Digitizing on the fly

Image courtesy Planon Systems

Cliché or not, you’ve probably doodled the solution to a design problem on a cocktail napkin. And you’ve likely wanted to take the idea back to the office, but not necessarily the napkin. The Docupen RC800, a handheld scanner, will let you do just that the next time inspiration strikes in a bar or airplane.

Because users roll the 2-ounce, 9-inch-long, cordless device over the documents they wish to scan, rather than feed individual sheets through a slot, architects may find the Docupen helpful in situations in which pass-through-type portable scanners would be impractical. For example, it could be used during on-site meetings to digitize details sketched on a portion of a standard contract drawing sheet. The device produces reasonably legible documents, although the quality does not approach that of flatbed scanners.

The Docupen connects to a PC or Mac via a USB port for downloading and for charging the gadget’s lithium-ion battery. It is capable of scanning in four color or black-and-white modes. According to record’s not-so-scientific testing, the 8-MB memory can hold only two, full-color, 81¼2-by-11-inch images at maximum resolution. But it has the capacity for about 40 napkin doodles at the lowest black-and-white setting. Memory can be added with a MicroSD or TransFlash card.

The Docupen’s list price is $299.99. Visit www.planon.com for more information.

Joann Gonchar, FAIA, LEED AP, is deputy editor at Architectural Record. She joined RECORD in 2006, after working for eight years at its sister publication, Engineering News-Record. Before starting her career as a journalist, Joann worked for several architecture firms and spent three years in Kobe, Japan, with the firm Team Zoo, Atelier Iruka. She earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University. She is licensed to practice architecture in New York State.