scanner/pdf/paperport question

I've been pondering the thought of finally scanning all my documents -
bills-donations-etc and then shredding the originals.

My plan is to scan into a PDF file with a filename (electric_dec03.pdf) and
then burning a CD at the end of the year. That way I have IRS document (got
audited this year - owed them an addition $200 with interest - big whoop),
and get rid of all the paper.

Is it enough just to use Adobe Acrobat (I have 5.05), or do I need something
more? - along the lines of paperport 9.0 or an upgrade to Acrobat 6.0X or
what?

TIA,

Rod

Rod Kenly wrote:

I've been pondering the thought of finally scanning all my documents -
bills-donations-etc and then shredding the originals.

My plan is to scan into a PDF file with a filename (electric_dec03.pdf) and
then burning a CD at the end of the year. That way I have IRS document (got
audited this year - owed them an addition $200 with interest - big whoop),
and get rid of all the paper.

Is it enough just to use Adobe Acrobat (I have 5.05), or do I need something
more? - along the lines of paperport 9.0 or an upgrade to Acrobat 6.0X or
what?



Before destroying your originals, I would contact the IRS and ask if
digital copies of documents are acceptible as proof of expenditures.
I would suspect that they are not, due to the ease of altering digital
documents, including pdf files.
I did a quick search at http://www.irs.gov/ but was unable to find any
info on digital documents as acceptible proof.

"Rod Kenly" wrote in message
news:ir_Fb.626342$HS4.4574449@attbi_s01...
I've been pondering the thought of finally scanning all my documents -
bills-donations-etc and then shredding the originals.

My plan is to scan into a PDF file with a filename (electric_dec03.pdf)
and
then burning a CD at the end of the year. That way I have IRS document
(got
audited this year - owed them an addition $200 with interest - big whoop),
and get rid of all the paper.

Is it enough just to use Adobe Acrobat (I have 5.05), or do I need
something
more? - along the lines of paperport 9.0 or an upgrade to Acrobat 6.0X or
what?

TIA,

In my under-educated opinion, I guess it depends what you're going to do
with them. If you are going to create an interactive document, then yes, you
may want to opt for a more current version of Acrobat. If you want to create
one master file of the "images" of these bills, then scan away with what you
have, print the graphic to a PDF and then use Acrobat to collect the images
in a cohesive document. Acrobat 5.x will allow the creation of an indexed
document, so you could still file the bills in a manner of your choosing.

I am basically doing this now with rebate coupons, etc, where copies of the
register receipt are required. I scan the receipt as a graphic, eliminate
any unnecessary information (credit card info) and then print (or convert
to) a PDF for my records and a hardcopy for submission. No OCR is needed for
this scenario, I just use my scanner as a selective copier.

I love Acrobat 6, but if what you have works, why upgrade? Acrobat 6 does
allow more interactive options than the previous version did, but if you're
not using these features, you don't have much rationale to upgrade. I'm not
familiar with Paperport, but I presume it is OCR software. Same opinion: If
you're not extracting the text for a specific purpose, why buy software you
may not need? Save you money for more important stuff, stuff you really
need, like your next scanner or a 21 inch graphics quality LCD monitor ;-{)

The IRS started in 1996 to allow electronic copies of all documents. It is
on their website. I forget the search criteria - but the basic requirement
is that it has to be legible.

Rod
Before destroying your originals, I would contact the IRS and ask if
digital copies of documents are acceptible as proof of expenditures.
I would suspect that they are not, due to the ease of altering digital
documents, including pdf files.
I did a quick search at http://www.irs.gov/ but was unable to find any
info on digital documents as acceptible proof.

On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 16:54:38 GMT, "Rod Kenly"
wrote:

I've been pondering the thought of finally scanning all my documents -
bills-donations-etc and then shredding the originals.

My plan is to scan into a PDF file with a filename (electric_dec03.pdf) and
then burning a CD at the end of the year. That way I have IRS document (got
audited this year - owed them an addition $200 with interest - big whoop),
and get rid of all the paper.

Is it enough just to use Adobe Acrobat (I have 5.05), or do I need something
more? - along the lines of paperport 9.0 or an upgrade to Acrobat 6.0X or
what?

TIA,

Rod



I have both PaperPort and Acrobat 6. I would not dream of using the
latter for your purpose.

PP is a good front end for managing files. Acrobat just creates them.
In PP you can see what you want by looking at "thumbnails" of the
files. You can also "stack" a series of documents.

Many of these things are possible in Acrobat, but it takes longer and
is more complicated.

MK

Thanks for the heads up. I will look into Paperport. It seems like I had a
copy of it 3 or 4 years ago - but I wasn't too impressed. I'll look at it
again.

Rod

"mk" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 16:54:38 GMT, "Rod Kenly"
wrote:

I've been pondering the thought of finally scanning all my documents -
bills-donations-etc and then shredding the originals.

My plan is to scan into a PDF file with a filename (electric_dec03.pdf)
and
then burning a CD at the end of the year. That way I have IRS document
(got
audited this year - owed them an addition $200 with interest - big
whoop),
and get rid of all the paper.

Is it enough just to use Adobe Acrobat (I have 5.05), or do I need
something
more? - along the lines of paperport 9.0 or an upgrade to Acrobat 6.0X or
what?

TIA,

Rod



I have both PaperPort and Acrobat 6. I would not dream of using the
latter for your purpose.

PP is a good front end for managing files. Acrobat just creates them.
In PP you can see what you want by looking at "thumbnails" of the
files. You can also "stack" a series of documents.

Many of these things are possible in Acrobat, but it takes longer and
is more complicated.

I never worked with Paper Port, so I can't compare it to Acrobat, but
Acrobat does indeed do all you are using Paper Port for. I guess it comes
down to personal preferences: Make a choice and learn to work with it.

On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 20:09:48 GMT, "Major Malfunction"
wrote:


"mk" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 16:54:38 GMT, "Rod Kenly"
wrote:

I've been pondering the thought of finally scanning all my documents -
bills-donations-etc and then shredding the originals.

My plan is to scan into a PDF file with a filename (electric_dec03.pdf)
and
then burning a CD at the end of the year. That way I have IRS document
(got
audited this year - owed them an addition $200 with interest - big
whoop),
and get rid of all the paper.

Is it enough just to use Adobe Acrobat (I have 5.05), or do I need
something
more? - along the lines of paperport 9.0 or an upgrade to Acrobat 6.0X or
what?

TIA,

Rod



I have both PaperPort and Acrobat 6. I would not dream of using the
latter for your purpose.

PP is a good front end for managing files. Acrobat just creates them.
In PP you can see what you want by looking at "thumbnails" of the
files. You can also "stack" a series of documents.

Many of these things are possible in Acrobat, but it takes longer and
is more complicated.

I never worked with Paper Port, so I can't compare it to Acrobat, but
Acrobat does indeed do all you are using Paper Port for. I guess it comes
down to personal preferences: Make a choice and learn to work with it.



Well, you speak from a position of great knowl;edge, not having used
PaperPort.

Believe me, PP does those things much more easily than Acrobat.

To stack pages in Acrobat, for example, you have to open the file then
introduce the new pages. In PP you just drag one on top of the other.

Acrobat offers no filing features. It just creates files that you can
put where you want them. Quite how you would use it as a front end for
a filing system escapes me. And I have thousands of pdf files.

One feature I forgot to mention was the ability to clean up scanned
files, removing speckles, straightening and so on.

I have mentioned just a few of the many things that PP does better
than Acrobat. I suggest trying it before jumping to any conclusions.

MK

"mk" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 20:09:48 GMT, "Major Malfunction"
wrote:


"mk" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 16:54:38 GMT, "Rod Kenly"
wrote:

I've been pondering the thought of finally scanning all my documents -
bills-donations-etc and then shredding the originals.

My plan is to scan into a PDF file with a filename
(electric_dec03.pdf)
and
then burning a CD at the end of the year. That way I have IRS
document
(got
audited this year - owed them an addition $200 with interest - big
whoop),
and get rid of all the paper.

Is it enough just to use Adobe Acrobat (I have 5.05), or do I need
something
more? - along the lines of paperport 9.0 or an upgrade to Acrobat 6.0X
or
what?

TIA,

Rod



I have both PaperPort and Acrobat 6. I would not dream of using the
latter for your purpose.

PP is a good front end for managing files. Acrobat just creates them.
In PP you can see what you want by looking at "thumbnails" of the
files. You can also "stack" a series of documents.

Many of these things are possible in Acrobat, but it takes longer and
is more complicated.

I never worked with Paper Port, so I can't compare it to Acrobat, but
Acrobat does indeed do all you are using Paper Port for. I guess it comes
down to personal preferences: Make a choice and learn to work with it.



Well, you speak from a position of great knowl;edge, not having used
PaperPort.

Believe me, PP does those things much more easily than Acrobat.

To stack pages in Acrobat, for example, you have to open the file then
introduce the new pages. In PP you just drag one on top of the other.

Acrobat offers no filing features. It just creates files that you can
put where you want them. Quite how you would use it as a front end for
a filing system escapes me. And I have thousands of pdf files.

One feature I forgot to mention was the ability to clean up scanned
files, removing speckles, straightening and so on.

I have mentioned just a few of the many things that PP does better
than Acrobat. I suggest trying it before jumping to any conclusions.


As I said, make a choice and work with it. I am supporting your choice.
There are many different solutions to the same problem and there are many
different choices in software to handle a task. If there was one truly Best
Of Anything, all the other brands would fold up. Ask three people what the
best car on the road is and you'll likely get four opinions ;-{) For many
people, the best software is what they started with. This is not a bad
thing, in fact it is a good thing, they've learned all the ins and outs,
all the undocumented shortcuts and know every tweak.

I admit, such is my case with Acrobat. I started using it as a reader and
moved to the full Acrobat with version 5.0 when I needed those capabilities.
As I needed to do more tasks relating to PDF preparation, and document
management, I learned more tricks with Acrobat. This does not mean I think
it is superior, it just means I know it, I am comfortable with it and have
not found any shortcoming with Acrobat. With your knowledge of PaperPort,
you can perform the same tasks because you know it so well. This is a good
thing.

Peace to you,
Happy New year

It wasn't MY intent to cause an agrument here. I was looking for some
advice.

I tried unsuccessfully about 4 (maybe 5) years ago to do this same thing -
move to an electronic solution of all the stacks of paper that I had. At
the time, I had a home business requiring me to keep stuff for seven years.
So I still have bunches of boxes stacked around my old office.

Back then I tried to use a recommended program - "PageKeeper" from the same
folks that do Paperport. I had read an article on it, and tried it. I
invested a LOT of time in it. Scanning stuff for weeks in my spare time.
Then pagekeeper burped, and I lost a lot of it. I went to the backups to
recover - did so, and some time later, the software burped again.

It seemed that I was taking 1 step forward, and 2 back - and I gave up in
disgust. That software package has since been dropped by the Paperport
folks. Unfortunately, with all the pain associated with trying to use an
electronic means I gave up at the time.

However, I'm going to try this again - starting tomorrow (the 1st). I've
made up my mind that I'm going to try to use Acrobat. I got my upgrade
yesterday (from 5.05), and have got it installed. I intend to play with it
some tomorrow, and hopefully it will answer the bill.

If you've got some tweaks, shortcuts, etc - I would be very happy to hear
about them.

Thanks

Rod