The I2s Copibook Cobalt HD is not necessarily a new bookscanner, rather an evolution of the previous model, the standard Copibook A2 format scanner.
It has a better camera system than a Copibook Open System, and will achieve better scanning resolution and image quality. The book cradle has been adjusted to allow for a wider range of books, which you can learn to use during the installation and training sessions.
While it is a better scanner, I’d just wish that accessories such as the lighting and flattening glass would be standard and not optional extras.
| Sensor | Format | Resolution | Scanning Speed | Price | |
I2S CopiBook Cobalt  | Area CCD | A2 – 25.2 in x 16.5 in | 400 dpi | 720 pages / hr | Contact Us and Get the Price |
I2S CopiBook Cobalt HD  | Area CCD | A2 – 25.2 in x 16.5 in | 600 dpi | 600 pages / hr | Contact Us and Get the Price |
Features
The Copibook Cobalt, both the standard and the HD models, have a self-balancing book cradle, that can also be adjusted by the operator. It will open at 180 degrees and it works really well with the optional glass plate.
When using this scanner, the operator will have to turn the pages manually. This is a manual book scanner, and if you also have the glass plate installed the operator will also have to raise and lower the glass plate manually.
Most book scanners come with a flattening glass and this is no different. You have to pay extra for it, and it will require you to move it manually up and down.
I still totally recommend you buy it, as it will definitely be of great help in production projects.
Technical Specs
The I2S Copybook Cobalt HDD book scanner is an A2 device that can handle books and bound documents up to 25 by 16inches in size. This means that it’s a bit wider than an A2, while the height of the books is identical to the ISO size.
When scanning at 300 by 300dpi, the standard Copibook Cobalt will need around 3.4 sec for a color scan. This results in around 700 scans an hour if you also take into account a normal cycle time.
Increasing the quality of the scanning will lead to an increase in processing time, therefore the productivity will drop even more, to around 600 pages every hour. The only way to have an increase in productivity would be to scan in bitonal.
A lot of book scanning is done in RAW file formats, such as Raw Tiff for example. This usually leads to huge files and for that, you need a very fast data transfer connection. Luckily, this book scanner comes with an Ethernet Gigabit connection that allows for massive flows of data.
Image Quality
The resolution on this device is an interesting thing. Because it is a matrix camera, the resolution is dependant on the document you are scanning and how high the document is positioned.
The Cobalt HD is the only model that will achieve a resolution of 600dpi for an A2, while the standard Copibook Cobalt will not be able to achieve the same performance.
The matrix CCD camera is something strange, to say the least. Using a matrix camera will definitely result in uneven lighting of the scan. At least the CMOS matrix camera is cheaper, but this kind of camera is both expensive and bad.
Not to mention that to have even lighting is almost impossible. With an internal color depth of 24-bit this machine fits into the market average, but it still falls below the Bookeye or the SMA Scanmaster scanners, which are the top scanners when it comes to quality and color depth.
The HD model goes up to 36bit internally but it still lacks behind the two mentioned above. The automatic settings should deliver good image quality for most applications.
This includes the standard auto focus exposure time which should not be modified and is usually a value that the manufacturer determines to be the correct one.
Our top tip is to use the real time color preview while scanning and to check before you press the scan button if the output is ok.
Software and file formats
As with most book scanners on the market, the I2S model will scan to PDF, single or multi-page and other image file formats, such as Tiff, Jpeg or BMP.
I2s is a company that operates its scanners using its proprietary scanning software. Besides that, the scanner also comes with Copibook Assistant, which is an ideal software to manage, administrate and debug your I2s book scanner.
A lot of the software is identical to the one used in the Cobibook open system. Therefore buying different machines or replacing your machine with another model, will not require high adjusting times for your operators.
Accessories and Options
I2s supplies this scanner with an Android tablet that lets you operate the scanner using the new CopiTouch scanning software, developed by the brand.
Other accessories that will come in the box will be the optional glass plate if you order it. Compared to other book scanners, I can’t say the Cobalt is a big scanner.
It’s bigger than a Bookeye 4, but it’s smaller than a Zeutschel or a Book 2 net. At 31 by 38 by 44 inches, you can easily put it on a larger table. I would say the weight is not very high, but I definitely recommend you use a good working desk even a working bench when you work with your Copibook.
The basic warranty on this scanner is 1 year, but it probably depends on the dealer you are buying it from. You can probably get the supplier to offer you an extended warranty, but this will have to be discussed separately.
Editors Opinion
The question is whether to buy this scanner or not…
I guess it’s all down to budget and what you will be using it for. In an ideal world, this should solve most of your needs. But the fact that the cradle only allows for books that open at 180 degrees makes it a bit difficult to scan more fragile books or older manuscripts.
At the same time, when you have normal book scanning and digitization projects or you want to scan registers, this scanner should work as expected. I am still worried about the fact that it is a matrix camera and this could lead to some problems with uneven lighting.
But all in all it is a reliable book scanner and you can consider it for your next purchase. Are there better choices out there? Yes, there are, so you can also take this into account before purchasing your next I2s Copibook Cobalt.