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Large-Scale Paper-To-Digital Conversion?

Posted by timothy on from the that's-asking-a-lot-professor dept.

An anonymous reader writes "I've just been asked to digitize several dozen sets of lecture outlines at the university where I work. Basically, professors want to hand me a big (often 100+ page) stack of their handwritten lecture notes (with messy text, equations, and diagrams; sometimes double-sided) and expect me to post a PDF-or-something-similar to their course's web page. However, every desktop scanner I've ever used takes 1-2 minutes of user-attention per page and the resulting files end up Huge, impossible-to-read, or both. All I have at my disposal is my PowerBook, Acrobat, a couple hundred dollars of department funds for a new scanner (this maybe?), and, if I ask nicely, overnight use of the secretary's Win2k box. Any ideas? Sheet-fed scanner recommendations? Better file formats than PDF (or better PDF settings)? Do any of you students have usability advice?"

12 of 459 comments (clear)

  1. Knee to the grindstone... by Faust7 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Flex your fingers, crack your knuckles, and get some eyedrops... because you're going to be doing a lot of typing.

    --
    The coolest voice ever.
  2. well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    if I ask nicely, overnight use of the secretary's Win2k box

    Plus, if you're lucky, you could also get other after-hours favors from the secretary as well ;-)

    1. Re:well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      Plus, if you're lucky, you could also get other after-hours favors from the secretary as well

      No no no... he asked only for the secretary's Win2k box. A mistake, if you ask me.

    2. Re:well... by PsiPsiStar · · Score: 2, Funny

      Maybe. But I doubt she has a scanner too.

      --

      ___
      It's the end of my comment as I know it and I feel fine.
    3. Re:well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I thought you were going to get a Funny Mod from me until you failed to reference the word box.

  3. Simple. by jebell · · Score: 5, Funny

    Outsource the job to India.

    --
    This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
  4. I'd go for the by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    overnight use of the secretary's box ...

  5. The most important thing by Timesprout · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is to first make an exact copy (by hand) of all the existing documents. Its vital to have a full backup in case anything goes wrong with the scanning process you can always restore the manilla folders to their original filled state.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  6. Gotta be careful though. by Faust7 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Outsource the job to India

    "No, no, not my entire job, just this one part. No, I can do the rest. No, really. No! No... please..."

    --
    The coolest voice ever.
  7. Re:Get stuffed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    How can I get overnight use of the secretary's box?

  8. Re:Get stuffed by eliza_effect · · Score: 3, Funny

    professors want to hand me a big (often 100+ page) stack of their handwritten lecture notes (with messy text, equations, and diagrams; sometimes double-sided) and expect me to post a PDF-or-something-similar to their course's web page.

    Spend the money on buying them copies of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.

  9. Re:Xerox Scanner doesn't do OCR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny



    Well I hope someone develops something soon, I've been unable to read my own handwriting since 1995.