PaperPort scans

[Frank Zwolinski]

Hello All,

In the past I used Visioneer PaperPort to scan my documents (and photos) however now mac is not supported by Visioneer and they have no suggestions for me in order to open those documents. I have close to 1000 and would rather not scan them again. Apparently now, the newer mac systems will not open anything done under the Classic environment. In fact Visioneer's tech support is pretty deplorable; their only suggestion was, "Google it!" has anyone had an experience with a PaperPort scanner. So, if anyone has an idea, I would appreciate the feedback.

Thanks,
Frank

[ttl]

Re: PaperPort scans

Have you tried opening them in Preview?

If the scans were saved in some Visioneer proprietary format, you might be stuck but I would think it's likely they're in jpg or tif format.

While a Classic application won't run on a current Mac, the files should be fine. You might need to add a .jpg or .tif to the end of a file name to get Preview to recognize it. If .jpg doesn't work, try .tif. And if that doesn't work, I'm not sure what else to suggest.

[ByronSpoon]

Re: PaperPort scans

... their only suggestion was, "Google it!" has anyone had an experience with a PaperPort scanner. So, if anyone has an idea, I would appreciate the feedback.

You might try googling for "paperport viewer". There appear to be several free download applications that claim to be able to read/convert the PaperPort proprietary file format. I don't know if any is a Mac application though. And I have no experience with this product.

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: PaperPort scans

Tank you folks, but neither idea works. The folks at GraphicConverter have also tried and they say that PaperPort saved it in their own format and GraphicConverter cannot decode it. The PaperPort Viewer will not work with Macs.

Any more ideas?

Thanks again,
Frank

[Mark]

Re: PaperPort scans

After a bit of googling the best option I could find was to use GraphicConverter:

http://www.lemkesoft.com/

There is a thread on the Apple forums suggesting it can convert these files to PDFs. However, since its a pay-for application, you should contact their support to verify that before purchasing:

http://www.lemkesoft.com/contact.html

HTH

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: PaperPort scans

Mark,

Thanks, I own it and it will not work, please se my last post.

Frank

[ByronSpoon]

Re: PaperPort scans

Mark,

Thanks, I own it and it will not work, please se my last post.

Frank

I think Mark is on the right track. What version of GraphicConverter do you have? Their documentation says version 8 should import PaperPort (MAX) files. See http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/143...t-formats.html

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: PaperPort scans

Byron,

I worked directly with Thorsten Lemke who makes GraphicConverter, He tried himself with some of my files and could not open them. He said: "I am really sorry. But all your files uses a special compression with 6 bit per pixel. That is not a JPEG or old 1 bit PaperPort stream. So, I am not able to decode it."

So, as you can see, GraphicConverter is not an option.

Frank

[Bob White]

Re: PaperPort scans

Have you tried the PaperPort Preservation Society? Yep, I didn't know they existed until I found them via Google a couple minutes ago. The link: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/p...vationsociety/

BTW, back in the day, I really loved my PaperPort.

[George Gerton]

Re: PaperPort scans

Maybe you could try the freeware MAX Image Converter 1.0 which runs on Windows Vista:

http://gosoftware.org/max-image-converter_software/

and run it on your Mac under a free trial of CrossOver:

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/

I used Deneba (now ACDSee) Canvas for a number of year for illustrations. The company eventually stopped supporting Macs so I have many files in a proprietary format that I cannot open. Very frustrating!

Good luck,

George

[Mark]

Re: PaperPort scans

I own it and it will not work, please se my last post

Ah, OK - I missed that post, I had started to reply before you posted.

[John Hill]

Re: PaperPort scans

Hello All,

In the past I used Visioneer PaperPort to scan my documents (and photos) however now mac is not supported by Visioneer and they have no suggestions for me in order to open those documents. I have close to 1000 and would rather not scan them again. Apparently now, the newer mac systems will not open anything done under the Classic environment. In fact Visioneer's tech support is pretty deplorable; their only suggestion was, "Google it!" has anyone had an experience with a PaperPort scanner. So, if anyone has an idea, I would appreciate the feedback.

Thanks,
Frank

It's a bit of a long shot and might involve you in no end of bother, but can the Visioneer Classic software save your files in any other format than its own? One that might be recognisable by eg GraphicConverter?

Because it IS possible to run the Classic environment on a modern Mac, by setting up an emulation of System 9 using SheepShaver. (Or System 7 using Basilisk.)

I have such an emulation and may be able to help you, but not to the extent of converting 1000 files! But perhaps to the extent of finding out if your software will run in the emulation.

You may find it less trouble to set up an emulation than rescan 1000 documents :-(

Of course, if you can only save in the proprietary format, that idea is dead in the water anyway.

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: PaperPort scans

Hi John,

Sorry to sound so ignorant, but I really do not understand what you are suggesting. Would you please try again in layman's language?

Thanks for offering your suggestion,
Frank

It's a bit of a long shot and might involve you in no end of bother, but can the Visioneer Classic software save your files in any other format than its own? One that might be recognisable by eg GraphicConverter?

Because it IS possible to run the Classic environment on a modern Mac, by setting up an emulation of System 9 using Basilisk. (Or System 7 using SheepShaver.)

I have such an emulation and may be able to help you, but not to the extent of converting 1000 files! But perhaps to the extent of finding out if your software will run in the emulation.

You may find it less trouble to set up an emulation than rescan 1000 documents :-(

Of course, if you can only save in the proprietary format, that idea is dead in the water anyway.

[John M. Leggett]

Re: PaperPort scans

Hi John,

Sorry to sound so ignorant, but I really do not understand what you are suggesting. Would you please try again in layman's language?

Thanks for offering your suggestion,
Frank

Don't overlook the fact that the easiest way to solve your problem may be to simply borrow or buy a Mac that will run Classic. They are not all that expensive anymore and by carefully shopping for one you might sell it when you're done with it for as much as you pay for it.

I've kept a Mac G5 and a Dell PC running XP simply to deal with situations like yours. It's a lot easier than trying to cobble together something that may (or may not) do the job.

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: PaperPort scans

Don't overlook the fact that the easiest way to solve your problem may be to simply borrow or buy a Mac that will run Classic. They are not all that expensive anymore and by carefully shopping for one you might sell it when you're done with it for as much as you pay for it.

I've kept a Mac G5 and a Dell PC running XP simply to deal with situations like yours. It's a lot easier than trying to cobble together something that may (or may not) do the job.

John,
Thank you. That is the best idea yet!
Best wishes,
Frank