OmniPage 18 Helps Process of Digitization
If we observe it from the standpoint of technology, we can see that the business world is currently at an interesting stage of its evolution. To be more precise, we are referring to the process of digitization.
For one, there can be no doubt that certain branches have fully embraced the digital age. However, traditional businesses are at a crossroads of sorts. On the one hand, they need to follow modern trends in order to stay competitive in the market. On the other, the change to digital has countless implications and the transition is often anything but smooth.
Be that as it may, the point is that it creates a unique situation which affects countless users and requires a specific solution. A solution which OmniPage provides.
Documentation Issue
The situation we are referring to has to do with documentation. Paperwork is the lifeblood of any enterprise and it is at a complicated point. Specifically, we are currently juggling between digital files and paper documents. And this can cause problems.
Let’s say you have a large archive of paper files. Because a good portion of work takes place online nowadays, you need these to also be in digital form. Now, if you only need a quick reference, you can scan and email them. But if you need to modify them, you have to recreate all that information. And that means typing.
Depending on your skill with a keyboard, that may or may not be a particularly slow process. But it is always a drain on productivity. By retyping existing documents, you take time away from doing new work and actually moving forward with your projects.
OCR and OmniPage 18
Modern technology may be the cause of the problem, but it is also what provides the solution. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a technology which allows you to convert text you can’t edit, such as the aforementioned scans of paper documents, into data you can readily use however you see fit. And OmniPage 18 is yet another in a long line of outstanding iterations of Kofax’s acclaimed OCR software solutions.
Back to the problem we discussed previously. As we said, one way to digitize physical archives is to retype everything. And we are certain many who have worked in an office setting have had to do this on occasion.
The alternative is to employ an OCR solution like OmniPage. We’ll take a 10-page paper document as a reference point. Rather than typing, you scan it. Depending on a couple of factors, OmniPage can convert that image into an editable text document in as little as a minute. The effect that would have on your operation and efficiency is immense – it can free up the better part of the day for more engaging tasks and transform how you organize activities.
Key Features
There are several important factors which allow OmniPage 18 to function the way it does and represent such a significant boost to your day-to-day operation.
In addition to the previously mentioned speed, versatility is equally important. So far, we have focused on the conversion of scanned paper documents. However, OmniPage can also work with PDFs, other image files, or pictures from a digital camera. Basically, no matter what type of image the text is “trapped in”, this program can set it free. And once you have your data, you can output it to a whole range of formats, including Word, Excel, and many others.
However, this would all be in vain without accuracy. OmniPage offers top-of-the-line precision in its output and this extends beyond just text. It can preserve formatting as well – tables, columns, even graphics. This ensures the converted documents retain not just the essence of the originals but also the appearance. And this is particularly important when you’re dealing with official documents and forms.
The last feature we’ll mention in this context is ease of use. As soon as you launch OmniPage, you will be greeted by a user-friendly start page. You will have straightforward options to access your documents, as well as preprogrammed workflows to automate the conversion and streamline the process even further.
This means that, if you choose to, you can use OmniPage without going into its more advanced options as the program can handle those functions automatically. But even if you do want to go more in-depth, the accessibility ensures the software doesn’t have a steep learning curve. Therefore, you can start with the default settings and slowly familiarize yourself with the ins and outs through normal use.
Additional day-to-day Applications
We already mentioned OmniPage 18 can extract text from photos and this provides an interesting possibility. Namely, a 2-megapixel camera can serve as a replacement for a scanner if you do not have one. Although a scanner is still the better choice for large quantities of documents, this does provide an alternative if you’re in a hurry or are looking to save some money.
The final note is that OmniPage features cloud connectivity, as is customary these days. This gives you even more options and flexibility when it comes to your everyday operation.
Final Words
The outstanding performance of OmniPage 18 is not surprising when we consider its history. OmniPage was among the very first OCR solutions to be available to the general public and it’s been on the market since the late 1980s.
It comes with numerous features and gives you a real edge when it comes to digitizing documents. Once you take all of this into account, it’s safe to say that OmniPage is a quick, accurate, and comprehensive software solution that truly lives up to its legacy.