I've read other threads here about taking photos of deeds and maps, then stumbled on this deal at Woot: http://tech.woot.com/offers/iriscan-book-2-portable-wand-scanner
Has anyone used one of these? I'm curious as to if it would do a good job of scanning deeds, especially older ones with lots of static and distortion.
I returned from a day at the courthouse a while back with over 400 pictures of deed book pages. I suspect these portable scanner units would be just too slow.
Still, I want one if it works at all.
A few years ago I use to see a few folks at courthouses using these. Mostly now I see DSLRs, which is what I use.
I use one quite often for plans, etc. from some County offices. Most of the Register of Deeds offices in my area do not allow you to copy their deeds. You have to purchase the copies. The resolution is excellent.
Wendell-
TU
Can it 'copy' a digital image from a screen ?
Cheers,
Derek
I have one that I use regularly and have been very pleased with it. Mine is not the same brand as this one, but I suspect they are about the same. I still have to take the pages out of the deed books in order to lay them flat on the table, but you don't have to pay for the copies or keep up with the paperwork, and it's still faster than taking each one to a copy machine. It plugs into your computer like a camera, and then just drag and drop.
I only have 2 issues:
1. My scanner doesn't give you the option to name your scans. You have to accept the number, so it can be a little trouble to keep up with what number is what page.
2. Some court houses won't allow them, assumably because they lose the copy fees.
Of course, when the deeds are on computers you are out of luck because you still have to print them out.
Also, mine gives you the option to save the scans as pdf or jpg, and they come out crystal clear. If you use it, it will pay for itself in no time.
> I have one that I use regularly and have been very pleased with it. Mine is not the same brand as this one...
So what brand do you have?
Since the local courthouse has authenticated the building back to the the late 1800s in order to continue the oldest working courthouse in Texas, the customs that were in place for the clerk's daily routine has been adopted for those times as well.
You take your volume out of the rack head out of the room down the hall to fill out a slip with volume and page/s to be copied and rest on a table for a clerk to make the copy in between their many other tasks.
They do have computer monitors in the middle of a few rooms where once upon a time deed volume books were place for research, yet there is not a chair, bench or resting place anywhere in the courthouse or on the city block except the steps leading away from the street. Since 2005 all deeds are digital and no hard copy exists except in the hands of their owners.
All of that has me shopping for a wand scanner.
I use my Nikon AW100 on text setting and it takes great pics of the deeds.
It does not convert them into PDF which I find better for mass viewing and printing with the PC.
It is my understanding that the wand scanners will store directly to an SD card and then you can transfer bulk files into the PC or laptop.
0.02
I have scanned deeds in about 30 court houses in Texas.
Some allow a sheet feed scanner.
Many do not allow any scanner.
You can scan fairly well with an I-phone 4. The plats are scanned in strips and edge-matched automatically.
Some map libraries can be bought for $95.
Some clerks do not let you even touch the deed book; you look on a terminal for free. Printing
is $1 per copy.
Buying a wide scanner is not a good idea; many old wrinkled plats will not go through the scanner.
I have the VuPoint Magic Wand. I bought it at Office Depot if I remember correctly.
