CZUR Shine Ultra Smart Portable Document Scanner, Thin Book Scanner with OCR, USB Document Camera for Desktop/Laptop, Capture Size A3, Compatible with Windows & Mac OS (Not for Android & iOS)

You have to be careful with focusing and keeping the pages still, it won't scan small papers clearly sometimes, and the light does make scanning glossy surfaces a chore... but this thing is perfectly adequate for most use-case-scenarios. If you're scanning things like 30 page comic books or manuals, this will do a phenomenal job... if not a perfect one. This isn't a miracle device. You will have errors before you get good practice. It's not *crystal* clear. But it's not a one-trick-pony either. I've used this to scan a 500-page massive text book, paperbacks, hardcovers (easier than paperbacks for me), family photos, handwritten notes, and as a top-down webcam for teaching, all to perfectly usable success. For larger documents, if you're willing to sacrifice some resolution, you can boost the device's height on a box and get some black fabric, making the scannable area larger. OCR still works in common use. And oh yes, something that this device excels in is it's desktop software's OCR function. *Excellent.* Those who use speech-to-text software will be *very pleased* with this device. One can simply copy and paste text right out of one's digitized books on one's computer. You will likely not be disappointed with it's OCR, for sure. The device comes with everything you need. If your skin-tone doesn't work well with the automatic finger-removal function of the software, the box supplies you with "finger cots" which very accurately allow you to prop the book open with no fear of distracting artifacts. It comes with a foot pedal to scan the pages with, and also automatic scanning in the software which sees when you turn a page all by itself. Very nice packaging as well, very easy to understand. This company, Czur, is known for their excellent packaging. The speed of the scanning this device can do is actually very impressive. More destructive techniques may be faster, but I've scanned a 300 page novel in 10 minutes. You can do the math there, but that's pretty darn good. Something you may have noticed with minimal research is that this company makes other scanners that look similar. I can confirm to you that for consumer use, this scanner may have a lower resolution than the (tempting) $600+ scanner that they sell, but this model is more portable, and its resolution is *perfectly* adequate for all common users, I would say. Do your research. Look at reviews. But if you are in need of a non-destructive book and document scanner that is portable (fits in my small backpack) and will scan pretty darn fast and in good quality, along with the best OCR software I've realistically ever used, and all for personal use, and don't need higher resolution (which most people shouldn't), this device is probably the best you can buy from Czur. Have a nice one.

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.

Good purchase, works well as a scanner! My only complaints are the extension sleeve doesn't lock, so every time you grab the device the sleeve will extend.

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 just got this scanner today and set it up in about 10 minutes. I set up the software and dove right into scanning a Japanese textbook. In the first image you can see the page is a bit warped and the finger cots showed up on the side, but the second scan is much better overall. At first, I would try to fix the bad scans, but after getting through a bit of this 400 page textbook I decided it wasn't worth it and just scanned the book as fast as possible. If I made a mistake or a page was illegible, I would scan a duplicate and write down the page number so I could edit the book later. The biggest pro for me is the time saved. I scanned a massive textbook in about an hour including setup time. I did this with minimal effort and minimal editing of the scans. I exported as a PDF with OCR and was surprised that I was able to search for Japanese characters in the PDF. Honestly, not bad for my low effort and if I really wanted to put in the time to edit, the finished file could look a lot better. Biggest cons is that my hands got pretty tired from holding down pages with the finger cots. Not a dealbreaker for me, but something to be aware of. Another minor con is that the software had very little instruction, as some other reviews have said. But again, not a big issue for me, since I just started scanning away. After I finished I noticed there were batch editing options for all scans, as well as manual adjustment options for pages you're unhappy with. I think overall the takeaway here is that the quality of your scans reflects how much time you put into scanning and editing. I'm satisfied with my results as long as I can read them, but for those that want to make it look like a legitimate e-book, I'm sure you can, given more time and effort.

This unit is very good. The ability to scan bound books and old notebooks without having to strip them apart is just perfect. The unit is easy to set up and the many scanning options are welcomed. I value the fact that the unit automatically adjusts the orientation of the scan to give a good result. Great product and I am happy finding it

I’ve owned another Czur scanner, the Czur Aura Pro, for about 20 months now. Love it! As an academic I’m always scanning items for my research, teaching, and yes, even my service responsibilities. I’ve recommended it widely to my colleagues. I jumped at the chance to get the Czur Shine Ultra for its expanded capabilities. It’s smaller and lighter than the Czur Aura Pro (only weighs 2.2 lbs., a kilo), so it’s as light and about as easy to pack as a slim notebook. Both scan up to size A3 (European paper size; slightly larger than a double sheet of paper). When the skies open for travel again, I look forward to using the Czur Shine Ultra in libraries and archives in Germany--easier to travel with than the Czur Aura Pro. I thought the Czur Aura Pro was aesthetically pleasing, but the Czur Shine Ultra is even more so! The scans are every bit as good, as is the Czur program that processes flat images. I especially like the ability to create OCR’d (searchable) PDFs, Word docs, and Excel spreadsheets from the scans that are processed first as JPGs. I work in multiple languages; the Czur Shine Ultra can OCR 180 different languages. Once the document is rendered searchable, computer search programs pick up the minutest details in the documents. There are other document editing functions, too. Both scanners implement Czur’s innovative curve flattening technology (good for books). Not even the professional Zeutschel scanners I use at the Library of Congress or in German libraries have that feature. (Nor does the Zeutschel OCR documents.) The Czur Shine Ultra surpasses the Czur Aura Pro not only in aesthetics and portability, but also has the additional feature of recording videos in addition to flat images. Here’s where the screen share function of various online meeting programs comes in. With online meeting programs you are limited to what your webcam can capture, and that usually includes you (unless you angle the webcam just so). With Czur Shine Ultra you can create or screen share a video with a book or text, pointing out the relevant parts to your audience. You can also create or screen share a video that only includes an object (see my video of a uranium glass candle holder on its side illuminated by UV light, which I demonstrate in my course on The Atomic Age). The Czur Shine Ultra is a great scanner, with wider applicability than the Czur Aura Pro, and greater functionality. And it’s easy to use. Highly recommended!

Product was purchased to scan a 1914 NYT newspaper to preserve it. It does not scan well enough to read a majority of the font. The scans blur the regular font the articles are written in. Only bold larger font is readable. Aside from scanning just an average document, with large enough font this device seems useless. It's resolution is awful and it's software doesn't do anything to enhance it or clean it up. The software from Czur is made to sound like a selling point, however it's very simplistic and limited. Basically this is expensive Chinese trash and it is being returned. Could not be more disappointed.