The Bookeye Scanner is one of the most famous bookscanners currently on the market. From what we know this is probably the best selling professional book scanner in history.
While this is a very good device, we must admit, the price of it is a bit high when you compare to other solutions on the market. Especially when you compare it to our solution, the Klip Snap. So that is why we want to show you when it’s worth investing in a Bookeye, and when the Klip Snap will work just fine.
What specifications we will be testing
Well, each scanner has different specs and you will be tempted to check on all of them. While this may be an approach, we don’t think this will suit you in real life, so let’s focus on aspects that you as a user will be using.
Book Cradle – The book cradle is mandatory and critical on just about any book scanner. This aspect can make or break a device and we will be looking at both of these scanners, which one offers what.
Flattening glass – The flattening glass is another aspect that is popular with people working in the bookscanning business. It allows for the optimal control of the book scanning process and to get the expected results when scanning.
Book size and thickness – This might come as a surprise for you, but the scanning area is definitely something to take into account when buying a bookscanner. Also, the book thickness is important, given that you will be scanning various books.
Image Quality and resolution – Image quality and resolution mostly go hand in hand, but sometimes there are other aspects to take into account. So we will analyze what you should consider on a bookeye scanner and a klip snap.
Price comparison – Price is just a number, and most of the times lower is better. We already know that the Klip Snap is 6 times cheaper than a Bookeye. But we will see today if and when is the price worth it.
Just for convenience, we will be comparing a Bookeye 5 V3, the standard A3 model with the Klip Snap bundled with the Fujitsu Sv600.
Book cradle comparison between the Bookeye Scanner and Klip Snap
So, where to start with this. Let’s see what both have to offer in terms of book cradle. Well, for a start they both have a book cradle, which can be used at 180 degrees. That is pretty much where the similarities end. The Bookeye has a flat scanning mode but the cradles can only be adjusted sideways, they can’t be used to be lowered up and down. On the other hand, the Klip SNap has a flat cradle but this can be adjusted up and down and sideways. The up and down movement allows to compensate for the book thickness.
A thing that the Bookeye has though is a vshape cradle. Yes, the book cradle can be adjusted and turned into V scanning mode. This way, even books that won’t fully open can be scanned. Such an option is not available on the Klip Book Scanner. Besides that, they are pretty much similar, although the Klip does have a flat scanning glass to press on the books. You might be able to get that on the Bookeye, but it will increase the price significantly.
Flattening Glass
The flattening glass is where we left of in the last paragraph. On the Klip Snap you will get it as a standard feature, while on the Bookeye you will have to get the V Glass option, which will increase the price of the scanner by quite some margin.
The flat scanning glass on the Klip works in conjunction with the adjusting cradle, so that each scan comes out as flat as possible. On the Bookeye, the V Glass will definitely be of great help, and in my opinion it will increase the versatility of the scanner by an enormous margin. So yes, all in all, while the Klip comes with the standard glass plate, the V glass on the bookeye is like a magic wizzard. But remember, this only applies to books that won’t fully open.
Book size and thickness
When it comes to the size of the book, I guess both scanners will work for double A4. This means you will be able to scan most books out there, as in practice, there aren’t that many bigger than double A4. Probably the Klip has a slight edge, but in all fairness they are pretty similar on the scanning size front.
The thickness of the book on the other hand is another matter. While the Klip Snap is sitting around 8cm thickness, the Bookeye is around 10cm, so it has a slight edge. How important this is in practice I could not really tell you. What I can tell you is that 8cm will be enough for most A4 books. I guess the value of 10 will be important for those exceptions so it is definitely something to consider.
Image Quality and resolution
The image quality is very important these days, and when it comes to the two scanners, there is something to talk about. There is no doubt in my mind that the Bookeye has a superior scanning unit. It allows for resolution of 400dpi, and color tones are just about what you would expect. But the Klip cradle and glass helps the SV600 to capture really good images. I mean for documents and normal books, there aren’t that many differences.
Yes, if you need to scan something of a superior quality, colored magazines or pictures, the Bookeye will have the edge. Especially given the numerous color settings, profiles and adjustments. But if you don’t have those kind of materials, it really doesn’t do that much.
So in all fairness, if your projects require you to frequently scan magazines, books with pictures or any other material that requires high resolution and color accuracy, yes, go for the bookeye. If not, then there isn’t much between the two units.
Price Comparison
Yes, the infamous price comparison. Well, the Klip is at least 5-6 times cheaper than the bookeye. So you’d think case closed and let’s get the bookeye? Well, not really. In all fairness, for most scanning projects, you will be better off with the Klip Snap. You are paying less money for more or less the same capabilities.
But, if you have projects where you scan images, or you need higher speeds in terms of scanning and transfer, the Bookeye is a much better choice. If it were us, for most larger projects, we would get a lot of Klips, and a few Bookeye units. It’s always good to mix and match, and you are making huge savings. So yes, there is a price difference, but it all depends what you are trying to scan. Sometimes your project might require spending more and getting the Bookeye.
Which is better, the Bookeye or the Klip Snap
There is no foregone conclusion, because the pricing levels are so different, it’s difficult to say. Yes, the Bookeye is the more developed machine, but it also costs 6 times more. The Klip Snap on the other hand does not offer V book scanning and can only scan up to 300dpi.
But I guess it all comes down with what you are trying to achieve with the two devices. I love how easy it is to carry and move the Klip around. It’s also a rugged machine and it will work with other scanning units. But I also love how I can setup the bookeye for different jobs and the scanning speed it has.
So if it were me, I would get the Klip or more Klips, and also try and have a bookeye on hand. This way I can target different projects and always have a machine to throw at them.