Wednesday, August 27, 1997

Software can archive your life -- and lots more

By CRAIG CROSSMAN / Knight-Ridder Newspapers

Q. I have heard there is a way to archive all of our letters, contracts and other documents in a computer. Checking around, I found two such systems that sell for $10,000 and $25,000. Is there some other way to use our existing computers and scanners to achieve something similar at less cost?

A. One software title will do what you request and a lot more. Check out PaperMaster Live from DocuMagix.

This program converts your PC into a complete document archival system but the word "Live" in its title means it does more. Most archival systems simply scan in an image of any document and let you title it for later retrieval. PaperMaster Live uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

When a document that contains print is initially scanned, the result is an image that looks just like the document, only it is a type of picture or graphic representation. The image looks like alphabetical letters and numbers but it's really just a snapshot. OCR uses techniques that identify each character image and then convert it into real text that can be used by other programs that handle text, such as a word processor.

Once converted, PaperMaster Live lets you place these documents into a virtual filing cabinet on your hard drive that contains folders just as you would organize a real file cabinet in your office. It doesn't tell you how to organize your file cabinet -- it lets you do it your way. If you need a file, click on the search button and describe what you want in plain English. For example, just type in "Find all letters to Bob Johnson in August." You can cut and paste the contents into any other program for further handling.

Another nice touch is that you can post "Sticky Notes" on any document for added thoughts and then send the document and notes via fax or e-mail.

For Internet users, PaperMaster Live lets you capture and archive an entire Web page. Just click on the PMLive icon that appears within your Explorer or Navigator browser. The contents of the entire Web page including any graphics and its hyperlinks to other Web pages are preserved.

PaperMaster Live's OCR abilities lets you first scan in a form, identifies what areas are the fill-in fields and automatically converts it into an electronic form. Each form that is filled out can be filed away in a filing cabinet for further record keeping.

Other ideal applications for PaperMaster Live are schools that need to store years of student records, even libraries that need store valuable reference works. In this case, you can make the records read-only, which prevents any type of modification when viewing. Such collections can also be transferred to CD-ROM. PaperMaster Live's search and retrieval system lets you find anything fast.

PaperMaster Live works in Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 and sells for $99.
DocuMagix Inc. www.documagix.com (408) 434-1138

(Craig Crossman is the host of radio show, "Computer America," http://www.computeramerica.com/ heard nationwide.