OpticBook 3600 Book Scanner Review - Part I

[pepak]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

When scanning in book mode with the 3600, how much time would it take for a 150 page book?

Generally, I do 100 pages in 20 minutes.

What is the optimal setup to use the OCR, and how precise is it?

I use 300 DPI grayscale and it works fine enough.

Is the scanner efficient with lightweight paper backs without adding additional weights to the cover?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Forget paperback sources. They scan at 85-90 OCR accuracy, which means you might as well type them in.

I can't agree. I use Abbyy Finereader and the accuracy is excellent on all books. I am very demanding about the books I create and I still only get an average of one error (counting errors such as a single quote instead of a double quote or a space where it shouldn't be) every two or three pages.

-----

Regarding the scanner: I am very impressed by this thing. What I like the most is that the manufacturer really thought about how would one go about scanning books, and made the operation as smooth as possible. Basically, I just set the thing up and then it is only a matter of turning the book around and pressing one button. The only thing that could be improved is the reaction to incorrectly scanned page (if I delete it, it won't influence the page count so automatic rotation becomes messed up), but that is easily fixed by re-scanning a page twice.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by pepak

Generally, I do 100 pages in 20 minutes.


I use 300 DPI grayscale and it works fine enough.


Yes.


I can't agree. I use Abbyy Finereader and the accuracy is excellent on all books. I am very demanding about the books I create and I still only get an average of one error (counting errors such as a single quote instead of a double quote or a space where it shouldn't be) every two or three pages.

-----

Regarding the scanner: I am very impressed by this thing. What I like the most is that the manufacturer really thought about how would one go about scanning books, and made the operation as smooth as possible. Basically, I just set the thing up and then it is only a matter of turning the book around and pressing one button. The only thing that could be improved is the reaction to incorrectly scanned page (if I delete it, it won't influence the page count so automatic rotation becomes messed up), but that is easily fixed by re-scanning a page twice.

What version of Finereader software are you using? I was using version 5.0 that came with the 3600 when I bought it. If later versions of software do better on paperbacks, I will definitely upgrade...

[pepak]

Version 9. It's the latest one, I believe.

[scanner]

can the top of the 3600 (lid) be removed?
also, I would like to see a scan of a above 500 pages book with soft cover (a page in the middle)

I want to see how deep it can go near the binding and how good it scans text (without shadows, crisp, bright, high contrast image of the text)

please post a sample

thanks

[pepak]

Originally Posted by scanner

can the top of the 3600 (lid) be removed?

Yes. Actually, I only scan with the lid removed.

I want to see how deep it can go near the binding and how good it scans text (without shadows, crisp, bright, high contrast image of the text)

It starts scanning at about 5-6 milimeters from the binding. 8 milimeters is enough to make it comfortable.

[Studio717]

It all depends on how tightly bound the spine is. Loose spines make the book easy to place against the edge while tightly-bound spines can make it nearly impossible, though with the 3600's design, if you can open the book maybe a tad wider than 90 degrees, it should fit.

It also depends on how wide the margin is. You can still grab a page of text if the marge is wide enough even if the spine is tight.

I usually scan with the lid up (but not off) since once I've defined the page size in the software, only the book page gets scanned anyway. The only time I take the cover off is when I have a very large book, which doesn't happen very often.

[scanner]

I got a plustek 3600 scanner

my first impression is that it is overall a nice scanner:
- fast but not that fast (like some scanners that scan in 2-3 seconds)
- image quality seems minimaly superior to other scanners I used (eg, Canon Lide 25), but there are still character that Abby Reader cannot read them well, but certainly less than with other scanners
- it does what it is supposed to do: it scans well near the binding (although its plastic base goes out and makes the book to be more opened than it should, but it's minimal), no other scanner can do this afaik (apart from some Microtek scanners, eg Scanmaker s450 etc, which I have not tested and Avision scanners)

overall I am satisfied, however:
- I needed the book to be less opened in a smaller angle (this would require a super slim scanner)
- I needed more accurate results (maybe Finereader needs improvement), but shadow elimination and scanning artifacts on the image are obvious (not sure if the glass causes them, the sensor, the dust on the book, the shadow from the typed characters on the opposite page, etc)

it CERTAINLY does NOT justify its original high price (250-300 USD), they simply take advantage that you need a book spine scanner, and they charge this, without any advantage in image quality, speed, etc, but what can you do to scan those books you need and there is no competition for book spine scanners?

as I mentioned, one looking for other alternatives should look for Microtek scanners (affordable but not tested) and Avision scanners (those being expensive but of industrial quality and speed)

[Studio717]

If you're having trouble with letters showing through thin paper from the back of the page, try putting a piece of black construction paper behind the page you're scanning. That may darken the page from white to gray, but it will mask the black letters from showing through.

I've found it easier to use if I cut the construction paper to just a tad larger than the book page. If I don't do that, it gets awkward trying to keep everything in order.

[scanner]

nope, it's not about thin paper, it's about book page (the half of the book is at the back of the page I scan)

maybe trying to adjust the light that the scanner sheds in order to scan, and make it lower (lower brightness), it may fix this (but there will be lower contrast)

as for the artifacts (small black dots outside the letters area), maybe changing the glass to a better one would improve this

also a better software that will clear these artifacts is needed
finereader doesn't seem to work well on this part (increasing contrast in photoshop, increases dramaticaly the OCR success, finereader is supposed to increase contrast automaticaly, but it doesn't do it well enough)

[scanner]

I did some tests and I need confirmation either by your tests or the available technical knowledge

1. TIFF seems superior to BMP (optimum filetype?)
2. 300dpi seems superior to 450dpi (which is the optimum dpi, really? sure it depends on the letter size, but it's over all not that different in most books)
3. brightness set at 5 and contrast set at 5 increased dramaticaly OCR success, from 35/3,500 to 15/3,500, but setting them to 10 each, decreases the success (which are the optimum? and I really don't need to scan photos, I only need best OCR success)
4. optimum gamma correction anyone?

also, scanning in a dark room or a light room would be better?
last, how do I prevent previewing before I open settings?

thanks

[=X=]

Originally Posted by scanner

1. TIFF seems superior to BMP (optimum filetype?)

Same, both TIFF and BMP use a loss less compression. TIFF can use RLE/LZH and BMP only uses RLE. The graphics industry seems to preferr TIFF.

Originally Posted by scanner

2. 300dpi seems superior to 450dpi

This question depends on your scanner. Most scanners are 300/600 DPI and they interpolate the other DPI.

Originally Posted by scanner

4. optimum gamma correction anyone?

This is a value that can change on a per scan basis. Typically 1.5 or 1.6 is the standard for printed media. But your gamma can change if the image you are scanning differs in brightness.

=X=

[scanner]

FYI, if you plan to buy this device so that you won't damage the spines of your books, think twice:

having to lift the book in order to turn page will damage the book, it can even tear a book if it is really old (consider you will be lifting it for hundreds of times in order to scan it)

the only solution is scanners that scan the book in the exact position as you read it, at your desk

just letting you know....

[DDHarriman]

Correct.

This is a cheap, outstanding... but no "old book" solution.

For that you need a planetarium scanner, and that would cost you thousands ou euros.

[scanner]

it can make a book look old after scanning it, lol
seriously, you can tear apart any book with not very good binding, as you lift it for numerous times in order to scan each page

[yekim54]

Has anyone come across a review of the Microtek ScanMaker s450 that discusses its scanning speed? I was wondering how fast it can scan a book page compared to the OpticBook 3600.