A while back, I wrote about the great success that Dale and I had scanning photos while traveling long-distance by truck on the way to a conference. While I drove, Dale (my son) sat next to me and scanned photos. A few weeks later, my brother, Steve, visited for a few days and we scanned hundreds more photos. Many had writing on the back, identifying what was on the front. When that was the situation, we scanned the back of the photo as well as the front. In many cases there was no identification. We would then us a new accessory called a Flip-Pal Sketch. The Sketch is a sheet of acrylic that the user can lay over the photograph, then, using a wet-erase marker, write directly on the Sketch, identifying the people, places and such found in the photo. The photo and the Sketch are then scanned, making an identified photo. This is even better than “writing on the back!” Of course, we would also scan the photo without the Sketch in place, allowing us to get both an identified photo and one without the writing. The Sketch was first produced in November, so Dale and I didn’t have it during that long-distance trip.
Since that marathon scanning session while traveling, and the November scanned session with Steve, we’ve had another session here at the house. My brother came to visit in during the entire week of December 26 – and once again we Flip-Paled hundreds of family photographs and documents – some using the Sketch and some without.
You might wonder why there’s all this urgency to scan the family pictures… Well, between Steve, Dale, and myself, we have thousands of family photos that need to be scanned, cataloged, and distributed to the more extended family. Steve and I are now both in our 60s. In fact, Steve turns 70 on the 15th of the month. We’re not getting any younger – and it’s time we get this job done with no more procrastinating. Beside that, using the Flip-Pal it’s a lot faster and easier than it used to be. We’ve found that we average 3 scans per minute at 600 dpi. That’s a lot of pictures!
As you folks know, I liked the Flip-Pal so much, that we became dealers. And it just so happens that we have a great stock of Flip-Pals and accessories on hand and ready to ship. We plan to have virtually hundreds of these things for sale at RootsTech 2012, so we’ve got lots of them in stock!
To celebrate what we believe will be a great RootsTech 2012 experience this year, We’ve decided to sweeten every sale by giving away two additional items with every portable Flip-Pal scanner sale.
- A copy of the Dating Old Photographs CD-ROM (Value $12.95)
- A copy of the More Dating Old Photographs book (Value $15.95)
If you’re coming to RootsTech, stop by the booth and get a Flip-Pal (with the Dating Old Photographs CD-ROM and book). Or you might come by and get an accessory or two – like the Flip-Pal Sketch or a new deluxe carrying case!
Or – if you can’t get to RootsTech, or you don’t want to wait, order now at the FRPC website – and we’ll give you the same deal – adding the FREE CD-ROM and book. To get the free stuff, just type the word “Dating” in the “Order Notes” box at checkout.
To read more about using the Flip-Pal Scanner and accessories, read my blog of November 21, 2011.
Am interested in buying the Flip Pal Scanner shortly. Do I print the pictures etc out ? I am 80 and need to copy a lot of photos. Thank you!
The Flip-Pal scans the image and creates a digital copy of it. After scanning from one to several hundred photos, you then transfer the photos to your computer’s hard drive, where they can then be cropped, stitched or manipulated with numerous softwares. You can then store them on your hard drive, CD-ROM, or flash drive, and yes – even print them out with your printer if you like.
Thank you for the info on the Flip-Pal scanner. I ordered one today after reading the blog and other reviews. I cannot wait for it to arrive and the fun to start.
Are these items available out of the country … as I live in Canada? What are the hoops involved in getting one across the border?
We’ve had no issues shipping them into Canada. We mark the customs info as the item being a photo scanner and thus far they have cleared customs quickly.