Planon Systems DocuPen Handheld Scanner
Written: Jan 29 '06
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Pros: A godsend for any researcher or collector of magazine citations.
Cons: It is a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for.
The Bottom Line: See a magazine article, don't tear the page scan it. For all portable scanning applications. It goes everywhere, scans all documents. Invaluable for researchers.
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| lucie30's Full Review: Planon System Solutions DocuPen Handheld Scanner |
I feel like Harry Potter with my magic wand. OK, so it is not really a wand per se, but it looks like one and it is indeed magical. It is the Planon DocuPen RC-800, an 8.9” by ½” full color scanner that weighs only 2 ounces. What it does is truly magical.
It is self-contained, all the controls are on it and it is rechargeable-battery powered with an 8MB flash memory built-in. There is an external memory slot under the cover, that accommodates a MicroSD card, so you can add much more memory than you will probably ever need. I should be careful about such statements because I can remember an earlier PC with a 20MB hard drive, and I could not at that time imagine how I would ever use it all.
Connection to a computer is via USB, so it is universally useable. The TWAIN interface makes it compatible with just about any computer.
It will scan a full 8” wide document or photo in 24-bit, 12-bit color and monochrome.
There is a CD included with all the necessary drivers as well as User Manuals. Application Videos and PaperPort software that will not only manage your scanned documents but will give you direct access to user programs such as Outlook Express, WinFax, Notepad, Paint, Adobe Photoshop, Word, Powerpoint and Excel. This means that you can export your scans to any of these programs that you use.
There is also a very nice leather carrying case and USB cable included. The battery recharges from the power lead on the USB port. Scan resolution is cited as 100-400 dpi. Color or monochrome scanning is selected by buttons on the scanner. The manuals are clearly written and well illustrated, and combined with the videos, there was no problem in learning to use the scanner. The real trick is to use a slow, steady motion and not jerk the unit or press too hard on it.
Like many hardware items, you must install some software before connecting or using the DocuPen. The software requirement is Windows 2000/NT/ME/XP. I installed the software on a desktop computer running XP Pro, a notebook running XP and a real old notebook running ME. All loaded without any difficulty, and the scan tasks described all went properly although I must admit the ME was a bit slower to transfer to Word, but then the newer machines had much faster CPU’s and more RAM. There are several software titles on the CD, a TWAIN driver, which in necessary, the DocuPen Application, which is recommended and the PaperPort software which is needed if you do not have any other scanner software on the machine. I installed the PaperPort software on one of the machines, but used existing scanner software, that I am familiar with on the others. They all worked, so it is a matter of individual choice. There is even a USB driver on the CD, for those with really old operating systems, i.e., Win 98/95. As is typical with scanners there is a bit of a calibration routine to go through, but that was also straight forward.
I initially tried scanning a sheet of paper (of course with text on it) and all went just fine. Then I tried a book, opening it as flat as I could, and the DocuPen did the rest; it too went as advertised. I then plugged the unit into a USB port and it was recognized as a disk, so I save the text document to Word and there it was, on the computer. Photos went equally easily. The DocuPen is meant to be independent of the computer, so Planon recommends that the unit not be attached to the computer while scanning.
What I would have given for such a device while in Graduate School. I spent hours in the library doing research and transcribing information by hand into a notebook. Not only was this tedious labor, but as the hours wore on the probability of error kept increasing. Add to that my rather incomprehensible handwriting, and there were time when I had to look things up more than once. Of all the things a graduate student does not have, time leads the list. Such a device as the DocuPen would have been a major blessing. But then, there were no personal computers, at that time; as the old bromide goes, “kids today just don’t know how good they have things…”
Those who have a need for such a device will immediately see its virtues, others may see this as a wonderful gift for a new high school graduate about to embark on a college career. I can heartily recommend the DocuPen without any reservations.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299
Interface: USB
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lucie30
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Location: A small island in the Intercoastal.
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About Me:
3 University degrees. 30+ years in Electronics R&D. Registered Professional Engineer. Graduated USAF Flying School.
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