3 replies to this topic

[todd1611]

I have been scanning into EN with OCR/searchable PDF for a while. I like the idea of a searchable PDF, but there are some drawbacks that I am seeing. For example, 1) it takes longer to scan using OCR, 2) search results are numerous, and 3) you can't rotate (and save) a PDF (at least that I know of). So my question is: Do you use OCR/searchable PDF when you scan? Thank you for your answers and opinions.

[GrumpyMonkey]

I always do OCR. I use Adobe Acrobat Pro, which automatically rotates pages.

Lots of search results are good! You may want to review the advanced search grammar for ways to do searches with more precision. https://support.ever...?questionID=535

[gazumped]

Likewise also always OCR via ScanSnap S1500 and Acrobat. The scanner recognises and corrects page orientation and anything it misses gets picked up by Acrobat. Headings and Tags are important IMO for "sore thumb" searches (as in, what you want sticks out like a..) and I also move some PDFs to separate notebooks (like press cuttings / archived reports) so I can focus searches more specifically when necessary. The search syntax is pretty easy however and once you get used to it can produce some pinpoint hits.

You will (probably) never finish cataloguing your data though - I add and change titles and tags with every search, so as to more definitely include or exclude notes in future, and sometimes create a new notebook so I can move found notes there, "weed" them down to as specific topic, then retag the short list and move everything back to the default notebook.

[GrumpyMonkey]

You will (probably) never finish cataloguing your data though - I add and change titles and tags with every search, so as to more definitely include or exclude notes in future, and sometimes create a new notebook so I can move found notes there, "weed" them down to as specific topic, then retag the short list and move everything back to the default notebook.

An important point. I always name things consistently and don't use any notebooks or tags, so I have less "organizational" imperatives than most people. But, even for me, there is always more "weeding" to be done. I create index notes that group note links together for related content, I put in random codes to organize related content, and I am always adding little details here and there like bibliographical information to sources. Personally, I am fine with this, because the process encourages me to revisit material and think about it in new ways (relationships with other notes).

The OCR'd files are so central to my notes, I don't know what I would do without them. I am constantly linking PDFs up with journal entries and writing. The PDF content stays the same, but the questions I ask every day are different, so I never know when something will be relevant in a new context. Without OCR, I'd miss a lot of connections.