CZUR Shine Ultra Smart Portable Document Scanner, Thin Book Scanner | OCR, USB Document Camera for Desktop/Laptop, Capture Size A3, Compatible with Windows & macOS

I recently purchased this scanner on Amazon and test scanned a few flat pages (printed documents, some with images, some without images) to make sure it could work for my needs. I downloaded the software from the website. Installation was quick and easy. Everything is pretty self explanatory: just hit Scan and it’ll take you to the document camera screen where you can position the page as you need it and adjust the color and type of scan. Scanning can be pretty quick. It won’t close the screen automatically or notify you when it’s done, so you have to pay attention to an icon on the left of the screen, then hit Back when you are done scanning. When you get back to the main page, you’ll select the icon on the right of the scan you want to look at/ work with. On the left you can save the file in different formats. I’m very happy with the Searchable PDF function, but impressed by how it saves the documents to Word. I had several pages with images and text above/ in between some drawings. When I saved these as a Searchable PDF, some of the text in between drawings didn’t get recognized. However, when I saved the same document to Word, all of the text got picked up and put into text boxes. That being said, I had scanned another page that was a printout of a document I had typed up in Word. I had assumed the scanner software would be able to replicate the page as it is when it saved it as a Word doc, but the margins were off and the text font and size were different. You win some, you lose some. All in all, very happy with this scanner and confident it will work for my needs.

Great scanner, here's what I thought about it broken down by different aspects: -Packaging Comes in a nice, sturdy box with a handle so you can easily carry it and pack it up in an organized way when you're storing it between scanning sessions. -Software The software it comes with is straightforward and easy to use. I really didn't even read the manual, I just installed the software, plugged in the scanner, and figured it out and started scanning in like 5 minutes. -Functionality How it works is it comes with a black mat, you put your book/paper on it and select single page mode or book mode. Single page mode scans one object at a time, and it automatically crops the page against the black background; there are some finger tabs for holding pages flat and the scanner software automatically makes them disappear. For book mode, it scans two pages at once, and splits each page into its own separate image. I have attached some example scans from this product, compare it to the setup photo I took with my phone - even though the page isn't level, it automatically flattens the perceived curve from the camera snapshot, so you don't need to fiddle with making the pages flat. The cropping and page flattening is great, it just works. When you're done scanning, you can export all the images as various document types such as word/pdf, or you can leave them as images. Of course, you can choose where to save the base images to help keep organized. My wife also uses this in her classroom as a visual presenter where she can put a page underneath and write on it, and project it in real time on her projector. -Quality I have attached photos for black/white mode, color mode, and a final word document export. I should also mention, the export automatically processes the image to identify words and does a great job. I picked a page with tiny text on a 5"x8" book and you can see from my attached images that the camera is good enough even for tiny text, and can accurately translate that into a word document. Note that for some glossy pages, the light can reflect back to the camera and reduce quality, but for matte surfaces and "regular" paper, it performs excellent. -Speed It comes with a foot clicker so you can fully use your hands to flip and position pages without slowing down. Flip the page, give the camera a second to focus, press the foot clicker and repeat. As you scan, you can see a preview image and it's pretty apparent if something went wrong, maybe 1 out of 2-300 page flips or so I find I want to do a rescan which is totally fine for me. Depending on how focused I am, I flip a page every 2-4 seconds, on average maybe 15-20 page flips a minute, so that's around 300 pages in 10 minutes! Which I think is super good. Overall it's straightforward to use, takes good quality scans, exports files well, and scans through books quickly. I am very satisfied with this purchase and recommend this for anyone who wants good, fast scans.

Love the scanner. It is as stated, super fast. The foot pedal is a must. Works very well. I have even scanned hundreds of old photos. All turned out well. Super easy to use. No complaints.

Best document and all around scanner I ever had - it works FAST! Gone are the problems with the old mechanical flat bed scanner - this thing renders the image INSTANTLY! I am happy to say I can toss out my old mechanical flat bed scanner into the garbage can - Ahloa! This thing even auto corrects the image, and offers OCR and various file formats for saving, or printing - you can use it in a pinch as a copier!

I purchased this scanner with high hopes after researching it as a solution for digitizing a large book (approximately 900 pages). The product promises seamless, high-speed scanning, but the reality fell far short of those claims. From the very first few pages, I ran into serious problems. The automatic cropping was inconsistent and random, cutting off portions of the page with no reliable pattern. Image quality was noticeably poor, with results that I would not consider acceptable for any archival or preservation purpose. For a device marketed around speed and accuracy, neither was present in my experience. Scanning a book of this size requires a scanner you can trust to deliver consistent results from page one to the last. This product could not even get through the opening pages reliably. The time I lost troubleshooting basic functionality completely defeated the purpose of buying an automated scanning solution in the first place. I returned the unit and would not recommend this product to anyone hoping to digitize books, documents, or archival materials at any meaningful scale. Save your money and look elsewhere.

I have used a number of scanners over the years, from built-in all-in-one printer/scanner/copiers, to standalone Fujitsu SnapScan scanners for documents, to flatbed scanners such as the Epsom v600 for photographs. Each of these has been good for its purposes, but each has its limitations. I also have used the CZUR Aura in a small business environment, and was very pleased with the experience I had with the Aura. The Aura I used had the benefit of its own internal battery and an app, so the scanner could be taken to other locations without need for a computer, and was often used in libraries or other locations where third-party documents needed to be scanned. The CZUR Shine is a smaller, more compact version of the Aura. There are not a lot of moving parts - just the dial to control the light, the up-and-down slide on the light stem to raise or lower the camera (depending on how large the scan needs to be), and the arm that moves from vertical to horizontal when you want to use the camera. The Shine does not have its own power source, and must be connected to a computer to operate. It connects using a standard USB-A connector, and has the foot-pedal to take the image, leaving your hands free to position the image, turn the pages, etc. The scanner came with a user manual and a CD with the software. As my laptop does not have a drive, I downloaded and installed the software from their website. The website was easy to navigate, and had the software downloads clearly marked based on model, operating system, etc. Once the software was downloaded, the scanner serial number was needed to activate the software, and it was ready to go. It took probably no more than 10 minutes to go from an unopened box to using the product. The Shine is also packaged in a more reusable and ready-to-transport box than the Aura. The internal packing contains a shaped foam to hold the scanner, the two cables, the thumb tabs, and the black mat. The box also comes with a built-in plastic handle. While it doesn't affect the functionality of the scanner, it does reflect some thought into not only the product, but the packaging to make the device more efficient, transportable, and usable. I always struggled with the Aura and making sure to bring the components, and do so along with notebooks, files, etc. This packaging makes it easier to bring the Aura as a self-contained kit. The Shine also comes with two yellow plastic thumb tabs to hold down the pages of the book. The best part of these tabs is the software is apparently coded to turn those tabs invisible, so that they don't appear on the pages. The most challenging part of using the tabs is getting used to the feel on your fingers, and making sure that they tab doesn't cover any of the material you want scanned. The Shine is the best all-around scanner that I've used. The image quality is outstanding. While it can't keep up with a document auto-feed scanner like a fujitsu, it has a broader, more versatile usage than a document scanner. It also has more versatility than a flatbed scanner, since the flatbed generally requires the item being scanned to be placed face-down. And, none of these scanner options have the ability to scan a book face-up, and remove the curvature of the pages. I still have and use the Epsom flatbed and the Fujitsu SnapScan, but their days of travelling are over. And, when they eventually stop working, they will not be replaced with newer models. The Shine can handle all of the functions those scanners do, in a more compact, and transportable fashion. And, if I had to make the decision to get rid of all of my scanners, except one, CZUR's product would be the one left on my desktop. This is also a great scanner if you want to leave it on a desktop, or need something for a small office workspace. The entire scanner takes up roughly 4x6 of desktop surface, so it can be easily put aside when it's not needed. The scanner will require more desktop for the mat when you want to scan, but it can be easily placed and removed on an as-needed (or not needed) basis.

I found this document scanner and I am so glad I did. I needed to scan a document that would not scan properly with a conventional copier/scanner. The end product was beautiful! I was able to share with my teammates a clear representation of the document. The scanner worked perfectly with my laptop, the foot clicker was great, and it is portable. Outside of the click to capture the image, the scanner is quiet. I would highly recommend this scanner - and the price was right, too.

This is the most efficient scanner I have used. It was easy to set up and install the software. I was able to open the software and spend 3 minutes looking around and click and use it without a problem. The scans are clear and flat. You can export them into many different options, including Word and PDF. It is lightweight and easy to store. I would recommend the investment in this scanner.

Super easy to use. Decent quality product. Can scan the book fast unlike the multifunction printer.

ممتازة

I paid £210.98 for a source of light. First thing, the provided CD-ROM didn't work, whirring and grinding something awful as if burning to disc. I removed that and decided on downloading the software from the website. Probably safer. Did that, hooked up the machine, followed the instructions, 'looking for device...' Device could not be located. I followed all the steps to see if it could be found, but no. The scanner felt flimsy to me and... empty. No sound, no nothing. Cold to the touch. Like, you know when something's dead, including hardware, it loses its warmth, its heat, the light goes out, there's nothing there. It was like that. It didn't feel like there was anything in it (or to it). An expensive torch, headlamp for a bridge troll. Of course I'm on a deadline so this was really helpful (SARCASM) - overseas delivery wait and then the faff of the return. Obviously I'm returning it for a refund. I'll replace it with something at a fraction of the price that I bet will work just fine.

Scanner excelente. Atendeu minhas expactativas. Consigo digitalizar livros e documentos para uso pessoal: com precisão e eficiência. Antes de conprar, fiz uma longa pesquisa e cheguei a conclusão de este modelo era o ideal para mim: e valeu a pena. Por meio de um PDF-editável, consigo localizar pavravras-chave, termos específicos que me ajudam nos estudos. Recomendo muito.

I bought this unit to scan some large ledger books for a company history project. The results have been great and I give the scanner 5 stars for quality, ease of use, and speed. The included software also provides some useful shortcuts for tidying up and editing multiple pages.