Already a great aid
I recently purchased a VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDS-ST410-VP). In just a couple short days, I had used it at the Columbia County Courthouse to scan three wills. From there, I went to the Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society in search of a manuscript that mentioned an ancestor in whom I was interested. This particular manuscript was from the 1840s and was in very delicate condition. I don’t know what resources are available to my readers, but many times researchers are confronted with very large, unwieldy and/or delicate volumes from which making copies is very difficult (and expensive)! Using the handheld scanner is very helpful in obtaining your desired images. The scanner is 10 x 1.1 x 1.2 inches; and weighs 7.5 ounces. See photo.
Easy to use
The instructions that came with the scanner were very easy to understand. This particular model is sold without the memory card, so be sure to purchase one at the same time (SanDisk micro SDHC 8GB Class 2 Card with SD Adapter (SDSDQ-8192). While I was at it, I also bought a small, hard-side carrying case to protect this piece of electronic wizardry. The scanner itself comes with a light, drawstring bag. Once the memory card and 2 AA batteries (included) have been inserted, you are ready to roll. Pressing the power button for two seconds turns the scanner on. You place the scanner at the top of the item you want to scan. Depress the power button once more (green light comes on) to begin your scan. Slowly pull the scanner in one direction (towards you seems to work well) with one hand or two. An evenly-paced, steady motion produces the best results. When you reach the end of the scan, simply press the power button again to end the scan. Even my 7-year-old grandson made a pretty decent scan. The red light will come on while you’re scanning if you’re moving too fast.
Quality of scans
There are two options for resolution, 300x300 or 600x600 dpi. I have used the higher resolution in all the items I’ve scanned so far. There is also an option to select black/white or color. I had read in some online reviews that the scans did not work well for scanning photographs. I did NOT find this to be so. I scanned a 1920s snapshot that almost looked better than the original in the final scan. Holding the photo steady so it doesn’t migrate while scanning is the trick here. Once you have your jpeg file, you can modify it just like any other photo for contrast, brightness, etc.
Downloading the images
A simple USB connection via cable from scanner to computer allows you to open the folder on the scanner containing the images and copy them to your computer. It is a shame there’s no way to view the scan without access to another device. The readable screen on the scanner does tell you how many images you have scanned.
Price and availability
I purchased my scanner for $86 from Amazon.com (I see it is currently selling for $79.99). It shipped from Adorama.com, a very reputable company. The case was $23 and the memory card, $6. I had all three pieces and was scanning comfortably within three days after ordering. It’s going with me this week back to the Society to scan some more pages from an 1898 directory. Definitely give this tool some consideration before embarking on your next big genealogy project!
If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more, please subscribe above (no charge) to receive email alerts the next time an article is published.
Comments