Photoshop Elements - photography, adobe photoshop lightroom

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For whatever reason, Adobe decided that scanning is not an important function for photoshop users. they have done away with twain. there is a klugie patch, but the functionality is not the same. 90 percent of what i do on photoshop involves scanning, so I've uninstalled cs5 and gone back to cs3. what a waste of money. the bells and whistles are not worth the loss of functionality. Adobe Photoshop CS5

My main interest is photography and after using Photoshop Elements for many years I decided to see what Photoshop CS5 would offer. This software package comes with Bridge which is a Browser that will help you keep track of photos by adding key words, and ratings, etc. It will let you open photos then send them to Photoshop. If you shoot RAW photos Adobe Camera Raw is also included. My first impression of these three elements is very positive. I was especially impressed with Adobe Camera Raw. This very capable program will allow you to do most of the adjustments that a photographer will need to do for non-destructive adjustment of exposure, color, sharpness, spot removal, cropping and more. Bridge is great for organizing photos for projects using other Adobe software along with Photoshop. For organizing hundreds or thousands of photos I think Photoshop Elements Organizer is a little better than Bridge. I think the Elements Organizer is a data base where as Bridge is a browser so PSE Organizer will keep track of and show thumbnails photos on external drives or DVDs even when they are off line. As for Photoshop itself it is an awesome piece of software with an amazing capability. You can find plenty of reviews on-line. There is quite a learning curve for this package so I think you need to get a good book on the subject since there is none included. There are quite a lot of on-line video tutors available however. I suggest you check out the Russell Brown Photoshop Tutor on-line. He has several excellent videos free to view also check out Adobe TV, this may be a good way to review the program before purchase.



One big problem I had is this: I wanted to use my existing Photoshop Elements 8 Organizer, to keep track of photos, with Photoshop but these two programs don't play together well. When a Raw file is passed on to Adobe Camera Raw version 6.3 things work ok but when done with ACR the photo will not be passed back to the Organizer whether or not the photo is opened in Photoshop CS5. Using a JPEG photo sent directly to Photoshop seems to work ok however so it looks like the problem may be with ACR. I didn't see a way to open a JPEG into ACR from the Organizer, you can with Bridge. I sent a notice about this to Adobe support and got a reply that since my PS Elements 8 is not supported I would have to purchase support even though the problem could be in Photoshop or ACR which are supported. A web search revealed that this is apparently a bug going back several versions. One blogger was told to buy Lightroom. So don't plan on using Photoshop with Elements Organizer for raw files and don't count on Adobe support for help. You could pay for the support but may still find this fruitless. Of course you may not encounter this problem (I'm using Win 7 Home premium 64 bit). Photoshop Elements will do both Asset Management plus photo editing. To do the same with Photoshop you will need to use Bridge or a better solution for Photographers is to use Lightroom, an asset management program. The Lightroom + Photoshop option costs 10 times more than Elements alone however.



Bottom line: If you are starting out in photo editing I suggest Photoshop Elements and see if that will meet your needs. If not then move on to Lightroom which has the same capabilities as Adobe Camera Raw plus asset management however you will still need an editor. You can use the Elements Editor with Lightroom and if you what even more capabilities then get Photoshop for your editor. Photoshop, Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw has a learning curve of many hours, which could be fun. Elements also will take a lot of time but a lot of the knowledge you learn for Elements is also useful with Photoshop but plan on getting a book for either. You can learn this software on-line but I found that I would tend to bounce around from topic to topic where as a book leads you through a more logical flow. For PS Elements I used Philip Andrews Advanced Photoshop Elements 7 for Digital Photographers also available from Amazon and found it excellent. If you are a Pro or want to do graphic design then Photoshop is the only way to go. I wish Adobe would offer a photographers version of Photoshop that included Lightroom rather than or in addition to Bridge.

All I have to say is paired with Lightroom 3 Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the undisputed king of the hill. I figured after about 4 years learning the ropes using Elements 5.0 it was time to take it to the next level. The transition from elements to CS was painless one, having nearly mastered Adobe entry level editor I felt right at home with CS5. Now monsterous 30 layered projects are handled with such great ease I one can only smile with delight:). Yes its expensive, but giving whats at your command its easily worth the cash. - Photo Editing - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - Photography - Digital Photography'

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Desk Organizer

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I bought this to replace a clear plastic cup with swing out drawers that were always hanging open. I use this for my three kids to do their homework at the kitchen table. It holds everything they need, no excuses to get up looking for things. There are four pen compartments. You can fit probably a dozen Bic-sized pens in each. I use them for pencils, pens, markers, and crayons (and a pair of small scissors). The top has three open compartments that are great for erasers, paper clips, elastic bands, and a glue stick or two. The drawer is pretty big and can hold various items. We use it for sticky paper to mark pages or make quick notes. It is sturdy, I have no fears that it will fall apart. When homework is done or company is coming, I put it out of sight.



I liked it so much I got one for my desk and got rid of two or three random cups and holders. Also, being mesh, it is less likely to get dusty where it is hard to reach! I highly reccomend it! Rolodex Supplies Caddy (1746466)

This is a superbly designed, solidly constructed organizer. It compares very favorably to the near useless, shoddily-made ones I find at my local office supply stores at higher prices. The various sizes and shapes of the compartments are a good mix for holding most anything one would wish to tidily store on one's desk. The visibility that the mesh gives for small items like paper clips is also quite useful.



I'm a frequent user of an eighteen inch metal ruler that, annoyingly, doesn't fit in any handy drawer. This organizer is sufficiently heavy to do great job of storing the ruler without getting all tippy.



It's always a pleasure to find a well made item, thoughtfully designed, at a a reasonable price. I plan to get another one for some of my craft items.

This is a medium guage metal pen / pencil / desk organizer with a bin that can be removed, though it does take some fidgeting to get it out. I think the middle section of this unit could have been designed better, the bin takes up too much space and does not slide out well at all. This leaves less room for pens and pencils and the top sections are an odd size. If you need the big drawer then all is well, but I cannot think of anything but post-it notes to go in there and who needs that many?



The pen / pencil sections are too wide and too shallow so that pens and pencils just kind of flop around and this looks messy on a desk. I brought this to replace the age old mug solution and this has the same overall appearance of something put to uses other than what it was intended to do.



The separate sections of this are welded together and they are not very even joins so it rocks a bit and looks kind of sloppy up close. On the front right of the unit, there is a RoloDex logo and the one I have is very crooked. The logo is stamped into the metal screening so it cannot be fixed and it just makes the whole thing look a bit shabby. For the money I expected something a little more refined than this unit.

Nice Unit For Smaller Needs.

Was a bit smaller than I had hoped for but the measurements are there in the profile so my fault really. Works great and looks great doing it. Have my post-it notes in the small drawer and my magic markers in one holder and pens in another.

Sweet little holder to keep you organized and looks great doing it. No problems with quality at all and worth the money IMO.

But with confidence.

RagenRat

Here's the thing;

I put in an order, and I qualified for fee shipping. Went to my local Walmart to do grocery shopping and to my surprise I found this same exact caddy for $8.44 that's $6.68 less that what this seller is selling it for. I'm sorry but that's a rip off.



On the other hand, the caddy is pretty awesome. it keeps everything well organized. I love it. I strongly recommend to do more research before buying it from Amazon though... =]

I often have too much on my desk and this is the perfect size with the right amount of compartments for me. Its sturdy, yet lightweight without being tippy at all. I love it because now I have all the items I need on a regular basis in one area and there is no more searching in my desk drawers.

this is a nice large pen and other supplies holder .. i have a MILLION pens and i LOVE posit notes this fits everything in one nice space for me .. i got sooo tired of going back and forth to get this and that .. well no more .. my tape my letter opener all the pens anything i can think of is right there in front of me .. being 9 mo pregnant you have no idea how nice that it ... so yet im very happy with this .. it's simple it's not the cutest but it goes with what i have going on in my living room at this time

The Rolodex caddy is really a perfect desk organizer dreams because pen and pencils,posits and anything that can fit into this product make a job easier, time is always a factor so having whatever you need at your finger tips is always a big help. So I rate this product a five star and for its usage and cost and its appearance. 9 it looks good )

I used to have one of those round cup type organizers where you can place just pencils and pens. But you can't really separate them and have them look organized.



With the rolodex supplies caddy, I've organized my pens, pencils, box cutters, highlighters, paperclips, post-it notes, rubber bands, and scissors.



Talk about useful, THIS IS IT. Worth every penny.'

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Watches

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And have not regretted a thing. No reviews here, and not too many on similar wenger watches, so I was walking in blind. However, the simple design and basic materials caused me to take the chance and buy it.



I'm glad I did. It fits well on the wrist, and does not get too sweaty in heat (although the backside of the watch tends to accumulate sweat) and is not too heavy. The depth of the watch is a bit more than I anticipated, but that is ok. It is light on the wrist and the first day I wore it, I forgot it was there. The lighted face is useful, but it oftens need a charge in light before it is bright enough to see in darkness. The glass face has no scratches, and while the steel rim has one, it is due to user error and not material quality.



A good watch. If you are looking for something rugged, dependable, and not ostentatious - Get this. Wenger Swiss Military Men's 72900 Classic Field White Dial Brown Leather Military Watch

I am only giving this one star because there is not an option for zero (OR NEGATIVE) stars!! I saw this watch in a dept. store and my husband liked the look of it, so I purchased it for him on Amazon.com for his birthday (it was offered on Amazon as a set with a small pocket knife for the same price as just the watch in the store).



Immediately upon opening the box, the watch DID NOT RUN. I assumed it was just a dead battery and took the watch to a local jeweler, who informed me that if they opened the case, it would void my warranty, so I called the NY 1-800# for Wenger which only added to my frustration. First, I was informed (in broken English) that I would be responsible for the shipping charges (both ways!) and, only after I asked to speak to a supervisor, was "credited" return shipping only, I STILL had to pay to ship my BRAND NEW WATCH for repair! Second, I shipped the watch on July 12 from NC to NY and was told on July 26 that they had "just received the watch yesterday" (two weeks in transit, REALLY?) and that it would be THREE TO SIX WEEKS to repair the watch!!! You have GOT to be kidding me! It literally takes 5 minutes -if that- to change a battery and I have to wait UP TO SIX WEEKS??? O M G, am I not happy with this company. I would just return it, but by the time I get it back, it will be too late, so now I'm stuck with it. (Happy Birthday, Honey! I know your birthday was in June, but maybe you'll get to wear your gift by Thanksgiving!!) Nice. Really.



BTW...I don't feel this is AMAZON's fault, as I have had many very positive buying experiences with them and I LOVE free super saver shipping, so buy from Amazon, just buy a different watch! WENGER SUX!! Sorry for the language, but if the shoe fits...'

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Cordless Phone - corded phone, phone

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I recently purchased the Motorola DECT 6.0 Corded/Cordless system and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. I previously owned a GE DECT 6.0 phone and it was terrible. There was excessive static even with just a dial tone using their corded base phone. The phone was not around any televisions or other electronic devices, just did not work. Maybe the noisiest corded phone I have ever owned. Needless to say it was returned. I purchased this phone with a little trepidation based on the GE and there is no comparison. The corded Motorola phone has exceptional clarity with the base phone and the handsets. The static that was so much the problem with the GE, is non-existent. None of the ringtones mimic a regular telephone but I have gotten over that already. A cool feature of the phone is the ability to add ring tone music to a specific incoming number, from the preloaded selections. Haven't used the phone very long but my initial impression is all positive. Interestingly I could not find a review for the phone before I bought it so I decided to post one. Motorola DECT 6.0 Enhanced Corded Base Phone with Cordless Handset and Digital Answering System L402C

I bought model L402V of this phone Dec 2009 from Sam's Club, for about $50. There are two phones: one a corded base with an answering machine, the other a cordless phone with charger. The packaging had an earth-friendly "green" notice, which I found appealing. The buttons on both phones are comfortable and easy to press.



I did have trouble changing the base to wall mount. The "quick start" guide omitted this issue, and the extended manual contains such tiny images that I had difficulty reading it. When I tried to reverse the clip that holds the phone on a wall-mounted base, it came loose and shot across the room. Luckily, I retrieved it before the cat got it.



Discouragingly, once wall mounted, the phone hangs crooked when the receiver is hung up. I fixed that problem by putting sticky tack behind it (the stretchy stuff you use to hang up posters). Although the manual said it would have to be charged for 24 hours before first use, the cordless phone had enough charge in the battery to try it out.



The phones are slim, stylish, and mainly intuitive to use. One not very intuitive feature is that in order to make a call from the base, you have to press the "speaker" button. With the exception of the intercom feature, they mostly work as if they are separate phones, and their differences can be confusing.



The cordless phone has great audio transmission without static or interference, even in distant parts of the house. We've had trouble inside our house with previous phones. I like that each entry in the phone book can be customized with one of ten ringtones, some of which are really cute. The ringtones apply separately to each phone, so the phones will ring at the same time, using separate melodies.



A disadvantage is that it's hard to see the location of the tiny microphone on the base, and you have to speak very close to the phone when recording a memo or the outgoing message. For this reason, the audio quality of the memos and outgoing messages can be poor. However, the audio quality of the actual phone conversations is very good, and the volume is easy to adjust.



The two separate phonebooks are also a bit annoying. There doesn't seem to be a way to link phonebooks so that each time you save a number it appears in the both the base and the cordless phone. 30 numbers can be saved on each phone. Confusingly, the base will not save an incoming caller's number if it's not in the phonebook, but the cordless will do so.



The font size on the LCD screen of the base makes it easy to see the numbers and names. The base lights up only when active, which (I hope) saves energy. The speakerphone and mute features work well. For those who don't mind figuring out the quirks, this phone combination is a good purchase.

I purchased this phone as a replacement for an old Panasonic set. I was impressed by its clean design and compact size, both of which were great when I received the unit. However, the keypad on the base unit is awful. The "keys" are flat pieces of rubber, which feel flimsy and make the dialing action extremely imprecise. I had to listen for the audible beep as I dialed each digit to be sure they were entered.



Too bad an otherwise excellent phone is ruined by this simple design botch. Fortunately, the unit comes in a simple package that makes it easy to repack for return shipping.

First, I want to say that I love this phone (set). It just works, feels good in the hand and by the ear and doesn't weigh 5 pounds.



Some people have made good reviews already of this phone set but there were a couple things I thought to add or suggest.



The corded phone w/ answering system and speaker phone - for me, has too short of a cord. I bought a long black one @ Radio Shack which works better. The corded phone does indeed ring and take/send calls when there is a power outage. We had a big storm and the power went out and sure enough, it was the only phone that rang (a call to see if we were alright :). The speakerphone works about 'average' - my older Panasonic (and much more expensive) speakerphone performs much better. But for use on my desk, the Motorola is sufficient for a speakerphone. I like the style of these phones, they look smartly constructed (but not heavy).



One thing to note on the ANSWERING MACHINE - if you do have a power outage or even some kind of interruption on your phone line, then go and check if the answering machine reset to not recording messages. I found this to be the case. For example, I have DSL internet here and the tech. guy upgraded my TV/cable signal (thru phone line) and though no power went out or anything, the action still turned the answering system off. The little 'new message icon' is a bit small (another reviewer stated this with some ferocity) BUT if you do have new messages, it will state this in words on the panel saying like, "2 new messages". So no worries there. I did find it easy to listen to the messages from the cordless phone which is a nice feature. I like the feel of the keypad. OH, and this is a bonus - the answering machine voice is a FEMALE, so I used that instead of recording my own. (finally!) All the other phones I've had in the past had male voices, so this was nice as I'm a woman and don't always want my own voice on the recording. That was a pleasant surprise, not a biggie, but a plus.



The cordless phone is lightweight, has good reception about what most phones have, performs without any problems. There is not a clip on the back of the phone (like many of my other cordless phones have had) and I confess I miss that. But it's not a big deal. I just got used to sliding the phone (with a clip) on to my pants/trousers, whatever, when I wanted to be hands-free but needed to carry the phone with me (like outside). The footprint of the cordless phone in the charger is small which is great. Doesn't take up much room at all. The battery seems to last a long time, I haven't worn it out yet and I've had some long phone calls and left it off the charger. So the battery life is good. Better than average.



Four and a half stars for the less important notes I left here otherwise it's a complete winner for me. 50 bucks is an excellent value, really for all you get. I had an AT&T similar setup and didn't like it. It was only several months old. The older Panasonic cordless phone/anwering/speaker phone I still have, (was real expensive in the day), but I have that in the kitchen because the speakerphone is superb. I can walk to the pantry and can still talk and be heard. amazing. (they don't make 'em like they used to). But I digress..



This Motorola combo phone set was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a corded phone that would work in power outages, had an answering machine and speaker phone, looks nice, and is easy to use on my desk. The cordless has good clear reception, long battery life, easy to use and feels good in the hand (which is a big deal) and I use that everywhere else.



I added a few pics for your review so you can see what the phone(s) look like when not appearing like an advertising graphic. Also, the color of the screen when it lights up is not so yellow gold as in the ad photos, so I took a pic of that. It's more yellow orange, in case you'd like to know.



I highly recommend this phone set if what you're looking for is anything like what I found. - Corded Cordless Combo - Phone - Corded Phone - Motorola'

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All In One Usb Card Reader - all in one usb card reader, multi-card reader

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After years of having an internal multi-format card reader I was dreading needing to get an external one. I read up on a dozen different models and decided the price and good reviews of this one made it worth taking a chance. I am using it on an iMac with 3 card sizes: SD, CompactFlash, and MicroSD. All work great. Hooking it up was instant. The transfer rate is spectacular especially when not hooked up through a USB hub.



Do I wish the cards were easier to get back out? Sure, but they're only a fraction more awkward to get out than my internal card reader and no worse than any other external model. It's nice to be truly pleased with product. Kingston 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader FCR-HS219/1

Out of box, this card reader DID NOT work with my Transcend 8GB CF cards. I contacted tech support and requested a firmware update if it was available. After the update, this reader works flawlessly.



I give it a 4 star because Kingston didn't bother to make this update (dated July 2008) publicly available. Tech support needs to give you access to their password protected site in order to download it. Kind of a pain but the installation was easy.

I purchased a 4GB SDHC card to go with my new Nikon digital SLR only to find my trusty old multi-format reader didn't work with it. I went to a few BIG BOX stores seeking something to use without luck... they are still relatively rare. After searching the web I decided to buy the Kingston reader. It is a great little reader. I current only have cameras that use SD, Micro SD, SDHC, and Memory Sticks... all these and more are read rapidly.



The reader comes with a very, very short USB cord attached, but Kingston also included a USB extension cord that enabled me to plug into the rear ports of my desktop's CPU with ease. The reader's sliding case allows you to keep cards plugged into the unit while traveling seems awkward at first, but is a really cool idea. Using "My Computer", the Nikon's SDHC card's data appeared on my screen labeled as a "Nikon data port"... very convenient. I have only used the reader for simple single card data retrieval and it worked flawlessly. I am very happy with the fast service the vendor supplied and the operation of this neat device. Highly recommended!

Product is great if you're looking for a media reader that does not support XD card types. You would think that in a 19-in-1 reader you would have high chances of getting it with XD card compatibility, but apparently not so with this Kingston. Although it would help if the product description gave a brief list, (oh maybe 19 words long?) of the 19 media types that it supports.

This card reader is so much faster than my very old very cheap reader I'm not sure how objective of a review I can give. It's lightweight, the hide-away plug is nice, and I like the "slide-away" card port area.



It has read everything from my 16 mb (ahem) CF card to my 8 gig CF card quickly and with ease, and works without flaw in our Ubuntu Linux environment. Yes, it reads both of my 8 gig cards fine.



As a photographer and Linux user, I recommend this reader.

My previous cardreader (6 years old) started giving connection errors so I shopped around looking for (a) price, (b) size, (c) convenience. Another tipping factor was that I've always had positive experience with Kingston products.



Have had it and used it extensively for several weeks and have no qualms about it. It has a short cable so it's easier to connect than those without cable; it is retractable which protects the connections and the cable and makes it easy to throw into my briefcase. One caveat: I've only use the SD connection but one would presume the other connections are operable. Also, upon writing this review, I see that there was suppose to be a 3' extension cable. Hmmmm...don't remember getting that. Have to check my desk--haven't needed it but still would be good to have.

For the price, this was a great deal. Reads everything under the sun. (But to be honest, I've only used it with SD cards so far, but the peace of mind knowing that I'm ready for anything is great) I clocked it's transfer rate of large files with my SanDisk Extreme III at 44MB/s read and 17 MB/s write. (note that MB is megaBYTE, as in 8 megaBITs (Mb) ) This means there is little or no bottlenecking at the reader. Of course my image import times are only about half what my USB 1.1 reader dies, as the start/stop cycles between pictures in the MS camera wizard take most of the time.



Also, the cord option is nice - it has a built-in 2-inch cord for laptops and comes with a 3ft extension for other applications. Also the ports are retractable into the case for extra safety for your cards, so they aren't the farthest thing sticking out.



All-in-all, very nice product for a good price. - Sd Card Reader - All In One Usb Card Reader - Card Reader - Multi-card Reader'

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Mini Dv Tape - blank media, mini dv

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I've been a professional video/TV producer most of my life. I still shoot a lot of mini DV format for webcasting - You Tube etc. I've experimented with other brands, but I've found Sony to be the most dependable, with the least amount of dropouts and other issues, over a period of 10 or 15 years of regularly using the format.



So this recent purchase I made of 20 cassettes at a great price gets 5 stars from me. I'll be buying from this supplier again! To check out professional footage on Sony mini DV in my home studio, search "timothy james dean channel" on u tube. The quality is excellent! Sony DVM60PR10KB 60-minute Premium DVC / MiniDV Tapes (10 Pack)

I should have bought a HD camera with a hard drive, but sense I bought a Canon HV30 I have to buy these. This is the best deal I could find. I buy a lot at a time because I know I will use them all eventually.

Sony put so many different labels on these blue covered tapes it's hard to know if you're dealing with the same item. I've been using a lot of these tapes and have had a lot of problems mostly in the VCR mode where the tape just hangs for a few seconds and starts again. I do my editing directly to a DVD recorder and this is very annoying because these stops are transferred to the final product. Sometines the camera stops working and tells me to reinsert the tape. This happens with no other tapes.

As the video guru at a small private college, I'm called upon to record and archive everything from guest lecturers to graduation ceremonies, and I like using one trusted brand of tape for all my cameras and to give crews when I contract for their services. By budgeting about $60 for tape on each project through Amazon, I always have fresh bricks of Sony DVC-60 cassettes on hand for large projects and everyday shoots. - Minidv - Blank Media - Sony - Mini Dv'

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Paperless Office - document scanner, scansnap

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Great tool. What a scanner should be. This is another world from the speed and software efficiency you have in the average scanner and All In One Printers. So I am happy to have both a AIO device and this great tool for document management.



My use:

Now all the invoices and in general, all my printed documents are converted into searchable pdf into an easy to access archive.



I can recover from a fax or a printed document and edit it in word or excel tables or iWork and save a lot of time retyping



Business cards are archived in a short time and included in my address book and so also on my iPhone.



PLUS

A single, easy to use, application manages the very fast scanning and efficient OCR conversion of printed documents outputting directly in searchable PDF, Word, Excel, email attachment, address book and VCF contacts. Also business card OCR is quiet effective and the limit is due to strange character and graphics and you can find on some more creative cards.



Compared to what you find in the AIO devices and average scanners, paper handling is superior and errors are avoided. In the case of skipped pages (Happens rarely) a sensor warns you and show you which page is missing.



CONS

Only shortcoming is that Acrobat Pro is included in version 8.0 and not the last 9.0 but I suppose that this will change soon. Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner for the Macintosh

But I mean this in a good way. The ScanSnap S1500M gobbles up piles of paper at an amazing rate. One-side or two-side scanning takes the same time. I have put just about every type of paper through it, often of mixed sizes and types (e.g., legal and letter size, 3x5 cards, newspaper and magazine clippings, unfolded brochures). A carrier sheet is available for crumpled, folded, or extremely thin paper. I've only had one paper jam (an odd-shaped, somewhat crumpled page that I ran without using the carrier sheet). Clearing jams is trivially easy because of the almost straight-through paper path. I am amazed by the quality of the scans. Photos sometimes look better than the originals. It small and almost silent. The software is easy to use. I have seldom, if ever, had a computer peripheral that I was as happy with.

I've scanned approximately 15,000 pages with this scanner and it couldn't have been easier. I did get the occasional "paper jam" when the sheet feeder picked up the next page as it was feeding the current page. Clearing a jam is trivial: pop the cover open, remove the pages, snap the cover back, continue scanning. Considering I was feeding in papers from 15 - 20 years ago, I expected the pages to occasionally stick together. This scanner is worth every penny.

I'm a proud new owner of a ScanSnap S1500M. I've owned many flatbed scanners and a multifunction device with a scanner, and I have to say the ScanSnap is among the best. Like most people, I've been digitizing my documents to reduce clutter. However, with my flatbed scanner, it gets very tedious to open the lid, flip the page, then click on the scanning software to continue scanning. A few pages takes a lot of time to digitize. With my ADF-equipped scanners, it was more hands-free, but the scans tended to be skewed. In all my past scanners, I could not search my PDFs.



My ScanSnap arrived a few days ago, and I've scanned several hundred pages. It is absolutely fast, no joke. Another reviewer said it's a paper eater (to denote scanning speed). It really munches on paper quickly. Actually, it is so quick, I spend more time preparing the documents (unstaple, arrange, etc.) than running it through the scanner. Plus, Fujitsu did a great job with the footprint. It is a very small scanner. Just a little bit wider than a sheet of paper, and maybe half as tall as the long side of a sheet of paper. The trays also fold in, so it looks like a small rectangular block when it's all folded in. The sheet feeding tends to be pretty straight. It did jam a few times, but they tend to be on thin sheets of paper. In case of a jam, there is a compartment you open up, just like un-jamming an office photocopier. Overall, I am very pleased with the scanner device.



The reason I gave it an overall 4 Stars is because their software needs some improvements. First of all, there's no Organizer software that provides the added usability of the PC version. If you go on YouTube, and search for S1500M, you will notice they are pitching the S1500 (PC version). In comparing the software capabilities from the video to what I actually got, I really would like the Organizer. As it is, when you press the Scan button on your scanner, it will invoke ScanSnap Manager on your Mac. That piece of software only lets you control what will happen when the Scan button is pressed (Save to a Folder, Send to Word, Quality settings, ...). But, what happens after the scan is not organized for you.



Open the YouTube video address below, then skip to the time 2:10. It talks about Send to ScanSnap Organizer folder. That's not in the Mac version, consequently, the Mac version doesn't get the View, Crop, and Highlight features in ScanSnap Organizer. Why?



[...]





Another complaint is that unlike the PC version, the Mac version only comes with Adobe Acrobat 8.0 Pro (PC comes with 9.0), although I think 8.0 is pretty good already.



The Searchable PDF feature is great. The OCR is pretty good. Here's the bad part though, and I think it's related to not having Organizer. To make the scans searchable, you have to turn on the "Convert to Searchable PDF" checkbox in the ScanSnap Manager's "File option" tab. When you load your documents and press Scan, the software will create the PDF, then there's another step to run it through OCR. If you scan in low volume, just a few sheets at a time, you'll be okay. But I scan 50-150 pages at a time. The ten or so seconds to OCR a page adds up to tens of minutes per batch. During the time it does OCR, you cannot continue scanning!!! Believe me, I tried but the Scan button does nothing while OCR is working. That's not good at all. I would rather scan my next batch, then queue up the OCR jobs. That way, I can scan everything now, then go to lunch or leave it running overnight, then it's done when I get back. But with their current setup, you will have to sit by your desk to wait until you can do your next batch. It's kind of like the old days of printing. Can you imagine yourself printing a big document, then being unable to tell MS Word to print the next document until the first one finished? It's kind of like that. Think about it.



Overall, I absolutely love the scanner device. I think it's great. Good job for putting two scanning units to make double-sided scans in one pass. The software is okay. It is missing an Organizer found in the PC version. The OCR is pretty accurate, but when scanning big batches, the OCR process will bottleneck your next batch to scan. If you're like many who are buying a fast scanner because you have many file cabinets of paper to scan, you will find that bottleneck very annoying.



Now, if Fujitsu could fix those limitations for S1500M users, then my complaints disappear and they would deserve a 5 Star rating. If anyone else has similar experience, please add a Note to Fujitsu section in your review. Hopefully Fujitsu will get the idea and work on it.





NOTE TO FUJITSU: Please have a Mac version of ScanSnap Organizer available for S1500M owners. Also, please enhance your software to include a Scan Job Queueing capability, so that people can scan their next job while the software is crunching another job. Kind of like how printing used to be one at a time, but later it could be Queued into a spooler so that users can get on with their job right away. Those would make your scanners unbeatable. Please strongly consider. - Document Scanner - Scansnap - Fujitsu - Scanner'

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