Scanner Reviews

...I guess if enough people complain... :-)

I was originally very excited about this product and purchased two, one for myself and one for my brother. The CardScan will enable you to scan most of your business cards and save them in your system, thus having it all at your fingertips. The software is great, allowing you to assign categories to all the contacts, to search for contacts in various ways, and allowing export/import/transfer of data to and from PIMs, utility programs and even to PDAs. I use Outlook at work but I find the CardScan software to be more powerful for contact management.

The scanner works well most of the time. With the Auto Scan feature you can set your cards down and, if all goes right, come back later to verify the information. Cards are rapidly read and the images stored until you verify the accurate placement of the card information into the software fields.

This leads me to one of the major problems with the CardScan. Understandably it's difficult to account for all business card formats, with the contact info. being placed in all possible ways. Corex has not fully figured out how to ensure placement of the card info. into the software fields. Only about 50% of the time was most of the info. properly placed. Otherwise you'll have to go through and cut and paste into the correct fields.

The CardScan does not always cleanly scan the business cards. The software is designed to allow you to compare the scanned image of the card to the fields to which the info. was assigned. Good idea but doesn't work so well. To verify that the card was read properly, you'll have to keep your scanned cards with you. Of course, once it's verified you can put the cards away for good.

Two great features of the CardScan: (1) it allows you to scan the back of the business card and (2) you can make your own entries for those cards that are too difficult to read.

The Corex Card Scanner is a must for anyone going to a trade show or conference where you might come home with an unmanageable number of new contacts' business cards. Everything about the setup was a piece of cake, even on Windows 2000. Hardware connects with a USB connection and all was up and running in minutes. Once set up, you just slip a card into the scanner and watch it convert the graphic information to text. You do have to be careful in this process as the character recognition is not perfect and will often mistitle a field or just read the data incorrectly, but overall, quite accurate. When you verify the information as correct, it keeps the card in the desktop program, both graphically and in labeled text fields. From there, you can seamlessly trasfer data to other programs (including Outlook) with the click of a button. I don't know how I lived without this.

I've always been loyal to HP printers. I've been using them for several years at home and at my office. Up until this one I've always been pleased with the quality and performance.

Here are a few reasons I curse the day I bought this printer:

1) The software is really annoying. By default it puts an "upload photos" folder on your desktop to promote hp's picture service. It won't let you delete it, move it, or stop it from showing up in the software options. I actually had to find it in the installed programs list and uninstall it.

2) The software is really, really annoying. When the cartridges are low it pops up to tell every single time you sign into XP. When you print it has stupid status windows that pop up, and it's one of those programs that insists on running all the time (on the system tray).

3) The printer is very loud. When I hear people complain about printers being loud I usually ignore them because it's not that important to me that a printer be really quiet. No joke, this cheaply built piece of junk will wake up your neighbors.

4) It jams, and really doesn't like envelopes. It makes the most god-awful and loud noise when it trys (unsuccessfully) to pick up a page or envelope. It then beeps loudly and the software launches a pop-up to tell you (as if you didn't already know).

On the positive side:

- It was/is priced pretty reasonably.

- Even though it sucks as a printer, it does perform alot of functions (i.e. scans/faxes/prints).

Having said that, I seriously suggest you look at alternatives to this printer.

Disclaimer: Many of my complaints listed above are related to the software, there *may* be options to make it less of a hassle but I admit I haven't taken the time to look. Again, I really hate everything about the printer/software.

I do professional photography and wanted to find a combo machine that I could also use to scan my photos. I had purchased the HP scanner 5530 that has a multiple photo feeder. I ended up returning it because I was not able to scan textured prints with good quality. I wanted to find a scanner that was easy & quick to operate. I normally need to scan anywhere from 100 to 250 photos at one session and using a flat bed design was too slow & tedious. The 5510v is designed to scan photos with a couple of buttons on the panel. The scan is sent to your computer for your approval. The software will crop and auto correct for you. There is even a black & white scan feature built on the panel. The quality is good enough for the web or contact sheet printing. The software installed very easily on my Windows XP machine. You can customize the software to operate in a way that is most convenient for you. The printing quality is good for a 4 color ink machine. If you are looking for a photographic quality printer, then the 6+ ink printers are better. The coping feature works very well. Overall, this is a good & simple to operate office machine.

I am a loyal user of HP products and I have found the 5110 to be a great product. However, I give it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the god-awful software installation... the installation failed 4 times and I was finally successful on the fifth try. This was going to be the last attempt before searching their support site or, [deep breath], I succumbed to calling customer support.

I decided to try installing the software completely without connecting the unit first by checking the box for this option on the 4th and 5th (successful) tries and suggest everyone else do this as well.

After that initial frustration, the unit has been great. All the functionality works great as I would expect from an HP product. And, the printer is quieter than many other deskjets I have seen. My only "worry" is the flimsiness of the printer cartridge door. I was afraid to pull on it too hard.

The first Pacific Image Electronics' PrimeFilm PF1800U USB Film Scanner I received was damaged and would not work at all. I returned it and was sent another as a replacement. The scans from this scanner are terrible. This thing is junk. I returned the second PF1800U scanner and purchased a Minolta DiMAGE Scan Dual IV. It cost a little more but was well worth it. The Minolta is wonderful I have scanned close to 9000 slides with it and have had no problems.

I had the same problem with mine...I had Lamp Failure with very few hours on the unit(around 15 hours). I had lost my sales slip so could not get any help. I would have given this unit a 5 star rating because when it was working it was a great tool. Too bad the lamp life wasnt better.

When customers call their support department reporting hardware failure and the unit is within it's one year warranty period the unit may be sent in for repair/replacement under such warranty, I am not sure who some of these customers contacted for assistance but Pacific Image stands behind their products, it is unfortunate that such miss communications cause bad reputations for particular products and companies. I was helped in a timely and professional manner. I would definitely buy their products in the future.

I too read the reviews and took the risk; and I too, am sorry I did. My pen will be back on it's way tomorrow for a semi-refund. I was extremely disappointed with the IRIS Pen Express. Not only can you NOT scan text that is single spaced, but when you do, it suddenly creates a new language that resembles something like a child who just came up and started punching keys on the keyboard. You can use a piece of paper to cover the next line down, but I still got errors. Scanning is not new to me either, nor are electronics in general. I work with them for a living, so I am confident the error is on the half of IRIS Pen. I gave myself an easy two hours trying to train myself to holding it right, etc. No luck. Speaking of which, it's also hard to hold the pen at exactly the right angle... it won't work right if you don't. You also have to scan in a perfectly straight line almost; easier said than done, trust me. I was using the pen on a desk, on a flat surface... I even used their "test sheet" and couldn't get it to input the right words more than 50% of the time... it was just gibberish. It takes longer to correct the mistakes in the middle of a sentence than it does to type the whole thing out. The application does input data directly to Word as promised... but data doesn't mean "correct data"... it just sorta puts in whatever it thinks you scanned. I would guess my overall accuracy rate was not better than 40-50%.

This is actually my first real negative review. I took a risk, and I payed the price. I should have listened to the other reviews here. Hopefully I along with some of these other folks will spare you the trouble of this device. Don't waste your time or money. You can buy a larger scanner, and scan faster with OCR, or heck, even type, that use this device successfully. Hopefully they'll eventually produce a more accurate product.

I purchased the Iris pen scanner because it was one of the few reasonably-priced scanners that claimed to be Mac compatible -- all the way up to OS 10.3 no less! Sure enough, the software installed without a hitch, and all I needed to do was perform a quick calibration of the pen (no problem), open Word, and start scanning. This scanner works like a dream -- it is designed to scan at the correct angle, and automatically begins scanning as soon as you press down on the page. So far, it has given me 100% accuracy on just about everything I have scanned.

I am so tired of having to deal with the "workarounds" that make peripherals barely usable on my iBook, and I am really pleased to be able to recommend this product whole heartedly!

The IRISPen Express saves me time and energy! I no longer have to type paperwork into the computer because I can scan it in to any of the applications I use on my PC. The pen works great and so far has scanned everything I've tried. I would highly recommend this product.

(...)

The thing that sold me was the firewire connection on a scanner listed at (this price). The scanner I replaced was infuriatingly slow so I wanted to ensure that at least the connection to the computer wouldn't slow things down further. No worries there. The UMAX previews and scans a standard photo in far under 20 seconds (I didn't time it precisely so I'm being conservative).

I was a little hesitant before I bought it because the optical resolution, at 600x1200, is half that of most newer scanners in my price range ($100-$200). But I dug around and found out that most of the scanning needs I have can be satisfied in the 300dpi range so the resolution is fine for my needs (eg - emailing photos and printing off copies of photos - my printer's resolution is only 600 dpi so anything more from the scanner is a waste). And the added speed of the firewire is a big plus.

The only downside - the bundled software isn't OSX ready. Of course, the so called OSX drivers for my printer don't work in OSX either, so I'm used to the "startup disk shuffle". And since the hardware is great for my needs, a software problem is only a minor annoyance which, hopefully, should be fixed by the supplier sometime.

My rating - 4 stars, with one demerit for the software issue - but it would have been 4.5 if I had the choice.

This last review stating that the Astra 6400 is not OS X compatible is not correct, there is a software upgrade on the UMAX website for $49.

The UMax Astra 6400 Scanner is one of the best scanners you can ever own. I originally had the UMax Astra 1220U Scanner and it provided ok quality scans, but I take lots of pictures and waiting for scanners to finish scanning every single picture was a burden that discourage me from scanning pictures often. The 1220U series also wasn't Windows 2000 compatible so I decided to finally get a better scanner.

I research and found that the 6400 was known for it's fast scanning speeds so I decided to give it a try, and it didn't disappoint me.

The scanner comes with everything you need to use it and you don't need to worry about Windows 98se or 2000 compatiblity. It even comes with its own firewire card. The firewire card has 3 ports so not only can you use it with your scanner but you can plug 2 other firewire devices such as digital video cameras for digital video editing on your computer, that is if you have the software to do so.

All and all, I think this is the best scanner that any home user can buy for a reasonable price.

The printer, copy, and scan functions all work great. I have only tried to fax a couple times and couldn't get it to work. The ink cartridges run dry frequently, one went out in only 11 days. I am not sure if it is because the cartridge dries that fast or because the print head gets clogged quickly and thinks its dry. Even with cleaning the print head it still runs out of ink too fast.

I have had the C5500 for almost 2 years now and have discovered all its faults and advantages. It is really no different from any other All-In-One device. At the time we bought it, there was only one other choice, the HP OfficeJet 500 (which we already own). The colors are marvelous, the blacks are also very good. It isn't that fabulous for sending faxs or making monocolour copies, but that's what I use my scanner for.

A very nice feature to the C5500 is AnsMode, where if you plug your answering machine through the unit, you can send faxes to the answering machine, but the unit will pick up and recieve the fax as normal.

But the reason i didn't give it 5 stars is the software. The unit is completely useless without the software. While you can copy and recieve/send faxes to a degree without the software, you cannot print as another printer similar to other printers. The software is often very problematic and sometimes doesnt start up properly, making you restart or plug a different printer into the unit. The software also crashes a lot both on Win98 and WinME machines. If you misplace the CD (I could've sworn I left it on the counter) it's a 40MB download just to make it work!!!

Unfortunately, the software gives the C5500 a bad reputation with me. If the software were re-designed it would earn the C5500 a 5 star rating because the unit is really and truly wonderful.

This multipass C5500 is a very good all-in-one machine. I recently purchased a new Dell computer, but this machine is not compatable with the XP os. I need to sell this one and buy another multifunction that will work with my new computer. I have the original box it came in, the software, documents and extra black cartridge still in the package, unopened, that goes to the successful buyer. This machine is in excellant condition and have never had any problems with it . I am the only owner. I purchased it new. Thank you for your interest. Daniel Rogers

I had technical problems with my Visioneer scanner and severe problems with their customer service department - everything from a 17-21 minute hold on the phone before getting a human to a 3-month (so far) wait for a replacement machine. Visioneer refuses to refund money because my customer service problems have gone on longer than 30 days and because I didn't purchase the machine through their website. Take great care in purchasing a Visioneer product. Dealing with Customer Service can be stressful and totally unrewarding - no money, no machine.

I have had my scanner for over three years and it really saves me a lot of time. But I do wish that their was a customer service line to help with problems that are not available.

I have tried everything to make my faxes come out in black and white but to no avail.

The background is always gray. Even when I just print to copy.

Are their manuals that I can purchase?

Everything is relative. I see other reviews stating difficulties with software and support. I cannot vouche for their support because I have never needed it. I've found the software to be pretty straight forward and actually quite simple. Of course I had to mess around with it a little to get the hang of it like anything else. When you get it all set up, the one touch buttons make a quick fax or copy simple as pie (not pi). The image quality is excellent and it works great with Photoshop too.

This scanner was a great disappointment. It never worked for one moment fresh out of the box! As you can't return it to the store you are reduced to immediately spending more money on a long distance phone call to get a replacement. Not a new one that is. Just someone else's rebuilt problem. The buttons didn't work on the replacement! Help was only another long distance call away, and we all know how long it can take to be the 'next person in line'. Finally, the third unit arrived. Yet another rebuilt piece of garbage with dirt and cloudy streaks on the inside of the glass! Makes for nice looking scanned images!
So, $x spent + phone calls + 2 replacements = 1 useless unit. Never will I waste money on any HP item again! *-5 Stars* is more like it!

This has to be one of the worst products that HP has produced. I bought this in tandem with the Photosmart 1315. BIG MISTAKE! Not only are both products off the market, but HP offers no assistance what-so-ever. If you pay them $... they will assist you. What a rip-off! I'll never purchase a HP product again.

Here are various comments I have about this scanner, which I've owned for over two years.

- not-too-bad results for color photos, especially for web use.

- the film/slide-adapter contraption that it comes with is practically useless. The reflector inside is hazy, and since it is made of cheap plastic, it broke when I tried to use it. The lighting on the resulting images is waay off and the over all quality is pretty bad.

- ScanJet software that it comes with isn't too friendly, but it's ok after you get used to it.

- scanning anything over 300dpi is much slower than expected

- this machine is LOUD!

Well just last night, the scanner literally burnt up and died on me when I connected it to another computer. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but when I ran a test scan, the light burnt out and the slider choked as it tried to scan..leaving a pretty nasty burnt odor in the room for a while...

The Microtek Scanmaker X6 is a pretty sharp looking unit and the installation of the unit and its software were straightforward. It will scan in documents and pictures up to 8.5 x 11 inches quickly and with extremely high resolution. Once the picture is taken, the included software will allow you to manipulate the colors, add effects etc. just like a computer graphics expert (well, kinda). The only real problem I had with it stemmed from it being my first scanner. The unit comes with very few instructions. A simple pamphlet on how to scan in nice photos would have been extremely useful. I was able to quickly discern how to adjust the resolution and scaling so that the pictures I was scanning didn't turn out to be several hundred MB large, but I am not sure everyone will realize how to do that. Even now, I am not sure whether it is better to scan in a picture with high resolution and then scale it down with the software or scan it in with a lower resololution and scale it down less. . .see the kind of confusion I am talking about? On the upside, I have been able to augment my website with tons of pictures and scan in some important documents. The software will even allow you to use your scanner as either a fax machine or a photocopier (provided you have a modem and printer, respectively). Generally speaking, I recommend the unit to people who at least have some clue about how to use computers well. The real amateurs will probably never figure it out.

I recently purchased this scanner despite being aware of the bad reviews at Amazon because so many other independent comparative reviews gave it top recommendations.

I found both the hardware and software very easy to install on my Dell laptop using Windows 98, and overall the scanner is well built with a tough aluminium case.

I could not fault the scanning quality, which produced a very clear, sharp image. However, I was a little disappointed in the fax software which, as far as I can tell, can only fax one scan in one call and seems to have to take two passes of each page. Also the word recognition omnipage bundle made too many mistakes (although it has to be said that if you are going to do a lot of OCR then you are probably advised to buy a specialist package such as Omnipage Pro V.9 rather than rely on bundled software that comes with any scanner).

Apart from these software limitations, the actual scanner is second to none. I think that Microtek have recently updated the installation software so that many of the problems encountered by other reviewers are now ironed out.

One annoying thing that I did notice was a faint ticking sound coming from the transformer when the scanner is switched off but still plugged in at the mains. Although this is, according to Microtek, perfectly normal, it can be annoying if you have sensitive hearing and work in a very quiet environment. Most people would never notice it.

In summary: the scanner output quality and build deserves 5 stars, whereas the bundled software, although easy to use, deserves 4 stars. Overall I will give it 4 stars because of the ticking sound which forces me to switch it on and off at the wall socket.

I got my scanner from Dell along with my computer. Itinstalled easily and has worked fine. I have had absolutely noexperience with scanners. Mine makes great scans in all modes but I normally use it in the scan to file mode. I have had no reason to try to reach the help lines or any thing like that. I like it.

I bought this product with very high expectations. Silly me. No matter how many tries, no matter how much advice and valiant effort from technical support, no matter how many work arounds attempted, my computer and the scanner could not connect; i.e. the USB connection did not work. Shortly after I finally gave up, I installed a new digital camera, also calling for an USB connection (natch) with no problems at all. My suspicion is that the scanner is not at all comfortable with XP, which is on my system. But whatever the reason, the scanner failed to install, I returned the product for a credit, and commented to the technical support that "It simply shouldn't be this hard."

The DocuPen has been very effecient tool for me. I scan lots of receipts and forms and various other financial documents, something that is important to me at times is capturing signatures, which the DocuPen is capable of.

I have used up the one set of batteries already and basically I scanned up to 220 pages which is 20 more pages than what the manual recommends.

The time wasted on driving around to find a photocopying machine or flatbed scanner and actually doing the photocopy can now be eliminated with the DocuPen. Just take the DocuPen and capture your required document on the spot.

Also getting the scanning technique down was not hard at all, as I got the technique down after 5 trial scans on a regular Word file print out. What I like about the DocuPen is that we are actually a part of the scanning mechanism, a really cool idea & concept.

I recently purchased the DocuPen and the product has been fine for me. It connected perfectly fine with Windows XP and to my other computer systems such as Win 98 and Win 2000.

For some people I know that if a product does not work, it may be in part due to something in the computer system itself. Take a look into the system first to see if its compatible with the product, because the product worked wonders for me.

The DocuPen literally took me like 3 scans to get the technique down. And I get very legible scans.

It seems that many expect pure carbon copy duplicates, but that's not really the concept behind the DocuPen, because I really see it as a tool to scan documents and other materials for reference that does not need to be super high quality. If need be, then use a high resolution flatbed scanner. The key difference is in the fact that it is totally portable, something that a flatbed scanner is not.

The free software is also amazing, its called PaperPort from ScanSoft that integrates with various programs from my computer like Outlook, Word, etc...I am also impressed with the OCR feature within PaperPort because it does a very good translation of scanned text image into editable text.

By the way, the technical support staff is superb in assisting with technical needs, because I only had a slight issue but was resolved immediately.