Author Topic: Abbyy screenshot reader (Read 20623 times)

Steven Avery · « **on:** December 20, 2014, 04:33 AM »

Abby Screenshot Reader
http://www.abbyy.com/bonussr/

(Added 1/6/2015 this might be the best url:
http://www.abbyy.com...enshot_reader_bonus/ )

And I don't see any catch. I bought this years ago for one user for $10. Now it is about $30.
Apparently the registration is now checking that it is one PC (just happened today first time.)

An incredible program if you need text extracts on-the-fly from google books and stuff like that.
(Any good alternatives?)

Note the Business Card reader too.

Steven

IainB · « **Reply #1 on:** December 20, 2014, 05:19 AM »

They had Abbyy Screenshot Reader as a Christmas giveaway a while back, and it was very good value ($FREE).
I already had a newer version of it as part of the bundled software that came with my EPSON Perfection V330 Photo Scanner in 2011.
I recall that Abbyy disabled (couldn't support) the thing at some point because it was not compatible with Win7 or something. Didn't bother me anyway, as I was already using OneNote by that stage, which has OCR integrated and a much better OCR clipping function in Send to OneNote.

Refer, for example:
free ABBYY Screenshot Reader
ABBYY Screenshot Reader free Christmas promotion.

Though the Abbyy Screenshot Reader was great, I never could really see the need for the business card reader - it seemed a bit archaic, to me, business cards being kinda passé. However, I guess it could help to get rid of all those accumulated business cards we used to have, if they were not already thrown away, that is.

Steven Avery · « **Reply #2 on:** December 20, 2014, 06:16 AM »

Hi,

I may try OneNote as an additional method. It says Windows 7 and 8. Also free (is that new?).

Wonder if it has a version running on XP.

On the PC XP where it had the new message, something like "license already in use PC-ABC" (another nearby Win7 puter ... this happened after an image and then Abbyy reinstall on the XP) I tried an uninstall and then new install of the December special. Same type of message. May write them. Possibly the serial # is kept on disk, or some footprint, or something. And then cloud referenced. Maybe they go by name (easy enough to check that.)

Correction: that may have been a different download. The one I want should come from an email. My bad. I think that was the trial that gave the message. It still should not have happened.
Will report back later.

Either way .. note that Abbyy has a one license, one puter, possible enforcement.

Steven

tomos · « **Reply #3 on:** December 20, 2014, 12:44 PM »

I may try OneNote as an additional method. It says Windows 7 and 8. Also free (is that new?).
-Steven Avery (December 20, 2014, 06:16 AM)

there's a couple of threads here about that which are worth reading if you're thinking of using the free version
https://www.donation...;search=onenote+free

IainB · « **Reply #4 on:** December 20, 2014, 04:05 PM »

...Either way .. note that Abbyy has a one license, one puter, possible enforcement. ...
-Steven Avery (December 20, 2014, 06:16 AM)

The previous FREE ABBY Screenshot Reader "RETAIL" (Christmas giveaway) also installed a licence server Service (you cannot seem to run the ABBY software without having that service running). One more overhead.
Presumably this is probably still the case with the latest Christmas giveaway.

IainB · « **Reply #5 on:** December 20, 2014, 04:16 PM »

I may try OneNote as an additional method. It says Windows 7 and 8. Also free (is that new?).
-Steven Avery (December 20, 2014, 06:16 AM)
there's a couple of threads here about that which are worth reading if you're thinking of using the free version
https://www.donation...;search=onenote+free
-tomos (December 20, 2014, 12:44 PM)

I wouldn't recommend it as it seems to be purely web-based offer. If the user wants to get the captures into a locally-available OneNote Notebook, then I think he would need to install OneNote on the client.
I'd suggest looking at MS Office 2013 US$9.95 Corporate/Enterprise Home Use Program - Mini-Review
Not $FREE but an amazing deal if you can avail yourself of it.

IainB · « **Reply #6 on:** January 04, 2015, 10:43 PM »

Thought I'd cross-post this relevant item from: Re: free ABBYY Screenshot Reader.

This relates to the above discussion and some separate discussions:
As a result of pursuing the idea of getting OCR data out of any text-containing images in my CHS database (per this request here: Feature request: automatic OCR of captured images.), I "Ducked" (DuckDuckgo) for things relevant to the subject, and happened upon this interesting post:
FREE OCR software: a survey of desktop and online tools - freewaregenius.com
Jun 18, 2013 By Priit 35 Comments
...
16. ABBYY Screenshot Reader
ABBYY Screenshot Reader is a screen capture software that can do screenshot OCR on the fly. Excellent recognition quality, amazing number of 160+ input languages can be selected, also multiple languages at a time. It can nicely handle data tables. ABBYY Screenshot Reader is reviewed here.
...

Out of interest, I downloaded and installed the free ABBYY OCR clipping tool (it is now v9.0.0.1331) and then ran a comparison between it and OneNote's OCR clipping tool using an image containing a table.
The result? Very interesting. A hands-down win by the ABBYY tool:

lanux128 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 05, 2015, 02:25 AM »

The previous FREE ABBY Screenshot Reader "RETAIL" (Christmas giveaway) also installed a licence server Service (you cannot seem to run the ABBY software without having that service running). One more overhead.
Presumably this is probably still the case with the latest Christmas giveaway.
-IainB (December 20, 2014, 04:05 PM)

is this license server service still present in the newer versions?

IainB · « **Reply #8 on:** January 05, 2015, 04:59 AM »

The previous FREE ABBY Screenshot Reader "RETAIL" (Christmas giveaway) also installed a licence server Service (you cannot seem to run the ABBY software without having that service running). One more overhead.
Presumably this is probably still the case with the latest Christmas giveaway.
-IainB (December 20, 2014, 04:05 PM)
is this license server service still present in the newer versions?
-lanux128 (January 05, 2015, 02:25 AM)

Looks like it. There is a process called the ABBYY NetworkLicenseServer.exe running:

OCR - ABBYY Screen Clip - NetworkLicenseServer-exe.jpg

lanux128 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 05, 2015, 08:14 PM »

thanks for the info, IainB. i do wonder what is the purpose of phoning home to check the validity of a free version.

Steven Avery · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2015, 02:20 AM »

thanks for the info, IainB. i do wonder what is the purpose of phoning home to check the validity of a free version.
-lanux128 (January 05, 2015, 08:14 PM)

Abbyy is not generally free, although it always has been an excellent deal.

So the phone-home has at least the purpose to see that the registration is not used on too many puters. They either did not want to change that for the freebie, and/or they did not want one free serial number to be on a boatload of puters. And I did get that msg for the first time in years about two weeks ago (probably two puters were involved at the same time, although generally that had not been a problem, maybe they called home in close time proximity, hard to say. This was right before seeing the notice above about bonus Abbyy.)

Overall, if you want quick, light, reasonably accurate OCR, and with multiple language support, it is hard to overstate how excellent is this program. I would wink at the occasional puzzlement about services. Once years ago I had some services problem and Abbyy had very good support to explain and fix.

Steven

IainB · « **Reply #11 on:** January 06, 2015, 04:52 AM »

Not to labour the point, but please do note that the comparison of OCR'd table data that I posted details about (above) - and much to my pleasant surprise - definitively contradicts/refutes my earlier statement:

...
I recall that Abbyy disabled (couldn't support) the thing at some point because it was not compatible with Win7 or something. Didn't bother me anyway, as I was already using OneNote by that stage, which has OCR integrated and a much better OCR clipping function in Send to OneNote. ...
-IainB (December 20, 2014, 05:19 AM)

So the recommendation from me would be to get the ABBYY Screenshot Reader giveaway, as it is very good at what it does, if not better than most. That is, assuming one can forget about the apparent extra bloatware and the licence server phoning home.

Curt · « **Reply #12 on:** March 24, 2015, 10:37 AM »

ABBYY Screenshot Reader on Bits du Jour "tomorrow", at the usual $10 instead of $30

Tech specs: http://www.abbyy.com...t_reader/tech_specs/
Wednesday: http://www.bitsdujou...yy-screenshot-reader

However, if you go to the normal homepage, their asking price which I was given right now is €10, not "$30":

I don't bother to check what the asking price would be another day; I already have quite a few keys for this fine program - and I always paid $10.

Curt · « **Reply #13 on:** May 31, 2015, 11:15 AM »

and even cheaper: $6.99

http://www.bitsdujou...yy-screenshot-reader

Modified:

but again normal price seems to be €9.95 ?

I wonder when the price last actually was $30? $:-\$

Curt · « **Reply #14 on:** August 18, 2015, 03:12 AM »

and even cheaper: $6.99
http://www.bitsdujou...yy-screenshot-reader
but again normal price seems to be €9.95 ?
I wonder when the price last actually was $30? $:-\$
-Curt (May 31, 2015, 11:15 AM)

http://www.bitsdujou...yy-screenshot-reader

---

The price is plus any VAT

Steven Avery · « **Reply #15 on:** December 30, 2016, 10:05 AM »

This is quite a utility, I found this tool close to indispensable.

Buying two licenses today on Bits (my experience: they let you use the license more than one spot, after many installs they tell you oops, and you contact them for a refresh, to be safer I will have two.)

Screenshot Reader - Bits du Jour
http://www.bitsdujou...yy-screenshot-reader

rgdot · « **Reply #16 on:** March 30, 2017, 01:31 PM »

$6.99 today too, I clicked to finally get this. It showed me $19 Canadian. At current rate $6.99 would be ~$9.3
$6.99 has never been more than ~$11.50 in the last 30 years $:-\$

I commented on bdj asking if I could pay US funds, but added a single line 'this (price conversion) sounds like April Fool's joke', I guess they blocked it because my comment hasn't showed up hours later .....

tomos · « **Reply #17 on:** March 30, 2017, 02:04 PM »

$6.99 today too, I clicked to finally get this. It showed me $19 Canadian. At current rate $6.99 would be ~$9.3
$6.99 has never been more than ~$11.50 in the last 30 years $:-\$

I commented on bdj asking if I could pay US funds, but added a single line 'this (price conversion) sounds like April Fool's joke', I guess they blocked it because my comment hasn't showed up hours later .....
-rgdot (March 30, 2017, 01:31 PM)

sounds like a mistake - here (.de) if I go to buy, I get the option to choose the currency, if I choose CAD I get 9.23 (before local tax)

rgdot · « **Reply #18 on:** March 30, 2017, 02:17 PM »

Will try again, thanks.

tn_dang · « **Reply #19 on:** March 30, 2017, 04:20 PM »

The same happened to me. It displayed 9.32 CAD$. Once I clicked on the "Continue" button, the price changed to 19.32 CAD.

tn_dang · « **Reply #20 on:** March 30, 2017, 05:07 PM »

Well, I bought it using PayPal and paid it in US dollar. It costs me $9.59 CAD.

Steven Avery · « **Reply #21 on:** November 16, 2018, 12:31 PM »

This is the second day on the new Bits.
http://www.bitsdujou...yy-screenshot-reader

And I highly recommend this program, and the company support, and the price.