In a world that is moving towards digitization, more as an idea than a way, there is still a lot to do with analog, especially for those who have to reuse an old archive : Plustek OpticSlim OS1680 gives a hand with the large format, honestly for those who make production, but there are some mechanics to improve.
Plustek OpticSlim OS1680, the review
A mind blowing surface
The scanner is big, of course, and not that big for an A3 / Tabloid model (29.7cm x 43.18 cm): the construction is in a mixture of metal and plastic, it has a hinge with two very light support pins (ideal for thick books) and five front buttons that
The scanner is available to scan two A4 sheets at the same time
The flatbed scanner, once positioned near the computer, it communicates with it via a USB-A port (but a USB-A / USB-C adapter was expected), requires a separate power supply and has a very classic line, ideal for the professional environment. which is oriented, even if the typography of the commands is not without perplexity.
Inside the box a few frills, in addition to the cable and the power supply, there is a DVD with the drivers, which however we have preferred to download from the website of the parent company, which is not wasted on this and is generous with supporting material.
The four front buttons, that dominate the operation
Support
Connected to a MacBook Pro with updated Big Sur, we proceeded to download and install the drivers and supporting apps. Unfortunately, macOS Image Acquisition saw the Plustek OpticSlim OS1680 but was unable to control it: do not worry, the support App works perfectly, albeit with an interface that can be improved.
The professional soul definitely emerges when using the scanner with production: the App does not fully control the scanner but serves more than anything else to send the parameters for scanning, while the operator, once the paper has been placed, chooses the destination using the front buttons .
The lid has two movable pins that rest on the base, and are very light to move, which facilitates operations with the books
The App as we said is very good, in the sense that it has parameters galore and is highly programmable in many parameters, which streamlines the work a lot.
There is also an additional App that allows on-the-fly retouching, obviously those who have this job cannot exempt themselves from the use of Photoshop, Lightroo mo Luminar for a complete editing, but the app can be used in case of a computer dedicated only to the scanner, in which the installation of a professional App would be a waste.
It is necessary to contain the black
The scanner works well, the deregulation is also very good: on the other hand, one expects such a product a high-end rendering and on this the hardware and software mix offers a good solution.
From what we have noticed the result with the standard sets given by the manufacturer, the black mixes perhaps a little too much , but if the right content is contained, the result softens just enough: this means that you need to know the product a little and lose a few tens of minutes the first time in the software parameters, but then everything goes smoothly.
Even in times we are good: one minute and sixteen seconds to scan at 1,200 dpi in color in TIFF, plus another thirty d the seconds to see it ready in the destination folder (the connection is always USB, probably 2.0, so not really fast). There is certainly better on the market, but on much higher price ranges.
Scan result from original : 25 × 16 cm at 600 dpi. For the publication we had to reduce the resolution of the original, which still remains good, even if it is necessary to contain the black 
Like the other scan, here the black is a big problem, but a new scanner isn't enough for products like this. An original of this age must be retouched ad hoc 
With books, the fold is a big problem, but if you have to reconstruct an original, this type of scanning is just fine
Considerations
Plustek OpticSlim OS1680 is a scanner that offers a good compromise in its parameters basic: large surface and good use of optics, a very ready and customizable App even if in fact the interface should be a bit modernized, even considering that the typical environment is a very traditional one.
The price is in line with expectations, being an A3 scanner, there is hardly a market for the consumer environment.
On the left, the scan with the default parameters, on the right with some retouching and better setup (from a positive photographic original on glossy paper): with a little patience you learn to tame the scanner
Pros:
• Wide surface • The hook for the part superior is convenient • App with customizable parameters
Cons:
• App interface dated • The sets of base must be customized for an appropriate result
Price:
• 349.00 Euro
Plustek OpticSlim OS1680 is distributed by Abaco and can be found in online stores Blue.
