Viisan S21 Model Document Scanner

Viisan S21 Model Document Scanner

For some time I've been looking for a scanner that is affordable and capable of taking scans up to and beyond the A2 dimension (that is, 16.5 x 23.4 inches, 42 x 59.4 cm). 

LP record album covers measure 12 x 12 inches, and trying to scan them on my Plustek OpticBook scanner, at 17.8 x 11.2 inches, has meant having to do multiple consecutive scans and then laboriously piecing them together using Microsoft's Image Composite Editor.

Earlier this summer I purchased a Viisan 3240 model scanner (above, on the left), but although it measures 12 x 17 inches (i.e., A3), the need to accommodate the scanning arm meant it could not do a complete scan of an album in one pass.

I wound up purchasing the Viisan S21 model document scanner, which is not a scanner per se, but rather, a digital camera than can take pictures of objects at A2 and A3 size.

At $313, it's more affordable than the kings of large flatbed scanners, the Epson Expression 12000XL-PH, which retails for $4,200, and the Epson Expression 12000XL-GA Flatbed Scanner, which retails for $3,000.

The S21, which comes with a plastic mat that serves as a platform and calibrates the camera, is very light and draws all its power from the USB port on your PC or laptop. There is a finger-pad USB attachment that can be deployed to take consecutive photos of documents, without having to use the Windows interface.

The S21 doesn't come with a manual, either print or online PDF, which can be a little frustrating, but after I messed around with the device I eventually figured out what the control scheme was. There are options to scan photos, books, and documents in color and black-and-white. The camera allows you to position items for scanning in real time, and taking a scan / photograph takes only a few seconds. The image can be outputted as traditional image files (jpeg, tiff, bmp, png) as well as text and Excel, if needed. 

For me, an album cover scanned as a jpeg created a file around 1.49 MB in size, while a tiff scan was over 16 MB. I'm not sure if I'm missing out all that much on not using tiff, as the LP covers I'm scanning were printed in the 1970s and their resolution can't be more than 300 dpi.

I'm pretty happy with the quality of the scans of LPs. For the more rare scan of an old copy of Life magazine, either the book or document scan settings give about the same result. There is a gutter correction when taking scans of flattened books and magazines, that works reasonably well. But if you're going to regularly be scanning flattened books, overlaying a transparent plastic shield onto the book, to reduce guttering, is recommended.

One thing to be aware of with the S21 is that, drawing its operating power from the USB port, if your laptop or desktop has other devices (such as a printer, USB hub, external hard drive, etc.) attached via USB, you run the risk of not supplying adequate power and having those devices 'powered down' and later unrecognized by Windows. My advice is to have the bare minimum of USB devices connected to your desktop or laptop when you decide to use the S21.

The S21 can be purchased from your usual online retailers, including amazon and eBay.