C-Pen

The software for C-Pen 800C (C-Win 3.24) is not compatible with these operating systems.
There are no plans on developing this model further.

For advanced users: It is possible to use C-Pen in a virtual operating system like e.g. "Microsoft XP Mode". For support regarding installation and use of XP Mode, please contact Microsoft.

Perform a reset:

-Remove the power cable.
-Locate the small hole on the back of the C-Pen.
-Gently push a paperclip or similar into the hole to reset the pen (no data will be lost).
-Put the power cable back.
-IMPORTANT! Turn the C-Pen on and immediately turn the C-Pen off. (Best way to do this is to keep the navigation button pressed for 5 sec.)
-Make sure that the animated charging symbol is the only thing visible in the display.
-Leave the C-Pen to charge for several hours.
-Repeat the process if any of the steps above fails.

If the C-Pen has been left unused for a long period of time, you may have to perform this reset procedure several times to get it working again. (This is because of that the battery is totally drained.)

Get optimum results when reading with C-Pen. The following conditions might affect the quality of the character recognition:

The print quality of the text:

C-Pen uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to read text. OCR is the process of turning an image of characters into computer-readable text. High-quality printed text produces maximum OCR accuracy. With lower-quality pages, like fax copies, accuracy may be poorer. C-Pen might be calibrated in order to optimize its performance under difficult conditions; see Calibration in the C-Pen manual. Please note that C-Pen only recognises machine-printed characters such as laser-printed or typewritten text. C-Pen does not recognise handwritten text.

Position and movement of C-Pen:

It is of great importance how C-Pen is held and moved over the printed text. Most importantly the C Pen should be held so that, upon scanning, the red light that is visible is kept to a minimum. Please see Reading and saving text in the C-Pen manual or read the Quick Start folder to learn how to use C-Pen correctly. It is crucial that these instructions are followed in order to get the best results.

The language of the text:

Set the text language of the text you read, to get the most suitable OCR. Make sure the correct language and text quality is chosen under the Settings menu in C-Pen.

Deformed characters:

Anything that is not a printed character and/or any character that is distorted by a mark or smudge on the paper could be unrecognisable.

Overlapped characters:

Characters in the text should not overlap.

Italics and underlined text: Italics are, for some fonts, difficult for C-Pen to read. Underlined text is also difficult for C-Pen to read, as the underline changes the shapes of the descenders of the letters g, j, p, q and y.

Text colours - text and surface:

C-Pen cannot read some combinations of text colours on coloured surfaces, such as red or yellow text on a white or red background. Text that is highlighted by a traditional highlighter/marker might in some cases not be readable, depending on the colour and darkness of the ink.

Small or large character sizes:

The size of the characters should be from 5 to 22 points.

Inverted characters:

Make sure the correct language and text quality is chosen in the Settings menu. Choose inverted text if the text is white on a black background and normal text if you have black text on a white background.

Hint:

Since C-Pen is able to interpret text from either direction, it can be useful to know that, when right handed, it is easier to scan by moving the C-Pen from right to left and vice versa. This way you are able to see the text that you are scanning better, since your hand usually blocks it when you scan from left to right.

Yes. Software for older Mac OS is available. Macintosh software for portable C-Pens is available for download here.

C-Pen Macintosh Software (IR models only)

It allows the C-Pen to exchange information with Macintosh computers using an infrared connection.

There are currently no drivers available for Mac OS X.

System Requirements:

A Macintosh with built-in IrDA support:
PowerBook 2400
PowerBook 3400
PowerBook G3
PowerBook G3 Series
PowerBook G4
iMac Rev A ; B (Bondi Blue)
Mac OS 8.6, 9.0 or 9.1

C-Pen OS 3.02 or later.

C-Pen also works in combination with the Apple Newton PDA using the Beam functionality.

No! The dictionaries available on our web page are only compatible with the C Dictionary program or the C Dictionary Add-On.

These dictionaries cannot be installed on the 800C model. The download and license purchase pages for the 800C dictionaries have been removed. Please contact support for further information.

Most likely you have some kind of software that is blocking the serial port.

This can be software for Palm PDA (HotSync), Pocket PC (ActiveSync), or some FAX/modem software.

Also make sure that you do not have another device connected to a serial port.

Another hint is to set the port to use (normally C-Win automatically finds the port to use). To do this:

-Open the registry editor (Start, Run..., regedit.exe)
Open H_KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, Software, C-Technologies, C-Pen
Find the Option SerialCableCOMPort and change the data to COM1 or COM2

If none of the above works, you might have a faulty cable. If possible try to connect using another PC, and if it fails too contact your retailer for a replacement cable.

Please contact support