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one pixel at a time
Feb. 6th, 2004 11:55 amI just spent the morning trying to fill out one of the many official forms that our fair commonwealth considers fit to print, but not to make available electronically. The staggering number of checkoff lists make it too daunting to retype into a word processor, even if that wouldn't invalidate its legality. I can't write small enough (or consistently enough, or given the state of my hands, ENOUGH) to give them all the information they want in the space they provide. I've drafted the bulk of it as over 10 pages of 10pt text, but it has to be distributed over a 30 page document.
Once upon a time, this would have been a job for a typewriter. (I don't think I've even seen a typewriter since 1998.) I tried to scan the pages, and insert the required information with a photo editor. I don't know if this is more difficult than necessary because I'm inexperienced with photo editing, or because my company computers are Microsoft-addicted. But it was monstrously difficult, until it turned out to be impossible. The file (for a single unmodified page of the form) is too big to open with Photoshop. Imaging can open it, and insert text (though never in the right place), but cannot change the font size of inserted text (it's too big to fit). Saving files causes all the annotations to be discarded. Files cannot be printed at all.
I want to take the scanned form (currently a jpg), and transform it into something reasonably compatible with word processing. Rumor has it that commercial software exists to do this. My web search found lots of products to make forms, programming in html or related languages...I don't think that's quite what I'm looking for. I have no clue about making web forms, and no interest in the topic, unless it turns out to be the only/best way to transform information from pixels to words and spacebreaks. Can someone help?
Once upon a time, this would have been a job for a typewriter. (I don't think I've even seen a typewriter since 1998.) I tried to scan the pages, and insert the required information with a photo editor. I don't know if this is more difficult than necessary because I'm inexperienced with photo editing, or because my company computers are Microsoft-addicted. But it was monstrously difficult, until it turned out to be impossible. The file (for a single unmodified page of the form) is too big to open with Photoshop. Imaging can open it, and insert text (though never in the right place), but cannot change the font size of inserted text (it's too big to fit). Saving files causes all the annotations to be discarded. Files cannot be printed at all.
I want to take the scanned form (currently a jpg), and transform it into something reasonably compatible with word processing. Rumor has it that commercial software exists to do this. My web search found lots of products to make forms, programming in html or related languages...I don't think that's quite what I'm looking for. I have no clue about making web forms, and no interest in the topic, unless it turns out to be the only/best way to transform information from pixels to words and spacebreaks. Can someone help?
