VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner

I purchased the  VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDS-ST410-VP)  about 5 months ago. I'm an obsessive note-taker, so the main reason I got it was to scan paperwork and then toss it. Also, I wanted to be able to scan interesting articles and recipes in magazines for future reference.The scans result in jpeg image files. Image files take up more space on your hard drive, and these are especially large files if you're using the higher resolution. For example, when I scan a regular piece of notebook paper, it creates an image that's about 30 inches tall and needs to be resampled. On the other hand, today's hard drives and large capacity memory sticks can accommodate an endless array of large files. Also, the item comes with OCR software that converts text into actual document files, which are always smaller than picture files. If you plan to convert a lot, remember that OCR software regularly misreads many words and characters, so you have to be prepared to proofread very carefully.The scanner is fun and easy to use, but the batteries don't last very long if you regularly forget to shut it off. Also, the results you get can be frustrating. This is due to the fact that the scanner must slide smoothly, without pauses, in a very straight manner, or you will end up with one end of the scan looking "wavy". This can be avoided by butting the wand up against a long, straight-edged object so that your movement is slow and controlled. Overall, the success of the scan depends on your going extremely slow. Unfortunately, I'm not that patient, so I find myself scanning everything twice! When I upload it to my hard drive I can easily "fuse" the 2 images together because I have experience in computerized art and a good graphics program that allows me to cut and paste.I think there are other important advantages to using a graphics software program in conjunction with the scanner. As I said, the scans are so large that they need to be reduced. In addition, scans often contain unacceptable dark patches simply because they were done too quickly. My software allows me to mask the problem areas and increase the contrast, resulting in a clearer image. If you need a program that's free and easy to work with, I recommend that you get it at downloads.com (hosted by cNet).The wand is so slim and lightweight that I tend to forget that it's sitting nearby. On a few occasions I have accidentally knocked it off my desk. For this reason, I suggest you purchase  VuPoint Solutions Carrying Case for Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDSC-IW410-VP)  to protect it, or at least make one of your own using lint-free cloth.If you have a lot of scanning to do, be sure to purchase a micro SD card that's large enough (the product doesn't come with one.) It can hold up to 16 GB. I bought one with 4 GB, and although I have about 100 scans on my card right now, there's still plenty of room left. If you buy a smaller card, you'll have to keep uploading the scans to your computer to make room for new ones. Besides, you can get good deals on SD cards, making the larger capacity ones worth buying.I took Amazon's suggestion and bought a card that came with an adapter, which turned out to be unnecessary. The scanner acts like a separate drive when it's connected via USB port. The computer easily finds the memory card and the files therein. Truth be told, I don't know why anyone would need an adapter--unless they want to leave the scanner at home and take the SD card to a friend's house. If the friend didn't have an appropriate card reader, the adapter might come in handy. Otherwise, I'd say don't buy it.One last tip. There are different types of SD micro memory cards, such as SDHC, SDC4, and so on. I did some research to find which one I needed to buy. It has something to do matching the highest speed at which both the scanner and your computer are able to transmit information. I used to have an old computer which couldn't read an SDHC card, which is kind of like the "high definition" form of SD cards. It's my understanding that even though the scanner can accommodate an SDHC card, you shouldn't purchase one if your computer doesn't have 2.0 transfer speed.Overall, I am happy with my purchase. Amazon had it for the lowest price, and shipped it quickly. I've been scanning ever since. VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDS-ST410-VP)VuPoint Solutions Carrying Case for Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDSC-IW410-VP)

I just got this on my doorstep today and I couldn't wait to try it out.My math teacher only uses the new version of our math book (I got an older edition to save money). The concepts are still the same, but with some changes to the exercises. So in order to do the correct homework problems (he only assigns a few problems per chapter) without having to buy the new edition book, I wanted to be able to scan pages from a peer's book.From the test scans that I did with my book (which I will post), I think this will be perfect for me. I don't need super clean scans -- I just need to be able to read the content. I just need to figure out how to scan the entire page without the edge getting cut off. With a little more playing, I should be able to get it no problem. There are also guidelines on either side of the device, which are very helpful to keep the scan straight and ensure that you are actually scanning the content you want.As it says in the description, the files are saved as JPEG. Super easy to connect the scanner to my laptop via the usb cable provided. No software needed -- it's recognized as a storage device. So I just drag the files to my desired folder on my laptop, then delete them off the memory of the scanner (or really, the microSD card). It also comes with a carrying bag that has a little bit of extra room in case you want to keep extra batteries along with it (barely enough room for the usb cable if you squish), and a wipe cloth to protect the scanner part of the device.I can see how this scanner can be very useful in the future and not just for my original purpose. I seriously love being able to scan just about anything. I watched the YouTube video about this scanner, and I can definitely see myself scanning curtains, carpet, wallpaper, tables, etc to be able to have accurate colors and textures for decorating and other craft projects (as long as it's flat enough to scan). Usually, it's been guessing from memory since pictures from our digital camera aren't very accurate in color because of lighting in the room or the flash of the camera. For fun, I also scanned other things around me, including a place mat, my curtains, and my leg (well, really my pajama pants) -- I'll post these pictures as well.Overall, I am happy with this. I'll have to see how this plays out in the long run, but I would recommend it for anyone that especially needs a portable way to scan book pages or random things like fabric patterns and the like.*Edit: This might be a "duh" for most people, but I finally realized that I wasn't getting the edges of the pages I scanned because the rollers on the bottom weren't being engaged, which is necessary for the scanner to start scanning. There doesn't seem to be a way for me to completely scan a page out of a textbook without missing pieces, so now I know I will have to scan a page twice (flipping the orientation of the scanner) in order to get the entire page. I'll post another picture of getting the edge of the page.

This is definitely a product you need to practice with to get good quality scans. It's easiest if you're scanning something large and flat with sufficient white space on all sides of the intended scanning area. Small items require using either a clear sleeve or tape on the back to hold the small item still.For scanning pages in books (which is the main purpose I bought this) it's tricky. The scanner doesn't go totally from end to end. Leaving the user to figure out which direction is likely to yield the best copy...So, for example with text that goes almost into the inner binding, you'd probably have the best luck holding the book in front of you with the scanner held vertically - and then scanning from the inner binding side of the page to the right margin. Does that make sense?I picked up a tip from another review, which suggested that you use a piece of stiff white paper under book pages or for book covers (front or back). The reason is that there are small wheels that need to be engaged in order to keep the scanner on and then tell it when it's done off.So, if you're scanning a book page from top to bottom and you get to the end of the page, you actually need to scan past the last section of text, for it to be included in the scanned image. If you don't extend the page by using a piece of white paper (like craft medium tagboard) the scan will stop as soon as both wheels stop turning and you won't get everything in the scan.I tried to explain this as clearly as possible, but, I suspect it would make 100% sense if you actually had the scanner in hand.That workaround isn't terrible. But, it was a disappointing discovery that you can't, for example, be reading a paperback and come to something you want to scan and just roll the scanner over the page. With a paperback, it wouldn't do anything unless you had a large enough piece of paper under the page - large enough to come in contact with the wheels on either side of the scanning 'window.'There might be other scanners with simply turn scanning on and off with a button and don't require physical wheels to control ANYTHING. To clarify, there IS an on/off switch for the product, and you DO click it on to start, but, it stops scanning once the wheels aren't turning.This will make sense if you can find an image of the bottom of the scanner - or, of course, if you're actually holding it! Good luck.I decided to keep it and figured I'd have to use bookmarks for pages and then have a second step where I'd set the book up on a flat surface with a piece of tagboard (which I bought) and then scan all the pages I wanted - just not as I'm reading. Too bad!A positive: The color quality is outstanding the the detail is also outstanding. I happened to get a part of my tablecloth in a scan and I could see the threads and the color was incredibly true!I hope this helped!

This scanner works great for scanning text from books. I am a graduate student, and I wanted an easy way to copy quotes (or whole sections) from books. I did a lot of research to find a scanner that could do this well. I have not been disappointed with this product.I have actually been amazed at how well it works. When I am scanning from a book, my biggest problem is keeping a steady pace. However, this scanner somehow overcomes even my slight jerks and hesitations when I scan.I have not used the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software that came with the scanner. It seemed un-impressive. Instead, I use the OCR software that came free with my Canon printer/scanner. It is OmniPage SE 4.2. This software, combined with this scanner, make a great combination.For scanning text from books, I would highly recommend this scanner, but I would suggest finding alternative software if possible.Update:After using the product a few more days, I unfortunately need to update this review. I initially gave the scanner five stars, but I've reduced it to three. This is because it often cuts off the last portion of each scanned image. For instance, when I scan text from a page in a book, it will cut off the portion of text near the edge of the page. I've tried to solve this by continuing the scan well past the page edge, even and inch or more onto the surface below the page. However, for some reason the scanner still cuts off the last portion of the image. Sometimes (as happened when I first used the product) this does not affect the portion of text I'm trying to scan. But many times it does cut off actual text I am trying to scan. It is as if the scanner is trying to automatically discern where the text ends, but it over compensates.This is very unfortunate and frustrating. This product works so well in so many ways. I wish VuPoint could offer a solution for this. I would gladly give it a five star rating, if it weren't for this issue.Update #2: I found out what causes the scanner to clip off the last portion of images. There is an excellent, very detailed review of this product at [...] I highly recommend this review. In the review the author explains that when the rollers on the Magic Wand stop rolling, it stops scanning. Thus, portions of a book near the edge of a page (e.g. the last few lines or page numbers) get cut off. That is disappointing but frustrating. I'm now giving this product a four star rating. The problem of cutting off the ends of scans doesn't seem like something that is an easily fixed problem (e.g. through a firmware upgrade). It is just how the product works. The website listed above offers suggestions for working around this problem. I would still highly recommend this scanner.

I am a doctoral student in Italy, and the university libraries here do not loan out their books, so this scanner is a real game changer for me. I've used a DocuPen RC-800 scanner in the past, but the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand works much better for me, especially since I use a Mac. Let me give a little comparison of my impressions of these two devices:The DocuPen is only slightly Mac compatible; the software it uses to integrate with my Mac has almost no options, and is quite cumbersome to work with (the PC version of the software is much better). It is very slow to download the scanned images to my computer, and just as slow to erase the originals from the scanner. In high resolution mode, you have to drag the scanner quite slowly and carefully, or it will mess up the image. The scans that it makes are are decent, but somewhat uneven and grainy.The VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand is better in every way. It has a longer scanning surface, so you can easily scan bigger book pages. You can drag it across the page at almost twice the speed as the DocuPen, and the image still comes out great. Downloading and erasing the originals is a snap. The scanner saves each image as a .jpg file, and when I plug it into my Mac via the USB cable, my computer basically recognizes it as a camera. It automatically opens iPhoto and downloads a whole load of images in a matter of seconds, and then I can delete the originals from the scanner even faster than that. This is a VAST improvement over the DocuPen.Here are a few other helpful hints: When scanning from a book, take a thin sheet of white cardboard (I use the back cover of a spiral notebook) and place it underneath the page you're scanning, all the way up to the spine of the book. Make sure the scanning surface begins as close to the spine of the book as possible, and then drag the scanner from the spine outward. Perfect scans every time!Once my scans are in iPhoto, I drag the whole batch to an empty folder on my desktop. Then I select the entire batch, right click (or control click) on the entire batch, and tell it to open with Adobe Acrobat Pro (you will have to purchase this program, obviously. It's not too expensive if you're a student). When Acrobat opens, it asks you if you would like to turn all of these files into a single PDF. Just click "yes", and your whole document is brought together. Then just use Acrobat to do an OCR conversion, and you have a beautiful, searchable PDF of your source document. This collation and OCR process takes a bit of time for the computer to process, but it's worth it.