Experience with the Fujitsu ScanSnap SV600?

November 15, 2019 8:39 AM

Does anyone have any experience with using the Fujitsu Scansnap CV600?

I have its stablemate, the IX1500, which is great for sheet feed, but I have a lot of larger-format articles and clippings that I'd like to digitise, where laying them out flat is the better approach. I have tried some other document solutions, including using my iPad as an overhead camera - but it's fiddly and the quality is variable - lighting, framing issues, file-naming. I am wondering if the SV600 might be what I am looking for and am curious to hear of others' experience. Generally, published reviews are mixed to good.

posted by sagwalla to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Best answer: I own this. It is good, not great. When you're in the zone, you can get through a lot quickly, but I spent several evenings scanning a rare archive of material (or so I thought) and a colleague who had multiple copies took a set to a book guillotine, cut the bindings, and fed the entire run in an automated feeder. That doesn't answer your question, I just needed to vent.

If your sessions are organized (similar sizes and qualities scanned sequentially) it'll do the job for you,but if there is a lot of variation, it'll wear on you after a while.
posted by history is a weapon at 9:38 AM on November 15, 2019

Best answer: I agree with history is a weapon - it's good (or maybe even "fine"), not great.

It depends on what you want to get out of it.

If you just want to get readable text - and if your original materials are reasonably flat - it'll probably do pretty well for you. If you want it to look perfect - if you care more about how it looks than just being able to go back and read it or reference it - it may not be a good choice.

I've also had some big frustrations with the way it auto-crops things - sometimes it works really well, but other times it crops parts that I want to keep, and I have to put down some white paper as a backdrop to make it keep the whole image ( ... plus, then, the extra white I've added).

I still use it once a month or so, and it's fine, but I've also been toying with the idea of trying out one of the CZUR scanners.

Drop me a memail if you'd like to see a few samples of things I've scanned using the SV600. (Is there actually a CV600? What I have is the SV600, and your link redirects to a page about the SV600.)
posted by kristi at 11:04 AM on November 20, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you both... seems to be what I expected - good, but not perfect. It might do what I need. And, yes, kristi - SV600 - my bad. I like the idea of the CZUR scanner with a foot switch. Spendy, but it would probably be worth it to get the paper backlog cleared.
posted by sagwalla at 3:38 AM on December 16, 2019

Just a quick update:

I am indeed trying out the CZUR, and so far I like it a lot better than the SV600. I've only worked with it a very little bit, but so far it has some nice features.

I may try to update this thread later if I get a chance, but for now: this user is (provisionally, initially) happier with the CZUR than the SV600.
posted by kristi at 1:31 PM on December 16, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks, kristi... I signed up for the CZUR Shine Ultra on indiegogo - it was very cheap and USB-powered. It's supposed to ship in February - they posted some scans purported to be from books.
posted by sagwalla at 9:39 AM on January 8, 2020