[Athen] Replacing Adobe Pro with FoxIT Pro

[Andrea L. Dietrich]

Omnipage is a separate program from ABBYY. We used to use Omnipage but we switched to using ABBYY – so I’ve used an old version of Omnipage and the newest version of ABBYY.

As far as manipulating PDF files, ABBYY does have a PDF reader/editor that comes with the program. My university also offers Acrobat, and I prefer it for doing things like splitting files but it is possible to use ABBYY exclusively for those tasks. I can’t speak to the newer versions of Omnipage as far as its PDF editing capabilities.

-Andi :)
--------------------------
Andrea Dietrich
She / Her / Hers
Accommodation Specialist
Student Disability Services

Cornell University
Cornell Health, Level 5
110 Ho Plaza
Ithaca, NY 14853
Email: adietrich at cornell.edu<mailto:adietrich at cornell.edu>
Phone: (607) 254-4545
Fax: (607) 255-1562
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From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> On Behalf Of Robert Spangler
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2021 2:03 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Replacing Adobe Pro with FoxIT Pro

To be clear, is Omnipage a separate program, or is it the OCR engine used in Abbyy?  If it's a separate program, how do you justify having it along with Abbyy?  Also, why have Adobe if Abbyy can also split/manipulate PDFs?  Does Adobe perform PDF manipulation better than Abbyy?
Thanks for all the information you've provided.

Robert



On Wed, Jun 16, 2021 at 1:39 PM Susan Kelmer <Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu<mailto:Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu>> wrote:
We do create a LOT of alternate format, so having a good OCR engine/program is critical.  You get a better overall result with less manual labor to fix problems if you use a better product.

Using Omnipage, we are able to OCR straight to ascii text (Abbyy does this too) so we can create very very clean word files with near-perfect formatting and navigation.  It deals well with foreign language, which is a huge plus as we do many books with mixed languages.  It also does not balk at poorly-scanned materials; oftentimes the OCR is virtually perfect with Omnipage, so again, less manual labor to fix problems.

Adobe’s OCR is good in a pinch, for something that will be a quick read, but you will get a better result overall with a true OCR program.  Even scanners that come with OCR software don’t use Adobe.  They use CapturePerfect’s engine, or some other, that produces a better-quality result.  Adobe is great for breaking up files or cropping or other types of editing, but really substandard in Adobe.

Additionally, I will say that cost should almost NEVER be a factor when deciding which software to use – functionality/quality of production is the ONLY consideration.  Creating substandard materials because the campus is too cheap to pay for appropriate tools will not win you any friends if you are sued by the Office of Civil Rights (either DOJ or DOE). Also, having better tools will mean less labor time to get the right accessible text for your student, and saved time is saved money.

We create thousands of accessible documents every single semester, the vast majority of which were originally PDFs. I have consistently for 20 years, for functional, effective software and hardware in order to produce quality materials for students. I pretend I do not know the meaning of the word “no” when it comes to requesting what we need to do our jobs.


Susan Kelmer
Alternate Format Production Program Manager
Disability Services
Division of Student Affairs
T 303 735 4836
www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices<http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices>


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From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Robert Spangler
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2021 11:25 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Replacing Adobe Pro with FoxIT Pro

Hi Susan, thanks for your reply.  Can you explain more why OCR isn't as good in Adobe as it is in Abbyy?  We have a very old version of Abbyy which is no longer supported, and I would probably have a hard time making the argument to purchase both Abbyy and Adobe, or Abbyy and FoxIT as it may be in the future.  I personally have not found Adobe OCR to be a problem, but I'm sure the volume of OCR work you do exceeds mine so you'd have a better idea.

Robert


On Wed, Jun 16, 2021 at 1:16 PM Susan Kelmer <Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu<mailto:Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu>> wrote:
If you are using Adobe Pro for OCR, you are missing better functionality that could be had with Abbyy Finereader or Omnipage (we are an Omni shop and I would never count on Adobe Pro for OCR). We only use Adobe Pro for breaking up files or fixing reading order, that sort of thing.  Its ability to OCR is definitely substandard. ☹

I cannot speak for the accessibility of FoxIT, so hopefully others have good, solid answers.


Susan Kelmer
Alternate Format Production Program Manager
Disability Services
Division of Student Affairs
T 303 735 4836
www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices<http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices>


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From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Robert Spangler
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2021 11:09 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: [Athen] Replacing Adobe Pro with FoxIT Pro

Hi all, our campus is encouraging all units to stop purchasing Adobe Pro, and instead switch to FoxIT Pro.  We primarily use Adobe Pro for OCR  as well as editing book scans and publisher files.  Does anyone here have experience with FoxIT?  How is its accessibility with screen readers?  I understand that the ability of blind people to edit PDFs is limited anyway, but is navigating the program interface accessible?  Can it perform OCR as well as Adobe, and handle all the book editing functions?  Thanks for your responses!

Robert


--
Robert Spangler
Disability Services Technical Support Specialist, Office of Learning Resources (OLR)
University of Dayton
Ryan C. Harris Learning Teaching Center (LTC)
Roesch Library Room: 023
Phone: 937-229-2066
* All appointments are being held remotely at this time.
For Deaf/Hard of Hearing, call 711 (Ohio Relay)
For office hours and further OLR information, please visit
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Robert Spangler
Disability Services Technical Support Specialist, Office of Learning Resources (OLR)
University of Dayton
Ryan C. Harris Learning Teaching Center (LTC)
Roesch Library Room: 023
Phone: 937-229-2066
* All appointments are being held remotely at this time.
For Deaf/Hard of Hearing, call 711 (Ohio Relay)
For office hours and further OLR information, please visit
go.udayton.edu/<http://go.udayton.edu/learning>olr
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
The information contained in this electronic message is confidential and intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail or any of its components is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please "reply" to the sender.
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--
Robert Spangler
Disability Services Technical Support Specialist, Office of Learning Resources (OLR)
University of Dayton
Ryan C. Harris Learning Teaching Center (LTC)
Roesch Library Room: 023
Phone: 937-229-2066
* All appointments are being held remotely at this time.
For Deaf/Hard of Hearing, call 711 (Ohio Relay)
For office hours and further OLR information, please visit
go.udayton.edu/<http://go.udayton.edu/learning>olr
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
The information contained in this electronic message is confidential and intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail or any of its components is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please "reply" to the sender.
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