Don't Clip It, Scan It!
1995; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Volume: 180; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0021-8448
Autores Tópico(s)Open Education and E-Learning
ResumoIf you often clip articles from publications and file them for later reference, read on. There's a simple and inexpensive technology available that can not only make the filing job easier, but the result more useful. technology--electronic scanning--is what's behind the paperless office. In the last few years scanning technology has made major leaps. Not only is it now easier to use, but it's far more accurate-translating text into editable electronic files. You've probably heard that putting the paperless office concept into practice is both expensive and complicated. And for the most part that's true especially for a large business. However, when it's scaled down to the clipping-service level, it becomes much less expensive than it was just a year or two ago and very easy to implement. (See The Paperless Office, JofA, Nov.94, page 73). But why would anyone turn to high technology to perform such a simple task? Consider this: If you clip an article, you must label it and place it in a file cabinet. When you want to retrieve it, you've got to return to the file cabinet and search out the right folder. And if you want to share a copy of the article with a client or colleague, you've got to trek over to the photocopy machine and then send the copy to the targeted person. A lot of steps, a lot of time, a lot of paper. INSTANT RECALL alternative is to attach a scanner to your computer. Whenever you come across an article you want to save, click on the scanner, and with a single motion the article is copied. file is then stored in your computer for instant recall. And if you're connected to a network or the Internet, a few mouse checks can electronically send the file to a colleague down the hall or a client across town. entire operation can be accomplished in less than a minute--without leaving your desk. How it works. scanner takes an electronic picture of the material, which could be text, a drawing or a photo. That image is stored as a picture file on your hard disk. Or, if you wish, the text portion can be converted into word-processor-formatted text using optical character recognition (OCR) software; once formatted like that, the text can be edited. Microsoft's new Windows 95 operating system has a built-in facility to handle scanned or faxed documents-giving a major boost to the paperless office concept. Suggestion. If you plan to store many clippings in your computer, set up a directory and a host of subdirectories that resemble the organization of a filing cabinet with appropriate folders. Such a setup makes finding an article simple. Most good word processors, especially the Windows-based products, have excellent text-search capabilities. In addition, you can speed up the search function by adding a few key words to the top of each document. HARDWARE NEEDS Do you need a roomful of expensive hardware to do the job? Not at all. While there are many fine scanners on the market, two new products--PaperPort and Winfax Scanner--make. scanning easy and convenient. Each one, priced at about $300, is no bigger than a small roll of paper towels and fits neatly in the space between a keyboard and a monitor. While you're at the computer, you can simply slip the clipping into the scanner. There's no need to actually turn on the scanner; slipping the paper into the feeder automatically does it. Each scanner can hold a small stack of paper for automatic feeding. Neither product requires an electronic card installed in the computer, as do most other scanner setups. An alternative to these two products is the hand-held scanner, which is small and generally starts at less than $300. …
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