My Time

Flip Pal Mobile Scanner Review

I fell in love with the Flip Pal when I saw it reviewed on craftcritique.com.  Then I saw it in action at the CHA trade show last weekend.  WOW. 

I went right home and placed my order Sunday night - and it arrived early Tuesday morning.  Quick service for sure.

I opened the box and was doing my first scans within just a minute or two.  I didn't even look at the quick start quide. It was that easy. 

The scanner is very small and light.  Not as big as my netbook computer.  Probably more like a kindle.    The scan screen is just big enough to scan a 4x6 photo and close the lid.  BUT you can remove the lid and make multiple scans to get a bigger item.  

And the scans are super fast.  I counted 8 seconds for a scan.  And there is no boot up time.  Just "on" and then "scan" and 8 seconds later you've got it!

Sooo -- let's see what this baby can do.  I wanted a real test so I just looked around the room and there it was.  This picture is 16"x20" and hangs on the wall of the "fishing room".  This is a scan, and it was done without removing the picture from the wall.  Amazing right ?  And it probably only took about 4 or 5 minutes all together to do it.

Since the scanner only scans a 4x6 area, you just make multiple scans that overlap a bit.  I was a bit careless on that lower right corner and you can see where I missed scanning part of the pic.  (click on picture to see bigger). 

Then the Autostitch program that comes with the scanner takes care of the rest. Super easy. 

 

To give you an idea, these are some of the smaller scans I did to form this picture.

 
  
  

 

 

 

 

Notice the color on the smaller scans is a bit faded.  The picture itself is faded.  No problem - the scanner comes with another super easy program to correct color.  Literally a couple more mouse clicks and I had the color back in the photo.

I left the settings on the default of 300dpi.  Probably should have changed it to 600dpi to do this scrapbook page, but it still turned out just fine.  Well, except for the spot at the center of the lower half where I was again careless in my overlapping (I was too giddy to slow down). 

 

So I just made another scan that included the missed area, and with another couple clicks of the mouse, it was stitched in.  Cool ?

 

I was so excited I was scanning everything.  I even tried scanning my cat but she wouldn't hold still for 8 seconds.  Got an ok scan of her nose though. LOL.

It comes with an SD card, which is where your scans are stored while using the scanner.  It also has a USB adapter for that SD card so you can just plug that in to your computer to access your scans.

On the SD card is the Autostitch software which is unbelievably easy.  All you do is select - though a browser window - which small scans should be combined, and click OK.  Done.  One word of caution on the stitching though - all your scans must be rotated the same direction.  If they are, then it's easy peasy.

Also on the SD card is the Colorcash software which will do color corrections.  It does not get as detailed as a good photo editing software would get,  but I don't get that detailed either so I am going to be good friends with this.

It is battery operated, no cord.  It even came with batteries!!  Ready to go right out of the box.

One piece of critique - the scan button is too sensitive.  I was scanning air frequently because I would hit the button before I meant to.  With that fix - this little baby will be absolutely perfect.

I do love this gadget and am going to get loads of use out of it.  Love it!

Slice Elite Review

No secret -- I am a big fan of Making Memories Slice.  Now Making Memories has introduced the Slice Elite. 

I knew I had to have this machine from the moment I heard about it.  The new and improved SLICE™ Elite Cordless Design Cutter is more precise, cuts 40% faster, and cuts materials twice as deep. This tagline was invading my dreams at night.  Maybe I was a bit obsessed. 

So, you can imagine my disappointment when the new machine had problems.

First, I compared the old Slice with the new Slice Elite.  They look the same.  No issues here.

Next, I tried cutting with the new machine.  I had some issues with my old Slice cutting recently, so was looking forward to an easier experience with the Slice Elite. 

I was sooo disappointed.  Look at these cuts from the new Elite machine.

This was on plain cardstock.

It did cut, but I had to punch it out and cut around some bits with a craft knife.  Not clean at all.

This was on Bazzill.  No good.

After sulking for a day or two, I contacted Making Memories and they walked me through some possible fixes.  There was no improvement, so they had me send the machine back to them.  

As disappointed as I was about the machine, I have to say I was very impressed with their customer service.  They contacted me right away to let me know the machine had arrived safely. 

Then within a day let me know they had completed repairs and the machine was on its way back to me.  They even included a little goodie bag for my trouble.  Very nice. 

Excited to get my Elite back - I continued my comparison between the Slice and the Slice Elite.

It was wonderful!   This photo shows TOP the Slice Elite cutting through a heavier Bazzill-weight cardstock.  The BOTTOM shows the old Slice cutting through plain light cardstock.  Both did the job - but the old Slice did not cut through the heavier cardstock at all.  Elite - WIN. 

But then remember I had been having issues with my old Slice cutting ?  With more intricate cuts we get back to that.  Sometimes the old machine just freaks out.  TOP bird was cut from heavier Bazzill-weight cardstock with the Slice Elite.  BOTTOM was cut from lightweight cardstock with the old Slice.  Elite - WIN.  Again. 

Look back at the first photo on this post - all those cuts are heavier Bazzill-weight cardstock and cut with the Slice Elite. 

Bottom line - your old Slice is probably not in immediate dire need of replacement.  It does do the job - you just need to pick lighter weight paper and less detailed designs.

But if you use your Slice as much as I do, make the switch.  You will have less headaches with the Slice Elite (if you get a machine in good repair).  If you are OK just cutting lightweight cardstock and don't do many detailed cuts - the old Slice is just fine.

 

Finally - a paper trimmer to be excited about

I've always been a bit ho hum about paper trimmers.  It's kind of like dish soap - you have to have it but it really isn't very exciting.  New trimmers come and go and they all promise they are the one.  I've fallen for it before - as evidenced by the stack of discarded trimmers in my closet. 

I entered a charity raffle at Spark a couple months back, and won a huge bag full of Fiskars products.  My scrap room isn't exactly lacking of supplies, so I set the winnings aside until this past week when I opened the paper trimmer from that bag.  It is the Fiskars Premium Crafters Trimmer.  I have to say I am blown away.  I love this trimmer.

I was worried about the size.  I don't have the type of scrap space where I can have a huge cutter out - I need something small and light enough that I can set it at the side and pick it up and pull it to me when I'm ready to cut.  So I'm constantly picking up and puting down my trimmer.  Most small portable trimmers are about 3.5" wide, and the ruler arm opens to 12".  This trimmer is 6.5" wide and the ruler arm opens to 15".  Fiskars has somehow made this new larger size without adding any noticable weight.  No problem picking up and moving it constantly while I'm working with it.

Now for the really cool thing.   I may be weird, but when I am trimming the white edge off something (a photo or even the white title edge of patterned paper), many times I misjudge just a tiny bit and leave just a smidge of the white edge on.  Then I have to cut again and take some of the photo or paper with that cut.   Does this happen to you or am I "special" ? 

Well - this cutter has a wire guide that shows you exactly where the blade will cut.  I know - you can see in the track of the blade but somehow I frequently misjudge that.  This wire guide has really made my life easier, and I haven't found very many tools I can say that about.

I am so glad I won that bag of tools with this in it -- it's my new favorite cutter now !