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I've been looking for a good program to store scans of my monthly statements (bank accounts, credit cards, etc.) and right now I scan them to TIFF, then convert to PDF and keep them in an encrypted container. This is a lengthy process with no OCR. OneNote looks perfect for this, my only concern is what format is uses. From my understanding JPEG images are more easily corrupt than RAW formats or even PDF, and I'm hoping to use something that will last 20 years+. What format does OneNote use when you scan images to it, and is it stable enough to use it how I'd like, or am I better off using something like Paperport?
Of course no matter what I use I make backups, but I want a great program to start with!
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Re: OneNote for File storage.
This is a poor idea. Integration with the Windows File System is a significant weakness of OneNote.
I think your security needs are important, and will limit your choices.
Q: is this for just 1 computer ? or Networked ? Q: exactly what security are you looking for ? For whom are you trying to protect the data from ?
PaperPort is great, but to get OCR'd pdfs you'd need Omnipage ... just a quick tip there ... Omnipage 12 is practically free on ebay and would work with PaperPort to get you OCR. PaperPort 11 is not the most reliable program, especially from a networking point of view.
A cheapy PaperPort way would be PaperPort 9 and Ominpage 12. security would be limited in any PaperPort solution ... but how secure do you need this to really be anyway ?
I woudl definitely check out FileCenter http://www.lucion.com/filecenter-overview.html - similar to PaperPort but a better Internal viewer and has OCR included.
Stay away from OneNote for this usage.
I will be starting a new website dealing with these issues but I still have to tweak the site more before I open the doors.
Good Luck.
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Why do you not like OneNote for scan results? The things I do like about it are the fact that I can easily search the results and that I can copy the text out of the scan and the results aren't bad (and usually good).
Just curious... Not contradicting....
-- Kathy Jacobs, Microsoft MVP OneNote and PowerPoint Author of Kathy Jacobs on PowerPoint Get PowerPoint and OneNote information at www.onppt.com
I believe life is meant to be lived. But: if we live without making a difference, it makes no difference that we lived
"EMRhelp.org" <EMRhelp.org[ at ]gmail.com> wrote in message news:1180482474.500319.43980[ at ]k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
[Quoted Text] > Re: OneNote for File storage. > > This is a poor idea. Integration with the Windows File System is a > significant weakness of OneNote. > > I think your security needs are important, and will limit your > choices. > > Q: is this for just 1 computer ? or Networked ? > Q: exactly what security are you looking for ? For whom are you > trying to protect the data from ? > > PaperPort is great, but to get OCR'd pdfs you'd need Omnipage ... just > a quick tip there ... Omnipage 12 is practically free on ebay and > would work with PaperPort to get you OCR. PaperPort 11 is not the > most reliable program, especially from a networking point of view. > > A cheapy PaperPort way would be PaperPort 9 and Ominpage 12. security > would be limited in any PaperPort solution ... but how secure do you > need this to really be anyway ? > > I woudl definitely check out FileCenter > http://www.lucion.com/filecenter-overview.html> - similar to PaperPort but a better Internal viewer and has OCR > included. > > Stay away from OneNote for this usage. > > I will be starting a new website dealing with these issues but I still > have to tweak the site more before I open the doors. > > Good Luck. > > > >
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I agree with Kathy that ON is a great solution for this, but I also agree with Andre that the quality of JPG is not the best (why not use PDZF or even MDI here, Microsoft?)
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On May 29, 7:53 pm, "Kathy Jacobs" <call_ka...[ at ]knot.cox.net> wrote:
[Quoted Text] > Why do you not like OneNote for scan results? The things I do like about it > are the fact that I can easily search the results and that I can copy the > text out of the scan and the results aren't bad (and usually good). > > Just curious... Not contradicting....
Because files should be files. Files scanned into OneNote are now the property of OneNote. Not a flexible long term plan.
Why not OneNote ? Because there are many other better choices.
The strength of the MVPs here is not in suggesting alternative softwares.
------------- FileCenter -------- Bridge the Gap with Outlook FileCenter includes a tight integration with Microsoft Outlook. Do you manage your contacts in Outlook? Use FileCenter to save and organize files by Outlook contact. Go a step further and archive your Outlook e- mail to file. FileCenter knows where to file it, automatically. ------------- FileCenter --------
I didn't know that they have actually improved the Outlook integration. They also use the more robust Google Desktop search.
I haven't tried v5.0 but v4.0 was excellent. Looking forward to seeing the Outlook integration.
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OneNote has its advantages and disadvantages as long-term archival platform. A major disadvantage is that you don't get actual files for the scans, but rather just content in OneNote. That is bad from an archival point of view, because it doesn't allow you to process the same scans later on again, let's say when OCR has gotten better for example. If you want a high-quality long time archival solution that produces content that you can process again later when technology has advanced, then there is really no way around a high resolution (600 DPI or so) scan into uncompressed TIFF. That would be something that people who digitalize books nowadays use. If you are just looking for a solution to store stuff for a long-time and rarely ever look or use any of what you scanned, then OneNote is not such a bad solution. However, from a long-term perspective as well, OneNote isn't a safe archival solution. The main reason is that the OneNote file format is proprietary to Microsoft and hence you have to rely on an actual copy of OneNote to get your data out of it again twenty years down the road. It might be the case that MS has made open the OneNote file format by then (as just happened with the file formats for Excel, PPT and Word), but that is not a guaranteed thing. If you want security from that point of view, then you have to store your data in an open file format, e.g. one of the image file formats. However, most users probably don't think 20 years into the future. I myself use OneNote to store all sorts of things that are important (incl. critical documents) and I just believe that there will be always a path for me to get the data to a newer version of OneNote or out of OneNote later on. Also, the quality isn't that important to me, as long as I can read what is written on the scans. By the way, I keep all the info for my bank accounts and credit cards in Microsoft Money and hardly ever open the paper statements when I get them (if I haven't switched them off entirely). I just download all the info directly into Money.
Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP] -------------- http://pschmid.net *** Outlook 2007 Performance Update: http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/13/105 Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80 *** Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize RibbonCustomizer Add-In: http://ribboncustomizer.com OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote *** Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed
"Andre" <Andre[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:66866B66-EC19-47A6-80FA-3C48FB2841D1[ at ]microsoft.com:
[Quoted Text] > I've been looking for a good program to store scans of my monthly statements > (bank accounts, credit cards, etc.) and right now I scan them to TIFF, then > convert to PDF and keep them in an encrypted container. This is a lengthy > process with no OCR. OneNote looks perfect for this, my only concern is what > format is uses. From my understanding JPEG images are more easily corrupt > than RAW formats or even PDF, and I'm hoping to use something that will last > 20 years+. What format does OneNote use when you scan images to it, and is it > stable enough to use it how I'd like, or am I better off using something like > Paperport? > > Of course no matter what I use I make backups, but I want a great program to > start with!
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On May 30, 11:31 pm, "Patrick Schmid [MVP]" <pdsch...[ at ]nospam.mvps.org> wrote:
[Quoted Text] > OneNote has its advantages and disadvantages as long-term archival > platform. A major disadvantage is that you don't get actual files for > the scans, but rather just content in OneNote.
And therein ends the debate. Locking your files into OneNote is a losing man's game.
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On May 30, 8:46 am, jeremyj <jeremy.jos...[ at ]gmail.com> wrote:
[Quoted Text] > I agree with Kathy that ON is a great solution for this, but I also > agree with Andre that the quality of JPG is not the best (why not use > PDZF or even MDI here, Microsoft?)
Why do you think OneNote works well here ? By what standards ? Especially in light of established problems and better solutions ?
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On Jun 6, 2:35 pm, "EMRhelp.org" <EMRhelp....[ at ]gmail.com> wrote:
[Quoted Text] > On May 30, 8:46 am, jeremyj <jeremy.jos...[ at ]gmail.com> wrote: > > > I agree with Kathy that ON is a great solution for this, but I also > > agree with Andre that the quality of JPG is not the best (why not use > > PDZF or even MDI here, Microsoft?) > > Why do you think OneNote works well here ? > By what standards ? Especially in light of established problems and > better solutions ?
By MY standards of having one place to put everything that is very easily searchable and findable. In light of whatever problems or better solutions, the fact remains that ON works for the usage described.
If YOU have different standards then so be it. Not all of us need to run an EMR at home with enterprise standards. So lets focus on Home Standards here, and this is where ON excels. I do wish that image format was an option (to get rid of lossy JPG).
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[Quoted Text] > By MY standards of having one place to put everything that is very > easily searchable and findable. In light of whatever problems or > better solutions, the fact remains that ON works for the usage > described.
By any standard, OneNote fails here.
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On Jun 14, 8:51 pm, "EMRhelp.org" <EMRhelp....[ at ]gmail.com> wrote:
[Quoted Text] > > By MY standards of having one place to put everything that is very > > easily searchable and findable. In light of whatever problems or > > better solutions, the fact remains that ON works for the usage > > described. > > By any standard, OneNote fails here.
The MAJOR problem with embedding files in OneNote is that they are then embedded in a .one file. Now the Excel file is not a file ... it is property of OneNote. Why is that a good idea ?
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Excel is still excel file. You can open and change it. You can open the original and change it, and you can save the embedded copy somewhere else. I don't see an issue here. That is like saying a zip file is no good because the zip owns the file or using Team System is no good because the DB owns the file. That is the point of these apps after all - to manage the files in some orderly way and make it easy. You can still get the files out if you need them. You also have access to the API to automate any solution you want, and I assume explorer filters will be created if not already.
It is a good idea because it is easy to use and is one of the few apps I use that actually makes my life easier and more productive. I don't think I have ever said that before in public about an app. If you have special needs, use something else.
-- William Stacey [C# MVP]
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On Jun 15, 12:23 am, "William Stacey [C# MVP]" <william.sta...[ at ]gmail.com> wrote:
[Quoted Text] > Excel is still excel file.
Not really. While embedded in the .one file, the file is not available for external access by other programs such as desktop search programs or windows explorer.
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"EMRhelp.org" <EMRhelp.org[ at ]gmail.com> wrote in message news:1182092391.463361.67530[ at ]g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com... | On Jun 15, 12:23 am, "William Stacey [C# MVP]" | <william.sta...[ at ]gmail.com> wrote: | > Excel is still excel file. | | Not really. | While embedded in the .one file, the file is not available for | external access by other programs such as desktop search programs or | windows explorer.
Desktop search works. It will find the .one file matching the search and you can open it. Then work with the attachment as needed or save it out as a file. I don't see the issue here. -- wjs
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[Quoted Text] > Desktop search works. It will find the .one file matching the search and > you can open it. Then work with the attachment as needed or save it out as > a file. I don't see the issue here. wjs
I do. I want programs to work with my files, not take them over. It is not acceptable to have to open a .one file to get at *MY* .xls file.
The question here is ... Is OneNote a good method of storing scanned documents. I feel the answer is a) OK for very small numbers of files, b) poor for more than a small number of files.
Complementing the Windows File system, not taking it over, should be OneNote's method of interacting with my files.
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For the Original poster, I believe I provided two scenarios, that are vastly superior to OneNote for his needs.
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| I do. | I want programs to work with my files, not take them over.
It is not taking them over, it is making a copy. You still have the original.
| It is not acceptable to have to open a .one file to get at *MY* .xls | file.
For you. You have a specific need or issue with it, that is fine. Many others, such as myself, see this a *feature. They could have (and still can) taken the approach where only the file "link" is maintained - that is an easy solution. As with other solutions (such as doing same with a DB) this can have problems as well. The DB and source files can get mismatched and unlinked. People and applications delete and move files - on purpose and by accident. You have to think about where to put files, who links to this file, etc, etc. It becomes a maintaince and time headache. There is also the problem of the file being unavailable when you need it because it lives on a network drive, etc.
So it becomes a tradeoff. They opted to make it simple as possible and have your data local and mobil. I can still search and have access to the files if needed. I also like the ability to take a "snapshot" of my xls for example. I may want that Note to remain in Context of what I was doing or saying to someone at *that instant and still have the ability to continue on and change the original file and maybe make more snapshots over time (i.e. an ongoing project). Also, as I said before, they can add an Explorer filter so that you could see those files inside the .one files (there may be one now or in the works). That may help a certain use-case, but your back to the original potential issue of deleting/changing files out from under OneNote and keeping sync.
-- William Stacey [C# MVP]
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I have a quick follow-up question to this topic (or maybe a particular use-case scenario is a better way to phrase it). I have several hand written notes that I take throughout the day. I want to scan them into OneNote for two main reasons: 1. Get them into digital format, where they will be searchable and more useful to me. 2. Centralize my "reference section"; I'd like to have all my notes in one place.
I've already decided to use OneNote, as it contains just about every other part of my reference section, and I like its OCR's track record of recognizing my handwriting. My question is what's the shortest path to getting stuff scanned into OneNote? It seems like far too many steps using OmniPage to create a new file from the scanned page, and then importing the documents into OneNote (maybe printing the scanned doc w/o saving it first would work...hmm).
Can anyone share what they've found to work in this situation. I did just recently purchase NeatReceipts for scanning/storing my receipts, with a glimmer of hope in the back of my mind that I could also use it for importing into OneNote.
Thanks in advance, Bob O'Malley
P.S. Sorry if this appears to be a post hijack. I tried to keep my question related to the OP's original thought...
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omalley73 wrote:
[Quoted Text] > I've already decided to use OneNote, as it contains just about every > other part of my reference section, and I like its OCR's track record > of recognizing my handwriting. My question is what's the shortest > path to getting stuff scanned into OneNote?
How about Insert -> Pictures -> From Scanner or Camera -> Custom Insert. That allows you to scan directly into OneNote, using your scanners own scanning application.
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That is how I do it as well. Naturally, you can also print to the OneNote printer so you can scan in any other application (i.e. Office Document Scanning) as well and just print to OneNote.
-- William Stacey [C# MVP]
"Tilman Sporkert" <msnews[ at ]sporkert.com> wrote in message news:O2UKQrosHHA.1168[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... | omalley73 wrote: | | > I've already decided to use OneNote, as it contains just about every | > other part of my reference section, and I like its OCR's track record | > of recognizing my handwriting. My question is what's the shortest | > path to getting stuff scanned into OneNote? | | How about Insert -> Pictures -> From Scanner or Camera -> Custom Insert. | That allows you to scan directly into OneNote, using your scanners own | scanning application.
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On Jun 19, 3:31 am, omalley73 <omalle...[ at ]gmail.com> wrote:
[Quoted Text] > I have a quick follow-up question to this topic (or maybe a particular > use-case scenario is a better way to phrase it). I have several hand > written notes that I take throughout the day. I want to scan them > into OneNote for two main reasons: > 1. Get them into digital format, where they will be searchable and > more useful to me. > 2. Centralize my "reference section"; I'd like to have all my notes in > one place. > > I've already decided to use OneNote, as it contains just about every > other part of my reference section, and I like its OCR's track record > of recognizing my handwriting. My question is what's the shortest > path to getting stuff scanned into OneNote? It seems like far too > many steps using OmniPage to create a new file from the scanned page, > and then importing the documents into OneNote (maybe printing the > scanned doc w/o saving it first would work...hmm). > > Can anyone share what they've found to work in this situation. I did > just recently purchase NeatReceipts for scanning/storing my receipts, > with a glimmer of hope in the back of my mind that I could also use it > for importing into OneNote. > > Thanks in advance, > Bob O'Malley > > P.S. Sorry if this appears to be a post hijack. I tried to keep my > question related to the OP's original thought...
I have two suggestions. One is already mentioned: use the insert from scanner tool right in ON. To make it easier, there's even a keyboard shortcut to make it a one-step process.
The second suggestion (what I use now because I don't like the native scanner engine in ON- different topic) is to use MS Office Tools --> Image Scanner. Scan to TIFF in high quality and save to desktop folder for me to then drag into the appropriate ON page en batch. I have the entire process stored in a shortcut on my desktop that activates a scanner profile I've setup with all the details including quality and location to save. Thus, I click a shortcut on my desktop and within 10 seconds the doc is scanned right to this folder.
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