Notes: This bulletin is designed to provide information and examples for inputting data into PastPerfect without manually retyping the information. Specifically, this procedure will walk the user through capturing the text from a document and placing it into the abstract of the PastPerfect Archives catalog.

This procedure is written for HP PrecisionScan Pro 2.51 and utilizes a HP 5370 scanner. If your scanner has the ability to convert an image to text, you should be able to adapt this procedure using your scanner software. Very little of this process requires PastPerfect and you may find many outside uses for this technology.

Scanning the document:

1. Insert the document face down on the scanner aligned properly.
2. Start the scanning software and preview the image. This may take several seconds.
3. Select the area around the text you want to capture. (Click and drag a capture box.)
4. Click “Output Type” and select “Text”.
5. Save this file to your desktop using a name that will identify this text.
6. When the scan has finished and gone through the processing, close or minimize the Scanning Software
7. Double-click on the file you just created on your desktop. (This should open the file in windows Word Pad or Notepad program. The program that opens the file is NOT important!)
8. Highlight the text you want to put into PastPerfect
9. Hold down the Ctrl key on the bottom of your keyboard and tap the letter C key. (This is the windows shortcut command for COPY. You will not see an effect on the screen. Have faith that it is working!)

Putting the text into PastPerfect:
You can put this text in any memo field in PastPerfect. The size of the document is not of concern, but remember, the more words you put into PastPerfect, the longer searches and reindexing will take.

1. Open PastPerfect
2. Go to the archival record you want to attach the text to and click “Edit.”
3. Put your cursor in the field you want to put the text into and click. (The cursor should be flashing.)
4. Hold down the Ctrl key and tap the letter V key. (This is the windows shortcut command for PASTE.)
5. Look over the record making sure you put the data in the right place, then save the record.

Before you can search PastPerfect for this new text, you should reindex and rebuild keyword indexes. You don’t need to reindex and rebuild each time you enter data using this method, BUT you do need to reindex and rebuild before performing a search!

If you have trouble getting useful archival images into PastPerfect, please contact our Technical Support Office.