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Why integrated equipment design is important
The ScanPro 1000 has been designed for public use applications. It is
a sturdy, robust design with no external arms, brackets, lenses, or mechanical adjustments.
Studies show that equipment designs that have external brackets, arms, and adjustments
are difficult to use in public use applications and result in misadjustments, misuse,
and breakage.
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A "What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get" (WYSIWYG) capability simply
makes working with your microforms so much simpler and so much faster. The ScanPro
1000 WYSIWYG works by using a single viewing screen with integrated software so that
you have a single image that you can edit and change while seeing right on the monitor
the exact results that you will get before you scan, print or save that image. This
is the fastest and most efficient way to complete your look-ups and research. The
ScanPro 1000 even lets you make many of these changes automatically, like image brightness,
contrast, straighten, and cropping, and you see and evaluate the results right on
the viewing screen. Competitive models without the WYSIWYG capability require the
patron to make a scan or a print to be able to evaluate any changes. This can make
working with your microforms a very time consuming task, especially when working
with difficult to read film that may require several changes to get the best possible
image.
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You want to scan all of your
microforms at high resolution to provide the best readability and usability of your
stored information. The ScanPro 1000 provides 300dpi viewing and scanning for ALL
of your microforms, fiche, jackets, 16mm roll film, 35mm roll film, cartridge roll
film, micro opaques, ultra fiche, and aperture cards. Scans from these microforms
can be viewed, printed, saved to your hard drive (local or network), saved to USB
pen drives, USB external drives, CD ROM, and sent as attachments by e-mail. Since
there are separate buttons (with easy-to- recognize graphics) for controlling each
of these features, you can customize the toolbar to add those buttons you want to
make available to your patrons and remove any buttons for features that you do want
to make available. This also means that you can elect when to have scans remain on
the hard drive or removed from the hard drive when the scanning session is complete.
Some competitive models provide high resolution for a few magnifications but provide
low resolution "screen shots" and interpolated resolution for most microforms
and magnifications. These low resolution scans provide "fuzzy" prints and
are not considered usable.
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The ScanPro 1000 use the widest range optical lens. This single zoom lens
will cover all of your microform applications and magnifications. This means that
you can complete your look-ups and research quickly and efficiently without having
to stop and change lenses.
Some competitive models require that lens be changed when changing microforms
and magnifications, use multiple scanner methods depending on the type of microform,
and require separate companion equipment when working with the various types of microforms
and magnifications.
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Resolution
is a measure of scanning Image Quality. High resolution scans provide a "crisp"
scan of the original microfilm image while low resolution scans provide a "fuzzy"
scan that is difficult to read. There are several ways to express resolution, some
of these methods can be misleading. The accepted method of specifying image quality
for scanned microfilm images is to specify resolution in dpi (dots per inch) for
the size of the original document that was microfilmed. We have used this method
to make comparisons. In addition, we have selected the same mid range magnification
of 24X and have used the same microfilm image to insure that the comparison scans
are made under the same conditions.
The following two scans show the impact
of resolution on scan image quality. The first scan was made using the ScanPro1000
and the second scan was made using a competitor's model.
When making scanner resolution and scan speed comparisons, it
is important to make the comparisons using printed copies made from the film that
you will be using. This will insure that scanning speeds are properly specified and
that viewing screen resolution is not interpreted as print resolution..
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High resolution scanning speed is the amount of time that it takes the
scanner to complete a high resolution scan of the microform image that you are viewing
on your monitor. The ScanPro 1000 can complete a high resolution scan of your microfilm
image in about a second. Since a scanner can not be used for further look-ups until
the scan in progress is completed, it is important to have the scan completed quickly.
Some competitive models have scan speeds that take more than a minute. That delay
is just idle time for the user.
A high resolution scan of your microform image is required for printing and saving
archival copies. Some models claim fast scanning speeds using terms like "snap
shot", "instant image capture", "instant capture", etc.
These types of scans provide low resolution scans (also called screen shots) that
can be used for viewing but are not considered usable for printing and archival purposes.
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When you view microforms on a monitor, you want the image on your monitor
to move smoothly and at exactly the same time as you move the microform. This is
sometimes called live, real time viewing. You also want to be able to scan your microform
images in high resolution very quickly so that you can complete look-ups and research
fast and efficiently. The ScanPro 1000 can transfer images to your PC at up to 88
frames per second and can scan an image in high resolution in a second. Some competitive
models have much lower frame speeds and simply can not duplicate the performance
of the ScanPro 1000. Modern equipment uses a fast interface like firewire when the
high performance transfer of images is required.
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The ScanPro 1000 was designed based on the input from many librarians
and microfilm patrons. The consistent message that we heard was that "microfilm
is difficult to work with" and that the available equipment was "way too
complicated". So, right from the start our design goal was to make the Microfilm
ScanPro 1000 easy-to-use and to automate as many features as possible to reduce the
number steps required by the patron using microfilm to an absolute minimum. Freeze
Frame and Image Enhancement are two examples of these automatic features. Freeze
frame is important to the patron because it makes it easier to view the microfilm
image on the monitor. The ScanPro 1000 auto detects when the microfilm is not being
moved, automatically freezes the frame for the best readability and then automatically
enhances the image to make it even more readable on the monitor. Competitive model
requires the user to first switch to separate software and then to separately apply
"filters" after the image is first scanned. These are all additional steps
for the patron that add time consuming complexity.
It is rewarding to hear about the positive effect that the results to simplify
the software has had on the patron's microfilm experience. A library director recently
called to report that the ScanPro 1000 software's ease-of-use was so well received
that patrons were coming back "again and again" to use their microfilm"..
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The ScanPro 1000 lets the patron edit the microform image on the monitor
before scanning and printing. This is a simple and efficient way to work with your
microforms. The patron can rotate and mirror the image, straighten and crop the image,
adjust brightness, adjust contrast, sharpen the image and see the results right on
the monitor before scanning and printing. Additionally, the patron can let the software
automatically make the edits or choose to manually make some or all of the edits.
Competitive equipment uses a confusing combination for image editing, some edits
are made while looking at the monitor while other edits require separate software
to be used after the scan has been completed. This means that re scans will require
the patron to return to the viewing software and start over. This is a complicated
and time consuming process.
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The ScanPro 1000 has a customizable toolbar. The administrator, using
the password protected "setup" screen, can select which buttons and settings
will be available on the toolbar for each microform application. This means that
it is possible to have the ScanPro 1000 be a reader, a reader/printer, or a full
research scanner and anywhere in between and to be able to go from one type of microform
to another type of microform without having to make changes in settings like magnification,
brightness, film type, etc.
A customizable toolbar is powerful capability that provides simplicity and ease-of-use
in any microform application. Competitive models do not have this capability
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Once the toolbar has been customized for a particular application, the
administrator can SAVE all of the settings using a title or name, sometimes called
a "template". The next time that application is to be used, all of the
setting on the toolbar can be RESTORED with a single CLICK. This is an easy and efficient
way to move from one microform application to another microform application.
Competitive equipment simply does not have these time saving capabilities.
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The patron can use a single CLICK to move to the next image or to the
prior image on their roll of microfilm. Also, when a patron wants to move from one
location to another location on their roll film (for example when searching for a
particular image), they can have the image that they stop on automatically centered
on the monitor. This eliminates the need to adjust the film to center the image for
viewing.
Competitive models simply do not have these capabilities.
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The ScanPro 1000 is a compact, desktop scanner that will fit into almost
any location. It is a sturdy, robust microform scanner that is designed for public
use applications. The ScanPro 1000 uses steel construction throughout with plastic
covers to provide an integrated office appeal. The film carriers use precision tolerance
surfaces with linear bearings to provide exceptional positional control for all of
your microform images. The sturdy, robust design of the ScanPro 1000 is not only
ideal for public uses applications, it is also the ideal platform for automatically
scanning microfilm.
The ScanPro 1000 now has the added capability to automatically scan roll film
[16mm, 35mm and cartridge (3M) roll film]. The optional Auto-Scan™ plug-in to the
ScanPro 1000 software adds a button right to the standard toolbar that adds automatic,
unattended scanning capability to any ScanPro 1000 with a motorized roll film carrier.
With the addition of Auto-Scan™, you can still use the ScanPro 1000 as a reader,
a reader printer, a full feature research scanner, or anywhere in between and switch
to automatic scanning at any time.
Auto-Scan™ will scan up to 30 images per minute, it can automatically determine
the best brightness and contrast setting for each image (capabilities not available
on even production scanners), and will automatically straighten and crop each image
before scanning. Auto-Scan™ provides for automatic naming of scans, and you can start
scanning at the beginning or anywhere within the roll of film and scan to the end
or you can specify the number of scans that will be completed before stopping. And,
you can specify the file type (JPEG, PDF, TIFF, TIFF compressed, TIFF G4). All of
these features are provided at a fraction of the cost of a production microfilm scanner.
These ScanPro 1000 features are simply not available on competitive models.
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The ScanPro 1000 has all of the controls for working with your microfilm
right on the viewing screen so that you don't have to go back and forth between the
scanner, PC, and monitor when making look ups and doing research. These controls,
also called "virtual controls", are large easy-to-see and easy-to use buttons
that control all of features of the ScanPro 1000. Because these are "virtual
controls", they can be operated remotely from any location using an internet
connection and commercially free, web connecting software. The ScanPro 1000 provides
this remote access capability as standard.
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