Product Description

Planon DocuPen is a handheld scanner that operates on batteries for full portability purposes. The DocuPen is capable of storing up to 100 pages into memory and takes approximately 4 to 8 seconds per second. The DocuPen is different from other pen scanners in that it scans a full page width and therefore scans the entire page including text and graphics in just 4 seconds. Other handheld and pen scanners only scan single lines of text or records handwriting and cannot scan graphics making them much less practical. In comparison, the DocuPen is truly a breakthrough in technological development because it fully realizes the potential of what other pen size scanners tried to accomplish. The need for convenient out of office scanning is enormous but has not been satisfied because the products to date did not fulfill that need adequately. As the fax evolved from the telex, to successfully satisfy its communication need, the DocuPen is the practical solution to the pen scanners finally opening the market for wide spread acceptance. ... Read more

Features

• USB and serial interfaces
• Scans a full 8-inch page
• Stores up to 100 pages in internal memory
• 200 dpi maximum resolution
• 4 to 8 seconds per page scanning speed

Reviews (11)

Getting Good Scans
I recently got my DocuPen.I was extremely impressed with it.It clearly outshines any of those line-by-line scanners such as Wizcom, C-Pen, etc.

The technology is simply mind boggling, the way they cram all that impressive technology into one small pen-shaped like device.

I was impressed with the scan quality of the device as well, considering that its a small pen-shaped device. The sample scans on the DocuPen homepage is truly an indication of the quality of an attainable scan.I scan mostly documents, bank statements, deeds, receipts etc. In fact all of those scans of those documents all turned out good, as good as the quality indicated on the site.

As for the OCR feature, the OCR was decent.OCR basically onverts your text based document scans into editable text, but then again OCR was never a good or perfect technology.In fact the DocuPen never really promoted the OCR feature from my recollection.I have a high-res flatbed scanner, and when I used the OCR feature, I still get errors from the conversion and that's from a hi-res flatbed scanner.

I love how light weight it is and how portable it is. Truly a tool for road warriors.

I am also looking out for Planon's future DocuPen version which I hear is sometime soon.

Very hard to use; terrible OCR capability
I was really looking forward to getting my Docupen. I sold my Wizcom Quicklink in anticipation. What a disappoinment. If this product worked well it would be fantastic. The size and weight is really great.

Main problem is that it is really hard to get decent scans. After a few hours I was getting about 1 in 3 usable (with 2 out of 3 failing before the page was done). The problem appears to be getting the rollers to turn consistently. They are quite stiff, and the moment they stop turning - which can easily happen - the scanner assumes the page is done. There is no way to delete the last scan using the device itself; you have to attach it to the PC for that. So even though you know you've just done a bad scan which is eating up the memory, you can't delete it. Presumably with time scanning would get easier, but this inability to delete a known bad last scan seems a serious shortcoming to me given how many scans end up being bad.

Even if you get a "good" scan (which with this device at 200dpi b/w is far from great), the OCR software (PaperPort) is appalling. It is totally incapable of making sense of multi-column text like magazines, it seems, and repeated everything several times in one big mess. In frustration I installed an old copy of OmniPage Pro, which despite being about 4 or more years old, did a much better (but still not satisfactory) job. As I want this scanner almost entirely for OCR applications, it fails to meet my needs and it is going to be returned.

Scanning Needs Satisfied
The DocuPen has been very effecient tool for me.I scan lots of receipts and forms and various other financial documents, something that is important to me at times is capturing signatures, which the DocuPen is capable of.

I have used up the one set of batteries already and basically I scanned up to 220 pages which is 20 more pages than what the manual recommends.

The time wasted on driving around to find a photocopying machine or flatbed scanner and actually doing the photocopy can now be eliminated with the DocuPen.Just take the DocuPen and capture your required document on the spot.

Also getting the scanning technique down was not hard at all, as I got the technique down after 5 trial scans on a regular Word file print out.What I like about the DocuPen is that we are actually a part of the scanning mechanism, a really cool idea & concept.

This product works great for Me
I recently purchased the DocuPen and the product has been fine for me.It connected perfectly fine with Windows XP and to my other computer systems such as Win 98 and Win 2000.

For some people I know that if a product does not work, it may be in part due to something in the computer system itself.Take a look into the system first to see if its compatible with the product, because the product worked wonders for me.

The DocuPen literally took me like 3 scans to get the technique down.And I get very legible scans.

It seems that many expect pure carbon copy duplicates, but that's not really the concept behind the DocuPen, because I really see it as a tool to scan documents and other materials for reference that does not need to be super high quality.If need be, then use a high resolution flatbed scanner.The key difference is in the fact that it is totally portable, something that a flatbed scanner is not.

The free software is also amazing, its called PaperPort from ScanSoft that integrates with various programs from my computer like Outlook, Word, etc...I am also impressed with the OCR feature within PaperPort because it does a very good translation of scanned text image into editable text.

By the way, the technical support staff is superb in assisting with technical needs, because I only had a slight issue but was resolved immediately.

Only Connect - Not a Chance
I bought this product with very high expectations.Silly me.No matter how many tries, no matter how much advice and valiant effort from technical support, no matter how many work arounds attempted, my computer and the scanner could not connect; i.e. the USB connection did not work. Shortly after I finally gave up, I installed a new digital camera, also calling for an USB connection (natch) with no problems at all.My suspicion is that the scanner is not at all comfortable with XP, which is on my system.But whatever the reason, the scanner failed to install, I returned the product for a credit, and commented to the technical support that "It simply shouldn't be this hard." ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The compact AL-1551CS digital copier, printer, and scanner is a good choice for small offices. With up to 15 ppm copying, 12 ppm printing, as well as built in scanning, the AL-1551CS will capably handle all your basic office needs. The 250-sheet front-loading paper tray and the 30-sheet automatic document feeder make processing multi-page documents a breeze.

Backed by a three-year warranty on parts and labor, the AL-1551CS offers users their choice of USB or parallel interfaces and comes bundled with Sharp's handySharpdesk 2.7 desktop document management software. ... Read more

Features

• Scanning software included; 3-year warranty
• Copying, printing, and scanning in a simple, compact unit
• Up to 12 ppm print speed, 15 ppm copying
• 30-sheet auto-document feeder, built-in duplexing
• USB and parallel interfaces

Product Description

Visioneer (96501DWULF) 9650LI LASERFICHE SCANNER ... Read more

Product Description

9650I SHTFEDSCAN 12PPM 600X1200 42BIT USB ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Small enough to rest between your keyboard and monitor, this convenient scanner places instant imaging options literally at your fingertips. Measuring just 11.4 by 1.4 by 2 inches, it adds little additional clutter to your desktop and is easily portable, even including a soft carrying bag. With 600 x 600 dpi, 36-bit color, and a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter all working together, the Strobe creates clean, crisp onscreen images, whether your originals are business cards, newspaper articles, or your child's latest artistic masterpiece.

Visioneer includes an impressive software bundle that allows you to edit, adapt, and manage your images with a series of simple onscreen drop-down menus. Add your own notes or quickly examine thumbnails before printing--the options are both practical and intuitive. Built to work with Windows 98/2000/ME and XP, the scanner also includes a one-year warranty covering parts and service.

What's in the Box
Scanner, power cable, software bundle, soft carrying bag, instructions, warranty information ... Read more

Features

• 600 x 600 dpi resolution
• 36-bit internal color
• USB 1.1 interface
• Compatible with Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
• 1-year warranty

Reviews (1)

XP100
This isn't a bad little scanner, although I find the Paperport 8.0 a bit cumbersome, compared to 7.0. The set-up is fairly easy with USB and it scans various documents nicely, although it can slip a bit when scanning photos.
This is a light-weight scanner, making it a great addition to travelling with a laptop. Also, it doesn't take up a lot of room on the desk. The only thing I can fault it for is the lack of the document diverter, such as on the Strobe Pro.
4 stars because of the software, although I admit that I am used to 7.0's features. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Visioneer Strobe Pro5 scanner integrates advanced paper managementsoftware with a compact sheet-fed color scanner. It scans up to 8.5 by 30 inchesof paper so you can accommodate business cards to full-length news columns. Youcan also scan color or black-and-white photographs. The software bundle willhelp you organize documents, fax instantly, copy items, or e-mail documents. TheVisioneer Strobe Pro5 is compatible with either PC or Macintosh systems with aUSB or serial cable. ... Read more

Features

• Complete software bundle for editing, faxing, e-mailing, managing photos, and OCR
• Color sheet-fed scanner
• 300 x 600 dpi resolution
• 30-bit color depth for over 1 billion colors
• Convenient USB interface; PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (8)

Sadly lagging nbehind Macintosh OS developments
A very handy product when we were on Mac OS 9. Sadly, Visioneer has not seen fit to keep the software up to date for OS X. It will still work in classic mode, but uncomfortably. The software for image editing shows its age. Visigo™ A4 Mac by Ambir is said to be able to take its place for OS X.

Wont' work reliably on Win2000 or XP
This is a great little scanner, when it works.It works in conjunction with PaperPort, and the two are just a great combination.Just stick a piece of paper in, and it will run it through, then bring up PaperPort where you can categorize it and group it with other pages of the same document.

For instance, you scan in 10 pages of a contract, then, in PaperPort, you just drag the pages on top of each other, and title them as a group.You can also drag the pages to an FTP icon, an Archive icon (which puts them somewhere in the file system), an email icon, a print icon, etc.

BUT, here's the problem --

The system seems designed for Windows 95 or Windows 98.I have tried to install it on Windows XP Pro and Windows 2000 with no luck.It's a wrestling match to get it working, then when you do, it will spontaneously reboot the machine mid-scan.I am using the latest driver, downloaded from Visioneer.

To be fair, maybe I have defective hardware and this isn't a wide-scale design problem.It sure is disappointing, however, because when it works, it's a dream.With this unit, we're one step closer to the vaunted "paperless office."

Look Out
This Scanner is notorious for having to reboot the computer to get it to work. We are running them on XP Professional Machines. I would only recommend this scanner for occasional use. I Do not recommend buying if you scan more than a few images a day.

Wonderful Compact Scanner
First of all I work for an I.T. department and we have installed these little (and I do mean little) scanners on nearly 40 computers, and they all work wonderfully.The visioneer strobe pro is an excellent solution for a company looking to get rid of all of their bulky flatbed scanners.Out of the 35-40 people that have the strobe pro connected to their computer all of them have been comepletely satisfied with the product.The scanner scans paper fairly fast (3-5 seconds) if you are doing low resolution B&W pages.The scanner will scan color, but it takes considerably longer to scan the sheet, especially at higher resolutions.Even at the highest resolution the picture isn't the most superb thing in the world to look at, but it does the job.I recommend this scanner to people that are looking for something to scan in important documents, newspaper clippings, and old photos (as a hobby not professionally).These make great scanners for secretaries that do a lot of scanning, or even company historians.The scanner is very durable, and withstands a ton of dust and humidity.The only real big downside to this scanner is it is only compatible with Windows XP in USB mode.

Use some sense...
GOOD review follows!First, this is NOT the best choice for PERFECT scans of photos or fragile documents.It does a perfectly adequate job with snapshots and newspaper clippings, an EXCEPTIONAL job with color or B/W letter-size material.It scans for fliing/fax, OCR or color images, up to 600 DPI.

If you are careful, you can easily feed sheets into this device without trouble.Be patient.It has an included software application that allows scanning multiple succesive sheets to one document, for convienence...but you can separate the pages later!Cool.Or you can group different scans to one document later.Cooler!

The image editing software is pretty darn good.Why?Because it has a decent selection of tools while not being overly complicated to use.You can use it as a desktop-type filing system too.

Some versions of the "Paperport" software export scans to PDF!If you understand what that means, you'll jump for joy...

But you know where the Strobe REALLY excels?You can quickly scan a document, drag it to Word and have about 95% immediately recognized as an editable Word file. Very little re-typing.How many times do you need some information IN your computer at school or work that exists only in a printed form?Wow!And you did this in about 30 seconds...

The Strobe is not perfect, but it does many jobs well enough to overlook that it is not the best solution of any ONE job.But it's the 90% solution for a TON of jobs!Buy it.You will not regret it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Visioneer's StrobePro compact scanner combines advanced paper management software with an ultracompact sheet-fed design. Just feed in your documents, images, or color and black-and-white photos, and the StrobePro automatically brings document images to your PC desktop in seconds.

To set up the StrobePro, we followed the quick start card for a USB installation; we connected the scanner to our PC, installed the driver software from the CD-ROM (which includes PaperPort, PictureWorks PhotoEnhancer, and optical character recognition (OCR) software), and followed the onscreen instructions. At the end of the installation, the software instructed us to send a black and bright-white sheet through the scanner for automatic calibration. The entire process was straightforward, taking only a few minutes.

We performed a test scan of ordinary black text on white paper using the StrobePro's driver software. The scan took nine seconds using the default scanning mode for text of 300 dpi at one-bit depth. The quality of the scan was good, with no stray marks or blemishes. The OCR conversion was not as successful, resulting in several misspelled words and the substitution of letters with graphic symbols. Repeated tests produced the same results. Also, the original document became curled as we fed it through the scanner mechanism.

We then specified that the StrobePro's software scan a 5-by-7-inch color photograph using the default mode for photos of 100 dpi at 24-bit color depth. The scan took 14 seconds and the results were fair. While the overall image was good, a close-up view showed faded color, moiré patterns, and a lack of detail. We repeated the scan, manually specifying 300 dpi at 24-bit color depth. The scan took 90 seconds, and the results were much better, with brighter color and much more detail. The moiré patterns were filtered by the software's resolution enhancement.

For quick copies and photo scans, the StrobePro offers ease of use and acceptable overall results. In addition, its compact design takes up little room on your desk.

Pros:

• Amazingly ultracompact design
• Supports USB, serial, and parallel interfaces
• Easy-to-use software

Cons:

• Can scan only sheets, not objects
• Scanner curls your original documents
• Poor results from OCR software

Features

• USB and Serial cable included^M
• 300 x 600 dpi resolution; 2,400 dpi enhanced; 30-bit color depth
• PaperPort, PictureWorks PhotoEnhancer, OCR software
• Built-in USB and serial interfaces, parallel optional
• Ultrathin, ultralightweight design

Reviews (2)

The Best Office Appliance you can purchase...
For years I have owned a visioneer--called a paperport..now I have a strobe...and I love it. You will too...if you are a mobile warrior..its a great tool for those forms to send back to the office without incurringmore Kinko costs...if you are a stable office person...its a great way tostore documents and fax them without moving from your desk .....you don'thave to depend on the fax machine....you will love it.

IT IS A GREAT PRODUCT FOR THE PRICE AND EASY TO USE
I FOUND THAT THE PRODUCT WAS VERY EASY TO INSTALL, TOOK UP LITTLE DESK SPACE, AND VERY SIMPLE TO USE.THE DRAG & DROP FUNCTION MADE DIRECTING THE SCANNED DOC TO ANY APPLICATION FOOL PROOF.ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO STARTTHE SCANNER IS INSERT A DOCUMENT, THE PROGRAM STARTS AUTOMATICALLY, AND YOUARE OFF AND RUNNING.. GOOD WORK VISIONEER ... Read more

Features

• Interface Connectivity: USB 1.1
• Scanner Type: Business Card
• Optical Resolution: 600 dpi
• Power Source: USB Powered
• Gray Scale Depth: 8-bit