Let the Scanning Begin!
Like Tracy I have a lot of scanning to do! I have not found ebook versions of my textbooks this time so if I want to have digital copies it looks as if I am going to have to scan them myself. Luckily I just bought this awesome new scanner!After talking to Kyle McFarlin a few weeks back I decided I really needed to invest in a new scanner. The one I currently own is old and takes forever to scan! The quality is also an issue and I firmly believe that if I want to do do something like scan all my documents I am going to have to make the procedure a lot more fun! Otherwise I just will put it off and not do it. The process also has to be streamlined in order to recieve any benefit from the time investment of sitting there and scanning all those documents.
So I began my quest for the ultimate scanner. After a lot of research it came down to either the Opticbook 3600 or the Canon MP830. The Opticbook 3600 is the scanner Tracy and many others that decide to go paperless use as it is perfect for scanning textbooks. Its unique ability to scan to the very edge of the page makes it perfect for archiving and storing the pages of your textbooks. The price was about $239 which in my opinion was not bad for a dedicated book scanning scanner. Tracy has also outlined the entire procedure for scanning with Opticbook so I knew I would not be alone in my adventures. However the ability to scan textbooks and books easily was really its only selling point. Althgouh I would scan a lot of pages of my textbooks it's not the only thing the scanner would be scanning. I would like to be able to scan photos and other documents and I viewed the purchase as a long time investment. Would I be scanning books in the next two years? This being my last year of college I just didn't know how valuable this feature would be later down the road. Also I have a feeling more ebooks and readers will make themselves available to the public so a scanner dedicated to scanning books may no longer be needed at a future point either. I could though go all out and use it to scan all my old books and textbooks so the decision was still muddy. I had to look at other options in order to make an educated final decision.
The other scanner I looked at was the Canon MP830. Actually the MP830 is not just a scanner but is technically considered an All-In-One (AIO). That is it scans, copies, faxes and prints. The most attractive feature of the MP830 for me was the 35 page ADF (auto document feeder). I really wanted an ADF as lately I have become very organized but at the same time very busy! Sitting around turning the pages is a real waste of my time and there is nothing more attractive that loading 35 pages into the ADF while I go off and do something else. Tracy has already admitted she has hours of scanning to do and although you can do other activities while scanning I just feel I could be more productive with an ADF. The best thing about this ADF is that it has duplex scanning (duplex printing too!) That means for example that if I am scanning a page that is double sided (text and images on both sides) the scanner can automatically scan both sides. Essentially it has the ability to scan 70 pages on its own! This is very attractive with my current schedule and my desire to already scan and digitize many of the papers in my room. One could say I'm slowly making the transition to paperless and I feel an ADF will greatly enhance this transformation.The MP830 is also a fully featured copier and printer. It can also make copies and print digital photos without being hooked up to a computer. Although my computer is almost always connected there are times when I come back from class, laptop still packed away, and just want to make a quick copy. Being able to make the copy without the computer is a nice feature to have during these times.
It also performs the same task with printing photos. It has slots for memory cards and Pictbridge support. My current printer was lacking these features as well so the Canon would prove to be more than just a scanner! It also has the ability to do duplex printing which I would have loved to have when I was printing off pages of my ebook last semester! As I continued the debate of scanners, the Canon MP830 started to reveal itself as a great ADF scanner in addition to providing better printing features than my current printer!
I found the MP830 for $250 at Newegg with free shipping so price was not a factor in the decision. The Opticbook would allow me to scan all my textbooks with the binding still attached. I could do this with the MP830 but it would be much more difficult and I would not be able to take advantage of the ADF. I could use the ADF if I removed the binding but then selling the textbook back would be out of the question.
The canon is also an excellent printer, copier and fax machine so I knew the investment would be worthwhile. I already had a printer, but it was old and didn't have nearly as many of the features as the MP830 offered. The ability to have one stand alone device and not a separate printer and scanner was also very attractive. Would I want to remove the binding though and lose the ability to ever sell back my textbooks? This is basically what it came down to...
At the end of the day my final answer was yes! Time is money these days and sitting around flipping pages in order to save $50 on the ability to sell the book back later just did not make sense. Multiply that by 4 books though and you're probably looking at $200 and thinking to yourself that I am just throwing my money out the window. For those of you that see it like this I don't expect you to follow my reasoning but let me just share a little insight.
I figure the Canon with the ADF I will save an average of 25 hours of scanning throughout the semester. (Yes I do that much scanning!!!) If I take those 25 hours and instead invest my time in researching a future pharm company I want to work for or relax my brain so I can be more relaxed and study more efficiently then that loss in money is well worth it!
My Canon MP830 came in the mail yesterday and I currently am having a blast with it! Duplex scanning and printing is the best and the speed of both scanning and priniting will save me more time than I previously calculated. It may not scan textbooks but I feel I made the right decision and look forward to makeing myself even more paperless this upcoming semester!
Opticbook 3600 and Scanning
via Student Tablet PC
Opticbook 3600 Product Page
via PlusTek
Opticbook 3600 Review
via PC Mag
Canon MP830 Product Page
via Canon
Canon MP830 Review
via PC Mag
posted by Jason Dorko at 11:23 PM
4 comments
links to this post
4 Comments:
Cool! I've often thought about if it'd be wise to get an ADF scanner (I have a lot of papers, like course notes and tests and such), but I just can't bring myself to cut anymore of my books' bindings! Most of my books are $125 a pop and I just can't bring my self to destroy something that expensive ^_^.
I'd love to see an ADF+Book scanner.
Let me know how fast your scanner scans (pages per minute, or seconds per page) and how it handles bound books, if at all.
Thanks!
Hi Dorko,
Congrats on the new scanner (and on the decision to go even more paperless...yaaayyy). I'm glad you finally settled on a scanner other than the OpticBook as with most of us using Plustek's scanner to scan our books (myself included) it'll be interesting to see how someone gets on using something else. Please keep us all up to date on your progress (I'm sure you will).
On a footnote I just want to add that the Opticbook, although intended primarily for book scanning, is also ideal for scanning everything else too. I use mine for scanning everything from receipts and lecture handouts to old photographs and physical objects (i.e. keyrings, leaves etc). That said I'm more than a little envious at your 'ADF with duplex scanning' :o)
Anyway have fun with the Canon. I think you've made a sensible, well informed decision (wish I was as analytical when making choices :o) ) and as I said before keep us posted on your progress (that is of course if you find time during all the scanning :O))
I have a hard time destroying my books too! However I would probably keep then anyways so they might as well be in a format that works best for me. Also after going the ebook route I am use to not selling them and recovering some of the cost.
I've read a few comments on the opticbook that said it was not great for photos so I am glad to hear otherwise.
I'll make sure to post updates when I get to scanning my first book (probably Monday)
Your kidding me, I owned both a optic book and the cannon mentioned in this article. I wonder if anyone actually even tries the equipment themselves. I have scanned many a textbooks. The cannon sucks hands down. It will work on standard 20lb paper but textbooks arent that weight. Your scans will get jammed and look like crap. As for the opticbook, it only serves one purpse.... to preserve a book from being cut. But any of you go ahead and scan a 1000+ page textbook and you will be running to staples and having them use the automated paper cutter for $2 to cut your book bindings. Opticbook is good but forget about putting that black out sheet behind pages while you scan, it takes too long. I am still looking for a quality adf scanner that can handle textbook weight pages and not mess the scans up. Oh and forget about resolution, think about it. You scan high res and your pc will be locked up by page 20. Ocr only needs 300dpi and you will spend more time trying to correct the ocr of a textbook than it is worth. Basically, stick your book in the microwave, remove the binding, take the pages to a store and have them cut them with a press, get a good quality adf scanner not the cannon (trust me) and leave the work to the scanner. Your neck and arm will thank you in years to come. Then go watch a movie. This is coming from a college student that has scanned numerous nursing books.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home