Planon Docupen R700 B&W Pen Scanner (DPENR700) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Bottom line first: DocuPen is a very good device if you do not have too high expectations and use it only for what it was designed for. You have to realize: this is neither a copier, nor a scanner; this is a fax machine inside out. You will get exactly the same quality as from a conventional fax. If that's what you need, than DocuPen is a perfect device for you. Otherwise - don't bother.
The images scanned with DocuPen look almost exactly as if they came out of a conventional fax machine. The pictures looked pretty bad (if heavy graphics/pictures are what you need don't even think about DocuPen) and some of the text lines were stretched in a way a fax machine does when the paper gets a bit jammed. I am sure, with some practice it will get better but not too much as it's humanly impossible to keep moving the hand up to 8 seconds with precisely the same speed.
However, if the text and some light drawings are what you need than this device is for you. I, personally, do historical research and need to copy some articles from old newspapers. DocuPen works great with text. Just make sure you always use 200 DPI even if you don't really need to. The reason is that if you mess something a bit (say, your hand shakes or so) with 200 DPI there is a chance to fix the image later on or at least to be able to read it. At 100 DPI it's pretty much dead end.
The two major drawbacks of the DocuPen (at least for me) are the small memory and inability to work with a PDA. DocuPen's internal memory is only 2 Mb which in my opinion is ridiculously small. And there is no way to increase/upgrade it. Don't believe the ad that says you can store up to a 100 pages. You don't want to scan at 100 DPI, and with 200 DPI 50 pages is the max. What they don't tell you in the ad, is that if any of those pages contain heavy graphics the number could go as low as 12 (!) at 200 DPI (that's what the manual says). That sounds like almost nothing to me.
The small memory issue would not be that bad if the DocuPen was compartable with any of the PDAs. As long as I could download those few pages and start scanning again I would have being OK with that. However, I don't always carry my laptop with me and it is sort of a hassle to bring it to the library every time. On the other hand, my PDA is always in my pocket. If I download those scanned pages to my PDA not only to clear the memory but also to check how they turned out (and re-scan any if necessary) that would have been great. But the DocuPen DOES NOT work with any of the PDAs !!!
I actually made a call to DocuPen's tech support (BTW the guy who works down there was very nice) and talked about this issue. Apparently the problem was not the compartibility but the lack of drivers. The company supports Windows 98/2000/NT/XP (and, I've heard, some of the MAC's OSs) but not Windows Mobile or Palm OS. So, they simply don't know what's going to happen if I connect the DocuPen to my PDA (provided I find the correct cable or make one myself). So if anybody out there feels like writting a driver for the DocuPen to work with Windows Mobile please let me know :-)
They also told me that in six months (Spring 2006) they plan to launch a new model of DocuPen which would have a slot for SD card (yes-s-s !!!) and would scan in full color. Personally, I don't think that DocuPen's upgrade to color scanning is such a good idea. The quality of its images is low enough in b/w and the addition of color would just make things worse. It will also enlarge the size of the device and, of course, the price will go up.
For now, your choice is either to buy the DocuPen R-700 and deal with its small memory or wait six months (at least) and pay more for pretty much the same device (again, I don't believe in color on the "world's smallest scanner") to be able to save your scans on a SD card.
Two other things that I would have changed about DocuPen are fairly minor and are really more inconveniences than major issues. The button that turns the device on is very hard to press. Every time I do that it feels like I am going to break the whole thing. Also the carrying case that comes with the DocuPen does not provide the adequate protection. I wish they made some sturdy metallic tube/box instead of this fluffy pouch. But may be that was the point. The sooner your DocuPen breaks, the sooner you get another one :-)
Overall, I did like the DocuPen and I would recommend it to anybody as long as you clearly understand what you need it for. If you plan to use it for copying a few book articles at your library, class notes from your friend's copy-book or some simple hand-drawings it will work great for you. But if you need quality graphic images of pictures or complicated blueprints and/or plan to scan a large number of documents at once DocuPen is NOT for you. Try to get HP's CapShare 920 instead.

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SCANNER, DOCUPEN R700 B&W PEN SCANNER, RECHARGEABLE BATTERY THROUGH USB

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Ectaco ER900C Partner Deluxe English-Russian Talking Electronic Dictionary & Audio Phrasebook with Scanner Review

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(More customer reviews)I have bought this device in 2009. My initial opinion was - too pricey for the set of features it provides. However I had bought this device for the language features it has. I believe this was a mistake.
Surprisingly, the device does the translation part very well, it translates phrases, provides many dictionary's options as well as educational materials. Scanner happens to be useless, it is faster to type than to scan. However, again, device costs too much for what it does. For the full price of this device you can get decent laptop or even an off-market iPhone, and purchase an iPhone's language app for another $20 or so.
After a year of use (almost the next day my warranty has expired), my device started rebooting by itself. Technical support told me they do not fix devices at all. If it is still under the warranty, they replace it for free, if warranty is out, they replace it for the half of the purchased price. I believe this policy is ridiculous. To my opinion the device does not cost even half of the price. My opinion - Ectaco is a waste of money.


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Canon PIXMA MP780 All-In-One Photo Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, if you're in the market for a printer, you can't go wrong with a Canon. Canon printers consistently beat out the competition in independent tests for print quality. Their items are elegant, well designed, and most importantly, ink is affordable.
We all know the razor and blade scheme: sell the printer below cost and make it up with pricey cartridges. Canon, however, saves you a lot of money by including the print head with the printer and not on each cartridge. Because of this, genuine Canon cartridges can be had for around $12, while 3rd party cartridges, which many claim work just as well, can be found for as low as $2.
If you've already decided on a Canon multifunction, lets see which model is right for you. Canon's current market list is as follows:
MP130 - New model, and the most affordable yet.
Copy/Print/Scan
18ppm black, 13ppm color
2 ink tanks
No auto sheet feeder!
Card slots
MP390 - Has a fax, About half the cost of the MP7xx's.
Copy/Print/SCan/Fax
18ppm black, 12 ppm color
2 ink tanks
card slots
MP750 - Older model - exactly the same as mp780 but no fax.
Copy/Print/Scan
25ppm black, 17 ppm color
5 ink tanks
Built in Duplexing
MP760 - New Model - geared towards photo enthusiasts.
Copy/Print/Scan + Special Photo Features
25ppm black, 17 ppm color
5 ink tanks
No auto sheet feeder!
Built in Duplexing
*Unique photo features:
2.5 inch lcd screen
Built in film adapter for 35mm slides or negatives
can print directly from negatives
Card slots
MP780 - Does it all except for the mp760 photo features.
Copy/Print/Scan/Fax
25ppm black, 17 ppm color
5 ink tanks
Built in Duplexing
Now, let's look more closely at some key differences between these models:
*Fax: The first thing you should do is decide if you need a fax or not. If you do, you should choose between the MP780 or the MP390. If not, don't rule those two out just yet, they may have have other features you can't live without.
*Note: There is NO auto fax/telephone switching on these models if you wish to use the same line for faxes and voice calls.
*Number of ink tanks: The next important thing you should look at is whether you want to be able to replace each color individually or not. The MP750, MP760 and MP780 all have 5 individual ink tanks (photo black, black, cyan, yellow, magenta), while the MP130 and MP390 have only 2 (black and tricolor). The cost of each cartridge is about the same, but you will waste some leftover ink by throwing out the MP130 or MP390's color cartridge when just one color runs out.
*Photo printing: If you're planning on printing a lot of photos, you should probably go with an mp7xx. These have a superior print head, as well as the 5 separate ink tanks. The MP760 is especially noteable with all the features Canon has added specifically for photos. These come at a price however, as the MP760 does not share the auto sheet feeder of its MP750 and MP780 cousins, or the fax of the 780.
*However - If you plan on printing directly from memory cards, beware! The mp750 and mp780 do not have card slots! The 2 cheaper models and the mp760 do.
*Auto sheet feeder: The mp130 and mp760 do NOT have an auto sheet feeder. All 3 of the others do. An auto sheet feeder is very useful when doing a lot of scanning or faxing.
*Duplexing: The mp7xx models each have built in duplexing.
*Size: The mp7xx models weigh around 30 pounds and are quite big. The MP390 is a smaller, and weighs 18 pounds. The mp130 has a tiny footprint for a multifunction printer, and weighs 14 pounds.
Some features that all of Canon's current MFPs share:
*Copying: Each of these models has a copy function, and all have the same resolution (600x600 black, 1200x1200 color).
*USB 2.0 connection
*Pictbridge direct photo printing support
*All 5 models are great looking and will complement almost any decor.
My recommendations:
If you want a great price on an excellent printer and don't need a fax: MP130
If price is an issue but you still need a fax: MP390
If you can afford an MP700 series and don't need a fax, card slots, or the MP760's photo features: MP750
If you need its exclusive photo features (but no fax or auto sheet feeder): MP760
If you can afford an MP700 series and need a fax (but no card slots and none of the MP760s photo features): MP780

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Includes: Easy-PhotoPrint, Easy-WebPrint, ScanSoft OmniPage SE, Presto! PageManager, power cord, print head, & ink tanks. Canon Pixma MP780 All-In-One Multi-Function Machine - Combining 4 popular office devices into one machine, the Pixma MP780 saves you money and space when compared to purchasing them separately! Speed - Up to 25 ppm (black) / Up to 17 ppm (color) Resolution - Up to 600 x 600 dpi (black) / Up to 4800 x 1200 dpi (color) Color Copier Speed - Up to 25 cpm (black) / Up to 17 cpm (color) Resolution - Up to 600 x 600 dpi (black) / Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi (color) Reduction / Enlargement - 25% to 400% Color Scanner Resolution - Up to 2400 x 4800 dpi (optical) / Up to 9600 x 9600 dpi (interpolated) 48-bit Color Maximum Document Size - 8.5 x 11.7 Color Fax 33.6 Kbps Modem Speed - approx. 4 sec. per page (black) / 1 min. per page (color)

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Adesso NuScan 3200U - Barcode scanner - handheld - 80 scan / sec - decoded - USB Review

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(More customer reviews)As the title of my post says this is my first bar-code scanner purchase. I've wanted one for awhile but couldn't justify the purchase as I would only be using it for cataloging and keeping track of my movie, music and book collections. I use 2 different programs for my movie collection and 1 program for my music and book collections.
As a movie fan-atic I buy a lot of movies (mostly blu-ray and some dvds that I don't think will be released any time soon - if ever - on blu-ray). It seems all the applications for collectors use the UPC code to add titles to your collections. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be and often I get the numbers out of order or just wrong and it becomes a long process just to list the titles by UPC manually.
So, I did a lot of researching of bar-code scanners. There are a lot of them at prices that are very inexpensive to expensive and a whole lot in between.
I usually rely on what others have experienced with a particular product especially when I don't know all that much about it myself and more often than not it pays off.
This bar-code scanner installed without a problem on my Dell laptop. Windows 7 found the driver so I didn't need a setup disc. And even better the scanner worked perfectly right out of the box. And it is a huge help when entering a lot of titles in a short period of time. For my movie collection I use both DVD Profiler and Movie Collectorz programs. I prefer the Collectorz.com application but I like the ability to have my collection available on a web page so I also use DVD Profiler.
As I've said, this scanner makes adding movies, music, etc a breeze and I can add them fast so I'm not spending hours as I did before.
This bar-code scanner works perfectly every time. Totally accurate and it reads every bar-code even a few that had some sticky stuff over the code on certain upc codes and some that had a small hole in the upc code.
I've very happy with this purchase and I think anyone looking for a good scanner that is a mid-range priced one should consider this one.


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Canon CanoScan 4200F Flatbed Scanner Review

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(More customer reviews)I simply love the Canon CanoScan 4200F flat scanner for prints and films. It's fast (both in scanning and transfering to the PC), quiet, and has superb scan quality, esp. on 35mm negatives. (I haven't tried scanning 35mm slide films.)
Setting the 4200F up is pretty much a breeze, assuming you have Windows XP. (Windows 98 users will need to follow the instructions very carefully.) You first install the software -- the scanner driver and the scan toolbar (called "toolbox") are the only programs necessary for using the scanner; the other applications (photo editing, OCR and Adobe Acrobat) are optional. After restarting your machine (so the scanner driver loads and runs as a service), just connect the USB 2.0 hi-speed cable, and you are set to go.
Using the scanner is also quite simple. You can scan in three ways: directly from your photo organizing or editing program (assuming it supports the universal TWAIN interface, which most imaging programs worth their pennies do); using the Canon Scan Toolbox; or pressing one of the four buttons on the scanner itself, which calls up the toolbox and automatically initiates a scan.
The four buttons are:
- Copy. Your PC must be connected to a powered-on printer for this to work. When you press copy, the Canon scans and sends the file directly to your printer.
- Scan. This is the button for scanning. When you press it, the Canon scans and sends the scanned image to your designated photo editing program, which you specify once via the toolbox. (This button corresponds to the "Scan 1" icon on the toolbox.)
- PDF. This turns the scanned image into a PDF file.
- E-mail. This button scans and then calls up Outlook Express or Outlook with the image embedded as a JPEG attachment.
The toolbox (toolbar) has more options for scanning. All are pretty straightforward. Each option can be configured in detail, or you can specify that all the settings be done in the driver itself. (The toolbox is simply an interface to the driver.) If you configure things in the driver, you'll even be able to adjust how the scanned image should look, in terms of color, contrast, sharpness, etc., etc. The options are endless, but in the beginning, using the toolbox makes scanning a breeze and less intimidating.
One thing cool about the Canon is how it makes it easy to understand what resolution you should scan in. First, the 4200F is capable of 3200x6400 dpi (dots per inch). The 3200 dpi is its true optical resolution; that's how much fine details it can detect. The second number, 6400 dpi, refers to its "stepping" levels, which basically means the sensor can sample each inch 6400 times, but only detects up to 3200 dots. When you scan, the Canon asks you what *output* resolution and size you want, and then calculates the necessary input resolution for you. Say you are scanning a 4x6" photo but want to be able to print it 4 times as large (or twice the width and length, i.e., 8x12") and print at 300 dpi. The Canon will then automatically set the correct scan resolution of 600 dpi -- which is twice as much as printing 4x6 at 300 dpi. So you'll get a 2400x3600 file in pixels, which can then be printed at 8x12" at 300 dpi (2400/8=3600/12=300dpi). This concept of specifying output resolution rather than worrying about input resolution works esp. well for scanning negatives. Say you are scanning a 35mm negative. It'd be a pain to figure out which scanning resolution is best. But if you know you'd eventually want to print a 4x6" photo in 200 dpi, just tell the driver so, and the driver will do all the work for you and scan properly.
Another feature I love is multi-scan, which lets you scan in several pictures at once and the driver automatically separates them. Here's how I use my 4200F:
I set up the scan button so it's linked to Adobe Photoshop Elements 3's organizer. (You can link the button to any TWAIN-compatible program.) When I press the button, the scanner automatically scans multiple pictures I place on the glass, and separates them (and straightens them if necessary) into individual pictures. I have a checkbox called "confirmation of EXIF" checked, which allows me an opportunity to scan in more pictures before sending them all at once to Photoshop Elements 3. This really saves me a lot of time, without having to switch between the scanner driver and Photoshop Elements after each scan. Finally, when I'm done with scanning all the photos, I click the Forward button, and the driver automatically launches Adobe Photoshop Elements (if it's not already open) or switches to it, and sends over the newly scanned pictures. This process works equally well for photo prints and negatives. It sounds longer than it actually is. As with any scanning, it's replacing the photos on the glass or in the negative holder that is the most time-consuming part.
Compared to my previous scanners and even many more expensive scannesr on the market today, the CanoScan 4200F is lightyears ahead in scan quality, speed and quietness. The driver software has both a "simple mode" for easy scanning and an "advanced mode" for more fine-tuned scanning. The driver has been totally stable. I simply love this scanner. Finally, I will be able to scan in all my old photos.
The only downside I can think of is the lack of a printed user's manual. The 4200F comes with a quick-start guide that covers installing the software and doing a test scan. The HTML user's guide has lots of details, but because it's not PDF, it's almost impossible to print out.

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Canon CANOSCAN 4200F 3200X6400 DPI FLATBED SCANNER

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Epson Printer Power Cord for Printers C64 C66 C68 C82 C82N C82WN C84 C84N C84WN C86 C88 C120 CX3800 CX3810 CX4200 CX4600 CX4800 CX5000C CX4300 CX7400 CX7800 R200 R220 R280 R300 R320 R340 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I view the product as a really helpful for, what I orded for. The Amazon web sit is one of the most important web sit to purchase any items that you will want or needs. I will always encouraged customers to buy from this websit(Amazon).

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Brother DCP-165c Color Inkjet All-in-One for Home / Home Office Review

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(More customer reviews)b/w copies come out brown. According to Brother accurate color is not guaranteed! If standard built-in tests come out right then I have to take it to a service center and if they agree there is nothing wrong, then I have to pay the service charge. Brother will not exchange for another, only issue credit on customer paid return shipping. Now I see why local retail stores don't carry this product!

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HP DeskJet F4480 Inkjet All-in-One Printer (CB745A#B1H) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I just bought this 1 month ago, and there are clearly more perks than I am currently taking advantage of. Here are the ones I'm already loving. It's a color printer that allows pure black and white printing. (My old ones only did grayscale wasting lots of colored ink. I can print 6 slides per page, and all printing can be double sided, even multiple pages per side! Amazing paper saving options. Also, a very helpful automatic on-screen error guide. This is just the beginning of what this printer has to offer. To me, it is worth much more than its price!

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Upgrade, but keep it simple with the efficient HP DeskJet F4480 Inkjet all-in-one printer, scanner, copier for your home. Made from 50 percent recycled plastic, the Energy Star-qualified F4480 makes it easy to go green and helps you save energy, paper, and money by enabling you to printing multiple pages onto onto each side of the paper using the paper-saving Printing option. It can print up to 22 color pages per minute (ppm), offers up to a 1200 x 2400 dpi scanning resolution for page sizes up to 8.5 x 11.7 inches, and can make up to 9 copies from 25 to 200 percent copy resize. You'll also be able to print great-looking borderless photos.

Simple to set up—even easier to use
With a very simple setup you'll be printing, scanning and copying in no time.
Easily make prints, scans and copies with clear, straightforward buttons.
Have new ink ready when you need it thanks to automatic low-ink alerts.
Print great-looking photos right at home with borderless printing.

Resourceful all-in-one knows how to save
Save money and energy with this efficient Energy Star qualified all-in-one.
Use paper more efficiently by printing multiple pages onto each side of the paper using the paper-saving Printing option.
Take a step to a greener way of life using this HP All-in-One made from recycled plastic material.
Enjoy free, easy and responsible ink cartridge recycling via HP Planet Partners (visit hp.com/recycle).

Print from the Web easily and efficiently
Save ink and paper by combining content from multiple web pages onto one page with HP Smart Web Printing.
Conserve print supplies by clipping content from multiple websites and printing on a single page.
Stay organized by adding personal notes to Web pages before printing.
Add personal notes to Web pages before printing

EcoHighlights
Less waste--this HP product created from 50 percent recycled plastic.
Packaging is 100 percent recyclable.
Original HP 60 cartridge bodies contain at least 50 percent recycled plastic.

Specifications
Print resolution: Black (best quality): Up to 600 dpi; Color (best quality): Up to 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi from 1200 dpi input data (when printing from a computer on photo paper)
Print speed: Black: Up to 28 ppm; Color: Up to 22 ppm
Print features: Borderless Printing: Yes (up to 8.5 x 11 in); Duplex Print Options: Manual (driver support provided)
Scan input modes: Front-panel scan, copy
Scan resolution: Hardware: Up to 1200 x 2400 dpi; Optical: Up to 1200 dpi
Scan speed: Preview: Up to 27 sec; OCR (letter): < 41 sec
Scan size: 8.5 x 11.7 inches, maximum
Copy resolution: Black (text and graphics): Up to 600 optimized dpi from 300 dpi input; Color (text and graphics): Up to 1200 optimized dpi from 600 dpi input
Copy speed: Black: Up to 28 cpm; Color: Up to 22 cpm
Copier settings: Stand-alone black and color copying for plain paper or photo paper
Copier resize: 25 to 200 percent
Number of copies: Up to 9
Supported media: Paper (plain, inkjet, photo), envelopes, transparencies, labels, cards, HP premium media, iron-on transfers, borderless media
Supported sizes: Letter, legal, 4 x 6 in, 5 x 7 in, 8 x 10 in, No. 10 envelopes
Paper handling: 80-sheet input tray, 15-sheet output tray
PC compatibility: Windows Vista (32 and 64-bit), Windows XP (SP1 or higher [32-bit]), Mac OS X v 10.4, Mac OS X v 10.5, Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional x64 are supported with a basic print and scan solution only
Dimensions: 17 x 11.5 x 6.4 inches
Connectivity: USB 2.0

What's in the Box HP Deskjet F4480 All-in-One, HP 60 Black Ink Cartridge (~ 200 pages), HP 60 Tri-color Ink Cartridge (~ 150 pages), software CD, setup poster, reference guide, power supply, power cord

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HP 4570C ScanJet Scanner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Nice scanner, good front panel buttons, easy to set up and install. But the software handcuffs it. In an effort to make things easy for the naive user, HP has brain damaged it beyond repair. For example - once you preview and then do a final scan, it throws you out of the preview screen and into the picture viewer. If you want to redo the scan, or scan a different part of the image, you have to get out of the viewer, back to the scanner, do another preview ... see the problem?
On quality - all I can say from a brief trial is that the 2400 dpi scan of negatives was noticeably less sharp than a 2400 dpi scan I sent out to Kodak.
I'm told that the higher end and older HP scanners - the 5400 and 7400 series - come with less inflexible software. This one is going back.

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HP's Scanjet 4570c offers great suite of features for both PC and Mac users. This professional quality scanner handles originals of all shapes and sizes, from photos and charts to books and framed prints, even 35mm negatives with the included light adapter.
The 4570c is easy to set up, and the seven one-touch buttons will have you scanning, emailing, or editing your images (with the help of the included imaging software) in no time. A Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connection transfers data to your computer much faster than USB 1.1, but the scanner fully supports the older interface for backward compatibility.
If your needs grow, an optional auto-photo feeder can handle up to 24 3-by-5-inch or 4-by-6-inch photos at a time, letting you archive your memories for easy storage or quick transferring. The scanner is backed by a one-year warranty.

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35mm Photo Negative and Slide Converter to PC Review

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(More customer reviews)The software with this product simply did not work. I was pleased to be able to return it with no problems.

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Fingertec TA300 Desktop Time Clock and Attendance Fingerprint Terminal - Totally Portable - for On The Go Training Centers, Trade Shows and Construction Workers. Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Though the initial software install was a little tricky--2 phone calls to technical support fixed it right up. Surprisingly tech support answered after almost no wait time, took the time to help me set up the entire clock schedule for my employees. Entering fingerprints is a breeze. This should solve all my payroll woes.

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Lexmark X4650 Multifunction Printer (16F1400) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this printer to replace an old HP printer that was giving me headaches.
I couldn't be happier; the setup program is the greatest installation wizard I've seen in a while for a printer: It takes you step by step, with crisp and clear illustrations, through the whole process of unpacking the printer, installing the cartridges and getting the wireless working.
I was especially concerned about the wireless, the installation process had to deal with my Windows Vista, my router, my network security settings, my antivirus and my firewall ... I was expecting some trouble but it just worked seamlessly.
I was so happy I even registered the printer with Lexmark, which apparently gives you ink discounts.
Printing quality is great so far but I've only printed business documents, I'll update this review after I print some pictures.


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Brother MFC-495CW Inkjet Color Multifunction Center with Wireless Networking for the Small Office/Home Office Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this for two months (now several months, see note at bottom), the first part being additional thoughts, with newer at the bottom. If you're considering this printer there are things that I think you might want to know. Note: All of my comments are based on both setting up and using this on a wired ethernet connection.
(Update: This review was written based on installation on an XP system, but I downloaded the Windows 7 64-bit software and it installed fine. I haven't yet seen any issues with it on Win 7. Two weeks into this, it's working fine on Win 7 and XP.)
Pros:
1) Physical impressions: This is an attractive unit, mostly shiny black and matte charcoal. The color LCD screen is pleasant, and the buttons (for general use, more on setup later) are straightforward.
2) Interface: Pretty, and fairly easy to follow. There are some needlessly obtuse icons which, given the space available, don't need to be that way, but all in all it's not hard to use. Fun thing: My unit wanted a firmware update, and while doing the update you get a bit of an audio and visual extravaganza, for what reason I don't know.
3) Print Quality: The printing is good quality. Text is very good for an ink-jet, even to Courier at 8 pts, which is small as the driver lets you go. Photos are about par for the course on regular ink-jet paper. Also, if allowed to dry completely, it was more resistant to smearing (with a wet finger) than most ink-jet inks.
4) Setup (Wired Ethernet): I found this very quick to do, but then I'm used to setting up network printers so knew exactly what I wanted to do. Suggestion: If you want to assign a static IP address to the printer, use the network menu on the printer itself to assign the numbers before starting the installation and to tell it that you want it to use a static IP address, as the install is a bit more straightforward.
5) Faxing: works fine (haven't tried color faxing, don't have a unit that will handle that on the other end) from both PC and printer itself and is pretty quick. (Important as the 'little brother' to this machine has a much slower fax modem.)
Cons:
1) Physical Impressions: This unit feels a bit delicate to me. When removing all of the green tabs and such I felt as though I could very easily break things, and I've never felt that before. When using it I continued to feel as though I could break things, for instance: When opening the lid to place something on the platen, the right hinge seems to want to come off; the paper tray is a bit 'complex' as it has to handle different types/sizes of paper, and it is very flimsy. (Note that I have owned 3 other Brother printers and have never felt this way.)
2) Interface: The menus to setup things are about the same level of complexity as most of these units or as a digital camera. That's fine except that sometimes going back a level just can't be done and you have to exit the menu system and come back in. Annoying, but once you've got things set up who really cares. Another amusing thing: You can select between about 4 'wallpapers' for the LCD, and while they are pleasant enough, they are very multi-colored and make it harder to actually see the information. Oh, and there are a couple of things that just don't work: For instance, the option for how many seconds the backlight should stay on has 4 options: 10, 20, 30 seconds and 'off'. One expects that the 'off' setting would mean just to leave the backlight on, but that doesn't seem to work.
3) Scanning: While easy enough to do from the PC (even over the network, which is sometimes difficult with products in this class) the scanning software is pretty basic, and lacks things I always had on even inexpensive dedicated scanners like de-screening mode. Not a big deal, but you'll need to do more of the work in a graphics program than you would otherwise.
4) Setup (Wired Network): At first, though all seemed fine, the software on the PC kept thinking that the printer was off-line, though the printer didn't think so. Eventually just cycling through the printer booting a couple of times fixed things.
5) Copier: (NOTE CHANGE OF FEELING ABOU THIS AT END OF PARAGRAPH) WARNING: I would never buy this if you intend to use it as a stand-alone copier, even if only lightly. Why? I put a page of B&W double-spaced text and it took it between 1.5 and 2 minutes to copy. I honestly thought that that device had gotten 'stuck' and was going to power it off. But eventually the copy came out. What's strange is that if you do the copy from the PC it works much better. In that case, it seems clear that the Brother software is scanning the image to the PC, then sending it out as a print, and it happens in about half the time. And this is with the copy set to Normal and B&W. (UPDATE: I'm leaving this here in case it happens to someone else, but I need to say that after the first couple of copies, things changed and this problem disappeared. It's still not a really fast copier, but 30 seconds for a typical B&W page is workable.)
6)Flash drive support: This printer supports capture of photos from flash cards such as CF, SD, etc. This works, but in a very cumbersome manner: Other printers I've had that allowed one to read from flash cards (CF, SD, etc) mounted the card with a drive letter, so that one could access it using a standard Windows Explorer interface. Instead, you must start the Brother Control Center, which treats is in an 'ftp-like' manner. Does it work? Yes it does, but it feels a little crude and awkward compared to the competition.WOULD I BUY THIS? Depends on the price: The price on amazon typically varies between $99 and $129. At $99 it's very competitive, but at $129 I'm not sure. The longer I have it the more I like it, with the caveat that one has to be very careful with the paper tray.
TWO MONTHS: My plan was to use my little B&W Brother laser for all B&W printing (or when I didn't care about the color) and use this for photos, faxing, etc. However, while the warm-up time on the laser isn't bad, I find myself using this when I don't feel like waiting for that, and it's OK.
UPDATE ABOUT CLEANING. First, I've had this thing a couple of months and have printed about 24 pages. At various times (I leave it on all of the time, but it's on a network and so isn't affected by turning a computer on and off) it has done what I think is a quick clean. Maybe it was, maybe not - the event only took about 5 seconds.) So today, out of the clear blue sky, it started a real cleaning: It was incredibly loud, and took (I swear) at least a minute to complete. I have had ink jet printers off and on since the late 80's, and I've never seen such an involved process.
Please note that I wasn't starting a print job or doing anything else. I assume that it has some sort of scheduling algorithm that does a cleaning at certain intervals if it's turned on. This seems to me a waste (as cleaning uses ink, and I could probably cause this not to happen by leaving the unit off, but that kinds of defeats the purpose of the fax machine capability.SCANNER NOTE: The light for the scanner is very bright: If there is an image on the other side of what you're scanning, it will 'bleed through' to the scan. I've had two other dedicated scanners and this doesn't happen. This won't be an issue for very thick paper or paper with nothing on the other side of it, but it blew my hopes of dumping my stand-alone scanner.
LATEST NOTE: I recently had to do a lot of faxing out for tax stuff, and I have to say that I'm impressed with how well it handled the faxing. There were two things I specifically noticed: 1) The document feeder works well *BUT* you have to make sure you push the paper firmly in or the document feeder doesn't work. The trick is to first push the papers against it until "ADF" appears on the LCD, and then start the faxing. It reads all of the pages into memory and faxes them. 2) The speed is fine, esp given that I was using the "fine" setting. This is one advantage over the 'smaller brother' of the 495 which has a modem that is half as fast as this. My point to this note is that I was impressed that this thing worked just as well as our much more expensive dedicated business fax machine does for sending.
I've upgraded this from 3 stars to 4 as it's rather grown on me.

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HP Photosmart C3180 All-in-One Printer, Scanner, and Copier Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After extensive research into printers for my home office and an intensive review of my budget, I finally settled on the HP Photosmart C3180 without seeing any reviews. However, I figured that the price was right, the HP reputation is strong and the functions of the printer are what I need.
I connected the printer as soon as it arrived (piece of cake, even for a novice like me). I then began to use it very heavily. I am so impressed. THe quality of the print is incredible, the printer is versatile and it moves fast (especially when in the economical fast mode). The difference in operations and results between this printer and those in the $250 to $300 price range is negligible.
As far as looks are concerned, the printer is sleek with a very small footprint, even taking the paper tray into consideration. It has a clean appearance without an industrial look. It is great for today's offices with a more contemporary appearance.
The only possible issue that may detract from this printer is the same as may be found with any inkjet, with the exception of the very high end inkjets. Inkjets tend to be a little noisy as it prints at the speedier settings. This printer isn't any different.
I recommend this printer for anyone who wants a stylish all-in-one printer that performs like a high-end printer and yet who is not willing to spend the $400 plus price of the more expensive printers.

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Looking for that perfect machine that can meet all your photo printing needs, not to mention your document printing needs...and do a whole lot of other stuff, too? You can print photos right from your camera via memory card 1 (no need for a PC). Use the included HP Photosmart Express software to edit each shot and organize the whole lot. You can print, scan, and copy with ease, and you'll love the results you get from your Photosmart C3180 All-in-One.
Fast, convenient, reliable The HP Photosmart C3180 All in One Printer, Scanner, and Copier features high-quality scans of photos & documents with 1200 x 2400 dpi optical resolution, 48-bit color depth. Automatically remove red eye, enhance detail in dark areas of photos, Photos resist fading for generations and laser-quality text documents retain clarity for decades, Memory card slots support Secure Digital/MultiMedia Card, CompactFlash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, xD-Picture Card using brochure and photo papers for borderless printing 36-ink 6-printing available with purchase of HP 99 photo inkjet cartridge; not included, Print borderless photos up to 8.5 x 24 panorama size with included HP Photosmart Essential Software. Use your all-in-one's scanner to repair older, damaged photos with HP Real Life technologies.
True-to-life photos and documents
Make pro-quality reprints in any size up to 8.5 x 11" with the touch of a button
Print borderless photos in sizes up to 8.5 x 24" panorama2 with the included HP Photosmart Essential software
Print and copy photos in beautiful six-ink color (optional) and laser-quality text with HP's Vivera inks3
Do high-quality scans of photos and documents with the 1200 x 2400 dpi optical resolution and 48-bit color depth
Help photos resist fading for generations4 and keep laser-quality documents clear for decades5
Five-star functionality
Optimize your print and copy quality for various kinds of paper with the automatic paper type sensor
Print straight from your camera or camera phone using a memory card
Repair older or damaged images by scanning and retouching using HP's Real Life technologies
Automatically remove red eye and enhance details in dark areas of your photos
Award-recognized support
Get peace of mind with the one-year limited warranty plus HP's renowned Total Care service and support, which J.D. Power and Associates has recognized as consistently providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience"
Rely on printing excellence: PC Magazine has designated HP as a "Reader's Choice" for 14 years in a row
Get answers to your product questions toll-free, 24 x 7, or via e-mail in as little time as an hour
1. Memory card slots support Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard, CompactFlash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, xD-Picture Card. 2. Using brochure and photo papers for borderless printing. 3. Six-ink printing available with purchase of HP 99 photo inkjet cartridge; sold separately. 4. Based on Wilhelm-Research.com light-fade testing under glass (as of 01–05) using HP 93 Tri-color and optional HP 99 Photo Inkjet cartridges on HP Premium Plus photo papers. 5. Based on paper industry predictions for acid-free papers; colorant stability data at room temperature based on similar systems tested as per ISO 11798 and ISO 18909.
What's in the box HP Photosmart C3180 All-in-One, HP 92 Black Inkjet Print Cartridge (5 ml), HP 93 Tri-color Inkjet Print Cartridge (5 ml), HP Photosmart Essential Software on CD-ROM, Setup and Basics Guides, Power supply, Power cord
Note: USB cable not included

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Canon CanoScan LiDE 35 Scanner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Canon has some fantastic optics for photo scanning. So does Epson. I wanted to scan photos every now and then and maybe archive old photos, so great photo optics was important. Canon, known for great digital cameras, has the same quality in the scanners. Why this over the 3170? This is half the price, smaller (about 1/3 in height), and looks great. It fit about 4 4x6 photos on the scanner, use the multi-scan at 600 dpi and works fine. Sometimes though, I think the autocropping could be better. It took all of 5 minutes to set up and use. It does not need a separate power adapter as it uses the USB for power. Its quiet and fast.
I have done over 600 scans so far. Works like a charm. Its so fast, I can scan about 75 to 100 pictures an hour!


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What can't you use a scanner for these days? Whether you're archiving old family heirloom photos or emailing a print article to a friend across the country, the Canon Lide35 scanner does what you need it to do, easily, without taking up much valuable desktop space. A patented Z-lid design allows you to smoothly accommodate thicker originals like magazines and yearbooks, even though the scanner itself measures just 1.5 inches thick. A stand is included to store it in an upright position, and a single cable supplies power and a USB connection. Even better, the cable's included in the box.
Both color and monochrome images come through cleanly, thanks to a 1,200 optical dpi and an interpolated resolution of 9,600 x 9,600 dpi. The included pack of scanning software provides you with plenty of options for storing, sending, and retouching; the scanner will automatically take care of scratches or lint on your originals, freeing your time to let you organize rather than repair them. Canon includes a one-year warranty covering parts and service.
What's in the Box CanoScan LiDE 35 scanner, Z-Lid top, USB cable, scanner stand, CanoScan Setup CD-ROM, instructions, warranty information

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Canon Pixma MP470 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2177B002) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The MP470 is a superb value at under $90 and is a very flexible tool. It has excellent text output, decent photo output and a useful scanner/copier.
* Easy to set up and use
* Great for home and school
* There are better choices for business and photograhpy
* A little noisy
Seriously, the text output is fantastic. I'm back in college and have had to print out over 1000 pages of PDF's for my classes this quarter. My workhorse 4-yr old Canon i860 printer was fast and could use cheap non-OEM inks but it often made for very hard reading which wasn't worthwhile. This quality of the MP470's text on plain paper rivals that of the HP 5000-series Laserjets at work.
I seem to average a little over 220 pages of text (which includes images) from the CL40 black ink cartridge. That's nearly 9¢ per page, which is not spectacular. For general use I prefer printers which use two cartridges (one black, the other tricolor) as opposed to 4,5, or 6+. It may cost a little more but it's so much easier to keep track of spare cartridges you will inevitably have to keep on hand.
The LCD is easy to read and the media card slots are handy but as someone who uses Photoshop to at least sharpen the images I print, the card slots aren't used much at all.
The scanner is OK, not great but not bad. Documents scan and print clearly, photo's are OK. I have a Canoscan 8400 and it's much faster and accurate but it cost twice as much as the MP470. I think for school and household use, the scanner is fine. For serious photo scanning, a dedicated scanner will be much better.
My one criticism of this printer is the noise. Not as loud as dot-matrix but it's louder than any printer I've used, including the MP160 (which my partner uses for her work). There is a quiet mode with a timer, so you can make the printer quieter (and slower) during certain hours of the day.
I have a certain disdain for all inkjet printer manufacturers for adopting the "Gillette" model; sell the product near cost and earn the profit on the consumables. Not only is this deceptive model for the purchaser of a printer but I think it encourages waste by making many printers 'disposable' compared to the cost of ink. My 2¢... Having said that, Canon seems to be the best of the bunch right now. Due to their design, Epson has head-clogging issues and higher per-page output cost. HP has very lightfast ink but their non-business models always have paper handling issues. Lexmark is undistinguished (and Dell inkjets are just Lexmark printers that have no Mac compatibility).
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The Canon Pixma MP470 is a versatile, all-in-one unit that lets you quickly print beautiful photos and laser-quality text at home. Compact and easy to use, the MP470 delivers results that are truer to your originals, plus it scans photos or forms, even thick notebooks, with ease. This unit also lets you print directly from memory cards, digital cameras, and camera phones, and you can even enhance your images before you print by using the 1.8-inch color LCD display. All these great features come in one stylish machine that will enhance any home or office setting.The MP470 uses Canon's FINE technology with microscopic droplets as small as two picoliters for incredible detail, and a maximum 4800 x 1200 dot-per-inch (dpi) resolution for vivid, lifelike prints. It also works fast, printing a borderless 4-by-6-inch photo in approximately 46 seconds. Before printing, you can preview and fine tune your images by using the color LCD display. For added convenience, you can print from memory cards, cameras, and camera phones--no computer needed. You even have the option of click-connect-print: Just capture an image with a PictBridge-ready digital camera/DV camcorder, then connect and print. And if you're not completely satisfied with your print, the Easy-PhotoPrint EX software and automatic image-fix help you troubleshoot and create a wide variety of beautiful shots. In fact, using select Canon inks and photo papers with the MP470 will produce photos that last up to 100 years.Exceptionally easy to use, the MP470 is ready to go when you are; simply press the power button and you can begin inputting commands immediately. The USB 2.0 interface enables the fastest possible image transfers and scanning speeds. For added convenience, you can print from a compatible Bluetooth device in another room, using the optional USB Bluetooth adapter. When it's time to make copies, trust the dual color gamut processing technology to automatically optimize quality based on the type of originals you're copying. And all your scans will have superb detail, thanks to the high resolution of up to 2400 x 4800 dpi.What's in the Box Pixma MP470 Photo All-In-One Power Cord Sample Media (five 8.5 x 11 sheets), setup instructions, quick start guide, setup software and user's guide CD-ROM, cross sell sheet, and one each PG-4 black and CL-41 color cartridges.

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Canon® CanoScan 8800F Flatbed Color Scanner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Canon Canoscan 8800f is an excellent scanner for film and photos.
That said, do not believe the printed literature for the included items. The package supposedly contains a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements. What it doesn't tell you is the included version is 10.4 which is at least five years old and is no longer supported by Adobe. This version will not work on the latest MAC OS. If you call Canon the answer is, "tough luck", there is nothing they will do.
Adobe will only tell you that there is a new version that you can buy for $99.00 available on their web-site.
Oh, also when I tried to install the package it came back and told me that the supplied software had already been registered. (The disk came from a factory sealed box). This was confirmed by Adobe and they said there was nothing they could do. Canon's response was you'll have to work that out with Adobe.
The best I can say is, don't believe anything in print from Canon, It's a good scanner. Plan on buying your own copy of the Elements.CanoScan 8800F Flatbed Scanner, 4800 x 9600dpi

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