What is the best way to edit a scanned document ?

Question

I tried using microsoft word but I couldn't edit, I tried using paint but the whole document doesn't get scanned. I would like to know what am I doing wrong. I have to scan and edit several papers that are due tomorrow so I would appreciate it if anybody can give some suggestions. I would also appreciate it if you would be specific

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

You need a new program, I think. Use this program: http://www.abbyy.com/

It's a character recognition software program. If you want to edit it as a text document, you'll have to reformat it into one.

If you don't like the look of ABBYY, check out this link for other character recognition software downloads, some free: http://www.bumpersoft.com/Graphics_and_D…
http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html…

Here's the explination of what this software is and does (from Wikipedia): Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is computer software designed to translate images of handwritten or typewritten text (usually captured by a scanner) into machine-editable text. An OCR system enables you to take a book or a magazine article, feed it directly into an electronic computer file, and then edit the file using a word processor.

Answer 2

Your scanner software? The GIMP? I don't know since I don't have a scanner.

Answer 3

when you get your document scanned, open it in photoshop (if you have it), if not, theres likely a free version floating somewhere out there, check limewire. then open document in photoshop and erase, crop, w/e look in help if you are confused.

Answer 4

This might help:

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesA…

Answer 5

Try saving the document as a JPG image file, and then if you have any sort of photo editing software.

Answer 6

Zero Cool is right.. if you want to edit the scanned document.. you can't just edit a scanned object like that.. be creative..it also depends on what you want to edit.. is it a picture or text..

good luck

Answer 7

Use Microsoft Works

Answer 8

I agree with zero_cool, you need to find some sort of program to convert it, here's another alternatives, but you have to pay for it. This is the best software (I have ever heard) for doing this task:
http://www.nuance.com/omnipage/professio…

p/s:you can get the idea by looking at "the 3 easy steps" in the lower right side of the website given above

Answer 9

I have a lexmark printer, scanner, and copier. What I do after I finish scanning it, I send it to Microsoft word and edit it that way. I don't know why it doesn't work for you. i've edin things where i've had to take a name off, or change something. Hope this works. You could talk to a specialist if you can't fix it. Good luck.

Answer 10

When you scan a document your scanner should ask you where you wont to scan to, at that point check Microsoft Ward. The document will go to Microsoft ward, it will open Microsoft word and you are ready to editing it!

I have Microsoft Word that came with my Microsoft Office 2003. I am not sure if any older version of Ward would work but you have nothing to lose by trying!
Good luck

Answer 11

When you scan a document, the document is scanned as an image. Your scanner works similar to a Xerox photocopy machine or a digital camera, where the object to be captured is digitized using a CCD (Charge Coupler Device).

So if you need to make changes to your document, you need to treat it as an image and use image editing tools to make modifications to it. It doesn't make sense using Microsoft Word or Notepad to make changes.

Fortunately, there are special software that identifies characters or text out of the image, and this is possible using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology. An OCR software is generally bundled along with your scanner software, so you might want to check your manual. If there isn't try some of the shareware OCR software from the Internet.

Most OCR softwares do a good job at identifying the text, but may falter on instances. So its good practice to spell check for errors.

Hope that helps!

Answer 12

Both of my printers/scanners have automatically installed editing software on my computer. Now I have a buttload of programs that can edit scanned things.

Answer 13

It would depend on the documents she had scanned. She should identify first of what documents are involve in creating the documents and open them on the appropriate tool, like words, excel... and others.
Mostly, people would open and edit documents by the Microsoft words. But it would help a lot if it would be opened in the format that it was created.

Source(s):

experience.

Answer 14

Word wouldn't do it and Paint is too...pixely, you could say. Try Photoshop. It has the ability to make the text blury-ish like you scanned it instead of pixel-y, like in Paint. And you can use the clone stamp tool and paint tools to make the background the same colour.

Answer 15

Search for "ReadIris Pro" software and it will covert your file into microsoft Word Document directly. You can convert directly from scanner to Doc File.

Its free to use for first 30 days and best software for this case.

Source(s):

http://www.irislink.com/

Answer 16

you need the full version of adobe (not just reader)

Answer 17

Photoshop...of u dont hav 1, use 'paint'.

Answer 18

as long as it is a text , you can as a RTF(rich text format), if it is an image, then try to save as a jpeg then edit it from there

Answer 19

First scan your whole documents then create a folder on your desktop of the computer put the whole scanned documents in to that folder, open the documents with Acdsee software and convert in to JPG file all of them, then open the Photo shop software then open a document in that software there is tool box left side of the window in that box an tool called clone stamp tool click in that tool and use alt+mouse right button and drag in to a blank surface of the document then release the keys then put the curser top of the letter which you want to edit and click your mouse button frequently then you can see that letter become disappear from there and add the letter what you want to put there. But in my opinion it takes lots of time but this is the only way i know one more thing i heard about one scanner which have an option to edit the letters while scanning the document and it is very easy to do it in that.....I am sorry no other way to help you......sorry....be cool and relax .......

Answer 20

microsoft word doesn't take that

Answer 21

some scanning machines, which are found within the new printers coming in the market, allow you to scan documents to your computer, and then edit the document via your computer. these printers have an option button to scan your documents for editing...im not sure what printer you have at home.

Answer 22

Good advice all around. Most of it pretaining to scanners that came with software and the software is set up to automatically convert.

If you scan images with scanning software that does not come with OCR and then want to use a 3rd party OCR program. You scan as a grayscale image, 300 dpi save it as a .tiff. Then you open the OCR program to open the image that will convert it to a text document. Plain text is best. Trying to preserve the formatting with the OCR software just doubles, if not triples your work.

You will need to double-proofread. OCR with spellcheck puts in wrong words that look kind of like the scanned word.

But, all-in-all, I found OCR cuts off 2/3 of the time it would take me to retype a page. I was a professional typesetter for 20 years. (Ever heard of a typesetter?)

Answer 23

scan the document and save is either as a word document or open the saved scanned document with word

Answer 24

Photoshop is good!

I think in Paint if you make sure the canvas size is big enough then you should see the whole document. But I don't think Paint is the best software for that.

Answer 25

good question.

Answer 26

You'll need Adobe Acrobat Professional to make edits on documents.

Answer 27

get a software program called Omni Page

Answer 28

when you scan the document, it likely scans to Adobe. The only way to edit a scanned document is if you have the total adobe package installed, not just the basic reader

Source(s):

Worked at Oce/Imagistics for 3 years

Answer 29

The fastest way to do this is to re-type the papers. You cannot edit a scan. I am a graphic designer, and I am telling you this is impossible unless you have extensive knowledge of expensive graphics programs. Basically it is too complex to explain in a paragraph but I'll give a shot...
Open Adobe Photoshop and scan in the pic at 600 dpi black & white, save as a tiff. Open a new document in Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress. Import the tiff into a picture box. You can either make a white box and type over it, or erase the text you don't want in Photoshop beforehand. I will be hard to match the font and size, and the new text will look sharper than the original text, but then you could always scan in the document at 1200 dpi, which could take a half hour for each page and creates a huge file that is hard to deal with unless you have a really good computer, but by then you could have re-typed the page.

Oh yeah, Omni Page...

Answer 30

try to copy and paste it in Word then edit it

Answer 31

try scanning it into your computer and then emailing it to yourself as an attachment.

when asked to open it, select which application you want.

good luck!

Source(s):

experience