Need advice from tech-savvy people. Confused!

[Greta]

My daughter is going to be taking an Algebra distance-learning course this fall. She will need to be able to convert multiples pages of handwritten work into PDF files to submit to her teacher. I'm trying to figure out how best to do this.

 

She has a Mac mini desktop with Mountain Lion.

 

I guess we have three choices:

 

1. She could do the work on real paper, then scan it in (we do have a flatbed scanner), and then use (what kind of software???) to compile multiple pages into one file.

 

2. We could use the iPad that I already own - buy a stylus and an appropriate app.

 

3. We could buy a new digital tablet of some sort.

 

Now, here's the questions and the problems that I'm running into with each of these options:

 

1. Our scanner is pretty slow so this is going to end up being tedious. And I don't know what kind of software I would need to save multiple pages of scans into one file.

 

2. I read some reviews of styluses (is that the correct plural form?) and that doesn't seem to be a problem. But when I read reviews of apps such as Paper, it says that saving as a PDF results in a huge loss of resolution and ends up unreadable.

 

3. Which tablets are Mac compatible and can save multiple pages as a single PDF file? Lanny here on the boards said that his daughter uses a Wacom Bamboo tablet, and they've had great success with it. But they have a PC. When I read the negative reviews of it on amazon, many of them were complaining that despite the claim, the devices are in fact not Mac compatible. The school she'll be enrolled in recommends a DigiMemo L2. Husband is thinking maybe a Galaxy. Any advice here?

 

Thanks for any and all help!

[soufflegirl]

I have a Mac and an Epson printer/scanner. When I scan something the preview screen that pops up on the computer gives me the option to save multiple pages as one file, I believe. Does yours not do that?

 

Also, there are free apps that will scan and convert papers into PDFs. The easiest thing would be to load one of those onto the iPad, make the PDF, and then email the file.

[Greta]

Thanks. No, my scanner doesn't do that. It's really REALLY old.

 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you were getting at in your second paragraph, but scan it using my iPad? I have the simplest first generation iPad, it doesn't have a camera or any way of scanning.

[soufflegirl]

Thanks. No, my scanner doesn't do that. It's really REALLY old.

 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you were getting at in your second paragraph, but scan it using my iPad? I have the simplest first generation iPad, it doesn't have a camera or any way of scanning.

When you scan something using the scanner, what sort of file does it get saved as? She should be able to export it as a PDF from the Mac.

 

As for the app, I had forgotten that the earlier iPads didn't have cameras. Does anyone have a smartphone? That would work as well.

 

The only other thing I can think of would be to take a picture of her paper with a digital camera, load it onto the computer, and either export it as one PDF or email the picture to herself on the iPad and try to find an app that will take files you already have and switch them to PDFs. I've never tried that but I would imagine something like that might exist. Seems like an awful lot of steps, though.

[Greta]

Oh, yes, sorry I wasn't clear. The scanner does let me save as a PDF, but one page at a time. They said specifically that I'd need to be able to put multiple pages together as one file. I'm sure there's got to be an easy way to do that, I just don't know what it is.

 

Daughter has a iPod touch, much more recent than my iPad. Maybe we could use that.

[City Mouse]

I just looked in the App Store on my iPod, and there is an app for sale called TinyScan. It says it will work on iPad or iPhone so it should work on her iPod touch.

It looks as if you would use the app to take a picture of the page and the save it as a PDF. I get the impression that it will save multiple pages in the same file, but I am not positive on that. For $4.99 it is worth a shot.

 

Probably your next best option is a new scanner/printer that will allow you to scan multiple pages in one file.

 

We have an old Brother something that will do that when we use the software that cane with the printer. When I just use the Windows Fax Scan software that came on my computer, I can andy have one page in a document as you described.

 

I just went back to check out the app, and there is also a free version. I can't tell what the difference is yet, but I am going to get the free version to try it out.

[Greta]

Thank you so much!

[soufflegirl]

On the desktop Mac itself, if you go into Applications, do you have Image Capture? If you play around with the settings and you select PDF there should be a check box to combine everything into one document.

[Greta]

Oh, that's great to know! I do have Image Capture, just never discovered that feature. Thanks!

[Alessandra]

My daughter is going to be taking an Algebra distance-learning course this fall. She will need to be able to convert multiples pages of handwritten work into PDF files to submit to her teacher. I'm trying to figure out how best to do this.

 

She has a Mac mini desktop with Mountain Lion.

 

We have a regular iMac running Mountain Lion.

 

I guess we have three choices:

 

1. She could do the work on real paper, then scan it in (we do have a flatbed scanner), and then use (what kind of software???) to compile multiple pages into one file.

 

2. We could use the iPad that I already own - buy a stylus and an appropriate app.

 

We use a stylus and iPad quite a bit, but I do not like it for extended detailed writing. iPads recognize finger touches, so the tip of an iPad stylus is broad and rounded, like a fingertip. Personally, I find it quite disconcerting to write with a stylus.

 

3. We could buy a new digital tablet of some sort.

 

We just got a Bamboo Capture, which comes with a wonderful fine-point stylus. It works fine with a Mac, not plug and play, but the installation disk is simple ('install' is all I remember). I *think* the limiting factor about compatibility might be the app you are using it with??? We got the Bamboo to use with a graphics program and a CAD program. But I would not want to use it to do math -- you write on the tablet, but only see your work on the screen. This would take some getting used to, imo.

 

Now, here's the questions and the problems that I'm running into with each of these options:

 

1. Our scanner is pretty slow so this is going to end up being tedious. And I don't know what kind of software I would need to save multiple pages of scans into one file.

 

We have a multifunction machine that I ADORE. Canon Pixma MX892. It has a documnet feeder, so you put in your papers to scan, single sided or double sided, or a combination. Select various options, like auto align paper (if it is at a bit of a slant), recognize right-side up and upside down and orient correctly, etc. Then you get a bunch of thumbnails. Say you have scanned 12 pages. You can save 6 pages as one pdf, 4 pages as another, and so on, just by checking the boxes next to the pdfs. It will be saved in the order you check the boxes.

 

I got the printer last year, so the model numbers may be different now. Btw, printing with the Canon is expensive. I use a Brother duplex laser for all my b&w printing.

 

2. I read some reviews of styluses (is that the correct plural form?) and that doesn't seem to be a problem. But when I read reviews of apps such as Paper, it says that saving as a PDF results in a huge loss of resolution and ends up unreadable.

 

I have Paper by 53, Notes Plus, Evernote, Penultimate, Bamboo Paper, and Notability The apps I use most are Notability and Notes Plus. But I find the stylus a bit disconcerting for extensive writing. (See above.)

 

3. Which tablets are Mac compatible and can save multiple pages as a single PDF file? Lanny here on the boards said that his daughter uses a Wacom Bamboo tablet, and they've had great success with it. But they have a PC. When I read the negative reviews of it on amazon, many of them were complaining that despite the claim, the devices are in fact not Mac compatible. The school she'll be enrolled in recommends a DigiMemo L2. Husband is thinking maybe a Galaxy. Any advice here?

 

My Wacom Bamboo works fine with my iMac running Mountain Lion. (See above for details.)

 

Thanks for any and all help!

 

Hope this helps!