[bksvol-discuss] Re: The great scanner review project!

  • From: "Kelly Ford" <kelly@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 05:56:44 -0800

Hi,

 

I'd add fields to this form for the scanner manufacturer and a web  address
for more info on the scanner where people could put in the URL from the
manufacturer web site where more details can be obtained.  This may get
dated but having this detail certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

Has a web form been considered.  Sending these by e-mail and then putting
them on a web page seems like a lot of cut and paste is going to have to
happebn at minimum.

 

Kelly

 

 

 

From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Donna Smith
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 2:36 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] The great scanner review project!

 

Hi all.

 

The lovely friends of BookShare have agreed to create a page for scanner
reviews on their web site.  I have agreed to be the initial recipient of all
reviews and to put them in a consistent format before passing them along to
post.  To this end, I have created a Scanner Review Form and want to get
your feedback before launching into the project for real.  So please, let's
get feedback on the form before we start to fill it out.  

 

Attached are two RTF documents.  One is the blank form I hope we can use,
and one is this same form filled out by me for the OpticBook 3600.  I'm
providing my filled-out form to help you decide if the format works.  

 

I'm also pasting in both documents below my signature in case anyone would
prefer to use this form via e-mail instead of opening an attachment.  

 

I'd like feedback on the following:

 

1.      What do you like about the form?
2.      What would you change about the form?
3.      What do you think of the RTF attachment versus pasting in the body
of an e-mail?  Does it really matter?
4.      Any other comments?

 

Thanks much.  I really think this will be a useful resource once we build
it.  Who better than us who put these scanners through their paces on a
regular basis are qualified to review them?  

 

Donna S

 

Scanner Review Form

 

Scanner type:  

 

Reviewer's name:  

 

Reviewers e-mail:  

 

Date of review:  

 

Approximate cost of scanner:  

 

Speed:  

 

Pros:  

 

Cons:  

 

Additional comments:  

 

Ordering/purchasing advice:  

 

 

Scanner Review Form

 

Scanner type:  OpticBook 3600

 

Reviewer's name:  Donna Smith

 

Reviewers e-mail:  donnafsmith@xxxxxxxxxxx

 

Date of review:  02/02/08

 

Approximate cost of scanner:  $256 includes shipping

 

Speed:  7 seconds per page plus 5 seconds lapse time

 

Pros:  It's designed with the scanner bed close to one edge so that you can
place the crease of the book directly on this edge and scan the full page
without losing characters in the margin.  This makes for very easy, fast and
accurate one-page scanning.  As the scanner bed is a typical size, you can
also scan in two-page mode if you choose.  It's quiet and lightweight and
the cover removes easily so that you can turn it in any direction to scan.
The set-up was easy and worked with JAWS.  If you have an OCR program you
like, you can just download the driver from the manufacturer's web site and
pass on the installation altogether.  It also performs as a copier.

 

Cons:  Photo scanning is not the best.  It's buttons are placed on the top
and to one side of the scanning bed and it's easy to press them
inadvertently.  This doesn't do much except cause you to have to switch
applications and exit whatever function you initiated.  Of course, with use,
you learn not to press these inadvertently.

 

Additional comments:  I love this scanner!  It's so fast and accurate that I
now often scan most books in one-page mode because I don't have to exert so
much hand pressure to press down the crease and I don't break the back of
the book I'm scanning.  However, for some books, I still use the two-page
mode scanning and it works beautifully for that as well.  I use it with both
Kurzweil 1000 and FineReader and have absolutely no complaints.

 

Ordering/purchasing advice:  I purchased it through Amazon which seems to
have the lowest price.  It shipped through Tiger Direct.  

 

 

 

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