PaperPort Professional V12.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)How can you rate a program you don't have and apparently have no intention of buying? While their comments reflect my experience with Nuance (Not Much) Support, they were not a review of this software.
Unlike the first two "reviewers" I actually purchased and installed PP12 Pro.
My original title for this post was going to be, "A Giant Step Backwards." In my review of PP11 Pro I summed up by saying I hoped Ver 12 would be better. It isn't.
The first thing you will notice is the new tabbed ribbon interface. Unlike MS and others who have adopted this interface, this one is not too bad. The desktop is nice looking, too. These are about the only things good I have to say about the improvements to the program.
By default, PP saves documents in pdf format, as it has since at least V.9.
First problem: the new PDF Viewer Plus. This is the default viewer when you view a document in PP. Though the "About" screen says copyright 1995-2009 this seems very much like V.1.0 software, as it is very buggy. It, BTW, still uses the old style interface.
Nuance says, "A more extensive annotation set includes notes, text boxes, highlights, straight lines and free-form lines, making it easy to add comments to documents." Well, that's partially true. Most of the annotations were available in previous versions..and they worked.
Most annotations seem to work o.k, such as lines, stamp, sticky notes, etc. The "select text" toolbar button doesn't do anything unless you chose "Select Text" first from the drop-down menu. Then the button will sometimes work. The "Crop" button doesn't work and there is no "crop" choice from the drop-down. There is also a bug that causes the program to close if you chose "text box" from either the drop-down or the button.
O.K. You can change default to "ImageView within PP." Now you have all the features you love in PP...and they work still...mostly. The "Stamp" button says "Prompt for File" when clicked on, but does nothing, and all options on the "Configure" section of the tab remain greyed out.
Nuance claims, "PaperPort Professional 12 delivers a 42% increase in accuracy over the previous version. It even allows you to apply language settings to OCR for improved accuracy in all supported languages." Apparently English is not one of those languages.
The OCR is not improved since 11.2. (I'm not sure why they changed it between 11.0 and 11.2 but that's a whole other rant.) It still does not OCR properly to Excel. Instead of putting Col A in Col A, Col B in Col B, etc, it still insists in putting them all in Col A. Read my review of Ver. 11 Pro for the gory details. It still does not OCR accurately when it is a pdf document.
Over all, IMO, the "improvements" to PaperPort 12 aren't. The pretty new face is nice, but that's not enough of a reason to get the program. PDF Viewer Plus is too buggy to use, especially when there are other more stable programs out there. The OCR engine is still a bust. Save your $99 or $149 (depending on which "Upgrade" option you choose) or your $163.99 and up for the non-upgrade version.
Tho I have a support ticket into Nuance I don't expect much. I availed myself to the 30 day money back guarantee and reverted back to PP11.0, bugs and all.
UPDATE 10/16/09: I (finally) received the following reply to my OCR problem with PP 12:
>>>
Thank you for contacting Nuance Technical Support.

This is regarding the issue that you were encountering with PaperPort.
Sorry for the late reply.
Unfortunately it is a limitation of PaperPort 12 to perform an OCR with no borders or column file when sending it to Excel. We also recreated your issue here on our lab pc and we are also have the same output. But if you do have Omnipage it will help your PaperPort to perform more accurately in OCR-ing your file.


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PaperPort Professional 12 offers a powerful combination of features you just don't get with scanning software or other PC document management solutions. It provides superior scanning, advanced PDF creation, assembly, and search, automatic form filling, network document management and the ability to move or scan files from individual desktops to shared document repositories such as Microsoft SharePoint--all in one easy-to-use application. PaperPort Professional 12 can help you boost productivity, improve customer service and cut costs for bottom-line results.

What makes PaperPort the ultimate document desktop?
Scanning to PDF is so easy--get it done with the press of a button so documents are never lost and can be more easily retrieved
Get the most out of networked MFPs--automatically route scanned documents from MFPs to individual desktops
Fast PDF viewing and editing--create and combine documents into industry-standard PDF files from application files and annotate them with comments and stamps
Find anything and everything--search and view PDF files quickly
Improve business processes--automatically convert forms into fillable PDF forms
Collaborate more efficiently--quickly move or scan files from individual desktops to document management repositories such as Microsoft SharePoint

Time is your most valuable asset. For about the cost of one lost document you can get the fastest, most powerful and easy-to-use PaperPort Professional EVER.

Fast, Perfect Scans Every time Take advantage of PaperPort Professional's superior scanning capabilities and free yourself from the inefficiencies of paper once and for all. You don't have to be a scanning expert, purchase special equipment, or change your familiar scanning practices. PaperPort seamlessly enhances the capabilities of your existing desktop scanner, mobile scanner, or multifunction printer to deliver perfect scans on your desktop with the click of a button. And it's fast--really fast.

Get the results you expect--automatically Tired of poor quality scans? PaperPort Professional uses unlimited Scanner Profiles with Scanner Enhancement Technology (SET) to achieve excellent results on most any kind of document. Newspaper articles, invoices, color photographs--it doesn't matter. PaperPort automatically straightens, crops, rotates, and enhances scanned documents to deliver high quality results every time. And PaperPort's ImageViewer lets you further enhance documents or even photos within a PDF document--without having to toggle between applications--and see the results immediately.
Scan-to-PDF Use your existing local or network scanner to turn paper documents directly into PDF files that can be easily organized and shared electronically. Or route scans from a network multifunction printer to individual desktops. Either way, PaperPort Professional makes it easier than ever to turn paper into PDF files that can be shared online. So you save time and money over traditional printing and mailing.
Scan to your favorite application PaperPort Professional works with any scanning device to quickly turn paper into PDF files. Save time and effort by scanning directly to specific applications like email,Microsoft Word, or Microsoft SharePoint, or even to digital fax using ScanDirect technology. Batch scanning capabilities support scanning several documents at once using an automatic document feeder to further boost your productivity.
Support for scanner buttons With PaperPort Professional, you can still use the scanner button on your All-in-One or other scanning device to scan directly to your computer. The difference is that PaperPort gives you more control over your scans--how they look and where they end up on your desktop. As a result, you always get the results you expect.No surprises. No hassles.
One easy-to-use interface for all your scanners Every scanning device comes with a unique interface or control panel for scanning documents. With all the different choices and options the task of scanning various types of documents can be overwhelming. PaperPort Professional simplifies things with one easy-to-understand scanning interface that will work exactly the same for all devices--whether you're using a desktop scanner, a mobile scanner, or an all-in-one unit. Plus, a new "Scan Now" button lets you scan documents with a single click. There's no need to switch to the scanner settings view.
Get scanning right in one step Different document types require different settings to get the results you expect. Some documents contain color and some are simple black-and-white and almost all your documents can use some enhancement or cleaning up along the way. PaperPort enables you to encapsulate all your settings, including color, format and SET corrections, into Scanner Profiles so you get the correct results with the push of one button.

A Better Way to Organize In all the buzz about enterprise-wide document management, the individual desktop has been largely overlooked. But as companies invest in document management solutions for the enterprise, they need to keep in mind that employees spend most of their time working with documents on their individual PCs rather than a network repository. It's easy to take for granted that Microsoft Windows provides all the features needed for handling documents, but that's just not the case. Only PaperPort Professional closes the gap between what Windows offers and the ability to manage scanned paper and PDF documents quickly, easily and effectively on a digital desktop. At the same time, it provides the perfect on-ramp to enterprise-wide document management systems. You simply won't find another PC document management application that can do all that.
The best thing to happen to your PC since Windows PaperPort is designed to work with Microsoft Windows in the most efficient way possible, leveraging what necessary features are already available for a complete desktop document management environment.PaperPort uses the existing folder structure in Windows while allowing you to customize what folders you want to see at any given time.PaperPort also creates searchable PDF files and provides a plug-in for Windows Desktop Search so these files can be indexed and searched. PaperPort is simply the ultimate document desktop for Windows.
Assemble custom PDF documents by dragging and dropping PaperPort Professional features a unique split desktop design that displays individual page thumbnails alongside document thumbnails. Just drag and drop entire documents within another document or selectively copy and paste individual pages from one PDF document to another. Quickly assemble custom PDF documents by combining scans and photos with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. And once your custom PDF document is assembled, you can simply email it to intended recipients. No need for costly printing, copying, faxing or mailing. It's like stacking, stapling and sending real paper--only a whole lot faster, easier and greener.
Safe and secure--compliance is mandatory Because of PaperPort's superior integration with Windows you can be assured that PaperPort will only allow access to folders on your computer to those who have the proper access rights.And you in-turn can only access those folders for which you have access rights.PaperPort utilizes in-place security developed and implemented through Windows so your IT staff won't have to reinvent the wheel and no additional investment is required. You will be prompted for passwords as necessary as if you were working directly in Windows.You also have complete control to change access to shared folders where you have administrative rights. In addition, PaperPort provides the ability to secure individual PDF files with advanced password control.
Intuitive thumbnail desktop PaperPort Professional provides a visual desktop with large, clear page and document thumbnails to improve the way you work with application files, digital photos, PDF files, scanned and electronic forms, saved Web pages and all your scanned paper documents. Quickly browse, organize and use all your files without having to open them to see what's inside.
Folder management Comprehensive folder management features allow you to organize documents for ease of information access. You can distinguish folders by choosing from 29 colors. Use folder directories to help you locate documents with ease. Attach folder notes and automatically add that information to files as you scan them. Even create multiple folders at once by importing a list of folder names from a text file.
Fast, easy electronic form filling Create neat, shareable and searchable forms that mirror paper originals in minutes. Extensive control over form elements ensures perfect forms every time. With PaperPort's FormTyper feature, you will never have to fill out another form by hand. FormTyper automatically recognizes check boxes and identifies the form fields so you can quickly tab to the next fillable field, type in the information, and print, save or e-mail the completed form. PaperPort's transparent stamps are perfect for adding scanned signatures. It's faster and cheaper then faxing or mailing. And you never have to worry about illegible handwriting!
Locate important folders immediately PaperPort Professional allows you to bookmark your commonly used folders so you can get to your documents right away. A "back" button makes it easy to revisit recently viewed folders eliminating wasted time navigating to information.
Find documents instantly using standard search engines Because PaperPort saves all your scanned documents and electronic files as fully searchable PDF files on your digital desktop, finding what you need is always fast and easy. All you have to do is enter keywords or phrases into WindowsDesktop Searchor Google to quickly locate a specific file on your computer or shared network.
Indexing on your schedule PaperPort Professional's flexible Index Manager allows you take advantage of non-peak processing times by scheduling when and how PaperPort will convert all your image files to searchable documents using the built-in OmniPage Search Indexer.

Easily Gather and Share Documents In today's business environment, you can't work in a vacuum. Email provides a fast and convenient way to review and approve documents within a workgroup, or with people outside your organization. PaperPort Professional 12 works with your current email system to enhance the digital review process by converting Word and other editable documents into more secure PDF files which can be read and annotated, but not edited. No more email bottlenecks, file compatibility issues, or confidentiality risks. At last you can share documents simply and securely, while making it easy for colleagues and customers to provide their feedback.
Scan efficient, small color PDF files for sharing Scanning and sharing color PDF files can be a daunting task. Each page of a typically scanned color PDF file can be over a megabyte in size. If you are scanning several color pages or more, the size can be too large to send that file through email. PaperPort Professional now uses PDF-MRC High Compression Technology to turn a 15MB color file into less that 2MB!
Capture review comments with a rich set of annotations For capturing review comments, PaperPort supports creating and viewing annotations within PDF files, including sticky notes and highlights, as well as straight and free-form lines. Text boxes provide full control over text and box attributes.
Dynamic and transparent stamps PaperPort's dynamic stamps automatically include author, date and time. Transparent stamps are ideal for adding scanned signatures to documents to indicate approval.
PDF security features Advanced security features like passwords and encryption, let you control who can access and/or modify specific documents. This way, you can share documents without risk of confidentiality breaches or unauthorized modifications.
Capture web pages as PDF Capture Web pages as PDF files, providing a full-color duplicate for use offline. This is a great way to store a permanent record of a Web site or speed up Web-based research. It's also ideal for sharing Web pages as PDF attachments instead of sending a link that requires connectivity to the Web. Captured Web pages look exactly like they would if you had sent them to your printer, so it's perfect for saving copies of receipts from web purchases without wasting paper.
Section 508 and Microsoft Windows XP certified PaperPort Professional meets Section 508 standards, established by the US government to make software accessible for people with disabilities. Plus, it's certified for use on the Microsoft Windows XP operating system.
SendTo document workflow You can e-mail, fax or send your documents to repositories on a networked file server with a simple drag-and-drop onto the PaperPort SendTo Bar. The PDF file format combined with the SendTo Bar makes it easy to distribute documents in a form that is viewable and printable on any computer around the world.
Seamless movement of files between PC and ECM systems PaperPort Professional lets you quickly move or scan files between individual desktops to document management repositories such as Microsoft SharePoint.

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