Goodwill stores are littered with flat bed scanners that cost $5 and will blow this one out of the water. Find ones that are USB models, not older parallel port models. Current drivers are at the makers sites. I have two terrific Canon scanners that have LED light sources and are at least 1200 DPI.

dellasanchez wrote:I'm in outside sales and I sell advertising. How well would this work in the field to scan customer's images to be used for reproduction?

300 DPI is not high enough for good reproduction.
Buy a USB powered flat bed scanner (no AC adapter needed) and plug it in your laptop. You'll get far better results and it will look more professional.

I have a similar (identical?) Pandigital unit, model #PANSCN02. I got it on clearance at RadioShack for $14.99. I needed this type of scanner for about 100 photos for a video montage I created for my son's birthday.

If these are in fact similar units here is the breakdown of my experience:

Pros:
- I was able to scan about 60 4x6 photos in about 45 minutes (much, much faster than using my flatbed scanner)
- I did not need a computer, as this unit (as the VuPoint is as well) can scan directly to an SD card. The problem with this is if the scan messes up you can't tell. If the Vupoint does this as well, it technically IS mac compatible.
- Very light, very travel-friendly, if that is a concern.

Neutrals:
- Quality was "acceptable" but not perfect. Again, this was fine for the video job I was doing, but I would be on the fence if this was an archival solution
- Required regular calibration. Sometimes I had to calibrate after 5 photos, sometimes 20. While lines would apppear in affected scans, but a calibration corrected it every time.

Cons:
- Calibration and quality mentioned above
- Sometimes hard to keep the photos straight when fed into the unit.
- The auto crop and rotate was just fair -- best to keep the scan straight as possible, which can be tough, as stated above.

Overall I give this unit a solid 'B', but maybe an 'A-' given the price-point. It really did save me hours of laborious effort, so I'm really happy with mine. The wife even thought it was "fun" to use. Go figure!

a4tis wrote:He had to have the Geek Squad install the software for him - can we really trust his opinion then?

That was the first thing I thought of when I read the review also.

I'll still jump in for the low price, this will save me some time for most photos as long as it works fairly well. I'll scan on my flatbed the few photos for which I might want the best quality.

Would also make a great gift!

I love the pembrooke corgis in the product picture...

I'm not concerned with photos. For me it's scanning receipts. I have a sneaking suspicion that the standard sales tax deduction is way too low for me.
I'm a consumer - it's what I do.

bmw66x wrote:Don't you hate when stuff is NOT Mac compatible? I do!

get a pc

Not 1800 dpi! It is 300 dpi. Too low to enlarge the photos. Ok for a fast record of the image and not much else.

What happens if I want to scan in a photo of the calibration card?

phacopida wrote:I need one of these but want a really good picture reproduction. Is this the one?

It is if you do not plan on enlarging at all. I have one and it is good for having an emergency backup but you can't enlarge the scan at all or it shows how low it is in resolution. However if you print out at original size its OK. The main benefit I can see is it is faster and easier than a flatbed. I have an expensive Epson flatbed I use to scan any photos that may merit enlarging someday, and use this scanner for all the "snapshots" that I simply want to backup.

sdc100 wrote:According to the description, the hardware in Windows 7 compatible but not the included software. I wonder how compatible it is with other scanner software.

It should show up as a mass storage device. I have Win 7 64 bit and it shows up as a drive (the SD card in the scanner) and I have to copy the files from the card to my hard drive. I think then all the software would do is automate this. It really isn't a problem not having the software.

marksfamily wrote:LOL. My 'senj just looks at me just waiting for the dishwasher door to open. Never got the impression that I'M the prey!

My miniature pinscher mix (that looks very much like a basenji without the curled tail) loves when the dishwasher is opened. Its like a buffet.

I bought one of these for my wife from BB almost a month ago for $80. Fortunately I have 6 more days to return it since I just bought two of these from Woot at half the price. She loves it, much faster then a regular scanner, and she can use it anywhere in the house since it doesn't need a computer.

a4tis wrote:He had to have the Geek Squad install the software for him - can we really trust his opinion then?

IKR!

jiggersgreen wrote:Some helpful information on dpi:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/scanner.htm

That was a great, simple, easy-to-understand write-up. THANKS!

Many banks are offering online depositing of checks if you scan them. (https://www.everbank.com/personal/make-deposits.aspx)

Would this scanner work for that?

Nice shot a of Basenji...ours used to drag me around by my socks when I was little. Memories.

What's up with the bottom of the dog/cat photo...looks like its on fire

dernst_ca1 wrote:I dunno but back in the old days when fax paper came on rolls I used to feed a long piece through the scan portion of the fax machine and then loop it back around so its like a belt around the scanner. Then, I would dial the fax number of a guy I knew and hit send.. that thing would run continually until the fax connection was interrupted.. He got big long faxes of blankness all over his floor that used up his whole roll of paper.

watta sweetheart...why didnt i think of that (he said grinning)

zombieeatsyou wrote:I'm not concerned with photos. For me it's scanning receipts. I have a sneaking suspicion that the standard sales tax deduction is way too low for me.
I'm a consumer - it's what I do.

Same here. I have been unable to find anything regarding total length of document that can be scanned in a single pass. Anybody that owns this, or the "similar" product, are you able to comment? Can you scan a 2"x10" receipt? The auto-crop feature lends me to doubting this capability.

Thanks.

Just wondering if anyone knows if it does negatives as well.

a bunch of posts but i'm going to ask again as im an human. I have a huge drawer of pics from my kids growing up and want to have a digital version for years to come. this seems like an easy way to get it done -- but if the quality sucks than it's a waste of time. I have a flatbed but doing one pic at a time on that will never happen. i will never do it.

this thing good for this....?

phacopida wrote:I need one of these but want a really good picture reproduction. Is this the one?

At 300 DPI, this in NOT gonna give you "really good picture reproduction".

smartheart wrote:What are the advantages of using a dedicated photo scanner like this as opposed to the scanner in a multifunction machine?

One major difference is if something breaks, you're only out of the scanner. If something breaks on the all-in-ones, you're out everything.

It's also smaller and more portable.

buffaloed wrote:Portability and speed. It looks huge in the woot picture because they don't provide any context. This scanner is very small:
Dimensions: 1.80” H x 6.10” W x 1.50” D

It's sounding more and more like a good receipt scanner, and a lousy picture scanner.

LEM- wrote:Is it really a 4x6 scanner, That is a 4" wide scanner that will stop after feeding 6" of document, or can eat any length of paper for as long as it's 4" or smaller in width?

If it's the former - then it's credentials as "receipt scanner" would be very poor. I tell from experience - as somebody who scans their own receipts with one of those Neat Scanners Woot has every now and then... These beasts sometimes run for a few feet in length!

I was thinking the same thing and found this on Google shopping:

Scan and organize your business cards, receipts, photos, postcards and more for your personal use. The digital photo scanner converts paper images into 300dpi image files and saves them to a memory card. The 24 bit color scanner only needs to about 5 seconds to scan any 4 inch by 6 inch paper. Character reading software for Microsoft Windows equipped computers is included to convert your typed receipts and notes into digital text. 0.02in (0.5mm) 2 1/8in L x 6 1/8in W x 1 3/4in H (53 x 154 x 43mm) 32 bit 32GB 4in x 6in (10cm x 15cm) 48 bit 8.1 oz. (229g) Approximately 5 seconds per image Auto feed mechanism with auto crop feature Automatic color balance picture enhancement JPEG Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity Up to 300dpi Works as USB card reader for SD/SDHC cards SKU alternatives: 1510124 151+0124

I'm in for one!!!

sdc100 wrote:Too bad this isn't for 8.5 x 11". I need something VERY simple for my compu-phobic parents to scan in documents as they are received. It needs to scan directly to an SD card, with no need for a computer. Ideally, they should be able to do everything in 2 steps: 1) Turn on; 2) Feed paper. That's it. I will then take the SD card on a weekly or monthly basis and organize the files for them.

Any recommendations? The most important part is that it needs no computer since my parents don't have one. It would also be great if the format can default to 1-bit TIF or PDF, not JPG, since they'll be scanning B/W documents only. Finally, it should take up very little space.

The closest solution I have found is an all-in-one copier/printer with SD reader but they said that all the buttons and display confuses them. Plus it's too large to move around or travel with.

Not exactly a recommendation but as a possibility:

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_020W027143940001P

Giinii NuLife 2.4'' LCD Full Size Photo Scanner $99.99

I believe this is the same as the Mustek, but should be easier to find in a Kmart store, and returnable there if necessary. Mustek is usually pretty good.

Sweet the product the photo has my favorite breed of dog, The Basenji!!!! I have two because they're like potato chips, you can have just one.

I can't find any links for drivers/manuals on VuPoint's website. This thing must be pretty old. I hope it runs on 64-bit Windows 7 because I clicked "I Want One!" before I did all my research...

Or hopefully the PS-C500-VP drivers will be compatible if an update is needed.

ojohn wrote:Not exactly a recommendation but as a possibility:

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_020W027143940001P

Giinii NuLife 2.4'' LCD Full Size Photo Scanner $99.99

I believe this is the same as the Mustek, but should be easier to find in a Kmart store, and returnable there if necessary. Mustek is usually pretty good.

I have one of the Giinii Scanners out for delivery (from Amazon) as I type this. I like the idea of a LCD display to see if it scans properly. I hope to use it for receipts and bills mostly. Hope it works good. Although for $25 this one is tempting too.

bmw66x wrote:Don't you hate when stuff is NOT Mac compatible? I do!

it said OCR software is not mac compatible. At least that's what I'm hoping for... =)

nalwin wrote:This is a standalone scanner, it doesn't need a computer attached to it in order to scan. It saves the images to a (not included) SD card.

I was just looking at the specs to see if having the card reader would allow you to do this. Obviously from all the comments here, it does have that capability. Very cool, that will be a very handy feature for a lot of situations.

Since I have one of these already I'll answer a few questions. The picture quality of scanned images are very good in my opinion. Most people don't realize that most scanner software will default to 300dpi or sometimes lower when scanning photos. You normally need to manually adjust the settings to scan at a higher resolution, and that will take even longer to scan and the file size will be large to very large with minimal visible improvement in image quality. Also keep in mind that your original image is only a 4x6, so if you think you are going to blow something up to the size of a poster or even an 8x10 from an original that was only 4x6, yes, its going to be a little grainy. Lastly the scan is only going to be as good as the original image, some digital editing can correct some things, but if the overall picture is crap, the scan is not going to be any better. My wife has hundreds of old photos that she got from her mother to scan, and that project had come to a stand still for months until we got this scanner, because she quickly realize that scanning the images with a standard scanner was going to take forever. With this scanner she was able to put a large dent in the pile of photos in just one day.

My first Woot....awww!! I feel teary.

nadthomas wrote:Since I have one of these already I'll answer a few questions. The picture quality of scanned images are very good in my opinion. Most people don't realize that most scanner software will default to 300dpi or sometimes lower when scanning photos. You normally need to manually adjust the settings to scan at a higher resolution, and that will take even longer to scan and the file size will be large to very large with minimal visible improvement in image quality. Also keep in mind that your original image is only a 4x6, so if you think you are going to blow something up to the size of a poster or even an 8x10 from an original that was only 4x6, yes, its going to be a little grainy. Lastly the scan is only going to be as good as the original image, some digital editing can correct some things, but if the overall picture is crap, the scan is not going to be any better. My wife has hundreds of old photos that she got from her mother to scan, and that project had come to a stand still for months until we got this scanner, because she quickly realize that scanning the images with a standard scanner was going to take forever. With this scanner she was able to put a large dent in the pile of photos in just one day.

Can you answer the question if receipts longer than 6" can be scanned in? Thanks!

marksfamily wrote:if it comes with the Basenji, I'm in. Oh wait, it doesn't...

Thats a corgi...

swalter62626 wrote:Can you answer the question if receipts longer than 6" can be scanned in? Thanks!

I'll try to remember to check that out when I get home tonight, but that won't be until much later this evening. I suspect that it won't work for receipts based upon how it has handled a few mis-feed photos.

mikeami wrote:Oddly enough, there is another VuPoint item on sale today.

JustDeals.com offers the refurbished VuPoint FS-C1-VP Film and Digital Slide Converter for $17.77. Apply coupon code "DEALNEWS1" on the payment methods page to yield free shipping.

Thank you very much!

sdc100 wrote:According to the description, the hardware in Windows 7 compatible but not the included software. I wonder how compatible it is with other scanner software.

Sooo....now I am confused...I can use this out of the box with Windows 7, or no? Anyone?