K1000/K3000 - scanner compatibility and settings tips

K1000/K3000 - scanner compatibility and settings tips

About

The below information provides general information on compatibility of scanners and K1000/3000 software.


Applies to

  • Kurzweil 1000 (blindness low vision software)
  • Kurzweil 3000 (dyslexia/literacy support software)

Choosing scanner hardware

No formal testing process is undertaken by KESI and no compatibility lists have been provided that are up to date.  Some guidelines below may help.

• Kurzweil software does not work with devices that use WIA and will only work with those devices that are equipped with a TWAIN driver for the Windows operating systems. Check that a TWAIN compatible driver is available for your operating system is available.

  1. TWAIN interface is no guarantee of compatibility, some adjustments can be made for Kurzweil products can be that may help. 
  2. When setting up Kurzweil be sure to select the TWAIN driver rather than WIA in the scanning options and save. 

Compatible scanner hardware

The following are currently available scanner hardware that is known to work.

Single function flatbed scanners

  1. Canon Lide range flatbet scanners
  2. Epson Perfection range flatbed scanners eg V39
  3. Plustek OpticBook 3800 flatbed scanners.

AIO multi-function printers

Compatibility is much less predictable with these type of units

  1. Canon consumer PIXMA range AIO multi-function printers
  2. Epson ET-4500 series AIO printer - works with k1000

Kurzweil info

The following support Knowledgebase links may be referred to be may be outdated.
K1000:

K3000:

Scanning tips

Provided below are suggestions may help obtain the best results with K1000/3000:
• Whenever possible, locate reading material in a supported electronic format which may eliminate the need to scan.
• If for some reason your scanner is not compatible directly with Kurzweil, scanning to a PDF with your scanning software is a valid option.
• Use the highest quality source material possible (no pen/pencil marks, smooth and flat, free of smudged text, etc...).
• Avoid scanning newsprint.
• Close the lid of the scanner completely, or if using a document feeder, insure proper alignment.
• Test the quality of scanned material before continuing the full process (Is the primary text reading well? Does the material read in order for the most part?).
• Save often while scanning between pages.
• Scan material in logical segments (chapters) versus an entire book to avoid extremely large files, this will increase compatibility.
• Try scanning in both black/white and color to determine which provides the best results.
• When necessary, adjust scan settings in the Tools>Options>Scanning menu.
• Adjust the brightness of the scan, if needed.
• You can even adjust the scanning language to better support English Language Learners, changing the reading language before scanning will achieve this.
• When scanning is complete, it's recommended to use the Zone Editor to make necessary corrections, for example the reading order may need adjustment in some cases.
• Be sure to back up your original scanned materials before making edits to another location in order to help prevent data loss, especially for a larger scan.


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