, except an image, you use for data entry is subject to errors, even
copy and past from errorless text. It is possible to miss the first or last
character when you copy. It is possible to add a leading or trailing space.
And 'Trim' can take care of extra spaces to make the outputs look good, but
that doesn't help the underlying data.

I wish you lots of luck.

Chuck
....