Rare breed scanner

“... all sorts of mothers are needed, all sorts of mothers are important ...” - something similar is read to the children, talking about the professions. Indeed, there are so many professions in this world that it is difficult to imagine. Somewhere it is necessary to stand for hours behind the machine, somewhere - to bake fragrant ruddy buns, somewhere - to shovel piles of papers ... and somewhere - not to do anything :)



In today's mini-review, I will talk about a small device that can help out in many situations.

When I picked up the box, I thought it was a dirty trick. Looks like it's empty, or ...? Or. I was very surprised to open it.
')

Equipment

Inside a small box was:

- Portable Xerox Travel Scanner 100 ;
- Leather and fabric case with drawstring;
- Wire "USB (A) -> USB (B)";
- Instructions;
- Disk with software.

Appearance

I repeat - I was very surprised at the weight of the device, I thought it was 3-4 times harder. It weighs only 300 grams, which is almost unimaginable for a scanner. Sizes just over the BMW Z3 :)



To be more precise - 290x38x50 (mm). The scanner is completely made of black rough plastic, the quality of the performance and assembly of the case is not satisfactory. At the top is a large, unsigned gray button, below it, the entire length of the device is a slit for the paper. Just below is the logo.



Behind the standard USB-cable is connected, which comes in the kit. You can meet this in many printers, network drives and other devices of varying degrees of utility. At the bottom - two rubber legs, thanks to which the scanner always remains in place.

I do not cease to be surprised - IT is below the finger-type battery! :)



It fits easily into the case (from the kit) - even in it the scanner will easily fit in a pocket, glove compartment, bag or backpack. What can we say about home conditions, where for the baby there is exactly a place.

Turn on and work

I don't remember exactly, but, in my opinion, immediately after connecting the scanner does not “accept” documents. More precisely, it works through standard twain-interval, but happiness will not be complete without specialized software. After installing the software - it is necessary to bring the sheet to the slot, as it literally sucks it there. Silent "LJ", which is not without reason - after a couple of seconds, the sheet comes out from the back side, and a window appears on the monitor with an image of a scanned document with which you can do anything. A little more detail - below, in a conversation about software.

A4 page with text is scanned on average in 10 seconds - agree, not bad.



Color photo size 20x30 with a scan resolution of 300dpi - eaten in about 30 seconds. Quality, in this case, is far from a fountain, but to demand more from such baby ...)



I don’t know for sure whether any algorithms-mechanisms for “aligning” the paper / image are applied inside (by hardware or software), but surprisingly almost all scans were even, although I sometimes didn’t put the sheet very straight. And yet, it is better to insert the sheet smoothly, perpendicular to the scanner - so nothing will be confused, and the image on the monitor will make you nice)

My wife appreciated the device at its true worth - while sitting at home with the child, she does not have the opportunity to fully work. But she doesn’t neglect the part-time job - she’s tied up in furniture and she constantly designs, draws, scans, sends. Sometimes calculations have to be carried out on paper ... and the scanner came to help a couple of times while the microblogger was fast asleep) Even one night she sent an SMS, the scanner was mega)

Software

There are several programs on the included disk - printer drivers, Nuance PaperPort software for working with the scanner, NewSoft Presto! Bizcard to work with business cards, the ubiquitous Google Desktop Search for soiling the system and OmniPage Pro - software for text recognition.

I will dwell in more detail on the first program, Nuance PaperPort , because I used it most of all.



After installation in autoload a small unobtrusive module is prescribed, which I advise you to leave if you have to scan a lot. Clicking on the tray icon opens a small window in which you can select a profile (document, photo, card, etc.), a program (where the document will be scanned) and a format (BMP, TIFF, JPG, PDF and sPDF are available).



Profiles can be changed, create your own - the settings are very flexible.

If you specify that the document be scanned into the PaperPort itself, then all the images will form thumbnails that can be copied, deleted, rotated and do anything at all - conveniently and visually.





About the unsigned button on the device. Thanks to the Visioneer OneTouch program, it can be programmed in any convenient way with any settings - for example, simply scan to a specific format, scan + recognize or do something else. Very flexible so + will save time;)

Check weighing

pros
- Ease of use;
- Dimensions and weight of the device;
- High scanning speed;
- Even in silence, the device is heard slightly;
- Work without an external power adapter, only from the USB-port;

Cons - You can not scan books, thick documents and other non-core items;
- The average quality of the photo scan;
- Price! (8500-10000 rubles)

The advantages of the device also include the ability to scan long documents - long faxes or checks, for example.

Advice to the manufacturer : reduce the price.
Liked : the speed of work.
Surprised : the weight of the device.

Total

I reason as follows: it is unlikely that the manufacturer was eager to make the most modest size, because the competition in this market is minimal. So it was possible to make the device a little more, to install an “adult” filling, which would allow scanning photos at a good level. This option would be more in demand - not many people want to spend a cubic meter of space under the scanner, which is used once a week or even less often.
I conclude that the scope was nevertheless only for workers with documentation. Thus, the device is ideal for workers who have to scan a lot of documents, do it on the road or if there is simply no room for a full-size scanner. Therefore, we must initially have many factors in mind, evaluate the range of work in advance - so that there will be no surprises;)
The rest - the device was like. Unusual, small, light, quiet, useful - a great addition to the netbook. It will be a valuable gift for any office clerk;)

PS About paper alignment. I learned that there is a built-in Kofax VRS , which has already become the standard for professional document scanners. Oddly enough, everything is written on the official website :) Who cares - details on the product page .
PS2 What would you like to read the review next time? Offer.

Successes!