Flip-Pal mobile scanners Coming to the FGS Conference and the Midwest Family History Expo!

Family Roots Publishing is taking over 100 Flip-Pal mobile scanners to the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Birmingham, Alabama (August 30 through September 1, 2012) – and more units to the Midwest Family History Expo to be held in Kearney, Nebraska September 7 & 8, 2012. We will be offering the same “deal” that we offered at the NGS Conference in Springfield, where we sold out very quickly. I’d like to encourage you to come to either one or both of these conferences – as the learning opportunities will be unsurpassed! Note that the Flip-Pal Company representivates from Colorado will be at the FGS conference, demonstrating and telling folks about the Flip-Pal. Since many of you most likely won’t make it to either conference, Family Roots Publishing is offering the Conference Special to our GenealogyBlog.com and Genealogy Newsline Readers.

As I have written several times before, I now use a Flip-Pal mobile scanner for all my on-the-road scanning projects, as well as the scanning of any photos under 4×6 inches in size (that’s the size of the scanner bed). I have had a personal unit nearly a year now. Dale also has one of his own. In that time, we’ve scanned more photos than ever before in our entire lives! We got started when Dale and I had a business trip in which we had to drive nearly 3000 miles. During the drive, Dale scanned thousands of my pictures – right there about 3 feet from me. We had a large box full of photos, many still in the envelopes from the processor – most 30 to 40 years old. Many I hadn’t seen since I took the pictures. In October, my brother, Steve, flew down from Washington State, bringing a suitcase full of the old family photos with him. We scanned many of them, and more when he came to visit in December And we’ve have a couple major scanning sessions since then.

I’ve been scanning my genealogy documents as well as my pictures. I’ve been using a flatbed scanner, as well as a high-speed scanner with a feeder attached. I’ve now added my Flip-Pal to that mix. The flatbed scanner is still my scanner of choice if I’m home and I’m scanning 8.5 x 11 documents. Otherwise most of the scanning has been switched to my Flip-Pal.

As I’ve said before, The big advantage for me has been that I can scan my “under 4 x 6” photos a lot faster then usual using the Flip-Pal. Large photos and documents can be scanned in several shots, and then stitched together perfectly using the software provided with every Flip-Pal. This works equally well wheither I’m using a PC or my Mac. (Note – if using a Mac, be sure and shut off the auto-upload to iPhoto). Scanning albums is nearly as easy as scanning indiviual pictures. I recently scanned an album that belonged to my mother, with many of the photos glued into place. I took the lid off of the scanner, turned it over, laid the scanner on the pictures on the album page – lined it up by looking right through the scanner – and pressed the scan button. The scanner has a little window on it where the user can check to see if the scan came out good – just like your digital camera. Scans can be made in both 300 dpi, and 600 dpi. I leave my scanner defaulted to 600 dpi, just in case I want to blow them up. As noted above, the software supplied with the scanner is both Windows and Mac compatible.

The Flip-Pal is battery-operated, allowing full portability. When I made my first scans, I was using typical AA batteries that I bought in quantity at Costco. As I remember it, I was getting about 400 scans or so on a set of four batteries. I quickly realized that I was going to save huge quantities of money by purchasing an AC AA battery charger and a dozen batteries. That was a smart move. When I purchased my Flip-Pal, the only case available had no pockets for supplies. A deluxe case is now available – complete with pockets where I keep my extra SD Cards, Sketch, and batteries. The earlier cases have been discontinued.

Another innovation is the Flip-Pal Sketch. You just lay the Sketch on photo that you wish to make notes on (like people’s names!), and scan the picture through the marked-up Sketch – thus identifying folks in the picture. It works great – making identifying photos while in your relatives’ homes easier than ever. My friend, Pat Rchley (DearMyrtle), pointed out to me that she uses two Sketches – one that she’s scanning, and another that she’s having her relatives doing the writing on, thus speeding up the process. The Sketch now comes with 3 wet-erase pens in the initial package. Dale pointed out to me a few days ago that baby-wipes work perfectly for wiping the Sketch clean between pictures.

Two other innovations are software collections put together on DVD for the Flip-Pal, and available only with the purchase of a Flip-Pal mobile scannner. The last several months I’ve been using the Flip-Pal Creative Suite 2 software on my PC running Windows 7 – and I’m very impressed. The package includes PagePlus Essentials; PhotoPlus Essentials; WebPlus Essentials; Digital Scrapbook Artist 2; SlideShow Expressions; and Family Tree Heritage Platinum 8 genealogy software. The downside of this software is that it only runs on PCs.

A short time ago, a Flip-Pal Creativity Suite 3 on DVD was added to the Flip-Pal line-up. This new software package will runs on PCs and Macs – and includes the unsurpassed Adobe Photoshop Elements 10! This software helps you turn your precious photos into sensational photos. Use automated options to crop, fine tune, repair and retouch your photos, tag and share photos with your social network and quickly organize, find, view and manage all your photos and video clips. As a Mac user, I’ve been using this software on a daily basis for years – and virtually every illustration on GenealogyBlog.com has undergone manipulation with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Also included is Corel’s Paint It! software. It allows you to choose a painting style and watch the automated painting process create perfect hand-painted photo art. A third software on the DVD is Logo Design Studio Pro, allowing the user to produce professional logos for any business, non-profit, or personal use.

The Flip-Pal has been approved for use not only in the Library of Congress, but in many libraries and archives worldwide. It’s gentle on documents, as it’s very light, and you do not move it across a document. And speaking of light, very little is used in the scanning process – thus protecting those precious old documents. Items that could not be photocopied can be scanned with the Flip-Pal.

Family Roots Publishing stocks Flip-Pals – and ships then on a daily basis. The Flip-Pal unit itself sells for under $150, while the Flip-Pal with the Creative Suite 2 sells for under $200. The latest addition to the line-up, the Flip-Pal with Creativity Suite 3 (detailed above) sells for $209.99. Yes – it’s $10 more, but if you want to use Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 (which I recommend), it’s a great price!

As I noted above, Family Roots Publishing is offering the FGS & Midwest Family History Expo Conference Specials through the upcoming conferences and as we did for the National Genealogical Society Confererce specials, we’re extending the package to our online readers and customers. Buy a Flip-Pal mobile scanner and we’ll throw in a:

• 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 the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference or the Midwest Family History Expo in Kearney, Nebraska, 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 either of the conferences, 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 (not the “Offer Code” box).