Transferring paper images into digital!

[homedeeth]

My dad (retired, not much to do with his days) has loads of lever arch files with all his paper documents collected through his life that he wants to put on his computer.
I have suggested that he buys a scanner and an external hard drive and laboriously scans each piece of paper so the hard drive saves the image.
Is there a software package that will enable my dad to do the above task AND if need be at a later date, he will be able to view document page 886, lever arch file 37 at the click of a button?
thanks

[quizman55]

It all depends on what name you save the file with. The easiest way to archive them is to name in such a way that corresponds to the original file. Your example would probably need to have a folder "37" within which file "886" resides. So when you need to access your example page just go into folder "37" scroll down to file "886" and double click to open in whichever program opens the type of file that you "saved as" One point to note that if you do it this way you need to start any file numbers with zeros e.g. "037" and "00886" so that windows does not arrange files out of order. For example if you number 1, 2, 3 etc. then when you get to 10, 11, 12, the sequence would read 1 ,10,11,12, 2, 3 ,4 etc putting zeros in front would make the sequence read 001, 002, ........009, 010 011 012 ........ Makes life a lot simpler.

[saxy_jag]

On top of all that, it could be worth keeping a database of the files on the same hard drive, either as a spreadsheet or, if you have the software, an Access database.

[TTG]

Scan as it's been suggested...folder for each arch file containing graphics for each page. You can then use the free image program irfanview to create a multi-page pdf. The pdf will be smaller in file size than multiple graphics and you will be able to move through it page by page. You will also be able to move to a specific page at the single-click of a button.

[VHG]

Note that many ink jet printers do print, copy and scan so no need to buy a separate scanner.

I have an Epson that only cost me about £40 that does copying and scanning.

It also came with some scanning software.

[jomifl]

What might be quicker and cheaper if you do not have a scanner is to use a web cam or digital camera on a usb socket. Set the camera on an arm with tape to look dowm on the pages whilst still in the lever arch file and adjust the focus if necessary. Then just click the still picture button and turn over the next page and repeat. This way the pages stay in sequence and in the file.