Getting Paper in to Kurzweil
Scanning Documents for Use in Kurzweil
Scan Your Document
Use any scanner, including your school photocopier. Just make sure that the format you create
is a PDF document. Save that file to a location that you can access from a computer with
Kurzweil installed.
Convert to Kurzweil format
Note your version of Kurzweil
Version 13 – the steps below will work on any computer with Kurzweil installed.
Version 12 – you must use the one computer in your building that has the
“Professional” version installed. If you don’t know where that is,
ask a special educator in your building or contact Linda Wilson.
1.
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Open the PDF from Kurzweil (see note above)
Open Kurzweil
Select FileOpen or click the Open button in the toolbar
Allow Kurzweil to process the document. You can see progress in the lower left hand
corner.
2. Save the file in Kurzweil format before working on any needed changes
 Before you start, go ahead and choose FileSave As and be sure to save in Kurzweil
format
 When you are finished checking over the document and making any changes, you can
just click the Save button in the toolbar.
3. Check for accuracy
 Click the Read button to hear how the document will sound. Most documents will come
out just fine and you may not need to do anything further.
 If there are problems with the reading order or if Kurzweil attempts to read sections of the
page that are not text, then use the Zone Editor. (see below)
 Listen for speech recognition errors. Reading material containing mathematical
equations, or diagrams with labels may not read correctly. If you need to make
corrections, then Edit the Underlying Text. (see below)
 If your document contains important proper names that Kurzweil is not reading correctly,
for example, a passage containing Native American tribe names, then you might want to
Edit Pronunciation. (see below)
Using the Zone Editor to Correct the Reading Order
 To enter the Zone Editor, choose Scan  Zone Editor
HIAT AT Quick Guide – Kurzweil: Scanning – Rev. 11/14 - p. 1
Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
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All the readable parts of the page will be
inside a yellow box
Left click on the zone you want to change.
Then right click on the zone and choose
Properties from the pop-up menu
You can change the reading order and zone
type.
Secondary text is read only if the student
clicks on it. This is useful for sidebar text,
captions, and page numbers.
Sometimes Kurzweil tries to read things it
shouldn’t. You can delete the entire zone
and make Kurzweil skip those elements on
the page. Left click on the zone, then right
click on the same zone and choose Delete
Zone
You might need to delete a zone, and then add several smaller zones to make things
work. For example, in the picture above, you’ll need to delete the zone that includes
the picture of the hand. Then add smaller zones that contain the text only. To add a
zone, right click in any white space on the page and choose “Add Zone.” Once you
add your zones, be sure to correct the reading order.
Close the Zone Editor by choosing Scan  Zone Editor again
Changing how the text is read using Edit Underlying Text
 Make sure you complete Zone Editing, if necessary, first
 Choose Edit  Correct Recognition  Edit Underlying Text
 You will get a split screen that shows the page at the top, and the “underlying text” or
the way that Kurzweil is reading at the bottom. You can click on any word on the
page in the top half of the screen and then change what Kurzweil actually says in the
bottom half of the screen
HIAT AT Quick Guide – Kurzweil: Scanning – Rev. 11/14 - p. 2
Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
Changing word pronunciation:
 You can change word pronunciation. For example, proper names or words (e.g. math
and science terms) that are not accurately pronounced can be changed within a
document.
 Choose Tools  Pronunciations (CTRL-F7)
 Fill in the information. Use the Test buttons to make sure you are getting the
pronunciation the way you like it.
HIAT AT Quick Guide – Kurzweil: Scanning – Rev. 11/14 - p. 3
Montgomery County Public Schools, MD