seeking advice on scanner/document imaging purchase

[Richard Yanowitz <ryanowit -at- NYCT -dot- NET>]

I?m sending this request for advice to a few different lists to which I
subscribe.

I am planning to buy document management materials for my computer (Win 95,
Microsoft Office), which I take to be Document Imaging software and a scanner.

I have at least 3 kinds of document organizing I want to do:

1.  Tech writing projects, for which I typically generate dozens of Word
files, many of which are different versions of the same file, for multiple
clients.

2.  Academic research for which I want to (a) be able to scan selected text
(books and articles) and have OCR software that allows use of the scanned
text in Word files for citation and (b) organize very divergent research
material?I often am not sure exactly how I?m going to use it or where?for
easy search and retrieval.

3.  A wide variety of documents for my union, including minutes, reports,
e-mail, by-laws, spreadsheets, scanned documents, which we should then be
able to find and retrieve as needed.  The overall goal here is to maintain
a kind of institutional memory on which people will be able to draw as
leadership and membership changes.  

While I have no immediate need to scan color images, I expect I?ll want
that down the road, so I?m assuming I?ll buy a color scanner.

PC Magazine recently recommended PaperPort Deluxe 5.1 for document imaging
(also gave generally favorable comments to Pagis Pro 97) and has reviews on
scanners that I?m still working my way through.  From what I?ve read, I?m
inclined toward 30bit/600dpi in a scanner.

If your response doesn?t seem of interest to other list members, please
write to me off-line.

I?m looking especially for feedback about people?s satisfaction or
dissatisfaction with specific technology in this area, for suggestions of
what products will work best together and fulfill as many of my desired
functions as possible, and for any further perspectives (e.g., other
product lines besides document imaging and scanners) that I haven?t
considered.  I?m hoping to spend under $500 on the scanner but am waiting
to understand my options.

Has anyone used the Logitech PageScan Color Parallel scanner which they
recommend?  Is it easy to use for scanning book pages?

Thanks for any help.




_________________________________________________________
Richard Yanowitz, NYC
mailto:ryanowitz -at- bigfoot -dot- com

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