Nuance PaperPort Pro Editor's Review

Scan and manage all of your hard copy documents with this best of class Windows application.

Anyone with a lot of paper documentation or photos needs a scanner. If you have a scanner, then you no doubt have taken a look at the software that came with it and have found it wanting.  Scanners today are very affordable.  The biggest problem with scanners isn't the hardware; it’s the software that goes with it. This is why I like Nuance PaperPort Pro. It’s a complete document and photograph scanning solution for Windows.

Most everyone that's scanned a document has bumped into the strong likelihood that it didn't come out exactly the way you wanted, requiring you to re-scan it. More than likely, the scan needed some kind of enhancement that your scanner simply doesn't provide. PaperPort Professional gives you SET (Scanner Enhancement Technology) Tools to correct your scans. PaperPort's customizable scanning profiles let you automate your corrections. Simply use one of the five included profiles or create your own custom profile. Auto-straighten, auto-enhance, auto-crop and more. One click and you get perfect scans the first time, every time.

PaperPort also provides a complete end-to-end document solution for scanning, converting, organizing, assembling and sharing your documents. PaperPort Professional goes further than other solutions by organizing all of your scanned documents and photos as large, clear thumbnail images on its desktop. This allows you to quickly find the files you're looking for based not only on their name but also by their type and appearance.

PaperPort Professional includes Nuance PDF Create, which allows you to create PDF files from any application, to scan to PDF, search PDF files, annotate, highlight, and merge PDF documents, etc. You can share your PDF files with a simple drag and drop. Working with all of your documents is as easy as stacking paper.

Pro’s: Document organization

Con’s: Expensive

Conclusion: PaperPort Professional is an awesome application.  Unfortunately, it's expensive.  I also had a great deal of trouble locating a demo version to try before you buy.  The software can do a great deal, and its features will be a huge value-add for those with a lot of paper they want to scan and shred.  Unfortunately, its price point makes it impractical to simply purchase without a demo version.