[bksvol-discuss] Re: o.t. purchasing scanners
- From: "Donna Smith" <donnafsmith@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2007 12:46:12 -0400
Hi Monica.
It's been a long time since I used an HP scanner, so I can't speak to the
issue of whether it allows you to set brightness options. However, I know
that changing the brightness option is not an adjustment I usually make. I
can usually fix the problem by fooling around with the resolution setting.
I can speak to the quality of Epson scanners. I've been using an Epson 1660
(no longer available for purchase as a new product) here at home for about
four years, and it has been a real workhorse. I've also been using an Epson
3271 at work for about three years and it's even better than the 1660. I
don't think you can go wrong with an Epson scanner.
Having said all that, I've purchased an Opticbook 3600, and although I had
to send it back because the light was damaged in shipping, I'm anxiously
awaiting its replacement as I've heard so many good things about it on this
list. One of the appealing factors for the Opticbook (aside from the cool
feature of providing the edge of scanner option for placing the book for
easy and complete scanning of a page), is that its strength is focused in
scanning text as opposed to images. I think most commercial scanners focus
on how well they can scan pictures/graphics and/or convert to PDF format.
While these things are useful in their own right, for the work we do,
getting the best scan of text is the ultimate goal. According to everything
I've read on this list and on the web the Opticbook 3600 is the power
scanner of choice for scanning books.
Finally, cost plays an important part in making such a decision. If you got
a good price on your HP scanner, (anything under $150), then you might want
to take it out of the box, download the driver and see what kind of results
you get. If you're not satisfied, then you can box it up, return it and buy
something else. The Opticbook is $230 from Tiger Direct (a partner of
Amazon.com), and I'm guessing that a good Epson scanner would be around $200
at best.
I know this doesn't answer your question outright, but perhaps I've given
you more to think about.
Good luck.
Donna
_____
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Monica Svopa
Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2007 11:28 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] o.t. purchasing scanners
Hello list. I had a question about scanner preferences. I had recently
bought, but have not taken out of the box yet, an HP 5590. I will be using
Kurzweil 11. In my recent discussions with some tech folks, they had told
me that the HP doesn't allow you to change the brightness setting. They
suggested that buying an Epson or Optic book would be better. My computer
instructor is not a Kurzweil expert. So, I pose the question to you. I can
return my HP and buy either an Epson or OpticBook. I do want to get the
best results possible. Or I can keep my HP but have to download the
commercial drivers? Any thoughts. Thanks again for all of your help.
Monica Svopa
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