CZUR Aura Pro Scanner Review

The council of our local genealogical society branch, of which I am the co-chair, was tasked with purchasing some new technology for use in various upcoming projects. One of the items on the list was a new scanner and more specifically a book scanner so that we could take on some scanning projects both within our society branch but externally with partners like local cemeteries, libraries, etc. Having worked in the consumer electronics industry for nearly 25 years, I took it upon myself to research the various models available and their respective features. The goal was to find a solution that addressed all of our needs at a reasonable price (under $500). We settled on the CZUR Aura Pro scanner and I thought I would put together a review of this game-changing piece of technology.

COMPANY/SCANNER DETAILS

Founded in 2013, CZUR is a global high-tech company that focuses on digitalization and archiving solutions. CZUR aims to create smart office appliances to fundamentally improve work efficiency in office and home. Their head office is in China.

In 2018, CZUR launched the Aura book scanner which scans, books, magazines, objects, and any other paper documents at commercial speeds using AI technology. The key being their patented Curve Flattening technology. The scanner can also be used as a table lamp. The initial launch was through a crowd-funding source called Indiegogo and it reached it’s full funding by the end of the same year.

The scanner comes packaged with a foot pedal, charger with international adapters, finger cots (explained later), USB cable, installation CD, a black work mat and a user manual. When in use, the CZUR Aura Pro can scan a page in about 2 seconds at 14 megapixels and has a maximum paper size of A3 (11 ¾” x 16 ½”).

SCANNER SPECIFICATIONS

Sensor	HD CMOS lens
Pixels	14 megapixels
Resolution	4320*3240
DPI (by default)	240
Scanning Range	Single sheet ≤A3; bound books ≤A4
Scanning Speed	Single sheet 22.0sec/page; bound books 2.0sec/two pages (differs due to lightings)
Maximum Scanning Thickness	420×297 mm: supports 16 mm 370×260 mm: supports 30 mm
Pre-scan Time	0 seconds
Image Format	JPG
Color Bit Depth	24 bits
Output Formats	JPG, PDF, Word, Excel, Searchable PDF, TIFF
Video Streaming Format	MJPG
Preview	MJPG 1536*1152@20fps
USB	USB 2.0 High-Speed
Light Source	Natural light + LED lights
Top LED Lights	✔
Side Light	✔
Focus Mode	Fixed focus
Scanning Access	Software triggering, foot pedal triggering
System Support	XP/Win7/Win8/Win10 (32 and 64 bit); mac OS 10.11 and above

LAMP SPECIFICATIONS

Core Features	Non flickering, non-radiation, light evenly distributed, good for eyes, different color temperatures, different brightness levels, sound control by phone
Switch Settings	Natural light, reading light, computer light, smart night light mode
LED Light Specifications	16 true white and 16 warm white LEDs
Light source	Polarized light
Luminous Flux	Natural Light mode (140-600lx), Reading Light mode (180-800lx), Computer mode (1105601x), Smart Lighting mode at night (15-601x)
Color Rendering Index (CRI)	Ra=85
Color Temperature Range	Natural Light mode (4800K), Reading Light mode (4000K), Computer mode (3000K), Smart Night Light Mode (3000K)
Control Method	Digital audio waves can be used through applets or the App (in an open and quiet environment, the effective distance is 5m)
App OS	iOS/Android

SOFTWARE FEATURES

Curve Flattening	Second generation laser assisted to flatten curves
Smart Paging	✔
Smart Tilt Corrections and Auto-Cropping	✔
Professional Trimming	✔
Background Purifying	✔
Fingerprint Removal	✔
Yellow Finger Cots	✔
Color Mode	Automatic, Color, Black and White, Stamps
Auto Detect when Page Flipped and Auto Scan	✔
Manual Selection	✔

SETUP

Setting up the Aura scanner was quite simple. After unpacking the scanner and it’s accessories, I plugged it in and followed the few steps needed to turn it on. This allowed me to initially test out the lamp functionality after folding out the scanner arm. The lamp can be controlled using the single button power knob or through a mobile app which can be installed easily by scanning the QR code provided with the instructions. While the lamp functionality is nice, I was much more interested in the scanning functionality of the CZUR Aura Pro.

Installing the software was a breeze. Simply use the included CD to install the CZUR Aura Pro software or visit their support site and download the latest software directly for those that may not have a CD ROM drive which is common these days. CZUR also provides a series of videos that cover everything from installation to detailed scanning instructions.

SCANNING

In order to start using the CZUR Aura Pro after installing the software, you just need to plug the USB cable from the scanner into your computer and plug in the power cable. There is an option foot pedal for hands free scanning which is recommended in most cases. I found that using the pedal on the floor with my foot was ideal when using the finger cots with both hands to hold the pages down. Otherwise, I would put the foot pedal on the desk and use it by hand to initiate each scan after changing pages when the finger cots were not needed. A small LCD screen which is located on the end of the scanning arm can be useful to see what is within the scanner view. However, I found that the image that showed on my monitor did the same and was bigger, so I found myself viewing the scanner area there instead of using the LCD.

The black scanning mat that is included is laid out in front of the scanner and is used in conjunction with the Aura Pro software’s smart algorithms to determine exactly where the edges of the document or book you are scanning are located.

Lighting plays a big part in the scanning quality when using the Aura Pro. If you are working in a well-lit room, you may get glare from a light if it’s too close to the scanner which has it’s own light source on the scanning arm. Alternatively, if the arm light is causing a glare on the book or document t you are trying to scan, there is an optional angled light. I found this to be helpful for things like magazines or books with glossy pages.

Once you have everything set up, you can initiate the scan either from the software or using the included foot pedal. It is especially important not to move the item being scanned until you see the infrared guidelines flash down from the scanning arm and then disappear. Otherwise, you are likely to end up with a blurred image and have to re-scan.

If the item is a book, you are likely going to want to use the included finger cots on either side to hold down the pages as flat as possible. Once scanned, the software offers a flattened image of each facing page and uses an algorithm to remove the finger cots from the image. Generally, it does a particularly good job of this.

As a comparison to the CZUR Aura Pro, I have included below images of two pages that were taken using my Samsung Galaxy S9 cell phone using an app called PhotoScan. The phone was held at the same height as the Aura Pro scanner arm for reference. Note the curvature of the page.

To demonstrate the impact lighting can have, I have included below 3 sets of the same pages as the ones above scanned with the Aura Pro. The first is using the overhead scanner arm light with the room lights on. The second is the angled back light with the room lights on and the last one is using the angled back light with the room lights turned off.

As you can see, there is a noticeable difference and with practice, you will learn the best options for the various document types that will be scanned. Note that the pages have been flattened in each case using the software algorithms included. Also note that you are unable to see the finger cots which were used when scanning the pages pictured above.

CONCLUSION

If your goal is to scan the entirety of a book in digital format for preservation, the CZUR Aura Pro is the best option when taking into consideration a combination of quality and speed. With it’s easy-to-use software interface, multiple file formats, and intelligent algorithms for page flattening, I would highly recommend this for any large-scale scanning projects that you may have. It is also ideal for anything you may have to scan that is too awkward or large for most traditional flatbed scanners. Oh yeah…the lamp is pretty cool too!

The CZUR Aura Pro is available for purchase at AMAZON or ALIEXPRESS

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