As moms, we are often the “keepers of the memories.” I’m not only the keeper of the immediate-family memories, but also the main genealogist in our family, and have been searching for a practical solution to all the many family photos my mother inherited.

We wanted something that is reasonably fast, preferably not requiring that we remove hundreds of photos from their albums, without sacrificing too much in terms of quality (so printing is an option down the road). And we didn’t want such a steep learning curve that we never get around to figuring it out! There are some smartphone apps that look like they might do a viable job, but we don’t keep that kind of storage space available in our phones.

When I found the Flip-Pal® mobile scanner, I knew I’d found a likely solution – and one that also offered exciting possibilities for other purposes, like assembling the kids’ homeschool portfolios! The folks at Flip-Pal were gracious enough to send me a scanner to try out, so that I am able to let you know…it delivers.

What is the Flip-Pal Scanner?

The Flip-Pal scanner is a small, portable flatbed scanner, with a removable lid that enables it to be “flipped” over and used face-down. This means you can scan photographs the “traditional” way – by placing them face-down on the scanner surface, closing the lid, and scanning – but you can also scan items that are still in albums, or you can scan a large image in parts and use the (included) software to stitch them together. There’s even the option to record audio to go with your images.

The best part? It’s really easy to use.

Everything you need comes in the box. There’s the scanner, batteries*, SD card (already in the scanner), SD-card-to-USB adapter (which also includes the full Flip-Pal software), and the quick-start guide (which really is all the instructions you need to get started). Depending on whether you bought a package of some kind, you might also have accessories, like a case.

 

*(Depending on where you live. If you live where they aren’t allowed to ship batteries, you might need batteries. Here in the continental US, they’re included.)

Setting Up the Flip-Pal Scanner

Setup is almost nonexistent. When you first pull the sliding switch to power up the scanner, there are some settings you can change. They’re few and simple: the date and the scan resolution (300 dpi or 600 dpi) are pretty much all you have to set. Just use the arrow keys to do that. The screen also shows you how many scans you still have space on the card for and what kind of shape the battery’s in.

Using the Flip-Pal Scanner

To scan an image, place it face-down on the scanner, close the lid, and press the big green button on the side. That’s it. It takes about 10-15 seconds from start to finish (including placing the image), a preview appears on the screen, and you can scan the next photo.

This requires very little attention, so if you have a stack of loose photos, you could easily scan them while watching television.

If your photos are still in an album and you don’t want to remove them, the process is a little fussier, but not too much. The lid comes off. Press in gently from the sides of the hinge, and you can lift it up and off. This now leaves the top of the scanner completely flat, so you can turn it upside-down and place it on top of the image to be scanned. It’s still just as easy as pressing that big green button.

The scanner does just as good a job with this, but it can only scan what’s there. That means if your photos are in albums that attracted dust, you’ll want to wipe them clean before scanning. Otherwise your scans will have all the dust in them! (Depending on what type of albums you’re using, it might be better/easier to peel back the page covers and scan, but leave the photos themselves attached.)

The quality is as good as — or better than — my freestanding, heavy, bulky, have-to-leave-it-at-home scanner. But it’s much faster and simpler than standard flatbed scanner – certainly more portable! – and less risky than feeding priceless photos or documents through the other type of scanner. I scanned both black-and-white and color images, and they look great, even when I print them.

Scanning Large Images with the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner

Scanning a very large image is not quite as simple. The basics are pretty simple, but when you’re dealing with a very large image, there are a lot of interacting considerations, and I did have some learning curve with this. (You can learn from my mistakes over on the Flip-Pal blog.)

 

The general idea is that you scan the entirety of the image in a series of smaller scans that overlap each other by at least an inch. Then you pull up the software and, in the EasyStitch menu area, select the images you want it to stitch. Sit back and wait, and it will produce a full image for you.

As I said, there was some learning curve to this for me, but when I had worked out the kinks, I was able to produce this image of a 3×2.5-foot “mural” my children made as part of their schoolwork.

Recording with the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner

One really intriguing feature is StoryScans.  From within the included software, you can pull up any image you’ve scanned with the scanner — or browse your computer for another image — and then easily record a verbal narration to go with it.  This means that, for instance, you can scan all of Grandma’s photos, and then have her tell you in her own words who’s in them and when they were taken…and capture that oral history.  Re-record if necessary, like if you call someone by the wrong name, (note that re-recording takes two clicks; we missed one the first time ’round) and, when you’re ready, save.  The software converts the image-and-audio combination to an MP4, easily shareable on social media.

It took the software longer to convert our file than it did to record the audio, so be aware of that.  (If you’re doing something time-sensitive, also be sure to test your system ahead of time to ensure you have a microphone that will pick up well.)

Battery Life

The scanner has a built-in shutoff, so if you forget to turn it off, it won’t stay on indefinitely. It’s several minutes, so it shouldn’t shut off while you’re actively using it (and if it does, it’s pretty quick to power back up). But that way you don’t have to worry about the battery being used up for nothing.

Which is a good thing, because my only actual complaint about the Flip-Pal mobile scanner is that this thing eats batteries. I think I was able to scan about 125 photos at a go before having to replace the batteries. It is definitely worth investing in either rechargeable batteries, an AC adapter, or both!

Scanner Size

My only other “complaint” isn’t exactly a complaint; it’s more of an “I wish.” The scanner is small on purpose, so it will be portable. I appreciate that! But I would find it ideal if it were just a little bigger, so the scanning surface is 5×7 inches instead of 4×6 inches.

That would allow 5×7 photos to be scanned in one pass (obviously). It would also enable a standard 8.5×11 document (or an 8×10 photo) to be scanned in just four quadrants. (Right now, it takes an extra scan or two because of the need for overlap.) But the scanner wouldn’t sacrifice much in terms of portability.

What Can You Do with the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner?

The Flip-Pal mobile scanner has a lot of potential applications. Genealogy is an obvious one. Art is another. People are even converting their images to be embroidered with embroidery machines! And I’m sure there are any number of uses I haven’t thought of. But I want to talk for a moment about using it with kids, because that isn’t the most common application.

First of all, homeschool portfolios. Whether these are official records turned into the school board to show proof of progress, or simply collections of work for your own records or the kids’ enjoyment, this expands the possibilities in several ways.

First, its portability just helps with accessibility. Yes, I can hook up my scanner and scan in a bunch of my kids’ work all at ones. At times, I still might do that. But, frankly, my regular scanner (and its accompanying software) are slow. Even if I have to scan a piece of work in several scans and stitch it together, there are times this still might allow me to get it scanned in more quickly than loading up my regular scanner software.

Second, it allows for the scanning of oversized pieces. Something like my kids’ ocean “mural” can’t readily be scanned on a standard scanner, even in pieces. There’s just no good way to get it on the scanner in the first place. Scanning it in dozens of individual scans is a little bit slow and tedious, but it’s possible, which is not something I can say with regard to my regular scanner.

Third, it allows for narration. This might be one of the coolest features in this context. Your kids can describe their own work shortly after they make it. Or you can use the voice feature as part of the work record itself – photograph a picture the child drew, for instance, but then have him narrate his reading or recite his memory work as the accompanying sound. I’m excited by the added dimension this offers, without the need for complicated technical skills. (Like video editing. So not my thing!)

Maybe you’re not a homeschooler. What about messages to Grandma? With the Flip-Pal mobile scanner you can easily scan your child’s drawing, then let her record a message telling Grandma all about it – and send it quickly and easily by email or through Facebook.

Is the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner for You?

So…is the Flip-Pal mobile scanner for you? It depends.

Most of what the Flip-Pal mobile scanner does, you can technically accomplish in other ways. The question is, for your purposes, will the Flip-Pal scanner tend to do it better and/or more efficiently?

Take, for example, the ocean image my kids did. I could take a photograph of the poster on the wall. (And I did.) Depending on your needs, that might be completely adequate. But a photograph of a picture on the wall has weird shadows and reflections, and may not be proportioned quite right (depending on what angle you have to take the photo from). The stitched scans produce a completely even image, with consistent lighting, that better preserves the art as my children made it.

We can scan all of my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ photographs with a flatbed scanner. But to do that, we have to learn the scanner’s quirks, find a place and time to set it up, take hundreds or thousands of photos out of their pages, figure out a system to not lose or confuse them while they’re out, etc. With the Flip-Pal scanner, we can quickly and easily scan each photo in place with almost no learning curve – and leave off and pick back up easily whenever we need to, without leaving a mess behind.

For us, there are definitely enough things on our “to-do list” that this can get done faster and more easily than the alternatives that it’s worth having.