Hi,
I agree with John.  I don't know about the Epson 1660 itself, but I have an
Epson 1640SU that I absolutely love.  I bought it refurbished two years ago
for $100.  Never had a single problem with it.  It's fast and doesn't do a
lot of stopping and starting like some scanners.  The 1660 is probably a
good bet as well.  I have noticed though that Freedom Scientific doesn't
keep its scanner website updated enough.  It seems almost all the scanners
they list on the site are long out-of-date, even the most recent additions
to the list.  I met with much frustration when recommending to my employer
which scanner to buy for work.  None of the scanners in our price range that
Freedom Scientific evaluated were still available.  Oh well.  I've made this
comment to the company, but they didn't seem to think there was a lot they
could do to make their reviews more timely.
Catherine Armstrong
----- Original Message -----
From: "John McCann" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 10:26 AM
Subject: Re: Scanners


> The Epson model 1660 comes very highly recommended. I have not yet
purchased
> either open book or the Kurtzweil K1000 (don't know which one I want yet,
> and have to get some more cash together), but, in preparation for the
> acquisition of an OCR system, I did purchase the Epson 1660 at the end of
> this past april from "tech for less":
>
> www.techforless.com
> (719) 886-8000
>
> The 1660 was being sold for $83; tax and shipping brought it up to $100.
> These units may not be brand new (not in original factory containers), but
> they are fully warranted. I've had no trouble with mine using it to copy
> pictures, (that was when a sighted friend was here.)
>
> If the Epson 1660 is still available, it represents a good bargain at the
> reduced price, said price only being reflective of the fact that it is a
> discontinued model, but perhaps the best model for our purposes.
>
> John McCann
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pratik Patel" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2004 10:08 AM
> Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] Scanners
>
>
> > Hello All,
> >
> > Beyond what Kelly has already mentioned, I would suggest looking at the
> > Epson Perfection 3170 scanner.  The price of this particular scanner
> ranges
> > from $160 to $180.  This scanner is not in the same line as Epson
> Perfection
> > 1640/1650/1660.  However, in extensive testing, the next version in this
> > line, Epson Perfection 1670, is not built to be as durable and spedy as
> the
> > previous model (1660).  The epson Perfection 3170 scanner provides very
> > similar results to 1660 and is as durable.  The scanner is slightly
> quieter
> > and a little slower.  The speed difference is insubstantial.  But,
please
> > speak with someone who uses this particular scanner with Open Book prior
> to
> > your purchase.  I have seen some Open Book tests that suggest that the
> speed
> > is quite slow when using it with this particular OCR package.  My
> experience
> > with this scanner is with Kurzweil 1000.
> >
> > I hope this helps.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Pratik
> >
> >
> > Pratik Patel
> > Managing Director
> > CUNYAssistive Technology Services
> > The City University of New York
> >      [log in to unmask]
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: VICUG-L: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kelly Pierce
> > Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2004 8:01 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] Scanners
> >
> > bill,
> >
> > The selection of a good quality scanner can improve scanning results
when
> > all other issues are constant such as software, settings, and the
document
> > being scanned.  I discovered this when I compared my $70 cheap scanner
at
> > work to the $250 Epson Perfection 1640 I purchased for home use several
> > years ago.  I noticed about a 10 to fifteen percent improvement in
> accuracy.
> > it is not a dramatic difference but it can hardly be called marginal or
> > insignificant either.  Additionally, some scanners are geared to scan
> photos
> > and images offering additional features and a slightly different design
> (it
> > captures and separates colors better).   There is also bundled software.
> > One can do OCR on these scanners but one may not get optimal performance
> as
> > compared to buying a general scanner of the same model that is not the
> photo
> > scanning model.  Also, as a blind computer user, one is paying for a lot
> of
> > stuff not wanted or needed.
> >
> > to the person who wants to know what kind of scanner to buy, I still
> > recommend the line of Epson scanners I bought.  The model number is now
at
> > 1650 or 1660 or 1670 as the hardware is updated with a new model but the
> > overall design is the same.  I chose my scanner after obtaining the list
> > from Freedom Scientific.  I already had a copy of Open Book.  For the
user
> > considering Open book, I would also try a demo of the K1000.  One can
buy
> a
> > scanner and install each program on your system.  some do not want to
deal
> > with the hassles of installation or install something on their system
they
> > plan to delete in a few weeks.  I live in a big city with several
agencies
> > for the blind.  I suggest to people that if they can they might go to a
> one
> > or more of the agencies and try each program there for several hours
> getting
> > a definite feel and understanding of the interface and the features.
both
> > programs use the same OCR engine so the results will be nearly
identical.
> > but one should try a number of different documents with different
settings
> > on each program.  depending on the document, the scanner being used, and
> the
> > particular program some documents, like CD liner notes that are off
color
> in
> > eight point type, can be more readable in one program as compared to
> > another.
> >
> > Kelly
> >
> >
> >
> > After I received the scanner list, I took a look at the reviews at CNet
> >
> > http://www.cnet.com
> >
> > for each of the scanners.  yes, it took a few weeks to reach a decision
> but
> > it was well worth the effort because I made a great decision that will
> last
> > for many years.
> >
> > Kelly
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bill Gallik" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Friday, July 09, 2004 8:48 PM
> > Subject: Re: Scanners
> >
> >
> > > OpenBook (and Kurzweil) comes with very good Optical Character
> > Recognition;
> > > that's why the packages are so darn expensive.  The point being,
looking
> > for
> > > a scanner with good OCR is really a red herring since you'll likely be
> > using
> > > the OCR installed with OpenBook.  The best advice to offer here is to
> make
> > > certain that the scanner you purchase has been certified to work with
> your
> > > Document Reading application, this information should be available at
> the
> > > Freedom Scientific web site.  Beyond that I will offer this note, the
> > price
> > > of a very good scanner is reasonable enough that I would be sure to
buy
> a
> > > quality scanner from a well-known company.  It's worth the extra $25
or
> so
> > > for the support and peace of mind.
> > >
> > > - Bill Gallik
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Greg Brayton" <[log in to unmask]>
> > > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > > Sent: Friday, July 09, 2004 5:24 PM
> > > Subject: Scanners
> > >
> > >
> > > > I'm wanting to buy a scanner. I got the demo for open book at the
> > > > convention, don't know if I want to buy it but firtst I need a
scanner
> > > > anyway with good opticle character recognition.
> > > > Can anyone reccomend something for me?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> > > > To join or leave the list, send a message to
> > > > [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply
> type
> > > > "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> > > >  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> > > > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> > > To join or leave the list, send a message to
> > > [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply
type
> > > "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> > >  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> > > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> > To join or leave the list, send a message to
> > [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
> > "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> >  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
> >
> >
> > VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> > To join or leave the list, send a message to
> > [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
> > "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> >  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
> >
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> To join or leave the list, send a message to
> [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
> "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
>  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html