scanner with ADF, no duplex...simple way to collate resulting 2 PDF's?

Have you tried the Combine Files feature?
One option is to merge multiple PDFs into one PDF.

Be well...

"multiple files" feature doesn't collate, at least not in this version of acrobat. (If it does in newer versions, please advise for my own fyi)

When merging many PDFs to one you have an opportunity to manual reposition the order of the individual files' placement in the final PDF (Binder.pdf).

but... tedious, no?Be well...

I understand that I can manually collate the merged file. I'm looking for an automated way to do this, i.e. a plugin, a stand-alone freeware or shareware (that may resort either PDF's or TIFF's), a javascript feature I can use in the Javascript Debugger in Acrobat, etc.

An approach towards solution: scan side 'one' of all pages to individual files using software provided by scanner's mfgr (example, ScanWizard for Microtek scanners) such that each page is delivered to an individual file (TIFF or PDF) named filename+001, filename+002, etc. (scanwizard serializes automatically); park the side 'one' pages in a folder. Then scan all the side 'two' pages in same way and use the same root name ('filename+' in this post) creating thereby a set of page 'two' files having names identical to the page 'one' set. You now must rename the page 'two' files so that you can place both sets in a folder (or just use Acrobat's 'create pdf from multiple files' tool) and that all the files will sort correctly without file name conflict. Rename the side 'two' set: append, for example, a '.2' (dot two) to the names of all the side 'two' files, yielding files named as follows: filename+001.2, filename+002.2, etc. (keep extensions hidden) Now all the files from both sets will sort in correct order when placed in a single folder. How to rename efficiently? Try the $15 shareware offered at this URL: http://www.filerenamer.net/index.htm
Note: I cannot vouch for 'filerenamer' because I use a utility of my own. But the blurb on 'filerenamer' sounds pretty good. Give it a go and plz report to the forum on results.

Thanks, this is the best answer I've seen. What utility of your own do you use, or do you mean you use a utility you wrote?

Let me take this message line one step further. I previously was solving this above problem the following way: using Microsoft Office Document Imaging, included with at least Office 2003 and newer. I had it setup that I could scan one side, then it would prompt me for the other side, and then resort them and put them together automatically. However, I've rebuilt my PC, installed all the software again, and now the software prompts me for the next page after each scan, despite the fact that I have an Automatic Document Feeder filled with the next pages. In other words, MODI is not automatically taking the next pages of the ADF, but waiting for my "ok" for each new scan, making the procedure manual. Now, the version of MODI I'm using is the same one, from the Office CD, and the scanner and its software is the same too. Having googled the issue, the claim is that MODI always behaves by prompting each new scan. Strange because in my previous computer build, this was not the case. Its as if MODI had a desireable glitch on my old machine that made it more efficient. I can't figure it out, but have relented and began searching for alternative methods.

So, I was really hoping for something as efficient as MODI used to be for me. Hit scan on one side, hit scan on the other, then the software puts it all together. Am I really the only person encountering this need and thus it is a need that hasn't been solved? It seems like such a shareware or something should be out there to do this.

Thanks!

I've determined the above "change" that resulted in MODI (or MDI as they call it) was due to the installation of Service Pack 3, which "fixed" some security issues...

For the future readers of this, here's the rest of the story, and my solution.

First, Jetsoft Collate offers a free trial for 30 days, this may help. There are some other free trials of other powertools too. However, after the trial, this software is multi-hundred dollar stuff.

My solution, which I stumbled upon, and given this forum not knowing of it, it must be a relatively unknown feature, is as follows:

Within Acrobat Pro 7.0 (at least, newer version likely have it to), click

File>Create PDF>From Scanner...In the pop-up box:

Select your scanner: (you may have two options for one scanner as I did...toy with it, my WIA-compliant option allowed me to scan faster by avoiding a preview of the scan, the other one gave me a preview everytime I scanned where I could crop and accept before it was integrated into a PDF)

Select what to scan: front sides, both sides.

Select destination: New Document (grey out as the only option if you don't have a PDF file open) or Append to Current Document.

Select OCR, image settings, etc, as you like. Depending on which scanner option you select, you may have other opportunities to select image quality. (I always use 300dpi grayscale for documents, which is great for OCR. Note the Image Settings button on this popup has a default of medium quality compression, so scale it up to high quality too.)

Upon completing one side of the scan, you may have to "accept" if the scanner is giving a preview, or in the case of my WIA-compliant scanner option, after the fronts were scanned, I had to hit "cancel". (Use a practice short document to figure the quirks of your scanner drivers first before a big job.)

In either case, the scanner software closes, Acrobat takes control again, and it asks in a new pop-up if I want to Scan more front pages, or scan the back pages (in reverse order...i.e. if the document is 10 pages both sides, it asks, do you want to scan next the front of a hypothetical page 11 or the back of page 10). Flip your entire stack over, run 'em through the scanner, and go through the scan process again. After, when you "accept" or "cancel" to exit out of the scanner software, Acrobat collates the pages immediately, and you are done.

For more help on this, on the scan pop-up window, just click the "help" button. In this case, the help feature actually is useful.

The built in Acrobat software works fine with Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) scanners, as in my case, but appears to work with flatbeds too. Upon each actual scan acquisition, it opens your scanner's driver software, and the two talk to each other through the process.

Good luck!

To add to this post, you must select a WIA driver, and if you have a duplex scanner, from the interfact that controls your scanner settings, make sure that duplex is turned off.