CZUR Aura Pro Portable Book Scanner, A3 Document Scanner, Auto-Flatten & Fingerprint Removal Technologies, Multi-Language OCR, 90° Foldable, for Mac & Windows

Primero deben instalar el software y conectar el escaner a la computadora. Que no les pase como a mí, que no encendía el escaner, y ya estaba conectado a corriente, llegué a pensar que no funcionaba.

I bought this scanner to help with my genealogy research. I often go to libraries/archives and use my phone to take pictures, so I wanted a scanner that was portable and would be allowed at those places (i.e. wouldn't damage old books/documents by pressing them onto a flatbed). I had been using my phone, but I don't like the disadvantages (it doesn't always take the best photo, and I hate the auto file naming, so you have to later figure out what you've got) so I was ready for something new. I'll review the scanner itself separately from the software.The Scanner (5 stars)The scanner does a high-quality job on scans of most documents and books.It's super easy to set up - just plug in the cords and go. It does need to be plugged into a wall outlet.I had no problem laying out the mat and having it stay flat which another reviewer complained about. I simply rolled the mat in the opposite direction, then laid it out on the table.The scanner is light-weight, so will be easy to transport to archives and libraries.The foot pedal is helpful for pressing "scan" when holding a book open. It has a felt-like bottom, so it doesn't slide on wooden floors. It's not a required piece of the scanner - you can use the scanner without the foot pedal.When scanning glossy pages (like those in page protectors) or photos, the side lights are a must. Without the sidelights, the top light reflects and you get a huge glare in the middle of the page. Using the sidelights mainly eliminates that glare. You do still need to check the positioning of the page, though, because a reflection of the lights themselves can be seen if you're not careful. The side lights were one of the reasons I picked this model.I like the way the camera arm folds into the center of two upright supports. It'll be perfect for looping my Kensington lock through and locking the scanner with my computer in case I need to step away from a library table for a few minutes. This was another reason I picked this model.The scanner software does a fair job of eliminating the cots from a page. However, just be aware that it doesn't work perfectly in all cases. One of the books I scanned has a flower border on many of its pages. The cots were automatically blurred out but the software obviously can't reconstruct what was under them. But it worked better than I expected on that book.The Software (4 stars)The installation was easy. If you provide your email address, you are provided a link to tutorials to help learn to use the software. For the most part though, the software is simple enough to use without needing them. The FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City provides CZUR scanners, so if you've been there, the software will feel familiar.When scanning, you have the option to choose single pages, facing pages (like a book), manual selection (i.e. choose which portion of the page you want scanned), or combine sides (used for IDs to combine both images onto one sheet of paper). I haven't used the combine sides option, but the others all work great.The software does a fair job of OCR - although, it had trouble reproducing an 1990s-era computer printout which was justified into Word. The large spaces between words seemed to give it some trouble. The same printout, when exported as a Searchable PDF allows search as you would expect, so it was the layout that was the problem, not the OCR. I was able to load in pictures of a multi-page document that I had taken on my phone and the OCR did a fantastic job given the pages weren't overly straight, and some were skewed quite a bit.There are several options that you can perform on one or multiple images - rotate, crop, rename. You can also adjust the contrast, sharpness, and modify the color settings.You can load in a folder of images (even if not scanned by the scanner) and can use the software to manipulate them and export them. I've done this on some scans made on my phone. It's also nice because you can scan now, export later.Some software drawbacks (and why I only give it 4 stars)When scanning multiple books / documents, you can choose which images you want exported - either "all" or a selection. If I'm scanning large documents or a chapter of a book, I'd rather each get their own folder. The only way I've found to do that is to shut the software down and restart.The software uses its own style of UI (i.e. different look-and-feel from Windows / Mac). For pop-up windows, you need to be aware of which button is the default. For example, when prompted to overwrite a file, "cancel" is the default, but in other cases, "continue" is the default. In all cases the continue button is the one that appears "highlighted" (it's blue). So, hitting <return> may not be what you want, using the mouse is the best way to make sure you are selecting the correct button.There doesn't seem to be a way to rearrange images in the viewer. You can do so right before you export (you need to click the "Show Sort window" box). This is a bit clunky if you have a large book - the window is of a set size, and is hard to read page numbers in it. And the software doesn't remember the order, so if you want to produce both a pdf and a word document, you have to redo the sort. On the plus side, this is mainly just a limitation for documents scanned previously. If you are in the process of scanning a book (or have just finished), you should double-check each page. For pages that were not scanned well, or accidently skipped, you can use the "Rep" to replace the image or "Ins" to insert an image. This means that you really shouldn't need to rearrange the pages right before exporting.

Overall, this scanner is really good. If you are scanning text only books in b&w the results will be amazing. if you are scanning in color then expect mediocre, but still very acceptable, results. After scanning 22 books I believe this scanner is well worth the price.This book scanner excels in a few ways:1. Ease of use. I found no difficulty in setting up the hardware and using the software. The user face is easy to learn and reliable.2. Amazing scans for text only books. The scans of pages with only text (in b&w mode) are top tier. They flatten well and appear as if they where originally typed in word document or pdf.3. OCR works very well. With the OCR feature I was able to create searchable and reliable pdfs.4. Good Image capture. While the images captured on color mode look alot more like traditional scanned items, or just like pictures in general, this product does a good job of capturing and compiling them.Even so there are some drawbacks to this product:1. The scanner sometimes has issues with lighting large pages. This is for glossy pages while using the attachable extra light.2. In color mode, the scanner often cannot pick up large dark pictures. Or smaller dark colored pictures. These are turned into a cut off scan or a black silhouette. Sometimes, if you have a large single tone image (i find red to be the most problematic), the flattening and page capture features will fail.3. OCR pdfs take a long time to compile. While the benefit is great, i would still like to see faster compile times.4. In color mode, the scanner will pick up the included yellow page holders as they are thought to be part of an image.

I ordered this Czur scanner primarily for book scanning, but I’ve been impressed by its versatility. It excels at book scanning—I was able to scan one of my father’s 200-page journals in under 40 minutes using the toe touch switch. It’s easy to set up, and I particularly love the accompanying software. I’ve also found it useful as a note aggregator and, surprisingly, as a desk lamp. This feature is especially handy because it allows me to keep the scanner set up all the time, ready to use whenever needed. It also takes up very little space, which is a welcome contrast to my bulky A3 flatbed scanner. I highly recommend this Czur model to anyone looking for a high-quality scanner for books and oversized documents.

Seriously, I am IN LOVE with this scanner and its software. I am taking on a new research project / hobby that requires me to scan very very old books. It has been hard thus far, I was just using my phone and Adobe. This device has saved me SO MUCH TIME and headache. I am blown away by not only how good it is (quality of scan, quality of the scanner itself, ability to flatten an image, and even the software). I cannot speak highly enough of the Aura Pro. I was skeptical at the price point compared to other such scanners since it was like half the cost. Exactly what I needed.The only downside I foresee is the portability. While I don't need to take it places, some customers were wondering how portable it is. While it is portable, it is a little large to feel like you can just take it anywhere. Not to mention that if you don't have enough table space (and thus the scanner can see beyond the black mat a bit, it totally messes up the scans. It thinks that the floor or table texture is part of the scan. Not a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind.10/10 would recommend!