Multi-page scanning in 10.6
I’m losing patience with Image Capture in 10.6. I want to scan a multi-page document into one single PDF file. I want to use the flatbed option on my printer/scanner, because either the paper feeder leaves black lines on my scanned documents or my original images won’t feed through the paper feeder. For the life of me, I can’t figure out how NOT to scan and create single image documents.
It was surprising for me to find that the consumer-level scan software distributed by scanner manufacturers no longer work in Snow Leopard. I kind of like what Apple did, but there is one major problem with it: Scanning can happen in three different places — Image Capture, Preview, and the printer/scanner queue for a given device — and while the engine is the same, and while it’s nice to have options, the whole setup strikes me as not fitting smoothly within the rest of OS X workflow. Plus it’s confusing.
So the possibility you need might be tucked away in Preview (see below), or it might be worth pursuing a third-party solution (see below, but less far down). Here’s what I found:
1) A freeware application: http://www.monkeybreadsoftware.de/Freeware/CombinePDFs.shtml
2) A hidden app on your Mac. I played with this, and it’s a little rudimentary. Be sure not to move the makePDF app from its folder:
3) Try this suggestion from Apple Discussions:
You can make single page .pdf files into a multiple page .pdf files in Preview. Open Preview, and its sidebar. Then drop each page ON TOP of page in the sidebar, then go to File-Save As, and name the new multiple page .pdf. You can also scan directly from Preview. Open Preview, then go to File > Import From Scanner. It will open up an Image Capture page from which you can scan. No need to open Image Capture.
Clarification from the same thread:
When you open up Preview and click on File > Import From Scanner and select your device, then click on the Show Details button and select Format: PDF and the Create Single Document button.
4) Finally, a hardware/software combination that I’ve been oggling. May not have to do with your problem, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless:
A brief review: NeatDesk Scanner and Digital Filing System – The TWiT Netcast …
February 22, 2010 | Filed Under Tech | Leave a Comment
Our standard setup for an external HD
First buy a LaCie Quadra drive, cos it’s the best value for a reliable drive with FireWire 800. Then plug it in, via FireWire if you have it, to your Mac. Then:
– Open Disk Utility
- Click on LaCie device (not the Setup Assistant partition)
- Go to Partition tab
- Change drop-down to 2 partitions
- Call partion 1 “Macintosh HD Clone” and make it the same size as her internal drive (120GB? 250?)
- Call partition 2 “Time Machine Backup” (size is whatever’s left)
- Hit Options button > use GUID Partition Table (so the hard drive is bootable on an intel machine)
- Click Apply. – Time Machine will ask if you wanna use the disk. Choose the “Time Machine Backup” volume. – We use SuperDuper (USD$27.95 from http://shirt-pocket.com) to clone the internal Macintosh HD to Macintosh HD Clone on a weekly basis for a super-important bootable backup.
- Click on LaCie device (not the Setup Assistant partition)
- Go to Partition tab
- Change drop-down to 2 partitions
- Call partion 1 “Macintosh HD Clone” and make it the same size as her internal drive (120GB? 250?)
- Call partition 2 “Time Machine Backup” (size is whatever’s left)
- Hit Options button > use GUID Partition Table (so the hard drive is bootable on an intel machine)
- Click Apply. – Time Machine will ask if you wanna use the disk. Choose the “Time Machine Backup” volume. – We use SuperDuper (USD$27.95 from http://shirt-pocket.com) to clone the internal Macintosh HD to Macintosh HD Clone on a weekly basis for a super-important bootable backup.
February 9, 2010 | Filed Under Tech | Leave a Comment
Glowing Apple MacBook skins
Robert Marcus wrote:
Like my new mac sticker?
Just kidding. Have you seen this and others? If not here's the link from Wired: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/amazing-iron-man-macbook-sticker/
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Jonathan Marcus <jjmarcus@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Feb 6, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Subject: Re: Like my new mac sticker?
To: Robert Marcus <joggernut@gmail.com> That's sweet. First one I knew of that took advantage of the Apple is this:
From: Jonathan Marcus <jjmarcus@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Feb 6, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Subject: Re: Like my new mac sticker?
To: Robert Marcus <joggernut@gmail.com> That's sweet. First one I knew of that took advantage of the Apple is this:
From http://www.pvpstuff.com/skins.html (heard about on MBW episode 156: http://wiki.twit.tv/wiki/MacBreak_Weekly_156). The glowing Apple's not in the shot, but it's right where the fingers touch.
(BTW, I'm putting this on the blog.)
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