QUESTION: My organization wants to convert procedure and reference manuals from print to electronic format. Can you recommend a process or software to handle this?

You have a choice of several methods. Your first step is to determine whether soft (electronic) copies of the documents exist on disk or hard drive. If you can't find an existing electronic copy, check with the printing service, which may have used or created an electronic version.

If documents are in electronic form already, you have at least five choices:

1. Convert documents to PDFs (Portable Document Format) using software such as Adobe Acrobat. Converting documents to this format is as easy as printing documents with a regular printer. The benefit of PDF files is that anyone with a computer can download the compatible free reader to view files. For example, anyone can download Acrobat Reader for free at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.
   
   If accessibility is a concern, however, PDFs may not be the best choice. Although Adobe Acrobat offers features to make PDFs accessible to people with disabilities, the process is complex. About.com offers additional information on PDFs.
   
   
2. Leave documents in their original format if they were created with MS Word, WordPerfect, or PDF. Build a library on your Webpage that points to each document and allows users to open them directly on their desktop. Be sure to provide links and instructions for downloading software that users may need to view documents.
   
   
3. Convert files into HTML-based Webpages. Microsoft applications can convert documents automatically. However, you may need someone knowledgeable about HTML and Web authoring tools to reorganize and format text after conversion. We also recommend having a subject matter expert help optimize and reformat the document, because converting from print to Web often requires content revisions. What works well on paper doesn't always work well on the Web.
   
   
4. Create a database using such programs as Microsoft Access. Create a template for data entry and set up a report format that prints information in readable form. You can create drop-down boxes and key word search options to help people navigate documents. You can also allow users to customize the type of information they see, for example abstracts or full documents. Consult someone with knowledge of Access or Cold Fusion during development of this option.
   
   
5. If your organization is using the manual's content for training, consider creating the groundwork for building learning objects. As material is converted, objects can be developed and stored for later use. To learn more about this option, see these articles:
   
   "Primer on Learning Objects"
   "The Instructional Use of Learning Objects"
   "Learning Objects."

If there are no electronic versions of documents, you'll need to scan each page. The quality of the scan will depend on the quality of the scanner. If you need to buy a scanner, you must first determine whether you want the scan in color and what the speed and resolution requirements are for any graphics. Comparison shop to find a scanner that meets your organization's needs and budget.

Keep in mind that scanned-only documents process as images and may download slowly. To make scanned documents more easily accessible to people with older and slower technology, use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software to convert scanned copy to digital text files. You can find more information on scanning at About.com's desktop publishing site and Learn2.com.

If manuals are text only, a final option is the laborious process of re-keying the content.

Published: August 2001