Cannot Scan Multiple Pages

The Lexmark 5150 (twin to your Dell printer) User Guide gives instructions to "Scan multiple pages or images". I would agree that the OCR option is the most important output destination. The instructions simply say to choose your output destination. There is no indication in the Lexmark User Guide that OCR is not an option.

Mary

What is the latest on this issue, please? 

I have Windows XP Pro, Word XP and an A940 printer (that I purchased separarte from my computer).  I have installed all the scan software from the CD. 

To date I have not been able to scan multiple pages to Word, notwithstanding following all directions that should (according to the manual and HELP) result in being able to do so.  So - Yes or No, please?  Should I be able to scan multiple pages before all such pages process in Word? If Yes how do I do that, please? 

Thank you.  Joe

Hi Joe,

I have a Lexmark 5150 which is the identical twin of your Dell printer. (The Dell is in fact made by Lexmark with a Dell logo.) My "latest" is that I tired of writing to LexmarkTech support because they just keep trying to fix the unfixable. I did write to Lexmark corporation in hopes of getting the problem forwarded to someone in Development. The problem is a software one and needs to be addressed and remedied by their software people. To date I haven't had a reply. So much for their vision statement re attentiveness to customers.

I have tried scanning multiple pages to Fax and that works like a charm. This leads me to believe that the problem is not with ABBYY Fine Reader software but in the instructions to send it to Word.

Until they settle down and test their own software this problem will not be resolved.

The only workaround that I know is to scan each page separately to OCR and then go the end of the first file and choose Insert/File and bring in each of the pages.

Write letters to Lexmark. The more pressure they get, the more likely they are to solve the problem.

Mary

Mary,

I believe the problem is with the ABBYY FineReader OCR software.  The Sprint version supplied with the All-In-One Center doesn't support multiple page scans.  You can, of course, upgrade to the better version that will for a nominal cost.

Another option is to use a freeware OCR program named SimpleOCR.  You have to use it outside of the All-In-One Center, but it supports multiple pages.  Also, it doesn't do as good of a job keeping the page formatting.

Cliff

Hi Cliff,

Am still here.  Have dialogued with ABBYY and I think you are right. They have an upgrade for $9.95 that should solve the problem. I am going to send for it and will let you know if it does the trick.  ABBYY has been exceedingly helpful which is far more than I can say for the Multi-function Device sellers.

Mary

Hi Cliff,

Problem solved! I ordered the CD of the ABBYY FineReader 5.0 - build 5.0.0.463 and I can now scan multipage documents to OCR with no difficulty - . I will write to Dell and Lexmark about this problem as their support staffs should alert consumers like us to the problem and its solution instead of sending us on wild goose chases. The shipping and handling was $9.95 but well worth it to have the solution. I hope this post is of use to those with the same problem.

Mary

Mary,

Thanks for the information.  I'll certainly consider getting ABBYY FineReader 5.0.

Thanks again,

Cliff

Mary,

I just received build 463 and still can't get it to scan multiple pages.  Is there a secret to getting this to work?

Thanks,

Cliff

Cliff,

Did you begin by uninstalling the previous version of the ABBYY Sprint Fine Reader 5.0? They told me I needed to do this.

(One thing I have found is that you can’t scan the multiple pages by starting the process in the ABBYY Sprint Fine Reader 5.0 software. It doesn’t work at all – even worse than before. You have to approach it by following the printer/scanner instructions – like the ones I put below.)

I’m not sure what the User’s Guide book for the Dell product is. I would have imagined it would be identical to the one for the Lexmark 5150, however one never knows. I’m going to put in below the steps outlined in my User’s Guide, which are the steps I follow. (I’m just scanning them in as is and adding in a few observations or cues.)

Scan multiple pages or images
1. Open the top cover.
2. Put the first image that you want to scan face down on the scanner glass. Make sure the upper left corner of the front of the item aligns with the arrow at the bottom right of the scanner.
3. Close the top cover.
4. From your desktop, double-click the Lexmark X5100 Series All-ln-One Center icon.
The All-ln-One Main Page appears.
5. Select your scan destination from the drop-down box. – I chose Microsoft Word
6. In the Scan... area, click See More Scan Settings, and then click Display Advanced Scan Settings.
7. On the Scan tab, select Scan multiple items before output.
Under options I checked both “Convert scanned item to text.” and “Scan multiple items before output.”
8. Click OK.
The All-ln-One Main Page appears. The All In One Main Page now shows “What is being scanned” as “Advanced Settings”.
9. Click Scan Now.

Note: You are prompted to put the next item on the scanner glass after the first one scans.


When the processing is complete the document doesn’t open up in Word, the way it did before; rather on my computer it appears flashing orange on the task bar with the date and time of its creation as the title. I click on it and the multi-page document is there as an .rtf document which is already saved under this title.

If this doesn’t solve the problem, get back to ABBYY as I found they were really good in working with me rather than telling me I was wrong. Please let me know if this helps.
Mary

Thank you for your continuing updates on this issue. After reading your posts, I also purchased Build 5.0.0.463 from ABBYY (the download version). A fellow named Salong at ABBYY has been very helpful, but, I still cannot scan multiple pages and OCR (into Word XP). Any suggestions please? Dell has been totally UNhelpful However, I did find this Dell article (below) - which seems to say the A940 cannot do what these posts say it can do. I appreciate any help. From reading mary's last post, perhaps the Lexmark IS a different animal than the Dell. 

Thank You. Joe.

 

http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=1076940

 

Why Am I Not Able to Scan Multiple Page Documents Using the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Software with My Dell A940 All-In-One?

Overview

The OCR software with the Dell A940 All in One Printer/Scanner/Fax does not allow you to scan multiple page documents into an application on your system.

Details

Using the OCR software you cannot scan more than one page at a time into a desired application on your computer, such as Microsoft Word. If you attempt to scan in multiple page documents, the entire document will be previewed in the OCR application. However, only the first page of the document will be scanned into the desired application. Scanning in multiple page documents using the OCR software is not a supported task on the Dell A940 All in One.

The Dell All-in-One program must be slightly different than the Lexmark version.  I couldn't get it to scan multiple pages like Mary did.  I did find a way to do it though.  I added the 463 build of FineReader 5.0 Sprint to the list of scanning application list in the All-in-One center.  I select FineReader Sprint to send the scanned image to.  I then select “Scan multiple items before output.”, but not “Convert scanned item to text.” since it is the OCR program.  When the scan button is clicked it will ask if you want to scan another page.  After each scan it will ask again until you indicate no.  All of the pages will be sent to FineReader.  You will have to convert (OCR) the pages in FineReader and send them to Microsoft Word.  A few extra steps, but at least it works!

Cliff

The fix described in Cliff's latest post DOES indeed work.  I would just add a couple of explanatory points.  When Cliff uses the word "convert" that means the "2 Read" button in Finereader.  Finally, even after FineReader "reads" it, it appears (in Finereader) that only the last page is there.  However, all pages, not just the last, appear when it is sent to Word. 

Thank you Cliff and to all who helped solve this problem. 

Joe in Omaha

Hi Cliff,

I am having the same problem, I see that you have kind of solved yours but I am still a little confused.  When I went into help in the All-in-One main page it gave me these directions:

1.Open the Dell All-in-One center
2.From the creative tasks menu on the All-in-one main page or view saved images, click edit text found in a scanned document.
3.If you are scanning a new item, place the item face down...click preview now to preview the image.  If you are not scanning a new item, open a saved image.
4.From the drop-down menue under Step 2. Select your text editor:, select a word processing program.
5.Indicate under Step3. Is there more than one page? Mine did not ask me that question. whether there is one page or more than one page.
6.Click Send Now to send you image to the text editor. 

I just don't understand why my help guide would give me instructions for something that the system obviously does not do, as you and others have discovered.  I only still question this because I am the one who ordered these (and complete workstations from dell) and I know that everyone is going to wonder why what I ordered doesn't work like it should.  Did you get the same mis guided instructions?

I've foud a few things that the documentation says should work but don't.  The A940 is a modified Lexmark printer.  I think the documentation missed some of the differences.  The version of Abbyy FineReader Sprint 5.0 provided with the printer is not multi-page capable.  So even if you select "Scan multiple items before output" on the advanced scanning options page, the All-in-One Center will not ask you if you want to scan another page.

There is a newer build of FineReader Sprint 5.0 that is multi-page capable, but even with this version the Dell All-in-One Center doesn't work as documented.  The steps to get it to work are listed in previous posts to this thread.  Strangely though, the newer build works like it should in the Lexmark version of the All-in-One Center (as reported by Mary.) 

Overall, even with the sometimes incorrect documentation, I am satisfied with the quality of my A940 printer and have had no mechanical problems with it.

Cliff

Thanks to everybody for the info.  Added note, Abbyy will provide you with a link to allow you to download the new FineReader build for free.  The $9.95 charge is only if you want the build sent to you on CD. 

 

the download is 130mb.

Message Edited by jmancuso on 11-07-2003 11:56 AM