I presently use PaperPort Pro 11 to scan all my important documents/bills/etc. to PDF and it works well for me. I do however see the new version of Digital ArcHound with the WHS version and 3 client versions for $60 vs. the usual $250.
I know it is a well reviewed product, but does it offer enough beyond PaperPort to warrant the great price of $60?
I'd say give the trial version a try and find out:
http://www.digitalarchound.com/page1055.aspx
I tried the trial and although a good product, I think I will stick with what
I have. Although I did add Dropbox to the server so when I do scan in via
Paperport the documents are backed up on the server in the shares folder.
The biggest problem was that I would have to recreate all of the folder structure
I have with labels, etc. which is way too much work. The product could also benefit
from an explorer interface. Overall a nice product, just not for me right now.
Cool. Thanks for giving your opinions. I've had to support PaperPort in a past IT job, and the users seemed to like it pretty good.
This looks like a very cool application and the intro pricing is pretty attractive. As a single user I would probably prefer to just a client app and call it a day without adding the overhead to WHS. Cool idea though if you have more than one person scanning.
Does it have any remote access capabilities? If so, I could definitely see the utility of a WHS use of it.
Question for anyone who has used either of these products, can you somehow integrate e-mails into this archive, ex: I get e-statements for some bills, paper for others and I'd like to "archive" them all in 1 solution and search as well. It looks like these work well for the scans but is there any product that can combine the 2 features? Otherwise I'll have to remember which ones are what type, and then have them in 2 different places electronically.
@wodysweb You could probably use a virtual printer to generate a PDF of you e-statements and then store everything using the same method whether it is a scanned copy or emailed statement.
Good question on the remote access. Was planning to give this a shot and will report back.
Good call @cskenny, I'll have to see if I want to go to that level of effort or not. Still deciding if it's worth $60 vs just using some folders to store the scans and splitting an occasional PDF file.
You can always use PDF Split and Merge to split PDF's if you need to.
It seems like a nice program, but the killer was it couldn't add all my scans and maintain the folder structure that I currently have. To recreate the same structure would be too much work.
They do have an addon digitizer for any document that you receive and can print, thus creating a PDF file from any printable document.
With Office 2007 include native PDF outputs, I rarely use anything else these days.
While using the trial version I requested a new feature which was improved
import abilities while retaining file hierarchies. They responded quickly
and wanted more feedback. It may not make it in to the product anytime soon,
but at least they are responsive and receptive.
Cool. Stagnant companies are certainly not one's that you feel good about purchasing products from.
I have been testing this and will do a full write up, however to address some of the questions on this post here is some observations.
1. There is drag and drop for achieving emails.
2. You can drag and drop most files directly
3. There is no remote access that I could see and the client does not actually like it when you are not connected to the server and at times locks up.
4. And of course it is "slowwww". My test client is a QX9650 extreme with 8 gigs of ram and SSD drive and the software is very sluggish. Powerful, but slow.
Thanks for the info pcdoc, since I'm interested in the drag and drop e-mail, what sort of process is that? Does it have to come from Outlook, gmail, or does this tool have some sort of email viewer you drag and drop from? Just curious how that works, appreciate the testing!
As near as I can tell it does not work with web based email clients so you will have to have outlook. Just to clarify though, the email achieving is very limited as it is geared toward pdf attachments. One work around is that it can monitor PDF creation so you print from your anything and it "should" pick it up but I have not yet verified this. Overall it is a very powerful program, almost too powerful as it has so many options.
I did spend the $60 for the 3 client/WHS version, I could never justify the full $250 for
home use. The developer said the sale would probably go through Feb. 15. I am still working
with importing all of my present documents, but I do like that it archives everything on WHS.
I haven't had any issues with it running slow, one client is an MSI Wind netbook and the other
a 3 year old dual core HP desktop with 4GB of RAM. I still have more overall features and flexibility
with Paperport, but I backup to excess, if that's possible?
awraynor,
I would be interested if you could write a review on a comparison of the two.
John (homeservershow).
I have a very demanding job and a 15 month old, but I will see what I can do.
DA's sale is over in about a week? At $60 it's a possibility for the home
user, but at $250 I wouldn't even consider it unless you are a business.
awraynor,
ok, buddy, thanks. If you can then great. If not, no pressure. Thanks for listening to the podcast and all the positive participation here.
I wrote a mini review in word format, but the images didn't transfer into the forums. Can I e-mail it to one of the moderators so they can post it as written?
**posted on behalf of awraynor
PaperPort vs. DA Document Manager 2010
For The Paperless Office
What do you do when you want to move to the paperless office in an effort to reduce clutter and improve access to your important documents? My current option is PaperPort 11 Professional by Nuance, with the newest versions being PaperPort 12 standard for $99 and Professional for $199. I will be comparing this product to DA Document Manager 2010 (DA) by Group Seven Technology which I recently purchased. It has a variety of licensing options, from the single client, to the server version with 3, 5 or 10 clients. The retail prices are $129, 250, 300 or $700 respectively, but on sale for a few more days for $50, 60, 100 or $190. This article will quickly hit the highlights as the sale prices for DA 2010 will soon go away and more importantly, this is my first review and I want to keep it brief.
Interface
Both products currently utilize a multi-pane interface with the familiar Microsoft office ribbon at the top. The embedded photo illustrates that PP12 opts to use the familiar explorer interface with the folder hierarchy on the left, ribbon bar at top and the documents in a desktop style over the majority of the layout. It can display thumbnail of many file types, to include Word, PowerPoint, Photos and more. The menu bar on the bottom allows output of the selected file to the appropriate program which includes Office Products, Nuance Products, WordPad, NotePad, Recycle Bin, FTP, etc.
The next screenshot is taken from my copy of PP11 which I assume has only changed by the addition of a ribbon bar at the top. You will notice that the file is the focus of the work area with text editing tools on the left, orientation and photos tools on the right in this case. There are many correction tools available such as cropping, sharpen, enhance, red eye correction and more.
DA2010 is a huge improvement from the neon colors of the previous version. It employs a ribbon bar across the top, work area on the left, tagging pane in the middle and save pane on the right. As you select different menu options the ribbon bar will change, but the work area remains the same.
The search interface shown below is spartan, but it lists your results in order with filter options on the right.
The last screen is the Resource Utilization Summary.
Performance
At idle PP11 is using 26404K of memory with an additional 5500K in miscellaneous services, DA2010 on the other hand is using a measly 1048K on the client system. Although during active scanning they both consumed approximately 22-25K of memory. The two test systems were a MSI Wind Netbook with 2GB of RAM and an HP Desktop with dual core processor and 4GB of RAM, both with Windows 7 Ultimate. I found both programs to be responsive on each system.
A sample scan of one page of text provided surprising results. PP provided good readability with a file size of 128kb. DA2010 didn’t control my scanner without the need for 3rd party software, for which I used the OEM HP software for my HP J6480. The file size for DA2010 was much larger at 2MB, the readability was equally good. I need to work with DA2010 to see if it will operate my MFP without the need for an 3rd party program as the unit is TWAIN and WIA compliant, and direct MFP compatibility is listed as a feature of the DA2010.
Workflow
PP is designed to be a consumer product, or as part of a business environment. This includes saving to a network share, delivery via e-mail or interfacing with an OCR product such as OmniPage, another Nuance product. The premise is that you select the appropriate folder, scan the file in and then edit as appropriate. DA2010 has similar attributes in that it features a client with abilities to save to a network share. It utilizes the three step process as evidenced by the panes on the main page screenshot. Both products can split, combine and import files. PP seems to leave the files in place and view them as they exist. DA2010 can take that stance, but also offering the ability to copy or move files to the archive. The issue I had was that the folder monitoring or import option didn’t work for me. There is also an option to simply drop a file onto the workspace to import it.
Final Conclusion
My present schema is PaperPort 11 scanning into a set of folders monitored by DropBox. Therefore I have all of my important documents available on each of my PC’s and via the web. Since I shred most of the documents later I have a copy residing on each client, on backups via the WHS and CrashPlan Central with external HD backup. It seems a bit much, but it is working well for me.
Neither program is cheap nor will they fit all situations. While DA2010 is on sale for $60 for the server/3 client option it is quite the bargain, but it will soon be full price again.
Your choice of products is likely to be based on your particular needs and environment. I have only highlighted the main functions and they both possess more features than I have described. If you are an individual who needs to scan some personal papers, maybe a few photos and odd documents, PP is likely the program for you. If you are more into a business oriented workflow with search emphasis and less on rigid folder structure then DA2010 is likely your product. I also applaud their development of a product for WHS. As usacomp2k3 advised, try them and decide for yourself. DA2010 does provide a 15 day trial, while Nuance expects you to buy the product to make your decision which is a horrible practice. If I can be of any help please let me know?
Lastly, for a free option use the software included with your MFP and save to your shared folders. If you want to scan photos, buy an Epson V500 photo scanner, I love mine. The included photo scanning software is excellent, low on resources, with great results.
Thanks for posting, please post any questions and see if I can help.
awraynor,
Thanks for taking the time and effort for this review. We plan on speaking more about DA2010 on a future podcast, I'll give you some kudos when we do. Thanks for your opinions. I was lucky enough to get a free copy of DA2010 because I was on the beta test group.
You said, "I need to work with DA2010 to see if it will operate my MFP without the need for an 3rd party program as the unit is TWAIN and WIA compliant,"
There has recently been an upgrade to 3.1.99 that fixes an issue I had with Twain/WIA on my Brother MFC-885CW.
Thanks,
John (homeservershow).
Hi
I had a friend that create a batch file that stores or my pictures as thumbs. For documents it just creates a tree structure. You use a simple webpage to search from and the results come back listed with a thumb of the file type. It works for me. I pdf everything and name the files like "2010 February Gas Bill Statemnet 10". This works for me.
Hi
I use PaperPort 12 and have used PaperPort for years. I've placed the "PaperPort" folder (where all my docs are located) onto a share on the server and have pointed PaperPort on each of the clients to read and write the docs to that folder on the server and PaperPort loves it. Of course, I did assign a drive letter on the clients so that the folder can be seen without any issues. The speed is nearly as fast accessing the docs from the server as they were from the local client. Setting things up like this allows me to have clients that don't have PaperPort installed. On those machines, I just scan the document in using a wireless scanner software (like the HP all-in-one) and point the file to the appropriate PaperPort folder.
It's great having your important folders available on the server in a folder structured hierachy. It makes accessing them from a doctors office (as I had to yesterday using the doctors computer) or from any other location a breeze. I tried DA2010 and honestly wasn't impressed. Two many limitations and too cumbersome.
The only thing I wish I could figure out is how to share a flatbed scanner that I have attached to the server with the client PCs. My Canon Lide 80 installed on the WHS with ease but I can't figure out how to make it viewable to the clients.
Sailorman,
Thanks for your comments. I have a Brother MFC-885CW multi purpose printer. I can set it up as a shared printer through my server, however I can not share the scanner or fax function. Must be because of the drivers. What's neat is that I can print to it over the internet.
This printer also has wireless connectivity, so I set that up with a static IP and share the scanner that way.
John (homeservershow).
Good evening Sailorman,
What are your thoughts on PP11 vs. PP12? Does it offer enough to justify the upgrade
cost? I want to give DA2010 a try, but I think PP still meets my needs the best.
I only scan from the desktop, so I save to that client vs. a shared folder. It is then
native on the client, backed up to crashplan central/local folder as well as whs. I would hate to have a
whs fail, as my frankenbuild did a few months back. That would have left me without
any copies, what is your strategy for a hardware/software failure?
Thanks,
Tony
You must log in to post.