How to Choose a CZUR Scanner
CZUR's overhead scanners look alike: a base, an arm and a camera looking down. The differences that matter are in the numbers, and four questions settle most decisions. What are you scanning, how large is it, how much detail do you need, and how much space do you have? This guide works through each one and ends with the scanner that fits common jobs.
Question 1: Bound books or loose pages?
This is the biggest split in the range.
Bound books need a scanner that measures the curve of an open spread and flattens it in software. The ET MAX and Aura Pro both do this, with laser lines projected across the pages to guide the flattening. CZUR lists A4 books up to 50 mm thick for the ET MAX, roughly a large dictionary or a hefty textbook.
Loose pages, such as letters, forms, receipts, school work and drawings, don't need book flattening. The Shine800A3 Pro and Lens800 Pro are built for single pages, and CZUR lists the Lens800 Pro at about a second per page and the Shine800A3 Pro at under a second.
Question 2: How large is the biggest page?
- A3 (about 11.7 × 16.5 in) covers newspapers, architectural drawings, ledgers and wide charts. The ET MAX and Shine800A3 Pro take flat A3 sheets; the Aura Pro scans material smaller than A3.
- A4 (about 8.3 × 11.7 in) covers letters and most documents. The Lens800 Pro stops here.
If you only ever scan letter-size paper, A3 capability is something you'll pay for and never use.
Question 3: How much detail?
Resolution here is given in dots per inch at the page.
- Text documents read cleanly at 200 to 300 dpi. The Lens800 Pro gives about 270 dpi and the Shine800A3 Pro about 340 dpi at A4; the Aura Pro uses a 14MP sensor.
- Photos, maps, artwork and fine print benefit from more. The ET MAX's 38MP sensor scans at 410 dpi by default.
Note that the Shine800A3 Pro's resolution drops to about 245 dpi when it covers a full A3 sheet, because the same 8MP sensor spreads over a larger area.
Question 4: How much space, and will it move?
- The Aura Pro folds down, so it can be put away between jobs.
- The Lens800 Pro is the most compact and doubles as a webcam: its base rotates 180° to face you, and it records 1080p video with sound.
- The Shine800A3 Pro has an adjustable-height arm and weighs about 1 kg.
- The ET MAX is the largest, with a 2.4 in screen, top and side lights and an HDMI output.
Extras worth weighing
- Foot pedal. On long books, a pedal lets you turn pages with both hands and scan with your foot. The ET MAX, Aura Pro and Shine800A3 Pro have one.
- HDMI output. The ET MAX can feed a projector or screen directly, useful for teaching and presenting.
- File formats. CZUR lists JPG, PDF, searchable PDF, Word and Excel export for all four (the ET MAX, Aura Pro and Lens800 Pro add TIFF converted from JPG), and OCR in more than 180 languages for the ET MAX, Lens800 Pro and Shine800A3 Pro.
- Linux. If you use Linux, only the ET MAX is supported, on Ubuntu 20.04 to 24.04.
Matches for common jobs
| Job | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Digitizing a home library | Aura Pro | Book flattening, folds away |
| Archives, thick volumes, photos | ET MAX | 50 mm books, 410 dpi, HDMI |
| Office forms, plans, ledgers | Shine800A3 Pro | A3 sheets, autofocus, foot pedal |
| Home office, homework, calls | Lens800 Pro | A4, compact, webcam mode |
Also consider
If you're comparing CZUR with another brand, our CZUR vs ScanSnap SV600 puts CZUR's book scanners against a long-running overhead scanner. Once you've chosen, how to use the Aura Pro walks through a first session, and the CZUR review covers the whole range.