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OrcaBlue · 02-10-2010, 11:11 AM

I have tried Canon LiDE class scanners and found them too slow for book scanning.

If you can cut your books then you should check out Fujitsu Scansnap S510. It's has an Automatic Document Feeder that you can load up 50 pages. It scans 18 pages or 36 images per minute in duplex mode. You have the option to create multi-pages PDF file out of it. It costs around $450.

If cutting is not an option, then you should look for a flatbed scanner. One that have a big area so you can scan two pages at the same time. This will cut your scanning time by half. I currently use a Canon ImageRunner 8070 which costs more than $10,000. It has book scanning features. However, I don't really use them. All I need is a fast flatbed scanner and it does the job fast at excellence quality.

If budget is not an issue, you might want to check out Fujitsu FI-6240. It scan 60 pages or 120 images per minutes in duplex mode. It has a flatbed size of 8.5" x 11.69". It costs about $1,886.03 on Amazon.

To answer your questions:

1) Black and White scanning is sufficient for Ereader. 300 dpi is more than adequate. To reduce the file size, you can lower the scanning resolution. Each scanner have its own steps down or step up in resolution. Highend one like mine have 300, 400, and 600 dpi. Using any more than 300 dpi is a waste of space.

2) Once, you scanned them you should use AABBYY Finereader to crop, split images into two pages, run OCR, and convert them to PDF, HTML, or LIT. This will reduce the size of the book from 200 MB - 300MB to maybe 5 MB PDF. Crop cleans up extra space around the book. Split page will split the image in the middle line. Finereader can automate the process through out the entire files. Hence, the whole process is fully automated. AABBYY Finereader is included with Fujitsu ScanSnap S510.

3) By running OCR, you converse these images into text. This is the best way to make the text clear on DX. If you prefer to just using the image as is without text conversion, then scanning at higher resolution would only help a bit. Finereader have the option to create PDF with "exact format" as the original. With the Kindle DX screen size, I would assume you would get the benefit of "text" pdf and keep the same layout as the orignal scan.

02-10-2010, 11:11 AM	#4
OrcaBlue Groupie Posts: 189 Karma: 2190 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Sony PRS-500	I have tried Canon LiDE class scanners and found them too slow for book scanning. If you can cut your books then you should check out Fujitsu Scansnap S510. It's has an Automatic Document Feeder that you can load up 50 pages. It scans 18 pages or 36 images per minute in duplex mode. You have the option to create multi-pages PDF file out of it. It costs around $450. If cutting is not an option, then you should look for a flatbed scanner. One that have a big area so you can scan two pages at the same time. This will cut your scanning time by half. I currently use a Canon ImageRunner 8070 which costs more than $10,000. It has book scanning features. However, I don't really use them. All I need is a fast flatbed scanner and it does the job fast at excellence quality. If budget is not an issue, you might want to check out Fujitsu FI-6240. It scan 60 pages or 120 images per minutes in duplex mode. It has a flatbed size of 8.5" x 11.69". It costs about $1,886.03 on Amazon. To answer your questions: 1) Black and White scanning is sufficient for Ereader. 300 dpi is more than adequate. To reduce the file size, you can lower the scanning resolution. Each scanner have its own steps down or step up in resolution. Highend one like mine have 300, 400, and 600 dpi. Using any more than 300 dpi is a waste of space. 2) Once, you scanned them you should use AABBYY Finereader to crop, split images into two pages, run OCR, and convert them to PDF, HTML, or LIT. This will reduce the size of the book from 200 MB - 300MB to maybe 5 MB PDF. Crop cleans up extra space around the book. Split page will split the image in the middle line. Finereader can automate the process through out the entire files. Hence, the whole process is fully automated. AABBYY Finereader is included with Fujitsu ScanSnap S510. 3) By running OCR, you converse these images into text. This is the best way to make the text clear on DX. If you prefer to just using the image as is without text conversion, then scanning at higher resolution would only help a bit. Finereader have the option to create PDF with "exact format" as the original. With the Kindle DX screen size, I would assume you would get the benefit of "text" pdf and keep the same layout as the orignal scan.