Frequently Asked Questions

• Do you have a Getting Started document?
  Yes. The attached PDF can help you get up and running with Kurzweil 3000 very quickly. Download here.
• What are the system requirements for the latest version of Kurzweil 3000?
  Windows
  Mac
• What are the system requirements for the latest version of Kurzweil 1000?
  Windows
  
• What are the differences between the different license types for Kurzweil 3000?
  Kurzweil 3000 Professional Color is the only license type available.
  
  Professional Color - This is the full featured license type for Kurzweil 3000. It has all of the tools and features that are available in any license type for Kurzweil 3000, plus the ability to scan or optical character recognize (OCR) documents in color or black and white. The 30-day trial shares the same features as the Professional Color, but cannot be activated to full product.
  
  
• What are the differences between the different editions of Kurzweil 3000 (i.e.: Standalone, Network, Web License)?
  Standalone - This edition is intended for use on individual computers. It comes with a serial number for activation and can be installed on up to two different machines, but used on only one of those at a time (i.e.: Only one person can use the license at a time), see End User License Agreement for greater detail. Standalone is best for individuals or small implementations.
  
  Network - This edition involves a floating license server component. Licenses are installed from a USB Keydisk to a license manager hosted by the customer. Client software can then be installed on as many machines as desired, where they would then pull licenses from the server over the Local Area Network (LAN) connection. Network is best for school-based implementations.
  
  Web License - This edition involves a floating license component that is web based (the licenses are stored on the Cambium Learning server and an Internet connection is required for access). A user database is configured by the customer to allow for unique user logins to the server. Clients can be installed on as many machines as desired, where they would then pull licenses from the server over their Internet connection. Web License is best suited to school, district, or other wide-area implementation.
• What is the price of Kurzweil 3000 for individuals? What would be the best option for a parent?
  For users who need to access the most common digital formats, Kurzweil 3000 Professional Color is available. Contact customer service for more details on pricing. College students can contact customer service at customerservice@cambiumlearning.com or 1-800-547-6747 to inquire about special college student pricing.
• Can my trial version be extended longer than 30 days?
  No. The FREE 30 day Trial cannot be extended or loaded on more than one machine. It also cannot be converted/activated to a full client version.
• Do you offer payment plans or other discounts?
  Volume discounts are available to schools who are implementing the product throughout either the school or district. From time to time, we do offer special end of year promotions for schools/districts. At this time, we do not offer any discount to the individual purchase of the product.
• Can Kurzweil 3000 recognize voice?
  No, Kurzweil 3000 does not perform voice recognition. However, the program does work in conjunction with Dragon, Naturally Speaking.
• Does Kurzweil 3000 work on an iPad?
  At this time Kurzweil 3000 does not work on the iPad.
• How do I get trained on using Kurzweil 3000?
  There are "How To" videos that can be accessed in the product. The product guide also contains step-by-step instructions. Videos are also posted on the Cambium Technologies YouTube channel. You can also attend an online webinar or a FREE public webex. For more information go to our implementation and professional services section.
• What are the differences between Kurzweil 3000 and Kurzweil 1000?
  Kurzweil 3000 and Kurzweil 1000 both offer similar functionality in that they are both reading/writing tools that provide OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and TTS (Text To Speech) utility. However, while Kurzweil 3000 provides a graphical user interface (i.e.: toolbars with buttons), Kurzweil 1000's navigation is intended to be more accessible to users who are visually impaired. This means that Kurzweil 1000 provides many keyboard shortcut commands while removing the graphical user interface. A starting point to determine which is best for your circumstances is to consider: Does the end-user access the computer using point-and-click with a mouse? If the answer is "yes", then Kurzweil 3000 may be indicated. If not, then consider Kurzweil 1000.
• Where can I find answers to my support inquiries?
  Cambium Learning Technologies is proud to offer free technical support for Kurzweil 1000 and 3000 software.
• What kind of research was completed that supports the efficacy of the product?
  Research & Efficacy
• What is the best way for me to get started?
  Download or order a Trial DVD. Install the software for FREE for 30 days. Then go to our YouTube channel and listen to other users tell how Kurzweil 3000 changed their lives. This is also a great place to find HOW TO videos and other helpful tools. Visit our FACEBOOK page and become part of the Kurzweil 3000 online social network.
• Does Kurzweil 3000 support English Language Learners?
  Yes. Kurzweil 3000 provides a multi-sensory approach to learning by providing reading, writing, listening and speaking support. The information download tab in this section has several documents that can be downloaded that describes how Kurzweil 3000 supports English Language Learners.
• Where can I get access to content for use in Kurzweil 3000?
  Kurzweil 3000 Content Resources
• What are some practical tips for scanning print materials into Kurzweil 3000?
  Whenever possible, locate reading material in a supported electronic format which may eliminate the need to scan
  
  Use the highest quality source material possible (no pen/pencil marks, smooth and flat, free of smudged text, etc...).
  
  Avoid scanning newsprint.
  
  Close the lid of the scanner completely.
  
  Save often while scanning.
  
  Scan material in logical segments (chapters) versus an entire book to avoid extremely large files.
  
  Test the quality of scanned material before continuing the entire process (Is the primary text reading well? Does the material read in order for the most part?).
  
  Try scanning in both black/white and color to determine which provides the best results.
  
  When necessary, adjust scan settings in the Tools>Options>Scanning menu.
  
  Try a different OCR (optical character recognition) engine.
  
  Adjust the brightness of the scan.
  
  You can even adjust the scanning language to support English Language Learners (remember, Kurzweil 300 includes: English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish voices).
  
  Zone Edit to correct reading order.
  
  Back up your scanned materials to another location .
• How does Kurzweil 3000 work with PDFs?
  It is important to recognize that PDFs can come in a variety of configurations (image, text, locked). This understanding is integral when deciding how best to work with PDFs. Here is a table to help describe the features of each PDF type and its accessibility to Kurzweil 3000.
• How do I know what scanners are compatible with Kurzweil 3000?
  Kurzweil 3000 for Windows is designed to work with scanners that meet the TWAIN standard for image capture devices, which includes the vast majority of scanners available today. If you buy a flatbed scanner that is marked with the TWAIN logo you should have no trouble using that device with Kurzweil 3000 for Windows. If you are looking to use Kurzweil 3000 for Windows with a high-speed scanning device the easiest way to determine 100% compatibility is to order a Trial Edition of Kurzweil 3000 to test with your scanner. If you should find a device that doesn't work contact Technical Support.
• What is Virtual Printing?
  Virtual Printing is a function of Kurzweil 3000 Professional Color and Black & White Editions for Windows that allows any electronic document that you could print on paper to be virtually printed into the KES file format for use in Kurzweil 3000. It is a very simple process to undertake. On your computer with Kurzweil 3000 Professional installed, open the document you wish to convert to Kurzweil 3000 format, within your File Menu choose Print, when the Print Dialog box opens, simply change printers from your standard paper based printer to the KESI Virtual Printer, then click print. The remainder is automatic and your file will open in Kurzweil 3000, converted, and ready to read!
• Why would I Virtual Print?
  You would choose to Virtual Print a document for three, or more, reasons:
  
  1. The document is in a file format that Kurzweil 3000 cannot read directly within the program. (E.g.-A PDF image file)
  
  2. The document is one that you would like to annotate using Kurzweil 3000 Study Skills tools or share with others using Kurzweil 3000
  
  3. It is a document that requires answers to questions that will distort the original document with their completion and/or the document contains text that could easily be deleted in its current format.
  
  There are many other reasons to Virtual Print a document. It is important to remember that this process converts the file into the KES format, which limits the ability to edit the source material, but provides the opportunity to apply the entire Kurzweil 3000 toolset and features to understanding the material or completing an important task.
  
  A common example for the use of Virtual Printing is a teacher created test that includes fill-in-the-blank or essay responses that has been created in MS Word for which the teacher does not want the student to edit the questions or format.
• What is the KESI Taskbar?
  The KESI Taskbar is a utility that installs with any edition of Kurzweil 3000 for Windows. It can be found in the lower right hand taskbar area of your Windows taskbar. If you do not see it after installation, try right clicking your taskbar and turning it on in the Toolbars menu (you may need Administrator privileges). Once installed, the KESI Taskbar is easy to use. Simply copy/paste or drag/drop text into the tool and it will read your material aloud to you. This is very useful when you do not have the time to convert an entire document or Kurzweil 3000 Professional is not available. Any text you can copy, the KESI Taskbar can read. Other options in the KESI Taskbar include: reading speed, reading voice, and dictionaries.
• Does Kurzweil 3000 need to be installed on each workstation that has the potential to run it? Would I have to install anything else?
  Kurzweil 3000 needs to be installed on each workstation. The licensing happens automatically with our web service VPORT^®. Just log into the VPORT website to create all your users first (with usernames and passwords) so they can log into the installed Kurzweil 3000 clients. No additional administrator software is required.
• In the past, we've "pushed" out the Kurzweil 3000 installation image to all of our workstations and we had to differentiate between LearnStations^™ and Professional Versions. Are multiple images required for installing Web License software?
  The Kurzweil 3000 client software installed on each workstation is identical. At login, a dropdown menu allows users to select how they want to launch Kurzweil 3000 -- as a LearnStation, Pro Color, or Pro Black and White. As the administrator within VPORT, you can control software access for each user; these access rights can be edited at any time.
• What kind of user rights are required to run Kurzweil 3000 once installed
  Kurzweil 3000 Web License clients are designed to work in a limited user environment. You should not have any problem.
• VPORT appears to be designed for K-12 environments, what adaptations are available for postsecondary implementations?
  VPORT is a robust, license management and reporting system that works across Windows or Macintosh^® platforms. You will have to use a District -> School -> Teacher -> Class -> Student structure within VPORT.
  
  At the postsecondary level, you might consider the following equivalents:

  	District		College or University
  	School		Department or School
  	Teacher		Professor or Instructor
  	Class		Lab or Section
  	Student		Student

  
  Generic teacher logins or classes can also be options to consider. For example, you could have a "Lab 1" or "Disability Services" class run by a generic teacher account shared by multiple staff members. It is important to note that each student who wants to log into Kurzweil 3000 be assigned to an active class and have login credentials.
• Can books in Kurzweil 3000 format be distributed to specific students through the Web License Universal Library and not to others?
  You can still copy .kes files to CDs or USB sticks and distribute media that way. Files can also be assigned to students privately or saved into a "public" folder using Kurzweil 3000's Universal Library cloud storage. The optional service offers unlimited cloud storage to save, open, upload, and distribute .kes files from within Kurzweil 3000. For ease of upload and download for all users, files should be limited to individual chapters, as opposed to entire texts.
• We have a number of students specifically assigned to use Kurzweil 3000, but we would also like to have it universally available for any campus user who may find it beneficial. Must users be individually licensed, or can any user with login rights to the computer sit down and use the software? Will I have to perform gatekeeper functions?
  VPORT supports both designated individual access for program use and Universal Design for Learning goals. You have complete control to create and delete login rights for users to access Kurzweil 3000. Many campuses offer Kurzweil 3000 for Basic Skills users; the concurrent usage model allows for significant expansion opportunities. Student accounts can be activated and deactivated at the click of the mouse. An additional option at installation allows "guest users", which permits students to log in without a username or password.
• Is it possible to pass through the Windows or LDAP authentication to Kurzweil 3000 (so that a user would not need to log in separately)?
  A user will have to log into Windows before they can run the Kurzweil 3000 application. The username and password used to log into Kurzweil 3000 Web License software is completely separate from the Windows login. You can't tie a Windows login to a Kurzweil 3000 Web License login. File access to the local computer and your network will be tied to the Windows login used. VPORT login credentials enable students' preferences to be saved and access to their cloud-based academic materials for a seamless Kurzweil 3000 experience no matter where they login. Additionally, the same credentials will allow students to access both Macintosh and Windows Kurzweil 3000 client software.