The IRISPen may be the biggest sensation in computerland since the mouse!
As efficient as computers are, you have to encode your data first. If you’ve ever
rekeyed text, you know how boring and time-consuming it can be....
The IRISPen, a unique product for every computer user, offers instantaneous
text retrieval at your fingertips. Text recognition where you want it, when you
want it.
The IRISPen consists of two components: a unique greyscale pen-sized OCR
scanner and the powerful PCR-II (“Pen Character Recognition”) text recognition technology.
Imagine you have to write a report. The IRISPen copies excerpts from books,
magazines, newspapers and typed or printed matter, and enters them directly in
your wordprocessor at the cursor position.
Encode last minute data from the stock exchange into your notebook before
you have that brainstorm with your director. And why not enter your appointments in your office software automatically? Rule the IRISPen over your visitor’s
business card to put him in your personal organizer. Or fix that meeting right
away in your electronic agenda.
Encoding checks, invoices, bank statements etc. becomes a cinch: the IRISPen
copies your numeric data directly into your database, spreadsheet and bookkeeping software. Recognition can be limited to numeric characters and customized
character sets.
The IRISPen offers many other advanced features for professional applications: character conversion, automatic execution of keyboard commands, detection of table cells etc. The IRISPen is undoubtedly the most advanced data entry
solution available!
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Since the IRISPen connects to the computer’s USB port without the need for
an external power supply, you have a portable OCR system, an ideal solution,
even for notebook owners.
Finally, the IRISPen allows you to scan small graphics: logos, signatures, hand-
written notes etc. are inserted directly in your documents by sliding the pen scanner over them.
ONTOTHE IRISPEN EXECUTIVE!
The IRISPen Executive software converts your IRISPen into a multifunc-
tional productivity tool. This software-only upgrade extends the capabilities of the
pen-sized OCR scanner dramatically; as a result, your IRISPen becomes unquestionably the most versatile reading device available!
Up to now, you were able to recognize printed and typed material. The Execu-
tive software extends your system with four major add-on capabilities: speech
synthesis, bar code reading, handprinting recognition and recognition of dot matrix documents. Furthermore, the IRISPen Executive is equipped with advanced
image adjustment features that allow to read a wider range of documents and a
multiline reading mode that increases the pen scanner’s ease of use.
The speech synthesis capability “Read & Speak” opens the door for multi-
media applications and allows “hands- and eyes-busy” data entry as your sound
card reads out all recognized text. You no longer have to look up to the computer
screen to verify the results: the IRISPen results are rendered by a human voice,
the most natural way of interfacing with a machine!
A single speech library is supplied standard; text-to-speech modules for addi-
tional languages can further extend your system.
Bar code reading opens a world of new applications to IRISPen owners as
their pen scanner becomes an ergonomic, light-weight and compact bar code
scanner for the office environment. Information desks, marketing surveys, cus-
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USER'S GUIDE
tomer identification, order picking and many other examples of high accuracy
data entry can benefit greatly from this bar code reading solution.
Although all widespread bar code standards or “symbologies” are supported,
you don’t have to specify the bar code type: the user-friendliness is such that the
IRISPen automatically detects which bar code standard is used! The IRISPen
Executive offers transparant bar code reading into any Windows application. No
programming or parameter setting is involved in its operation, its use is automatic
and immediate.
You can even use a mixed reading mode where bar codes are read alongside other data - for instance “normal” text. The IRISPen “auto-detects” which
type of data is being read. For instance, you can scan address labels where the
printed data is complemented by a bar code without ever changing the reading
mode.
Encoding forms and labels can also benefit greatly from numeric handprintingrecognition. This proprietary recognition technology supports all natural writing
styles - American and European; contrary to many other handwriting recognition
solutions, no training phase or imposed style is required.
And there’s another reading capability added: recognition of dot matrix
printed documents. “Draft” or “9 pin” dot matrix symbols are made up of isolated, separate dots, and require highly specialized recognition routines to recognize them.
Advanced image adjustment features optimize the images for the OCR process: as the scanning brightness gets adjusted to the color tones of your documents, documents that are otherwise illegible can be recognized. “Despeckling”
removes “noise” from the scanned images, again resulting in higher OCR accuracy.
Finally, the multiline scanning mode increases the ease-of-use. It allows
you to scan several lines of text. All scanned data is temporarily “buffered” until
you press the pen button to “trigger” the output. This scanning mode also ensures
a natural prosody. When the speech synthesis has to pronounce individual text
VI
lines, rather than full sentences, the intonation may be somewhat less than “human”.
HOW DOESTHE IRISPEN WORK?
The pen-sized scanner functions as a greyscale camera that sends an image
to the computer. To recapture printed or typed information, you simply rule the
pen over a line of text. You start scanning as soon as you press the IRISPen onto
the paper; the scanned text is lit up by the scanner. As you scan the text, an
image consisting of intense points (so-called “pixels”) on a lighter background is
generated and transmitted to the PC.
When you stop scanning by lifting the pen from the paper, the software takes
over. Intelligent routines convert the greyscale images into black-and-white images. The text recognition software converts these images into editable characters and sends the recognized text promptly to the target application where it is
inserted at the current cursor position.
As you are operating a “hand-held” scanner, you will inevitably get wavy,
distorted images. The highly specialized character recognition software PCR-II
is nevertheless able to cope beautifully with this low-quality “material”.
This proprietary technology was designed specifically for pen scanners. It
allows real-time text recognition despite wavy, low-contrast and poor quality images containing highly distorted font shapes, and incorporates advanced image
processing techniques and unique artificial intelligence routines to this end.
TABLEOF CONTENTS
Introducing the IRISPen ..........................................................................................III
On to the IRISPen Executive! ...................................................................................IV
How Does the IRISPen Work?..................................................................................VI
Table of Contents .................................................................................................... VI
Credits and Copyrights.......................................................................................... XII
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USER'S GUIDE
Chapter 1: Installation
System Requirements ................................................................................................1
What You See Is What You Get..................................................................................2
Installing the IRISPen Software..................................................................................2
Installing the IRISPen Hardware.................................................................................6
Uninstalling the IRISPen Software.............................................................................. 7
Related Command ..................................................................................................................................... 12
IRISPen Control on Windows Taskbar ...................................................................... 12
Open ............................................................................................................................................................ 13
Status Window ........................................................................................................................................... 13
Scan Test .................................................................................................................................................... 14
Help Topics ................................................................................................................................................ 14
Scan Test .................................................................................................................................................... 19
Open Settings ............................................................................................................................................ 37
Save Settings .............................................................................................................................................. 38
Last Settings .............................................................................................................................................. 41
Settings Menu ......................................................................................................... 41
Character Conversion .............................................................................................................................. 45
Unknown Symbol ..................................................................................................................................... 46
Bar Codes (IRISPen Executive) ............................................................................................................. 46
Options Menu .........................................................................................................47
Scan Test .................................................................................................................................................... 47
Speech (IRISPen Executive and IRISPen Translator) ....................................................................... 47
Repeat Speech (IRISPen Executive and IRISPen Translator) ......................................................... 47
Status Window ........................................................................................................................................... 50
Save Settings on Exit ............................................................................................................................... 50
Help Menu .............................................................................................................. 56
Help Topics ................................................................................................................................................ 56
Product Support ........................................................................................................................................ 57
I.R.I.S. on the Internet ............................................................................................................................ 59
About the IRISPen ....................................................................................................................................59
The IRISPen, the IRISPen Executive and the IRISPen Translator software
were designed and developed by I.R.I.S. OCR and Linguistic technology by
I.R.I.S. I.R.I.S. detains the copyrights to the IRISPen software, the IRISPen
Executive software, the IRISPen Translator software, Read & Speak, the PBR
(“Pen Bar Code Reading”) technology, the PCR-II (“Pen Character Recognition”) technology, the PHR (“Pen Handprinting Recognition”) technology, the
linguistic technology, the on-line help system and this manual.
The I.R.I.S. logo, the IRISPen, PBR, PCR-II, PHR, I.R.I.S. Linguistic Tech-
nology and Read & Speak are trademarks of I.R.I.S.
The L & H logo and L & H Quality Speech are trademarks of Lernout &
Hauspie.
Excel, Outlook, Windows and Word are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corp. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corp.
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USER'S GUIDE
Chapter 1
I NSTALLATION
This chapter discusses the system requirements and installation of the IRISPen,
the IRISPen Executive and the IRISPen Translator. The IRISPen consists of a
hardware component and a software package.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
This is the minimal system configuration required to use the IRISPen:
q a 486 based Intel PC or compatible. A Pentium based PC is recom-
mended.
q 16 MB RAM.
q 50 MB hard disk space for the Standard software, 60 MB for the Ex-
ecutive software and 80 MB for the Translator software. Substract 10
MB when you leave the electronic manual on the CD-ROM.
q a 256 color monitor. It is recommended that you dispose of a 256 color
monitor to display the greyscale images generated by the pen scanner.
q the Windows ME, 2000 or 98 operating system.
q a free USB port to connect the IRISPen scanner.
The speech synthesis of the IRISPen Executive and the IRISPen Translator requires that your PC is equipped with a Windows compatible sound card.
For quality sound, preference is given to a 64-bit sound card. All Windows compatible audio cards are supported - Creative Labs SoundBlaster and compatibles
etc.
To install additional speech modules, 5 MB of free hard disk space is required per language. Ten languages are currently available: English and British
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English, Brazilian, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Mexican, Russian and Spanish.
To install additional translation pairs, 15 MB of free hard disk space is re-
quired.
Contact your computer reseller if necessary.
WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET
The IRISPen product package should contain the pen scanner, the IRISPen
CD-ROM, this manual, a registration card and a collection of IRISPen test sheets.
Contact your I.R.I.S. reseller if any items are missing from your package.
INSTALLINGTHE IRISPEN SOFTWARE
The IRISPen software is delivered exclusively on an autorunning CD-ROM .
To install, simply insert the CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive and wait for the
installation program to start running. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Should the installation not begin to run when the CD-ROM is inserted in your
CD-ROM drive, run the setup program MENU.EXE to install the software.
Users of Windows 2000 must ensure that they have the necessary access
rights - contact the system administrator if necessary.
Some installation options are offered. Be sure to install the Acrobat Reader
software required to access the software documentation, should this be necessary. The electronic manual is by default copied to your hard disk. You can also
leave it on the CD-ROM.
Install the linguistic databases of all languages you intend to read. By de-
fault, all lexicons are installed.
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USER'S GUIDE
For the IRISPen Translator, you also have to select a language pair for the
bidirectional translation. For instance, the IRISPen Translator English-French
translates English into French and French into English. IRISPen Translator owners are entitled to one language pair. Extra language pairs can be purchased
separately from I.R.I.S.
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IRISPen Executive owners are entitled to one speech library of their choice;
hence, they will be invited to select the language of the speech synthesis. The
IRISPen Translator is equipped with the speech libraries of both languages in the
translation pair. Extra speech modules can be purchased separately from I.R.I.S.
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USER'S GUIDE
The submenu "I.R.I.S. Applications - IRISPen" under the "Programs" menu is
created automatically by the installation program.
The installation program also creates a shortcut for the IRISPen application
on the Windows desktop. As a result, you are able to start the IRISPen software
directly from your desktop.
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INSTALLINGTHE IRISPEN HARDWARE
The IRISPen uses a USB connection. Standard PCs are equipped with two
USB ports; this capability can be extended by installing a USB “hub” on your PC.
Note above all that USB support requires the operating system Windows ME,
2000 or Windows 98!
Secondly, you are recommended to install the software before the hardware:
as soon as you connect a USB device to your PC, the operating system starts
looking for appropriate drivers - which are installed automatically by the installation program.
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USER'S GUIDE
The hardware installation of the pen scanner couldn’t be easier: you can
“hot plug” the pen scanner into the PC’s USB port without having to reconfigure
or reboot your PC.
The use of the USB port also implies that no external power supply is required
for the pen scanner: the PC supplies the necessary power via the USB port!
UNINSTALLINGTHE IRISPEN SOFTWARE
There are only two correct ways of uninstalling the IRISPen: using the IRISPen
“uninstall” program and using the Windows (un)install wizard. You are strongly
recommended not to uninstall the IRISPen software or its software modules by
manually erasing the program files.
IRISPen “uninstall” program
Select "Uninstall IRISPen" under the submenu "I.R.I.S. Applications IRISPen" to start the IRISPen “uninstall” program and follow the on-screen instructions.
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Windows (un)install wizard
Execute the following steps to make use of the Windows (un)install wizard.
q Click "Settings" under the "Start" menu of Windows and go to the "Con-
trol Panel".
q Click the icon "Add/Remove Programs" under the control panel.
q The IRISPen is listed under the "Install/Uninstall" tab.
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USER'S GUIDE
q Select IRISPen and click the "Add/Remove" button to remove the
IRISPen software.
q Follow the on-screen instructions.
REGISTERTO VOTE!
Don’t forget to register your IRISPen licence! Doing so will allow us to keep
you informed of future product developments and related I.R.I.S. products. The
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registration benefits, including free product support and special offers, are strictly
limited to registered users.
You can register in many ways: by sending in your registration card or faxing
its electronic counterpart, by calling I.R.I.S. during working hours and by filling
out a registration form on the I.R.I.S. web site!
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USER'S GUIDE
The IRISPen registration wizard as you’ll find under the menu "Register" of
the IRISPen software can guide you through the registration process comfortably.
GETTING PRODUCT SUPPORT
The command "Product Support" under the "Help" menu of the IRISPen software details how you can get technical support. Please describe the phenomenon
you experience clearly and include all relevant data concerning your IRISPen
and your computer system.
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GETTINGIN TOUCHWITH I.R.I.S.
You can contact I.R.I.S. to learn more about complementary software and
related products; the command "Contact I.R.I.S." under the "Help" menu of
IRISPen details in which ways you can get in touch with I.R.I.S.
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USER'S GUIDE
An application icon in the submenu "I.R.I.S. Applications - IRISPen" under
the "Programs" menu takes you directly to the I.R.I.S. home page. So does the
command "I.R.I.S. on the Internet" under the "Help" menu of the IRISPen software.
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USER'S GUIDE
Chapter 2
GUIDED TOUR
The IRISPen is a sophisticated product equipped with many advanced features for professional applications. Although it is impossible to explore every imaginable application, we will discuss in this chapter the major applications and add
many tips and hints concerning the use of the IRISPen.
Let’s have a look at the pen scanner first. What should you know about the
hardware and how do you use it?
HAVINGA LOOKATTHE PEN SCANNER
The IRISPen is equipped with a roller which functions as start switch: when
you press the IRISPen onto a piece of paper, you turn it on, when you lift the pen
scanner away, the scanning ends. (The start switch only comes on if you hold the
IRISPen at the correct angle.)
As you scan data line by line, you should always be able to see what you are
scanning. The view window allows this. As soon as the start switch is activated,
a red beam from the view window lights up the area you’re scanning.
The scanning can also be accompanied by sound: an option activates your
computer’s speaker when you start and stop scanning and when you send the
recognized text to the output target. So, you will hear three system beeps for
each scan.
Whether you do so, depends on the "Sound" button on the toolbar (or the
option "Sound" under the "Options" menu).
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This option is not compatible with the speech synthesis of the IRISPen Execu-
tive and the IRISPen Translator: you cannot produce system beeps and pronounce the recognized text at the same time!
View Window
Pen Button
Line Guide
Start Switch
The line guide on the view window helps you scan accurately. Steady scan-
ning not only improves the recognition but is specifically useful when you want to
read text with limited interline spacing. The line guide allows you to isolate the
correct information: the IRISPen recognizes the text line closest to the line guide.
The pen button is a programmable command button: when you press the
button, you can execute a keyboard command, for instance <Enter>, add characters such as "$" etc. As you are scanning, you can execute necessary keyboard
commands directly with your IRISPen. As is the case with a computer mouse,
the single and double-click of the pen button correspond to different commands.
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USER'S GUIDE
ST ARTINGTHE SOFTWAREUP
So much for the pen scanner. Let’s get started with the software: now that we
have installed the IRISPen system, we want to start scanning text into our applications.
To start the IRISPen software, click on the IRISPen application in the submenu
"I.R.I.S. Applications - IRISPen", or use the shortcut created by the installation
program on the Windows desktop.
The IRISPen startup screen appears for a few seconds. It displays the version and copyrights of the IRISPen software. It also gives direct access to the
I.R.I.S. home page - simply click on the URL www.irislink.com to visit the
I.R.I.S. web site.
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Next, the IRISPen application window and two additional windows, the
(greyscale) image window and the status window, are displayed.
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