The DocuPen has helped me perform lots of on-site scanning needs, I am a lawyer that deals with numerous documents and the DocuPen has helped me scanned the items on the spot and then bring it back home or to the office. Tech Support was great as well, as they ran me through some initial setup troubles, but it was my fault that I actually didn't read the steps properly.
I own the previous model as well, and that too has worked wonders for me, I like the R700 model for its rechargeable battery feature which is Lithium-ion battery as it recharges through the USB cable supplied.
I am also very proud to say that I own a piece of Guinness World Record history, as I know this DocuPen was in the record for smallest scanner I believe.
I look forward to future versions of the Docupen
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OK, so this is actually a review of the newer RC800. I thought this was going to be a good product, not great like a flatbed scanner, but for the high price, at least good.
So far the DocuPen RC800 is nothing but trouble, and when I can get it to work (which is rare), it produces scans so bad that they are worthless for my applications.
Yes, I understand that there is a technique to be mastered to get the best scan possible, but I gave up on any further attempts to master it.
1. I perpetually have to reload the software driver. My laptop fails to recognize the hardware and I have to reload the driver, not every time, but randomly, with no apparent reason why or why not the driver will not be found.
2. After the driver is reloaded, the DocuPen may or may not work. Half the time I get the error message "UPS Device Not Recognized." The only fix seems to reboot and hope that I dont have to load the driver again.
3. Half the time I scan a page, the scanner shuts off and I get a half of page (this is where the technique comes in).
3. Scanning in B/W is worthless. After several attempts to change the default setting to an 8-bit gray scale, I finally get an entire page to scan and is still looks like crap, even after radical enhancements in Photoshop.
4. I tried one high-resolution color scan from a book - garbage. I really don't care as all I bought this for was to scan 1 page of text at a time, but the product, in even the high-resolution gray-scale mode, produces junk.
5. To state that the DocuPen can hold 100's of documents is ludicrous. One gray-scale and one color scan took 5mb of the 8mb's of memory, and the resolution and quality is worthless. I can't imagine using this scanner in the low resolution mode.
This might be a good product for $29.99 - if it worked. For $299.99, it is a complete rip-off.
As a Real Estate Consultant who often needs portable scanning to spare myself & others "paper-pushing" trips, I've been shopping for a portable scanner for some time. The previous DocuPen model (same but not recharge-able) didn't grab me b/c buying watch-batteries is no one's favorite to-do! Other manufacturer's models struck me as too slow scanning, impractical design, and/or too big to be portable, not to mention most run the same price as this model! So I bought the R700 and haven't regretted a thing.
BTW, the Planon website offers great videos of sample uses of the DocuPen, and I can attest that they are accurate for its use. It DOES take some getting used to scanning without a sheet-feeder, but that's also the key to the R700's small size, and it's well-worth the trade-off to me. Also, be realistic about your expectations (Planon even offers sample comparisons of original and scanned docs on their site). This is a B/W scanner with a max. resolution of 200dpi. Perfect for business use on documents/ text and limited images, but you're not going to get color and/or higher resolution in this size factor for some time, I figure. Naturally, my "dream device" would be this pen-like size, color, up to 600dpi & bluetooth-transfer enabled with an LCD status readout (how many scans, remaining battery-life & memory, last sync'd date, etc). But hey, for what it is, the R700 is a great product.
Oh, the software takes a little getting used to as well, though it's very full-featured. I really appreciate being able to scan to PDF, which is instantly share-able via email. If you've worked with PaperPort by ScanSoft before, you'll be used to the interface. If not, it shouldn't take more than 20-30 mins to know your way around. Enjoy!
I am in the real estate industry and I use the DocuPen to scan lots of my documents on the go, property taxes, and various other forms of documentations.
I never have to run back and forth to find a photocopier anymore, and the cost for photocopier is an arm and leg in my area.
Once I take it out of my pocket, all eyes are on my DocuPen. After scanning a document or a picture from a tech magazine, everyone is asking me 'how much does it cost? It is amazing!" I enjoy the great functionality of it. It is highly impressive and a great communicator with PRINTSTIK, your Blackberry phone or smart phone, and your notebook. 10 stars if I could.
What an amazing gadget, I work in the legal profession and I frequently need to go to the hospital to retrieve medical records, and the Docupen has certainly made my life easier. The pen worked fine from the get go, but because I didn't read the instructions properly, it was my error, but both the tech support and chat line support were indeed most helpful.
DocuPen driver didn't work on 2 different PCs machine using Windows XP and therefore DocuPen could not function. Despite technical support's attempt to help the product would not work.
Tech support was not easy to obtain by phone because of the hours of operation. When calls were placed during office hours the calls were forwarded to voice mail without prompt call back. E-mail was equally slow taking approximately 72 hours for response.
I am returning the device as soon as I can.
This letter is a summary of my experience with PlanOn for the past 6 months.
It all began innocent enough, I saw an article about the Docupen, and saw immediate possibilities for potential use. Over the summer of 2006 I was going to order the DocuPen 800 Pro, for I was going to have great use in my teaching environment with Worcester State College as well as Becker College, both located in Worcester, Massachusetts.
From a technological perspective, I was intrigued, so began my research of trying to learn more of the product. I searched the web for reviews, personal opinions, etc& and well all in all, things seemed positive minus the software interface and the fact the system shuts off after EVERY one page scan.
Anyway, in early August I decided to order a Docupen, even though on the website it said orders were taking 2-3 weeks to fill. I called sales, and was told that do to manufacturing delays, it was going to be closure to 4 weeks for fulfillment or I could just call back in September when the Docupens are to be in.
I placed my order on September 15, 2006 for a DocuPen Rc800 Pro, standard color $349.00 order number:XXXX. Now all I had to do was wait. Two weeks went by and no word from PlanOn in regards to the status from my order. Now school has been in session for a week now, but that is ok. When I called, I am told that the shipment didnt arrive do to manufacturing difficulties. At this point, I am willing to believe customer service. Two more weeks go by and still not response from customer service about the status of my shipment. I attempt to call the 1-888-507-3926 and keep getting the answering service. I tried on-line chat-support, only to find out that an order that was suppose to take 2-3 weeks, is now going to take 6-8 weeks. The kind lady from customer service offered me a carrying case for the scanner when it arrives. I really didnt care about any carrying case, I just wanted up front honesty about where the heck my scanner was and when was it going to be delivered.
3 months go by and finally, the Docupen scanner arrives, was it worth the wait, NO! In total, the delivery time took over 3 months. In such time I was able to find another product that better met my needs for the purpose of scanning documents. Even though I had decided to purchase another product, I was still looking forward to using my PlanOn DocuPen. All I have to say is that I was sorely disappointed at the scan quality, the poor software options and overall experience for PlanOn. So with no hesitation, I requested to return my DocuPen under the 30-day money back guarantee.
Was that to be the end of my frustrations with PlanOn, NO!
Here is a time line of various correspondences in the attempts to get an RMA and refund issued.
December 4, 2006 initial request for an RMA
December 4, 2006 I receive standard RMA procedure
December 4, 2006 All required questions from RMA questionnaire have been answered and emailed back
December 11, 2006 receive RMA sheet
December 12, 2006 send back Docupen according to PlanOn specifications with tracking # and signature confirmation, emailed RMA department to inform of status
December 14, 2006 receive email from RMA rep saying that they will be looking out for the package
December 18, 2006 receive email verification (from Post Office) of signature confirmation
January 8, 2007 I email RMA rep to find out status
January 14, 2007 I email RMA rep again to find out status
January 18, 2007 I receive an email from the RMA rep informing me that the package had indeed arrived, and that the credit would be issued in 5 days
January 25, 2007 I still have not received any verification or communication that my credit is being processed
January 29, 2007 I call PlanOn and have the following conversations called PlanOn today (1/29/07) I spoke with a Harmony from customer service. I was told that April McKnight is the credit manager. Apparently the credit manager has been out of the office for the past week. Though that doesn't explain the email from Nick on 1/18/07 explain that the credit will be issued in 5 days. Here over two weeks after that email, apparently the credit is still sitting on April's desk. I was told by Harmony that it will be taken care of this week.
So I have been more than patient in regards to waiting for reply and follow up from anyone from PlanOn. Every time I contacted someone about the request for an RMA, I was the one that had to follow up (4 times) before receiving a reply to my request. I have now emailed three times in regards to receipt of my returned docupen.
Needless to say, I find the product not worth the time or the money. The company has miserable customer service. But I should have been aware of this when I first placed my order and was told it would take 2 weeks and it arrived 3 months later, and the product was a piece of junk.