Software Review of:
Pagis Pro 
2.0 

1. Textbridge
2. Pagis
3. Page Copier
4. MGI PhotoSuite. 

Pagis was easy to install, but be sure your scanner drives are installed. I was not going to let my old scanner program give my new scanner program any problems so I uninstalled the whole thing; so guess who had to go back and reinstall. I am a fairly new PC user so my ability may have limited my review in the context of a seasoned user. The problems I encountered were not due to the Pagis program but primarily due to my inadequate ability and knowledge. Especially for this reason I really liked the program. It was very user friendly The scanning process itself was a breeze and a delight compared to the software that came with my scanner. Also the quality of the scanned pic/doc was great. The documentation that comes with Pagis Pro is very good, detailed and many illustrations. The tech support is very good and Eric (first name basis) was very patient and helpful. My expectations from the box information were met. There didn't appear to be any exaggerations. 

The tools that Pagis Pro 2.0 added to windows are: 
 

Pagis In Box	This is the control center for Pagis Pro operations. It sits on your desktop for easy access. It contains thumb nails, standard menus, tool bars, and view details. You can access tool bars, send to bars, and smart compression from this window.
Tool Bar	A Tool Bar will start up on your desktop if you specify during installation. The Tool Bar is also integrated into the Pagis Inbox as a docking tool bar. It contains: scan, copy, fax, edit, search, update, index and help. The Tool Bar provides the most convenient way to launch Pagis Pro Tools.
Send Bar	The Send Bar will also start up on Windows desktop. During instillation, Pagis will ask what links you want and it suggests all of them; so I did — and it did — and now I have all the links a person could want. The Send Bar can only contain links the programs you have installed on your computer My Send Bar contains links to Textbridge Pro, Word, Acrobat reader, Excel, Exchange, Internet Explorer, Paint, MS Works, Netscape Navigator, Netscape Communicator, Netscape Mail, Notepad, Outlook, Photo Editor, Power Point, MGI PhotoSuite, Wang Image Viewer, Wordpad, Write, Pagis print driver, Net-it Publisher, Bit Ware Fax, MS Fax, and HP 1000C printer. WHEW!! As you can see I have the resources to do anything I want to a scanned image. Now the trick is to learn the rest of the story (programs). It is easy to add applications to the Send Bar, simply click and hold on the applications icon in Windows, then drag it to the Send Bar. The create shortcut wizard appears. Follow the wizards directions and add the application link.
Smart  Compression	Smart Compression is also a part of Pagis Inbox. Users can create small image files by using the XIF and XIFF formats. XIFF (eXtended Image File Format) images are approximately 20X smaller than uncompressed 24 bit TIFF images.  This format differs from other document images by enabling different compression methods, color depths, and resolutions to be applied within a single page. The result is better quality images and greater efficiency With Smart Compression, OCR accuracy is improved and pictures are enhanced. These files are stored in a layered and offset fashion. XIFF features also include page-table indexing, tokenized compression (each symbol being represented with a reference to a matching symbol ex: one image of the letter "e" is stored for all matching "e’s" in the file.
Scanning	To scan a document:  Go to Pagis Inbox and click the scan button on the Tool Bar. Select the type of document to be scanned. If you are not sure which one to choose, select any document. Be sure auto scan is deselected if you desire a format other than XIF/XIFF. When sending e-mail this format can't be seen unless you have a viewer. A viewer can be downloaded from www.pagis.com and then sent with your document via e-mail. There are over 40 file formats including JPEG, Flash Pix, GIF, etc. If you only need or want a part of a pic/doc select pre-scan and crop as desired. If whole pic/doc is desired then click scan. Scan. Save - after the pic/doc has been scanned you need to click on the save button. Name the file and select the format, such as BMP. Also you need to select the folder you are going to save it in.  Now if you want to send the image to a paint program, e-mail, fax or printer you can do so by dragging it on the perspective icon on the Send Bar. You can also scan directly into Word, Outlook, MGI PhotoSuite, etc. MGI PhotoSuite is the modifying tool for graphic documents.
Copying	In Scan Tool there is a tab for copying. You can select the number of copies you want by clicking on the arrow keys. Also you can choose size, enhancement, and collation as needed. After doc/pic has scanned select the print button and it will print in the manor you have selected. Note: On this page there is not a box to check for a color copy, so it will copy in black and white. If you go through Pagis Inbox and click on the copy machine you will get a color copy box. After clicking color the image will be printed in color. The copy function can be found under Pagis in the main menu bar.
Faxing and  e-mailng	Faxing and e-mailng are very easy because all you have to do is drag and drop from your Pagis Inbox to your particular mail program icon on your Tool Bar. Then fill in your e-mail address of fax phone information and attach or send it.

Another neat feature is the ability to scan and type into a form. Before scanning you need to select Form, Page, Type and then scan. Upon saving the document it goes to Pagis Editor. Pull down the forms menu in Pagis Editor and choose select fields. Then just type and tab to fill in the form. 

Textbridge Pro is an OCR program that can stand alone or be used in Pagis Pro. Textbridge cannot process color or gray scale page images. Page images need to be scanned in black and white. 

This is just a superficial rendering of this wonderful program. There are so many attributes connected to this program it would take a 2 ½  inch book to tell you about it (that's the size of the book that comes with the program). I would recommend Pagis Pro 2.0 to anyone no matter what program they have now. It is available at Comp USA for $99.99 which is also its recommended retail price. Pagis Pro was not available at Best Buy (their loss). 

The system requirements are: Intel (compatible) Pentium PC, VGA, SVGA, or Multisync color monitor, 24 MB of RAM (32 recommended). 

Pagis Pro 2.0 Scanning Suite by 

ScanSoft Inc. a Xerox Co. 
9 Centennial Dr 
Peabody, Mass. 01960 
978/977-6304 (Tel.) 
978/977-2434 (Fax)