OpticBook 3600 for $229.99 at TigerDirect

Bob Russell · 10-11-2008, 10:10 AM

If you are looking for a very nice book scanner, and you have a compatible version of Windows, now might be a good time to buy. The Plustek OpticBook 3600 is available at TigerDirect for $229.99 after instant savings.

For those of you who are not familiar with the device, it stands out because it is a flat bed scanner with excellent edge scanning capabilities, so you can scan a book easily without having problems with the scan in the binding area. It also makes the process less destructive on the book being scanned (you don't have to force it flat on the glass to scan it). And it comes with a great suite of software to finish the job.

TigerDirect lists compatible versions of Windows as Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows ME. Don't know if it can work on Vista or not.

It's a little smaller than a multifunction printer, but it's not small. So you'll also need a place to put it near your computer. To be honest, if I had a nice place in my office to tuck it, I'd buy one myself. It's a great product!

I don't know if they have an updated version of the product or not, but I would like to see them on the market. Regular flatbed scanners are a pain to use. Auto sheet feeder scanners are nice if you can cut apart and destroy a book. And overhead camera systems are probably going to be the best answer in the future, but for some reason I haven't seen any cheap options yet so that will probably taka a while, and binding issues will still remain.

Hey, you bargain hunters might even find a used one out there for more savings.

Links...
Plustek Product Page
Tiger Direct Product Page
Previous MR review

DDHarriman · 10-11-2008, 10:56 AM

We have one in my company for 3 years now and it rocks!

Jeff Duntemann · 10-11-2008, 12:32 PM

I've had that scanner for about two years now, and I scanned/OCRed 119 magazine stories on it for the 5-book Carl & Jerry series that I published in 2007. The device got a great deal of action and never misbehaved in any way. It comes with FineReader Sprint 5.0, which probably has the lowest OCR error rate of anything I've tried. This has been true even for material printed on badly yellowed 120-year-old paper printed with archaic fonts and scattered with pen scribbles in the margins, with the bonus that the old books and journals I've scanned tend to survive the process intact.

It doesn't do quite as good a job scanning photographs as my HP flatbed, but for extracting text from old books that can't be spreadeagled on a conventional scanner there is absolutely nothing like it. I have quibbles about the language-free UI on the control software, but with a little study and an hour to practice you'll pick it up. Highly recommended.

Pulp · 10-11-2008, 03:37 PM

I bought one and recieved it 2 days ago (not from tigerdirect but from a european reseller for a total of 225€ including shipment what was the cheapest I could find in Europe).

I am totaly amazed with what I tried so far, scanned 2 books with a trialversion of Finereader 9 and it worked like a charm.

The only downside is that the "Action Express"-software that should allow to map the scanners buttons to start specific applications does not detect finereader 9 as an ocr-software (only the included fr5) and I could not find a way to make it work.

Gideon · 10-11-2008, 05:33 PM

I've had mine for years... love it for books and such. Use another scanner for anything else.

It's important to note this scanner is NOT Mac compatible. I have to use it with Windows under virtualization.

Seabound · 10-11-2008, 11:08 PM

Thanks for the info. It'd be nice to have one of these in the future.

What's the maximum page size that will fit the scanner?

Studio717 · 10-12-2008, 03:05 AM

I've had mine for several years and love it. No problems with the software working on a Vista laptop I have, though of course I'd rather have it be able to work on a Mac.

jljones · 10-12-2008, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seabound

What's the maximum page size that will fit the scanner?

A4. About 12 in by 8.5 in.

Seabound · 10-12-2008, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jljones

A4. About 12 in by 8.5 in.

Thanks, jljones.

DDHarriman · 10-12-2008, 07:38 AM

Here you have the specs:
http://www.plustek.com/product/book3600_spec.asp

yvanleterrible · 10-12-2008, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pulp

I am totaly amazed with what I tried so far, scanned 2 books with a trialversion of Finereader 9 and it worked like a charm.

How much time do you approximately invest in the scanning of a typical book.. lets say 150 pages?

Gideon · 10-12-2008, 03:33 PM

Hour, hour and a half? It really depends on getting into the "flow" of it. I usually sit down with a movie, get it going, and then just enjoy the movie. By the time it's over I almost always have 200-250 pgs done.

JeffElkins · 10-12-2008, 04:08 PM

I checked at Newegg and Amazon. Both are selling the 3600 Plus for a bit more. The reviews also complain about software stability and say to factor in the cost of good OCR software.

DDHarriman · 10-12-2008, 04:46 PM

There is no need to go for the plus version - basically you get PDF creation, and loose TIFF image creation, the de facto standard for matrix images in digitizing projects.

The OCR that comes with scanners is always almost useless, or at least a curiosity, for any serious work.
Normally you get versions of known packages - in this case Finereader 5.
The actual latest version is Finereader Pro 9, and it’s zillion years ahead from version 5 in accuracy and quality.

Gideon · 10-12-2008, 10:08 PM

I generally use Adobe Acrobat (full version). It works pretty well.

And generally, in a pinch, the OCR software with it isn't that bad.

10-11-2008, 10:10 AM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	OpticBook 3600 for $229.99 at TigerDirect If you are looking for a very nice book scanner, and you have a compatible version of Windows, now might be a good time to buy. The Plustek OpticBook 3600 is available at TigerDirect for $229.99 after instant savings. For those of you who are not familiar with the device, it stands out because it is a flat bed scanner with excellent edge scanning capabilities, so you can scan a book easily without having problems with the scan in the binding area. It also makes the process less destructive on the book being scanned (you don't have to force it flat on the glass to scan it). And it comes with a great suite of software to finish the job. TigerDirect lists compatible versions of Windows as Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows ME. Don't know if it can work on Vista or not. It's a little smaller than a multifunction printer, but it's not small. So you'll also need a place to put it near your computer. To be honest, if I had a nice place in my office to tuck it, I'd buy one myself. It's a great product! I don't know if they have an updated version of the product or not, but I would like to see them on the market. Regular flatbed scanners are a pain to use. Auto sheet feeder scanners are nice if you can cut apart and destroy a book. And overhead camera systems are probably going to be the best answer in the future, but for some reason I haven't seen any cheap options yet so that will probably taka a while, and binding issues will still remain. Hey, you bargain hunters might even find a used one out there for more savings. Links... Plustek Product Page Tiger Direct Product Page Previous MR review

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10-11-2008, 10:56 AM	#2
DDHarriman Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 4380 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Almada, Portugal Device: Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS 505, Kindle DXG and Samsung Galaxy Note	We have one in my company for 3 years now and it rocks!

10-11-2008, 12:32 PM	#3
Jeff Duntemann Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 2434999 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S3; also Moto G Stylus phone	I've had that scanner for about two years now, and I scanned/OCRed 119 magazine stories on it for the 5-book Carl & Jerry series that I published in 2007. The device got a great deal of action and never misbehaved in any way. It comes with FineReader Sprint 5.0, which probably has the lowest OCR error rate of anything I've tried. This has been true even for material printed on badly yellowed 120-year-old paper printed with archaic fonts and scattered with pen scribbles in the margins, with the bonus that the old books and journals I've scanned tend to survive the process intact. It doesn't do quite as good a job scanning photographs as my HP flatbed, but for extracting text from old books that can't be spreadeagled on a conventional scanner there is absolutely nothing like it. I have quibbles about the language-free UI on the control software, but with a little study and an hour to practice you'll pick it up. Highly recommended.

10-11-2008, 03:37 PM	#4
Pulp Palm Addict Posts: 477 Karma: 1001951 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Cybook Gen3 [512mb, FW: 1.5]	I bought one and recieved it 2 days ago (not from tigerdirect but from a european reseller for a total of 225€ including shipment what was the cheapest I could find in Europe). I am totaly amazed with what I tried so far, scanned 2 books with a trialversion of Finereader 9 and it worked like a charm. The only downside is that the "Action Express"-software that should allow to map the scanners buttons to start specific applications does not detect finereader 9 as an ocr-software (only the included fr5) and I could not find a way to make it work.

10-11-2008, 05:33 PM	#5
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	I've had mine for years... love it for books and such. Use another scanner for anything else. It's important to note this scanner is NOT Mac compatible. I have to use it with Windows under virtualization.

10-11-2008, 11:08 PM	#6
Seabound Steerage Class Posts: 711 Karma: 505995 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest, USA Device: Won't fit here anymore, see sig for a list of liseuses.	Thanks for the info. It'd be nice to have one of these in the future. What's the maximum page size that will fit the scanner?

10-12-2008, 03:05 AM	#7
Studio717 Addict Posts: 208 Karma: 575 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: California Device: Various Kindles, iPhone, iPad, Galaxy 10.1	I've had mine for several years and love it. No problems with the software working on a Vista laptop I have, though of course I'd rather have it be able to work on a Mac.

10-12-2008, 07:38 AM	#10
DDHarriman Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 4380 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Almada, Portugal Device: Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS 505, Kindle DXG and Samsung Galaxy Note	Here you have the specs: http://www.plustek.com/product/book3600_spec.asp

10-12-2008, 03:33 PM	#12
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	Hour, hour and a half? It really depends on getting into the "flow" of it. I usually sit down with a movie, get it going, and then just enjoy the movie. By the time it's over I almost always have 200-250 pgs done.

10-12-2008, 04:08 PM	#13
JeffElkins Guru Posts: 780 Karma: 1416 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Kobo Clara 2E/HD, Kindle PW	I checked at Newegg and Amazon. Both are selling the 3600 Plus for a bit more. The reviews also complain about software stability and say to factor in the cost of good OCR software.

10-12-2008, 04:46 PM	#14
DDHarriman Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 4380 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Almada, Portugal Device: Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS 505, Kindle DXG and Samsung Galaxy Note	There is no need to go for the plus version - basically you get PDF creation, and loose TIFF image creation, the de facto standard for matrix images in digitizing projects. The OCR that comes with scanners is always almost useless, or at least a curiosity, for any serious work. Normally you get versions of known packages - in this case Finereader 5. The actual latest version is Finereader Pro 9, and it’s zillion years ahead from version 5 in accuracy and quality.

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10-12-2008, 10:08 PM	#15
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	I generally use Adobe Acrobat (full version). It works pretty well. And generally, in a pinch, the OCR software with it isn't that bad.