ScanSoft PaperPort Professional 10 review

You can also now choose which PDF standard to convert to: from 1.3 to 1.5, to allow those with older versions of Acrobat Reader to access them. You're able to set password encryption too, at 40- or 128-bit. PaperPort Professional 10 also lets you convert static PDF forms into fillable electronic forms. Form fields are automatically identified and created, allowing you to fill, save and email the form online or to print it out. Collaboration is enhanced by the ability to generate sticky notes and annotations, which can be seen in Reader as well.

Microsoft and Google may have tools that let you index/search your hard disk for text but they can't look inside PDF files; PaperPort Professional 10's new All-in-One metadata search facility does, though. Once configured, PaperPort can index images, image/text documents, PDFs and then search them. This can be a slow process, so it's possible to schedule it to take place when the computer isn't being used, such as overnight.

For enterprises drowning in a sea of paper, PaperPort Professional 10 throws out a lifeline. It remains a versatile tool for managing and manipulating paper and electronic documents, images, faxes and other files. If nothing else, it's a low-cost entry to PDF production.

Author: Roger Gann