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Go World Digital OCR?

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:40 pm
by LokBuddha
Is there any software that can OCR the pdf file so that the text and the diagram look nicer and crisp when printing? I'm planning to print a collection to keep studying but some of the scanned issues' text are very messy.

Re: Go World Digital OCR?

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 10:28 pm
by Tryphon
I'm not sure I understand the question :

- there's no need to OCR a pdf file (just select the text and copy/paste to an editor), unless this pdf is in fact a scan (a bitmap - jpeg most of the time - image, embedded in the pdf).

- in this last case, any OCR will fit (Omnipage or Finereader for example, I tried some free OCR, but with very average results). There'll be still some work on the result (words bad recognized, page settings, diagrams)

Re: Go World Digital OCR?

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 4:26 am
by kirkmc
Any specific examples? All the ones I've looked at are fine.

Re: Go World Digital OCR?

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 7:23 am
by LokBuddha
All the files are readable but i remember there was a particular file that the text is very messy looking, but I can't remember the exact number file. I did print some issues, and the result was not bad, it is just that it would be nice to print a crisp looking text and diagram. After all, it is a lot of printing, and because I can't seem to read on the computer for hours straight.

Re: Go World Digital OCR?

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 1:22 am
by kirkmc
All the files I've looked at are fine. The text is text, not scanned text (ie, it can be selected). So the text should print perfectly no matter what.

I agree about reading on a computer. I once looked into the cost of getting them all printed from a print shop; I bought an iPad instead, it turned out to be about the same price.

Re: Go World Digital OCR?

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:21 pm
by LokBuddha
hmm... My cost estimate of printing all of them out is about $150 for ink + paper (front and back) since I have a duplex laser printer. Getting a comb binding machine for binding all of them nicely is another 60 bucks total of supply. And Go world collection is 100. so it all comes down to about 3 dollars per issue!!! I gain a comb binding machine in this process :tmbup:

since we are on the topic, will there be another digital Go world collection? I would love to ahem, expand my Go library.

Re: Go World Digital OCR?

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:19 pm
by Bartleby
I printed the digital version out and put them in binders. I printed only on one side of the page because it looked better on the average-quality printer paper I was using at the time. It filled up 14 3.5 inch binders, and takes up about one and half shelves on a bookcase.

The print quality was pretty good and the pages seem very clear to me. I used the "print to fill the page feature" and the text is somewhat larger and easier to read on my printed-out copies than on the origional magazines that I own.

I have to admit, though, after I spent half a day printing them out, holepunching them, and putting them into binders I haven't spent a lot of time with them. When I want to read a random magazine article, I am much more likely to pull out an old Go Review instead. So to a large extent - for me, anyway - it was a wasted effort.

Re: Go World Digital OCR?

Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:48 am
by kirkmc
Bartleby wrote:I printed the digital version out and put them in binders. I printed only on one side of the page because it looked better on the average-quality printer paper I was using at the time. It filled up 14 3.5 inch binders, and takes up about one and half shelves on a bookcase.

The print quality was pretty good and the pages seem very clear to me. I used the "print to fill the page feature" and the text is somewhat larger and easier to read on my printed-out copies than on the origional magazines that I own.

I have to admit, though, after I spent half a day printing them out, holepunching them, and putting them into binders I haven't spent a lot of time with them. When I want to read a random magazine article, I am much more likely to pull out an old Go Review instead. So to a large extent - for me, anyway - it was a wasted effort.


That, too, made me hesitate.

I didn't want to spend the time, so I went to a print shop and priced the job. I could have printed at home, but I'm too busy.

Anyway, I'm glad I didn't; the iPad has since been released, and it's easy to read them on that. Not that I've read a lot of them yet... I do read the new ones, though, as they come out, and play through the games.