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Subject:Re: handheld scanners - has anyone used one? From:Lou Quillio <public -at- quillio -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 17 Mar 2005 14:01:57 -0500
Bruce Byfield wrote:
> Handheld scanners seem to have faded from use in recent years, to judge
> by their availability in the average computer store. The reason, I
> think, is that you need a steady hand to get a good scan.
There's a substantial performance trade-off, handheld (if you can find
one) vs. flatbed -- especially if you'll want to OCR the results. They
come with stitching apps usually, but by the time you've carefully
scanned and stitched and negotiated the massive TIFFs and OCRed, you'll
be thinking there's a better way.
Convenience, then, isn't a reason to want a handheld.
But if for some edge reason only a handheld will do, you'll have better
luck using it with a jig. Could be anything. A two-by-four.
What'd really be useful is the fabled "scanner pen," a handheld that
scans printed *lines*, OCRing on-the-fly. They're out there, but so far
aren't the straightforward $30-$50 item they could be.
LQ
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Lou Quillio
Box 459, Cambridge, NY USA 12816-1143
518.724.0802 (home, VoIP)
518.788.8569 (cell) http://quillio.com/
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