Nuance TEXTBRIDGE PRO-MILLENNIUM BUSINESS EDITION User Manual

Copyright © 1995–2000 by ScanSoft, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted, transcribed, reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or translated into any language or computer language in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of ScanSoft, Inc., 9 Centennial Drive, Peabody, Massachusetts 01960.

The software described in this book is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license.

MPORTANT

NOTICE

RADEMARKS AND

CREDITS

ScanSoft, Inc. provides this publication “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Some states or jurisdictions do not allow disclaimer of express or implied warranties in certain transactions; therefore, this statement may not apply to you. ScanSoft reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the content hereof without obligation of ScanSoft to notify any person of such revision or changes.

TextBridge is a registered trademark, and Smart Zones, Instant Access OCR, and Custom Proof are trademarks, of ScanSoft, Inc.

Excel and Word are trademarks; Windows and FrontPage are

registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corp.

Other terms used in this manual are the trademarks of their respective holders.

Animated character designed by Dreamlight Incorporated. www.dreamlight.com.

Authors: Lois West and Beth Paddock

CANSOFT, INC.

9 Centennial Drive Peabody, Massachusetts 01960

TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

Part Number 00–009733–00 April 2000

PREFACE

About This User’s Guide ............................... vii

Organization of this user’s guide..................... viii

Documentation conventions ......................... ix

Related Documentation ................................ ix

Technical Support ..................................... x

1INTRODUCTION TO TEXTBRIDGE

Basic OCR Concepts ................................. 1–1

Features and Benefits ................................ 1–3

New Features ................................... 1–3

Enhanced Features............................... 1–4

Other Features .................................. 1–7

Documents TextBridge Can Recognize ................ 1–8

Input Image File Formats ............................. 1–9

Output Text File Formats ............................ 1–10

Output Image File Formats........................... 1–12

Where to Go From Here.............................. 1–13

TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide iii

2INSTALLING AND SETTING UP TEXTBRIDGE

What Comes with TextBridge .......................... 2–1

Supported Scanners.................................. 2–2

Installing and Testing Your Scanner ..................... 2–3

System Requirements ................................ 2–4

Before Installing TextBridge ........................... 2–4

Uninstalling a Previous Version of TextBridge .......... 2–4

Using TextBridge with Pagis ....................... 2–6

Learning about TextBridge before you install it ......... 2–6

Installing TextBridge ................................ 2–7

Scanner Setup ...................................... 2–8

Setting Up Instant Access to TextBridge .................. 2–9

Updating your TextBridge Software .................... 2–10

Uninstalling TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition ... 2–10

Where to Go From Here.............................. 2–11

3 OCR AND BASIC TEXTBRIDGE OPERATIONS

What is TextBridge OCR? ............................. 3–1

Page types ..................................... 3–2

Page sources .................................... 3–3

Recomposition .................................. 3–4

Running TextBridge Standalone and Instant Access ......... 3–5

Standalone Program .............................. 3–5

Instant Access .................................. 3–6

Improving Page Recognition with Settings ................ 3–7

Page Type Settings ............................... 3–7

Text Document Settings .......................... 3–11

Recognizing Other Languages ......................... 3–13

Language Installation............................ 3–13

Language Processing ............................ 3–13

Where to Go From Here.............................. 3–15

iv TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

4LEARNING TO USE TEXTBRIDGE

Before Beginning to Process a Document.................. 4–1

Using TextBridge to Process a Document ................. 4–2

Starting TextBridge.................................. 4–3

Using Automatic Processing ........................... 4–4

Using Manual Processing ............................. 4–6

Performing Basic Operations........................... 4–8

Selecting the Page Source.......................... 4–8

Selecting the Page Type ........................... 4–9

Previewing the Page ............................. 4–10

Zoning the Page ................................ 4–12

Proofreading the Document ....................... 4–14

Saving the Document ............................ 4–16

Getting Help While Using TextBridge ................... 4–17

Using the Welcome Window ....................... 4–18

Using the Show Me How Window ................... 4–18

Using Tips .................................... 4–20

Getting Information from Help ..................... 4–20

Using the TextBridge Web Site..................... 4–21

Where to Go From Here.............................. 4–22

5SAMPLE SESSIONS WITH TEXTBRIDGE

Using the Sample Documents .......................... 5–1

Session 1: Recognizing a Simple Document Using

Auto Processing .............................. 5–6

Session 2: Using Instant Access to TextBridge ............ 5–12

Session 3: Recognizing a Complex Document Using

Manual Processing........................... 5–17

Session 4: Processing Text, Pictures, and a Table .......... 5–25

Where to Go From Here.............................. 5–32

Table of Contents v

6ADVANCED SAMPLE SESSIONS

Session 1: Processing a Document to Use in a Database ...... 6–1

Session 2: Using Zone Templates and Page Types ........... 6–6

Session 3: Training TextBridge OCR .................... 6–11

Where to Go From Here.............................. 6–16

INDEX

vi TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

PREFACE

ScanSoft, Inc. welcomes you to TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition for Windows

4.0.

The documentation that comes with TextBridge provides you with the information you need to operate TextBridge. The documentation includes this user’s guide, a Help system, and Release Notes. ScanSoft invites your comments about the information provided in the documentation.

The documentation is part of an extensive user assistance program designed to provide you with information you may need to understand and use TextBridge. The section “Getting Help while using TextBridge” provides further information about user assistance.

Before going on to find out more about TextBridge, please read this preface because it describes these important items:

◆ About this user’s guide

◆ Related documentation

◆ Technical support

ABOUT THIS USER’S GUIDE

95, 98, 2000, and Windows

This user’s guide is a reference tool that provides information about TextBridge. It is for users with a wide range of computer experience. It assumes that you are familiar with the management and operation of your computer and Windows.

This manual is provided both in print and electronic form. The entire user’s guide is provided as a digital document in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF).

TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide vii

To view the user’s guide in PDF format you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is installed with TextBridge, unless you already have it on your PC. You can access the user’s guide from the installation menu and the TextBridge Help menu, or you can open it from Adobe Acrobat Reader. After you open it, you can view it on your PC and print all or part of it using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Organization of this user’s guide

The user’s guide organization is as follows:

The Table of Contents at the beginning of the user’s guide describes the basic information in this book and helps you to find general information quickly.

This Preface describes the documentation provided with TextBridge and technical support.

Chapter 1 “Introduction to TextBridge” discusses TextBridge features. It also describes basic OCR concepts, documents TextBridge can recognize, supported scanners, and input file formats TextBridge can read and output file formats to which TextBridge can save the recognized text.

Chapter 2 “Installing TextBridge” describes what comes with TextBridge; system requirements, installation, Instant Access set up, and TextBridge uninstall.

Chapter 3 “OCR and TextBridge” explains the basic TextBridge functions that enable it to recognize and OCR your documents.

Chapter 4 “Learning to Use TextBridge” describes the basic processes of using TextBridge.

Chapter 5 “Sample Sessions with TextBridge” walks you through several practice sessions designed to help you to learn and use the important features of TextBridge.

Chapter 6 “Advanced Sample Sessions” describes more complex and less frequent uses of TextBridge.

The Index provides a comprehensive list of topics to assist you in quickly locating the specific information you need.

viii TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

Documentation conventions

TextBridge documentation uses certain graphical elements and formatting to emphasize information and give more meaning to text.

Table 1: Documentation Conventions

bold

italic

monospace

“ ” (quotes)

☞

Note

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you should experience problems with TextBridge that you cannot resolve on your own using the documentation and software, contact TextBridge Technical Support at the following Web site:

www.scansoft.com

x TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

The ScanSoft Web site provides a link to TextBridge pages, including Technical Support with Frequently Asked Questions, technical information bulletins, and a problem report form.

Before sending a problem report form to ScanSoft Technical Support, be sure to visit FastTrack, ScanSoft’s electronic support system on the web site. Using an Intelligent Expert Reasoning™ methodology, FastTrack delivers intuitive self-service via the Internet and allows you to successfully resolve your problems online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Software downloads, product upgrades and product updates are also available in FastTrack.

Additional information about contacting TextBridge Technical Support is provided in the TextBridge Help menu.

If you must contact ScanSoft Technical Support, the following information will help in solving the problem:

◆ Your software version number

(This is on the back of the CD envelope and in the Help menu under About TextBridge.)

◆ Your software serial number

(This is the serial number on the back of the TextBridge CD-ROM envelope and in the Help menu under About TextBridge.)

◆ Your scanner make and model

◆ A description of the steps that led up to the problem

◆ If TextBridge generated an error message, a verbatim description

of the error message or its number and when it appeared.

Preface xi

INTRODUCTION TO TEXTBRIDGE

Welcome to ScanSoft’s TextBridge Pro Millennium, optical character recognition (OCR) software for Microsoft Windows 98, 2000 and Windows NT

This chapter provides an introduction to TextBridge including:

◆ Basic OCR concepts

◆ Features and benefits

◆ Characteristics of documents TextBridge can recognize

◆ Input image file formats

◆ Output text file formats

◆ Output image file formats

BASIC OCR CONCEPTS

OCR technology enables you to convert paper documents into fully editable text with images on your computer. Originally, OCR technology performed simple character recognition of text characters, numbers, and symbols. Today, TextBridge OCR includes full document recognition including recognizing text plus formatting such as headlines, multiple columns, tables, and running headers and footers and capturing photographs and line drawings. TextBridge even retains the layout of the original document as much as possible.

4.0.

95,

You can use TextBridge to scan and convert printed pages to text documents for your word processor, spreadsheet program, web browser, database program, or other text application. Pages may be from most sources, including computer printers, fax machines, photocopiers, magazines, and newspapers. Pages can be black and white or color. TextBridge can also recognize standard page image files from fax modems, image applications, and other sources.

TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide 1–1

Original document

Recomposed document in word processor

Using the latest document recognition technology from ScanSoft, TextBridge OCR uses its recomposition capability to produce a fully editable electronic document with the original pictures and document layout (Figure 1–1).

Figure 1–1. TextBridge document recomposition

In most cases, TextBridge understands your original document’s format and maintains the layout, including columns, headers, footers, pictures, and picture captions. Pictures can be black and white, grayscale, or color.

1–2 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

Recomposition is possible only if your text program supports pictures and layout. For example, recomposition is supported in Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect but not in Notepad. Forms and documents created in desktop publishing programs are usually too complex for recomposition by TextBridge as well as your word processor. As a result, the text and pictures are retained but the full layout is not.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

TextBridge offers many features designed to make it easy to use and increase your productivity. Whether you need to capture a simple one-page letter, a magazine article, a spreadsheet, or a long transcript, TextBridge can save you valuable time and effort. In addition, TextBridge provides all the capabilities that experienced OCR users expect.

With TextBridge, you can import most paper documents or document image files to your computer. TextBridge attains the highest degree of OCR accuracy and provides the output in fully editable form in your favorite program. Many of these features and benefits are described in more detail in the user’s guide and Help.

New Features

TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition offers these new features to increase your productivity:

◆ Windows 2000 Certification. Makes use of latest Windows

technology to assure a consistent user experience and a more reliable and manageable application.

◆ Updated scanner support. Includes latest Scanner Wizard hint

file for easy setup of popular scanners.

◆ Live updates. Stay up-to-date with the latest product changes

from the ScanSoft, Inc. web site.

◆ Instant Access™ to FrontPage® 2000 and The Print Shop®

ProPublisher 2000. Use TextBridge Instant Access to scan, recognize, and paste text and pictures directly into your FrontPage and Print Shop documents.

Introduction to TextBridge 1–3

Enhanced Features

In addition to the new features, TextBridge offers enhanced features that were available in previous versions. These features were available before and are even better now. They are described in the following list:

◆ Instant Access. Start TextBridge within most Windows text

programs such as Word or Excel. After recognizing and converting the page, TextBridge then automatically pastes recognition data (text and pictures) directly into the program’s open document.

◆ OCR accuracy. Dramatically save time and eliminate retyping.

◆ Color and grayscale pictures and text. Recognition and

output of color and grayscale pictures. Recognition of color text and text on a color or shaded background and output of black on white or white on black.

◆ Table recomposition. Advanced analytical capability results in

very accurate table reformatting. Ability to edit the entire table as well as individual cells for improved recognition. Cell table recomposition is supported even if you do not choose to retain layout.

◆ Flexible multi-page document handling. Ability to view and

manipulate the pages of a document using the page thumbnails. Zone multiple pages before recognition. Process the pages of a document in any order. Delete, rearrange, and re-recognize individual pages. You can also control the output.

◆ Extensive language recognition. Ability to recognize many

Eastern, Central, and Western European languages.

◆ Multiple language recognition. Ability to recognize multiple

languages on the same page if all languages belong to the same language group.

◆ Usability and user assistance. Enhanced ease of use including

a redesigned user interface and extensive user assistance. User assistance includes a multimedia assistant, information screens, context-sensitive tips, status area messages, Help system, and printed and online documentation.

◆ TextBridge Assistant. An easy-to-use assistant guides you

through each step of the most common TextBridge activities, such as how to scan a page and send it to Word, recognize an image file, and recognize just part of a page.

1–4 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

Convenient batch processing. The ability to select multiple

◆

files and process each file separately plus the ability to schedule processing for a specific time in the future.

◆ Integration with e-mail programs. Input to popular programs

such as Lotus cc:Mail, Microsoft Outlook, and America Online (AOL).

◆ Integration with the latest scanners. TextBridge works with

the most recent scanners. The Release Notes and the ScanSoft Web site at www.scansoft.com provides the latest information about supported scanners and getting your scanner to work with TextBridge.

◆ HTML 4.0 output and WYSIWYG capability. Output files in

the latest version of HTML and preserve the original look using cascading style sheets.

◆ Dual page scanning. Scan both pages of an open book at the

same time but handle them as two separate pages.

◆ Easy database importing. Use of standard delimited text file

output that allows you to import data into many databases.

◆ ToolTips and What’s This? Help. Instant context-sensitive

information about commands, dialog boxes, and buttons on the interface.

◆ Document recomposition. TextBridge offers true document

recomposition to retain your original page layout. It reproduces multiple columns, tables, and pictures and keeps them in the same location as they are in your original document.

For example, when you specify output to the Microsoft Word Corel WordPerfect document layout in fully-editable form, even for pages containing tables, line art, reverse video, drop caps, insets, and pictures. When you edit the document, the original text flow is maintained.

When you specify output to the Microsoft Excel format, spreadsheets and cell tables retain their original layout as cell tables, not tabbed columns. When you edit the table information, the lines move to fit.

Introduction to TextBridge 1–5

format, TextBridge can retain the original

™

or Lotus 1-2-3

™

TextBridge supports formats for the programs that retain page layout in the following list:

◆ Internet Explorer

◆ Netscape

◆ Word 6.0, 7.0, 97, and 2000

◆ Word Perfect 6.0, 6.1, 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0

◆ Any word processor that supports RTF

Retaining pictures is independent of retaining layout. Some text programs retain pictures even though they do not retain layout.

◆ Page Types. TextBridge provides many predesigned Page Types

to make processing easier and more efficient. You do not have to go through a complicated process of determining and specifying settings for common types of pages. These Page Types automatically provide appropriate settings for the type of page you want to process. For example, there is a Letter page type and a Magazine page type that automatically activate settings for improved results for letters and pages from magazines.

◆ Automatic zoning. TextBridge automatically zones your page

into text, picture, and table zones. You do not need to zone the page manually.

◆ Zone editing. You can edit the automatically recognized zones to

further refine the zoning. Use zone editing to increase the accuracy and efficiency of page processing by reshaping zones, specifying the language, and renumbering zones.

◆ Built-in Proofreader

the built-in proofreader to view and accept or correct any words that TextBridge suspects may not be recognized accurately. The proofreader provides suggestions from which you may choose.

™

. After document recognition, you can use

◆ Dynamic OCR training. You can train TextBridge’s OCR to

improve recognition accuracy as the job progresses. Use dynamic training with difficult documents, such as faxes or multigeneration photocopies. TextBridge enables you to interact with the OCR process by viewing then accepting or correcting its automatic recognition decisions. The software actually learns special symbols and words.

1–6 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

◆

◆ Custom dictionaries. To improve recognition accuracy further,

Other Features

◆ Broad scanner support. TextBridge supports most popular

◆ Image processing. TextBridge accepts a wide range of images

◆ Deferred processing. TextBridge enables you to scan all the

Output files to the latest version of programs. These include Microsoft Word 2000, Excel 2000, FrontPage 2000, WordPerfect

9.0, and Adobe FrameMaker 5.0.

you can create specialized word lists (scientific terminology, proper names, acronyms, and so on) within TextBridge or in ASCII text files and load them into TextBridge. You can also use your Microsoft Word or Office custom dictionary with TextBridge.

In addition to the features listed in the previous sections TextBridge provides these other features.

desktop scanners with TWAIN (technology without an important name) device interface standard.

from a variety of sources for processing. Specifically, the program imports and recognizes online document images in BMP, PCX, DCX, TIFF, and XIF formats that originate from fax modems and other sources. For more information, see the “Input Image File Formats” section in this chapter.

pages of a document to a TIFF or XIF file, then later open the image file for document recognition. You can also save all the pages to a multi-page image file or save each page as a separate file.

◆ Output text file formats including HTML. TextBridge

supports a number of output text file formats, including word processor, desktop publishing, spreadsheet, HTML, and database formats. Now you can process your text for publication on the Web.

◆ Preview of page images. TextBridge provides a set of tools for

previewing page images before processing them. You can manually define areas of page images as zones to be processed and capture only the text, tables, or pictures you want. You can also edit the automatic zoning by adjusting the text, table, and picture zones.

Introduction to TextBridge 1–7

◆ Zone templates. After you create a set of zones, TextBridge lets

you save and reload zone templates for new jobs. In this way you can consistently process or ignore specific areas on the same type of pages and save time without rezoning each page.

◆ Re-usable training data. After you interactively train OCR, you

can save the training data in a file. You can reload this training file for similar documents of the same page type. Using this training file assures the highest recognition accuracy without your having to repeat the training.

◆ Two-sided document processing. If your scanner has a sheet

feeder, you can scan the fronts (odd sides) of the pages first, then flip the stack, and scan the reverse (even) sides. When scanning and recognition are complete, TextBridge automatically collates the text and keeps it in the original order.

Documents TextBridge Can Recognize

TextBridge includes a number of advances developed by ScanSoft, Inc. and at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Consequently, TextBridge provides highly accurate OCR and format retention on the widest range of documents. TextBridge can recognize documents with the characteristics in the following list:

◆ Documents printed on typewriters, phototypesetters, and impact,

ink-jet, dot-matrix, and laser printers

◆ Photocopied, degraded, or dirty documents

◆ Documents with single- or multiple-column layouts

◆ Spreadsheets and cell tables

◆ Paper documents with black and white, grayscale, and color

pictures including photos and line art

◆ Page image files with black and white, grayscale, and color

pictures

◆ Dual page documents, such as bound books

◆ Multi-page documents

◆ Single- or multiple-page images from fax modems and other

sources

1–8 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

Hard-copy faxes

◆

◆ Documents with point sizes ranging from 5-point to 72-point type

in practically any typeface

◆ Documents composed in any of many Eastern, Central, or Western

European languages as well as one or more of the languages within one of these groups in the same document

INPUT IMAGE FILE FORMATS

The source of page images for TextBridge can be your scanner or it can be image files. TextBridge can recognize the following types of image file formats:

Image File Format File Name Extension

Windows bitmap .bmp

PCX .pcx

Multi-page PCX used in some fax programs

Tag image file format (including Alacrity TIFF)

Delrina WinFax fax image files .fxr, .fxd,

eXtended image file .xif

Image files can be black and white (binary), grayscale, or color. TextBridge can process images in resolutions from 72 to 900 dots per inch (dpi). Recognition results are generally better from grayscale images than binary images. For the most accurate results, we recommend scanning grayscale images at 200 dpi. For better results on difficult documents, we recommend scanning grayscale images at 300 dpi; however, this requires more processing time.

Note Refer to the ScanSoft Web site at www.scansoft.com for the latest

list of supported input image file formats.

.dcx

.tif, .ala

.fxm, .fxs

Introduction to TextBridge 1–9

OUTPUT TEXT FILE FORMATS

TextBridge can convert its recognized text and pictures to files for the following programs and formats:

Programs and Formats File Name

Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) .pdf Ami Pro 2.0 and 3.0 .sam dBase IV .dbf DisplayWrite 5 .rft Excel 97 and 2000 .xls Excel 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 .xls Excel for the Macintosh 3.0 to 7.0 .xls FrameMaker .mif HTML WYSIWYG .htm HTML .htm Interleaf .wps Lotus 1-2-3 .wk1 Lotus Word Pro .lwp MultiMate Advantage II .doc PostScript .ps Professional Write 2.0 and 2.2 .doc Quattro Pro for Windows .wb2 RFT-DCA .rft Rich Text Format (RTF) .rtf RTF for the Macintosh .rtf Text .txt Text with line breaks .txt Text DOS format .txt Text with line breaks DOS format .txt Text comma-delimited .csv Text tab-delimited .txt Word 2.x (RTF) .doc Word 6.0 and 7.0 (RTF) .doc Word 97 and 2000 (RTF) .doc WordPerfect 4.2 and 5.1 .wpf Word Perfect 6.0, 6.1, 7.0, and 8.0 .wpd WordStar .wsd Works .rtf

Extension

1–10 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

PDF files can be transferred and shared across computer platforms. Originally developed by Adobe Systems, Inc, PDF files can be viewed with the Adobe Acrobat Reader. The following table lists the PDF file types you can create with TextBridge as well as the equivalent Adobe names:

TextBridge Adobe Acrobat 4.0 Adobe Capture 3.0

PDF Image Only PDF Image Only

PDF Image & Hidden Text

PDF Normal PDF Normal PDF formatted

PDF Normal without word images

The TextBridge PDF File types have the following characteristics:

PDF Original Image with Hidden Text

PDF Searchable Image

Text and Graphics

◆ PDF Image Only. A bitmap picture of the page(s). The document

can be viewed but not searched.

◆ PDF Image & Hidden Text. A picture of the page(s) in the

foreground with the recognized text hidden behind it. The document can be viewed and searched. Use this type when you need to have searchable text but must keep the original scanned image of each page for legal or archival purposes. Only the zoned text is recognized and saved for searching. Gray or color pages are converted to black and white.

◆ PDF Normal. The page(s) contain actual text and pictures, if any.

Suspect words are put on the page as word images, not text, to assure page accuracy. The page(s) can be viewed and searched, including suspect words. PDF Normal files are generally much smaller than PDF Image type files.

◆ PDF Normal Without Word Images. The same as PDF Normal,

except all suspect words are converted to actual text – even if the word recognition confidence is low.

Note PDF Image Only and PDF Image & Hidden Text files are always

output as a full page in black and white, regardless of how they are scanned or zoned.

Introduction to TextBridge 1–11

Note PDF formats are available for languages in the

American/European language group only. Refer to “Recognizing Other Languages” in Chapter 3, “OCR and Basic TextBridge Operations” for more information about language groups.

☞ Microsoft Word (RTF) format is also accepted by a number of

other applications, including ClarisWorks® and Adobe® PageMaker®, and WordPad. See the documentation for your particular application for more information about importing files in RTF format.

Note Refer to the ScanSoft Web site at www.scansoft.com for the latest

list of supported output text files.

OUTPUT IMAGE FILE FORMATS

With deferred processing, TextBridge can convert its scanned documents and save them as image files for the following formats:

Programs and Formats File Name

Tag Image File Format .tif eXtended Image File .xif

Extension

We recommend XIF for deferred processing, as this format retains the full fidelity of any scan, producing an image ideal for OCR.

1–12 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

To learn how to install and set up TextBridge on your system, go to Chapter 2.

To learn how TextBridge recognizes a document and how you prepare TextBridge to do this, read Chapter 3. This chapter explains the basic concepts and functions of the software.

To learn how you use TextBridge to process simple and complex documents, refer to Chapter 4. It also explains how to view, zone, train, and proofread your document in TextBridge and edit your document in your word processor.

Chapters 5 and 6 provide sample sessions that are step-by-step tutorials. Chapter 5 shows you how to use auto processing, Instant Access, recognize a document with complex layout, and process a document with text, pictures, and a table.

Chapter 6 shows how to process a document for a database, to use advanced settings for zones and page types, and to train TextBridge’s OCR.

The Help system provides a complete reference to the TextBridge user interface. Help includes overview information on key features, getting started instructions, step-by-step procedures for most operations and user tips. Typical user questions are answered in a “How Do I?” section and Troubleshooting helps when you have problems. Context-sensitive Help is always available by pressing F1 from any menu command or dialog box.

Introduction to TextBridge 1–13

INSTALLING AND SETTING UP TEXTBRIDGE

This chapter describes the TextBridge software installation and setup procedures. Specifically, it covers these topics:

◆ What comes with TextBridge

◆ Supported scanners

◆ Installing and testing your scanner

◆ System requirements

◆ Before installing TextBridge

◆ Installing TextBridge

◆ Scanner setup

◆ Setting up Instant Access to TextBridge

◆ Updating your TextBridge software

◆ Uninstalling TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition

To get started quickly, proceed to the installation procedure on page 2–7.

WHAT COMES WITH TEXTBRIDGE

TextBridge comes with the following items:

◆ One installation CD-ROM. The CD-ROM includes software

programs, language packs, sample document image files, release notes, Help files, online user’s guide in Adobe PDF format, and Adobe Acrobat Reader.

◆ A printed user’s guide to get you started.

Check to be sure that you have all the items listed above. If any item is missing from your TextBridge package, call your authorized ScanSoft dealer. To contact ScanSoft, visit the ScanSoft Web site at www.scansoft.com or refer to the TextBridge Help system.

TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide 2–1

Note Be sure to register electronically or print and return the printed

software registration form. Registration qualifies you for technical support and assures that you are kept up-to-date on new software releases and other information related to TextBridge and the ScanSoft family of products.

SUPPORTED SCANNERS

TextBridge works with many popular desktop scanners using your scanner's TWAIN interface. You can use TextBridge with any fully TWAIN-compliant scanner that provides a binary, grayscale, or color image in a supported size and resolution.

Exceptions to this include the design of some TWAIN drivers, i.e., the Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 5100C scanner with the PrecisionScan TWAIN interface, triple-pass scanners, and Visioneer sheetfed scanners.

Depending upon the design of your TWAIN driver, you may not be able to scan in color with TextBridge. If you have a triple-pass scanner, use it in single pass, black and white mode only.

If you have a Visioneer sheetfed scanner, use the Visioneer Paperport software and drag and drop an image onto TextBridge or your word processor.

☞ An ISIS driver will be installed by TextBridge to support the

Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 5100C model scanners. Other ISIS drivers previously installed on your system will be accessible through TextBridge and may work, however only the HP Scanjet 5100C ISIS driver is supported by ScanSoft.

The full list of scanners supported by TextBridge is always growing. Check the TextBridge Web site at www.scansoft.com to view the most up-to-date list of supported scanners.

Note Install your scanner before you install TextBridge.

Scanners require a TWAIN source driver or an ISIS driver, which are provided by the scanner or interface card manufacturer. Consult the scanner documentation for details about installing your scanner, interface card, and driver.

2–2 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

After installing your scanner, test that the scanner is functioning. Refer to the scanner manufacturer’s documentation to answer any questions about the scanner.

Note Your scanner must be working independently of TextBridge prior

to connecting it to TextBridge.

In general, we recommend that you turn on your scanner before you turn on your PC.

Next, install and test your scanner.

INSTALLING AND TESTING YOUR SCANNER

Refer the to manufacture's detailed instructions for installing your scanner. They provide the most precise information for setting up your scanner. The basic steps for installing a scanner are:

1. Install the correct scanner interface card (if one is necessary) in the PC bus. Note that many scanners simply plug into the PC’s parallel port, universal serial bus (USB), or occasionally the standard serial port.

2. Hook up your scanner to the interface card or standard port with the correct cable and turn on the scanner, then turn on your PC.

3. Install the system-level scanner driver (.sys) file or TWAIN source driver on your PC’s hard disk, as directed by the scanner documentation.

4. Test the scanner using software tools provided by the scanner manufacturer.

☞ If your scanner runs independently of TextBridge, you can be sure

that it is functioning correctly. Setting it up to run with TextBridge should then be a simple matter.

5. After the scanner is functioning, go on to install and link your scanner to TextBridge software.

Installing TextBridge 2–3

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

To install and run TextBridge, your Windows-compatible PC must be equipped with the following:

◆ An Intel (or compatible) 80486 or Pentium

recommend Pentium for the best performance.

◆ A VGA, SVGA, or multi-sync color monitor.

◆ A minimum of 24 megabytes (MB) of random access memory

(RAM) for Windows 95 and 98; a minimum of 32 MB for Windows 2000 or Windows NT. We recommend 64 MB for the best performance.

◆ Microsoft Windows 95, 98, or 2000 or Windows NT 4.0.

◆ A hard disk with a minimum of 40 MB of free space in which to

install TextBridge.

Another version of TextBridge is available for the Macintosh computer. Refer to the Web site at www.scansoft.com for further information. TextBridge will not run on Windows 3.1, NT 3.51, or OS/2.

BEFORE INSTALLING TEXTBRIDGE

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After you install your scanner and check that it is working properly, you are ready to complete other preparations for installing TextBridge and learn more about TextBridge.

Uninstalling a Previous Version of TextBridge

If you have on older version of TextBridge, uninstall it before installing TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition. You can still keep certain customized files you have created, such as custom page types and user dictionaries.

Note Uninstalling the older version of TextBridge later may require

you to reinstall TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition to restore full operation.

2–4 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

When you insert the TextBridge CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive, if there is an older version of TextBridge installed, a dialog box appears and recommends that you uninstall that older version. To save disk space, you can uninstall any of these older versions of TextBridge; however, you are not required to do so. If you choose not to do this before installing the new version of TextBridge, you can uninstall it at a later time.

To uninstall a previous version of TextBridge, use the following procedure:

1. Close all active applications, including TextBridge.

2. On the Windows task bar, click Start.

3. Point to Programs, then point to the TextBridge folder.

4. Click TextBridge Uninstall.

The TextBridge Uninstall dialog box appears.

5. Click Yes to continue the uninstall process.

TextBridge proceeds with the uninstall. When it is finished, the Uninstall Complete dialog box appears.

Click No if you decide to quit the uninstall process.

6. Click OK to restart your computer.

With these steps finished, TextBridge is removed from your PC.

If you have saved any user dictionary, training, zone template, or text files in the TextBridge folder, these are not deleted by the uninstall. You can use your user dictionary files with the new version of TextBridge. Just move them to the Windows folder

...All Users\Application Data\TextBridge\Bin\User Dictionaries

Zone Templates created with TextBridge 9.0 can be used with TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition. Just move them to the Windows folder

...All Users\Application Data\TextBridge\Bin\Zone Templates

Installing TextBridge 2–5

Training data created with TextBridge 9.0 can be used with TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition. Just move them to the Windows folder

...All Users\Application Data\TextBridge\Bin\Training Data

Training data and zone templates created with versions of TextBridge earlier than TextBridge 9.0 cannot be used with this version of TextBridge and can be deleted. You can delete the entire TextBridge folder after you have moved any files that you want to keep.

Using TextBridge with Pagis

The Pagis program from ScanSoft is a color scanning suite of software that enables you to scan, copy, fax, view and edit, index, search, and manage electronic documents and includes TextBridge.

If you have Pagis Pro 2.0 or later installed, Pagis will use the latest version of TextBridge available on your PC.

If you have an earlier version of Pagis (e.g., Pagis SE or Pagis Pro 97), continue to use the previous version of TextBridge with Pagis.

Learning about TextBridge before you install it

When you insert the TextBridge CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive, an autorun program on the CD-ROM launches TextBridge setup. You can learn more about TextBridge at this point, before you install the program.

After setup starts, select one of the options in the following list:

◆ Install TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition. The setup

program begins for you to install the components of TextBridge.

◆ View Release Notes. The Release Notes appear for you to read

and review before you install TextBridge. The Release Notes provide information about TextBridge that was not available when the user’s guide and Help system were finalized. The Release Notes may include special installation instructions, known issues, in-depth information about using TextBridge with specific scanners and other programs, and other technical information.

2–6 TextBridge Pro Millennium Business Edition User’s Guide

+ 100 hidden pages

Nuance TEXTBRIDGE PRO-MILLENNIUM BUSINESS EDITION User Manual

CONTENTS

PREFACE

Organization of this user’s guide

Documentation conventions

RELATED DOCUMENTATION

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

INTRODUCTION TO TEXTBRIDGE

◆ Basic OCR concepts

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

New Features

Enhanced Features

Other Features

Documents TextBridge Can Recognize

INPUT IMAGE FILE FORMATS

OUTPUT TEXT FILE FORMATS

OUTPUT IMAGE FILE FORMATS

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

INSTALLING AND SETTING UP TEXTBRIDGE

◆ What comes with TextBridge

SUPPORTED SCANNERS

INSTALLING AND TESTING YOUR SCANNER

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

BEFORE INSTALLING TEXTBRIDGE

Uninstalling a Previous Version of TextBridge

Using TextBridge with Pagis

Learning about TextBridge before you install it