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 …
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