Yesterday on my blog Jennifer left this comment:
"Thanks for the info on stitching. I have been debating whether to get a Flip-Pal scanner. I will use it primarily to scan 8 1/2 x 11 documents, though I am sure I will use it for photos too. Because I plan to use it primarily for documents, I've been debating whether just to get a portable scanner with a paper feed."
When I read this, I really felt it was time to talk about Flip Pal's strengths and weaknesses.
Flip Pal is the perfect tool if you need a light, portable scanner that you can take with you to scan snapshots while visiting family or at an archive, particularly if you need to scan computer screens or microfilm tables or if the archive doesn't allow wand scanners.
However, if you are planning on doing a lot of 8x10 photo scanning or 8 1/2x11 document scanning, you may want to re-think. The stitch feature on Flip Pal is great but it's not really practical if everything you scan is 8x10 or larger. All that stitching adds a lot of time to an already slow process.
I would encourage Jennifer to get a scanner with a feeder that can accommodate regular sized paper. She will have to determine for herself whether that means a portable one or a desktop one. Even a tabletop scanner without a feeder is going to be burdensome. If you are scanning lots of documents consistently then getting the feeder option would be worth it. If you scan documents occasionally then stick with a regular scanner that can accommodate the regular paper size.
I know that everyone is very excited about the Flip Pal. I am too. But it is not the answer in every situation. Before you spend your money be honest with yourself about your needs and how you are going to use a scanner. Better to purchase what will serve you best than to buy something that will become a source of continued frustration.
After much thought, I finally bought a full sized canon scanner for my genealogy stuff. It is much handier and faster for scanning larger quantities of stuff, full sized stuff without any stitching and is about the size of a laptop so not too hard to take with you if needed. It fits in most standard laptop cases. For all those places where I need to document stuff that I can't do with the scanner, perhaps 0.1% of the time, I use a scanner app on my smart phone.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I sent you a couple emails in response to your question on my blog.
I always appreciate a good review - which as I've said is an honest and balanced review, one that is well-researched. Flip-Pal is a great product but it won't suit every situation or every user. Good job Marian!
ReplyDeleteExcellent points Marian. The whole point of getting a Flip Pal (at least for me)is to speed up the digitization process. This definitely doesn't happen when you have to stitch everything.
ReplyDelete"particularly if you need to scan computer screens or microfilm tables"... I can see how you might scan a computer screen, but can you discuss scanning a microfilm table? I would think the scanner would block the light. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJackie, that's a very good point! I was recently visiting the Massachusetts state archives. They don't yet have machines where you can save microfilm to a thumb drive. So I was thinking that possibly you could the table top which the light projects on. But you're right - the scanner would block the light. I'll have to give that one more thought. Such a pain to have to make photocopies all the time.
ReplyDeleteEd - I must have written a typo into my own email address! I didn't receive any of your emails. Those little comment boxes are so small it can make it hard to check.
ReplyDeletePlease try one more time. Either to marianpl@fieldstonehistoricresearch.com or use the contact tab at this top of this page. Thanks so much.
Marian,
ReplyDeleteI,too, was excited about the Flip-Pal.
Until I thought about my workflow which includes making PDFs out of my text documents.
I don't see where the Flip-Pal can produce PDFs.
So, it won't really work for me. :(
Marian - I sent you an email through your contact tab address this time.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points Marian. Have been meaning to talk about this subject. I love my Flip Pal for scanning on the go and scanning photos within albums, BUT if you want high quality TIFF images, a full scanner is the way to go. For photos that have great meaning, I always scan with a flat bed at a high resolution in the TIFF format. Jen
ReplyDeleteI concur. I love the Flip Pal, and take it with me to repositories and to homes where I know I want photos that they won't let me take out of their sight. So the Flip Pal is my "field" scanner. It has saved me several times when scanning oversized docs 11x14. These do not fit on my flatbed. But I wouldn't want to stitch all day. It's one more tool to use, but not a catch-all. It really is good at what it does I think; bBut right tool for right job! Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteGreat points, Marian. I wished I'd had one when visiting one of my elderly first cousins who didn't want to trust me with her wonderful genealogy treasures: photos and documents of our mutual greatgrandparents! Sigh. I could have just sat with her over tea and scanned merrily away, and we'd both have been happy. I suspect that's one of the best uses of the Flip-Pal.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Marian. I spent 6+ weeks last summer visiting family and archives. I had a FlipPal, digital camera, smart phone with CamScanner, and a full sized scanner. The FlipPal was the best for scanning photographs in albums, for scanning documents at archives that could not be put in the full size scanner(though had to be very careful to get the overlap for stitching), and for the on-the-go finds where I didn't have the full scanner with me. I did take photographs of all documents I scanned with the FlipPal as a backup.
ReplyDeleteI find I rarely use it at home - the full scanner is so much faster - but love having it in my travel kit. That said, I've come to prefer my camera for document digitization unless it is too big to capture with the camera. Much, much faster. The FlipPal is far better for images.
Great point about using different scanners. I use my Flip Pal or my camera when I'm at the library as it's getting increasingly harder for me to write--arthritis on my writing hand :( I also use Flip Pal for scanning photos. When I visit my mom next spring, I'm going to start on the hundreds of photos my dad left behind. I use my larger scanner for everything else. I did try the Flip Pal to scan a 4-ft long, 2-ft wide family tree because I didn't want to wrestle with it on my large scanner. It took a while but worked fine except maybe I should have used the 600dpi instead of 300dpi. When I zoomed in on it on my computer, I couldn't read it. I ended up wrestling with it on my large scanner.
ReplyDeleteHi Marian, in response to the microfilm table, I used my phone to scan those items. However at NARA, they had these little table top lights that you could (try) to position just right and (maybe) get enough light underneath it. But I really had much more luck with the phone for the microfilm tables.
ReplyDeleteA Flip-Pal and a wand scanner (plus camera for backup) are what I now take with me on genealogy trips, but I also want to add a good flatbed scanner at home to add to all of that.
ReplyDeleteHi, Marian! Thanks for your opinion. It confirms what I've been thinking. I already have a desktop scanner, but the reason I wanted a portable one was to hook it up to my laptop while I'm sitting on the couch doing genealogy (yes, I want one because I am too lazy to walk over to the desk, and it's much more comfortable to do genealogy on the couch). There are several obits and vital records that I have hard copies of but haven't yet scanned. I am working on cleaning up my database by scanning these items and adding them to my source citations. Of course, I also have a lot of photo albums inherited from my grandmother, so I will eventually get a Flip-Pal too, but for now, I think the documents are a higher priority.
ReplyDeleteKeep those source files when you scan large originals and run them through their stitching software, everyone! Also make sure you always scan at 600ppi. I hope you don't Marian, here's a link to my blog which contains the details: http://bit.ly/v48Egz
ReplyDeleteGreat conversation here Marian! I have had my Flip Pal for nearly a year and love it for sitting in front of the TV scanning 4x6 photos and for travel.
ReplyDeleteThe stitching is great but very time consuming. However, sometimes it's your only option. When we were cleaning out The Family Home, I decided to donate my parent's college yearbooks but wanted to make copies of the pages where they appered. My only option was the FlipPal since we didn't have a flatbed scanner available. It did the job beautifully but did take quite a lot of time.
I agree with other observations - always scan at 600 and if the item is something really important, either scan on a flatbed in TIFF format or convert the jpg to TIFF using Photoshop Elements or some other program.
Also, I'm getting a lot of use out of my ScanSnap sheet fed scanner. It's portable too so at times it goes into my travel toolbox along with the FlipPal, Magic Wand handheld scanner and the trusty camera.
I totally agree! The Flip Pal is great for those piles of small photos, but would be frustrating for long-term use with larger photos and documents.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed my Flip-pal. I purchased it mainly for scanning photos, so that I can put family at ease by not having to take the photos home with me, scan, and then return photo to the owner.
ReplyDeleteThat being said when I have had to scan larger documents, I have wished for something else. Not because the Flip-Pal can't handle it but because I use it so infrequently for that that I forget how to do it and so it comes out all wrong until I reread and do it right.
I'm seriously thinking of also purchasing one of those wand type scanner for those times when I need to scan large documents.