Sharpdesk LT R2.
Copyright © 2000-2003 by Sharp Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction, adaptation or translation without prior written permission is prohibited, except as allowed under copyright laws. Trademark Acknowledgements Sharp® is a registered trademark of Sharp Corporation. Sharpdesk™ is a trademark of Sharp Corporation. Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Internet Explorer®, Microsoft Word®, and Microsoft Excel® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................2 System Requirements ................................................................................................................3 About This Guide .........................................................................
Chapter 4 Working with Sharpdesk................................................................................19 Introduction..............................................................................................................................19 Viewing Images and Documents ............................................................................................19 Working within a Folder.....................................................................................................
Chapter 6 Converting Images to Text.............................................................................31 Introduction..............................................................................................................................31 Conversion Capabilities ..........................................................................................................31 Convert an Image using Drag-and-Drop ................................................................................
Chapter 8 Sharpdesk Imaging.........................................................................................43 Introduction..............................................................................................................................43 Basic Imaging Concepts..........................................................................................................43 What is Imaging? ........................................................................................................
1. Chapter 1 Introduction Welcome to Sharpdesk! This software offers you a complete, easy-to-use solution for organizing and working with your paper and electronic documents and images. Once a document has been saved to your PC, you can use Sharpdesk to organize it, view it, and then print it or e-mail it. Sharpdesk integrates the tools you need. This User’s Guide describes the standard features of Sharpdesk.
Overview Working with Sharpdesk, you can: 2 • Scan Images and Documents Sharpdesk works with your scanner to let you read paper documents into your PC using all of the scanning controls and options provided with your TWAIN scanner or Sharp copier with the Network Scanner Tool option. Sharpdesk provides you with both “simple” scanning options as well as “advanced” options, giving you full control over scanning preferences.
System Requirements To successfully install and use Sharpdesk, your system must meet the following minimum requirements: • An Intel processor-based PC, Pentium 133 MHz or greater (Pentium MMX 200 MHz or better recommended) • • • • • • • Microsoft Windows 95 • At least 32 megabytes (MB) of RAM. (64MB or more recommended to increase processing speed.) • • • At least 110 MB of available hard disk space Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows Millennium Microsoft Windows NT® 4.
About This Guide This User’s Guide assumes you have a basic understanding of Windows operation and are familiar with Windows terms. This includes how to start your system and navigate within a Windows environment, and perform such basic Windows functions as copying, printing and moving documents. For assistance in using Windows or Internet Explorer, refer to your Microsoft Windows user documentation.
Definitions of Terms As you work with Sharpdesk, keep in mind how the following terms are used: Images In Sharpdesk, the term Image refers to items that can be loaded into Imaging. Devices A device is a piece of hardware such as a scanner, printer, fax machine, digital camera or copier. OCR Optical Character Recognition (OCR). A technology that lets you convert an image into a form that is compatible with common word processors.
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2. Chapter 2 Installing Sharpdesk Installation Procedure Installing the Sharpdesk software is simple and straightforward. When you install Sharpdesk, the entire suite of Sharpdesk applications, including Sharpdesk, Composer, and Imaging, is loaded into your PC.
Sharpdesk CD Installation To install Sharpdesk from a CD: 1. If any Windows applications are open, close them to ensure that the software installs properly. In particular, anti-virus programs such as “Norton AntiVirus” may report false warnings if they are not disabled prior to installation. 2. Insert the installation CD into your CD-ROM drive. In a few moments, the installation Welcome screen automatically appears on your monitor screen.
Uninstalling Sharpdesk If you need to uninstall Sharpdesk, you can do so using the following standard Windows procedure for uninstalling software. 1. Click the Windows Start button, then Settings and Control Panel. 2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs. Add/Remove Programs Properties Dialog Box 3. In the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, scroll down the software list and click on Sharpdesk LT. 4. Click Add/Remove. 5.
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3. Chapter 3 Sharpdesk Overview Introduction Sharpdesk is a Windows application that provides integrated organization for all your paper and electronic documents and images.
Starting Sharpdesk You can start Sharpdesk from the Windows Start menu by clicking Start, pointing to Programs, then to Sharpdesk, and finally clicking Sharpdesk LT. You can also start Sharpdesk from the Windows desktop by double-clicking the Sharpdesk LT shortcut icon. Menu Bar Toolbar Folder Window Work Area Output Zone Status Bar Sharpdesk Main Window Folders and files are selected by clicking on them in the Folder Window or in the Work Area.
In circumstances where a command or application is not possible, the toolbar button is dimmed and unavailable for selection.*1 To see what a toolbar option can do, place the mouse pointer directly over the toolbar icon and a tool tip appears explaining the function of that option. Work Area The work area displays the contents of a selected folder in a thumbnail view. From the work area, you can select a file to work with, and then view it, convert it to text, or print it.
Navigating in Sharpdesk Working with Sharpdesk is very easy. It is designed to let you find your images and documents quickly using the Folder Window, the Menu Bar, and the Toolbar. Working with the Folder Window By default, the Folder Window appears at the left on the Sharpdesk screen. The Folder Window can be used much like Windows Explorer to locate and display information from Sharpdesk, your hard disk, or any connected network drives.
Right-Click Options Right-click on a folder in the Folder Window to display a popup menu with Explorer-like menu options that let you perform the following actions: • • • • • • New Folder — create a new folder at the current location. Rename — rename the selected folder. Delete — delete the selected folder into the Windows recycle bin. Copy — copy the contents of the selected folder into the Clipboard. Paste — paste the contents of the clipboard at the current location.
The Sharpdesk Menu The Sharpdesk menu provides you with the following options: FILE MENU DESCRIPTION New Folder Create a new folder at the current location. Open Open the currently selected file or folder. If a readable image is selected, it opens in Imaging. Rename Lets you rename a selected file or folder. Delete Delete the currently selected file or folder into the Windows recycle bin.
Previous Page If the thumbnail has more than one page, view the previous one Launch Explorer Launch Windows Explorer. TOOLS MENU DESCRIPTION Product Configuration Configure your Sharp-connected devices. Preferences… Set preferences for displaying thumbnails, names for new scanned files, text conversion and image export resolution options. Composer Launch Composer component of Sharpdesk. Imaging Launch Imaging component of Sharpdesk.
The Sharpdesk Output Zone The Sharpdesk Output Zone lets you perform functions by simply dragging and dropping a selected file to the appropriate Output Zone button. You can also highlight a file and click the desired Output Zone button. To change the destination of an Output Zone button, click the “down arrow” to its right and select another choice from the drop-down menu that appears. Output Zone The Output Zone, when enabled, appears at the right of the Sharpdesk Work Area.
4. Chapter 4 Working with Sharpdesk Introduction Sharpdesk makes it easy to identify, locate, and organize your files. This chapter reviews how to work with each of the options Sharpdesk provides. Viewing Images and Documents When you open a folder in Sharpdesk, you view the documents contained in the folder as a thumbnail of the document. If the number of documents within a folder exceeds the available work area, horizontal and/or vertical scroll bars appear.
Working within a Folder On the Folder Window, click on the desired folder. The documents contained in the folder are displayed in the work area. Each of your documents appears as a thumbnail image, showing the file’s name and type. Note that it takes longer to generate thumbnails the first time a folder is selected. If you click a thumbnail while this process is happening, the generation process stops and you can start using a file. However, the remaining thumbnails are left gray.
If the thumbnails do not appear as expected, select the Refresh command from the View to correct the problem. Controlling the Desktop Display Sharpdesk lets you customize the Desktop according to your preferences: Choose the Preferences command from the Tools menu and click on the Desktop tab. Desktop Display Options Changing the Thumbnail Size To change the thumbnail size, click on your preference: Small, Medium, or Large. Then click OK.
Adding/Removing an Application on the Output Zone The current applications available on the Output Zone are listed in the box. To add an application to the Output Zone, click the Add button and enter the path to the program you want placed on the Output Zone. Or use the Browse button to locate and select the program. Then click OK. To remove an application from the Output Zone, select its name from the box and click on the Remove button. Then click OK.
Changing the Default Export Resolution To change the default Export resolution, press and hold the left mouse button on the slider bar in the Quality Settings frame and drag it until the slider bar indicates that the desired image conversion resolution has been selected. Dragging the slider to the left will result in shorter conversion times and smaller file sizes after conversion. Dragging the slider to the right will result in higher quality images. When finished, click OK to save your selection.
Organizing Files With Sharpdesk, organizing your files could not be easier. This section reviews the overall procedures for such tasks as selecting files, opening them, moving them, and deleting them. Note that while Sharpdesk can page through a file’s pages in thumbnails, it is not possible to isolate a single page within a file. All operations, including cut, copy, and paste, apply to the entire file. Selecting Files To work with a file, you must first select it in the Sharpdesk work area.
Moving Documents and Folders You can move a document or folder from one folder into another folder as follows: 1. Select the folder/document you want to move from the Folder Window or the work area by clicking on it. 2. Drag and drop the folder/document to the new location. You can also drag-and-drop files and folders between Windows Explorer and Sharpdesk using the above procedure. Copying a File A file can be copied from one folder to a different folder. To copy a file from one folder to another: 1.
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5. Chapter 5 Scanning with Sharpdesk Introduction Sharpdesk lets you scan documents directly into Sharpdesk. Once loaded into Sharpdesk, you can use Imaging to look at them. Scanned images can also be converted to text, allowing you to edit them with common word processors. All scanned images are stored in a TIFF format. This chapter provides instructions on setting and changing scan options. Scanning Documents Using your scanner, you can scan any document into a folder designated by Sharpdesk.
To scan an image from a TWAIN scanner: 1. Place the image you want to scan in your scanner. 2. In Sharpdesk, click the Acquire icon on the toolbar, or choose the Acquire Image command from the File menu (to select a scanning device, choose the Select Scanner command from the File menu). To scan an image from a WIA scanner: 1. Place the image you want to scan in your scanner. 2. Select "From Scanner or Camera..." from the File menu in Sharpdesk. 3. Select a scanning device.
Viewing an Image To view a scanned image, click on the image and click on the Imaging button on the Sharpdesk toolbar. Sharpdesk Imaging starts and displays the selected image. View scanned images in the Sharpdesk Imaging. Image View in Imaging For more information about viewing an image, refer to “Chapter 8, Sharpdesk Imaging.
Changing Scanning Options You can change the default naming convention used for new scans as follows: 1. Choose the Acquire tab from the Preferences dialog box in the Tools menu. Acquire Tab 2. To use a Date as the name for new scans, click the button beside “Current Date Formats”, and then select a date format from the drop-down list. 3. To use a File Prefix as the new scan name, click the button beside “Custom Prefix”, and then enter the prefix you want to use. 4.
6. Chapter 6 Converting Images to Text Introduction Sharpdesk lets you convert a non-editable, graphical image containing text into a file that can be edited by your favorite word processor. You can convert an image at anytime while working in Sharpdesk by simply dragging the image onto the Convert by OCR option on the Output Zone bar. With Sharpdesk, even your document layouts are preserved.
Convert an Image using Drag-and-Drop To convert an image to text using drag and drop: 1. In Sharpdesk, select the image you want to convert in the Sharpdesk work area. 2. Make sure the Output Zone bar appears by selecting the Output Zone command from the View menu. 3. Drag and drop the image onto the Convert by OCR option on the Output Zone bar. A dialog box appears showing you the progress of the conversion.
Convert by OCR Properties You can OCR an image and specify the options you wish to employ. To change text conversion preferences, choose the Preferences command in the Tools menu. The Convert By OCR Properties dialog box displays. Convert By OCR Properties Dialog Box You can specify the following text conversion options. When you are satisfied with your selections, click OK to save your options. When you complete your selections, click OK to save your preferences for future scans.
Picture Processing This setting determines whether to look for text within pictures. Your choices are: Text & Pictures: Use this setting when you want the text conversion engine to attempt to locate text that resides in regions on the page that it views as pictures. Text Only: The text conversion engine does not attempt to locate text that resides in regions on the page that it considers to be pictures.
7. Chapter 7 Sharpdesk Composer Introduction Using Sharpdesk Composer, you can combine files of different types into a single productionready document. For example, you could combine a Word file with an Excel file, and then even add in a Lotus file. Composer lets you reorder pages, add a cover page or inserts, and then print, copy, or e-mail the entire document. You can load as many source documents as you need to create the new document.
Application Version Support direct print Support Drag & Drop? from Application? Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 Yes (Note 1) Yes Adobe Illustrator All Marginal (Note 2) Marginal (Note2) Adobe Page Maker All Not Supported (Note 3) Not Supported (Note 3) Adobe Photoshop 5.0, 5.5 Not Supported Yes cc Mail 8.2 – 8.5 Not Supported Yes Corel Presentations 8.0, 9.0 Yes Yes Corel Quattro Pro 8.0, 9.0 Yes (Note 4) Yes Corel WordPerfect 8.0, 9.0 Yes Yes Imaging for Windows 2.
Starting Composer You can start the Sharpdesk Composer from Sharpdesk. To start the Composer from Sharpdesk, click the Composer icon on the Sharpdesk toolbar. Tool Bar Menu Bar Work Area Reference Area Sharpdesk Composer Composer is comprised of the following elements: Menu Bar The menu bar contains commands that let you perform various tasks with your documents.
Microsoft Explorer directly into either Composer’s work area or the “Composer” button on Output Zone of Sharpdesk. Loading pages with drag and drop uses the default paper size and orientation. If the resulting pages do not appear as you wish, use the following options to alter the result. Loading Pages into Composer To put pages into Composer from third-party applications: 1. Select the Print command from the application in which you are working. A screen similar to the following appears: Print Screen 2.
3. Click OK or Print (depending on the application you’re running) to start the print operation. If Composer is not currently running, it automatically starts and the new pages are added to an Untitled.sdf document. If Composer is running with a document in its work area, the new page(s) are added to the existing document. Continue the process of loading pages into Composer until everything desired has been included. Then use Composer to selectively delete or re-order them into the finished document.
Menu Options The Menu Bar contains the following options: MENU DESCRIPTION File New Create a new main window with no referenced files. Open Open an existing Sharpdesk file. Add Document Adds pages from a new document to the Work Area. Save Save the current (modified) file. Save As Save the current file under a new name. Export Generate a PDF file from the current Composer document. (See Note 1) Print Print the current page or all document pages.
Toolbar Options The Composer Toolbar lets you select commands quickly: COMMAND DESCRIPTION Add Doc… Adds pages from a new document to the current composition. Save Save the current (modified) file Send Mail Send the current document as an e-mail attachment in .PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format. (See Note 1) Print Print a document or selected pages. Cut Copies a page from the document to the clipboard and removes it from the document. Copy Copy a page from the document and place it in the clipboard.
Attaching a Document to Email You can attach a document to an e-mail as follows: • Point to the Send Mail command in the File menu, or • Click on the Send Mail button on the toolbar. Your email program is automatically launched and the document inserted as an attachment in .PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format. (Note: the default image export resolution may be modified prior to image conversion.
8. Chapter 8 Sharpdesk Imaging Introduction Using Sharpdesk Imaging, you can view images, manipulate them, annotate them, and print them. Basic Imaging Concepts This section discusses some basic concepts and terminology to help you better understand Sharpdesk Imaging. What is Imaging? Imaging can be described as using computer software to create, modify, and process electronic images.
Types of Images An image is an electronic representation of a text document, a photograph, a line drawing, or other graphical entity. You can create an image by scanning a printed page, a photograph, a drawing, by saving a fax, or by creating an image with a drawing or graphic-design program. After a page of text is scanned and saved, it takes on the properties of an image file, and can no longer be opened with a word processor or text editor.
Simple Image Document Another image document could be a collection of faxes, memos, and photographs that are scanned to a multi-page image file. Multi-Page Image File Sharpdesk Imaging With Sharpdesk Imaging, you can perform a variety of imaging operations by making selections from menus or by clicking on tool buttons. Many options present dialog boxes. If you are not sure about which values or properties to set, accept the default values.
PCX/DCX Document .PCX, .DCX WIFF Document .WIF XIF Document .XIF You can display a single image in the window, display thumbnail views of the images contained in a multi-page image document, or display an image page and thumbnails together. Imaging Window Dialog Convert Image Files Using Imaging for Windows, you can save a displayed image in one of the following formats: • • • • .TIFF .BMP .JPEG .
rotate an image left, right, or 180 degrees. Rotating an image is useful if you scanned landscape images using a scanner's sheet feeder, or if you fed a stack of documents into the scanner's document feeder backwards (180 degrees from the desired orientation). Thumbnail images can be made larger to display more detail, or smaller to fit more of them in the window. You can also drag and drop thumbnails to change the order of pages in the image document.
When the annotation icon appears next to a thumbnail's page number, it means the page contains one or more annotations. Annotating an Image Dialog Create a Contact Sheet You can create a contact sheet that contains a thumbnail rendition of each page of an image document; similar to a photographic contact sheet that displays images of each negative on a roll of film.
Using the Straighten Page option, you can straighten an image that is crooked in relation to the background page. After you draw a reference line on the displayed document, the application rotates the image to the correct orientation. You can specify a portion of the image to crop or let the program automatically crop the edges of a displayed image for you. Using the Imaging Application This section guides you through some basic operations with Imaging Application.
Setting Properties Dialog This is where you type property values for your image documents. You may wish to standardize the values you enter so that your documents are organized in a more useful way. For example, descriptive Keyword entries could be Invoices, Deposits, Inventory, and so on. For this exercise, you will type in an arbitrary value just to see how the procedure works. 1. In the Subject field, enter Sample Image and then click OK.
2. Click the Find button. The Find: Image Files dialog box appears. Find: Image Files Dialog Box 3. In the Subject field, enter: Sample image. 4. Type the path to your Imaging folder, and then select the Include Subfolders box. 5. Click Find Now. The lower pane of the dialog box displays the names of documents with the Subject property value “Sample Image.” Sample Image Dialog Box Notice that two documents met the search criteria; the document whose Subject property you set, and another sample document.
Displaying an Image Document This section describes how to open an image document, change the display attributes, display and resize thumbnails, and create a contact sheet. Opening the Document 1. On the File menu, click Open. The Open dialog box appears. 2. Navigate to the folder where you installed Sharpdesk Imaging. (The default location is C:\Program Files\Sharp\Sharpdesk\Imaging.) 3. Open the Samples folder. 4. Select CHAPTER1.TIF and then click Open. The image of a text document appears. 5.
Displaying and Changing Thumbnails 1. On the View menu, click Thumbnails. the thumbnails are displayed. 2. On the Tools menu, click Options, Thumbnail Size. The Thumbnail Size dialog box appears. Thumbnail Size Dialog Box 3. Place the pointer over the handle in the lower right corner of the thumbnail, hold down the left mouse button, and then drag the handle diagonally to increase or decrease the size of the thumbnail. 4. Click OK to apply the new size to the displayed thumbnails.
Annotating a Document This section describes how to add annotations to a document, change annotation properties, and save the annotated document. Applying a Rubber Stamp 1. On the File menu, click Open. 2. Navigate to the folder where you installed Sharpdesk Imaging. (The default location is C:\Program Files\Sharp\Sharpdesk\Imaging.) 3. Click the Samples folder. 4. Select the image document ANNOUNCE.TIF and then click Open. The image document appears. 5. On the View menu, click on One Page. 6.
8. Click on the Font button. The Rubber Stamp Font Properties dialog box appears. Rubber Stamp Font Properties Dialog Box 9. In the Color list, click Red and then click OK three times to close each dialog box. The pointer changes to a rubber stamp icon. 10. Position the rubber stamp at the top of the document, and then press the left mouse button once. The stamp annotation is applied to the document.
Highlighter Properties Dialog Box 3. Choose a color, such as light blue, that allows the text to show through. Click OK to apply the new color. Enhancing a Document This section shows how to enhance a document page by despeckling and straightening. Removing Speckles From a Document 1. On the File menu, click Open. 2. Navigate to the folder where you installed Sharpdesk Imaging (the default location is C:\Program Files\Sharp\Sharpdesk\Imaging), and then click the Samples folder. 3.
Straightening the Page 1. On the Tools menu, click on Straighten Page. The Straighten Page dialog box appears. 2. Move the dialog box to the side or bottom of the page, so you can draw a reference line in the top portion of the page. 3. Create a reference line that is slanted in exactly the same way as the text. To do so, position the pointer between two lines of text and press the left mouse button. While holding the button down, drag the pointer to the right, parallel to the text above and below the line.
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Chapter 9 Glossary Introduction The following terms and definitions can assist you when working with Sharpdesk. A ASCII Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A set of definitions for the bit composition of characters and symbols. ASCII defines 128 symbols using 7 binary bits and 1 parity bit. B Browser The application program, such as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, that lets you display HTML documents.
G Graphic A written, printed, or electronically displayed symbol or drawing. Also, characters or text that have been generated by a computer graphics application program. Grayscale A color in black and white as a result of different intensities of black. I Image In Sharpdesk, an image is used interchangeably with Document. Commands and functions work exactly the same regardless of whether the item in question is a .TIF file, a .JPG file, or a .DOC file.
S .SDF File A Sharpdesk-created file that can be opened and edited in the Sharpdesk Composer. T TWAIN Both a protocol and an application programmer’s interface (API) that lets you input image data directly from any source (for example: desktop and hand-held scanners, video capture boards, digital cameras, and other imaging equipment) without requiring you to switch out of the application.
