Any recommendations for a document feed scanner?

[muchadoaboutnothing]

I want to get a document feed scanner. It doesn't have to do 500 pages a minute or make coffee or anything.

• Compatible with Win 7 x64
• Cheaper is better (unless it sucks)
• Smaller is better
• If possible, seperate from a printer

Anyone have any recommendations?

[wellington1869]

they're doing some great things with scanners these days. I was recently looking for a high speed one and was amazed to see scanning speeds are up to 1 or 2 seconds per page now. I was looking for a regular flatbed but document-feeding scanners are among the fastest and cheapest models on amazon.

while i havent actually tried them, the fujitsu scansnap line looked good.

[muchadoaboutnothing]

they're doing some great things with scanners these days. I was recently looking for a high speed one and was amazed to see scanning speeds are up to 1 or 2 seconds per page now. I was looking for a regular flatbed but document-feeding scanners are among the fastest and cheapest models on amazon.

while i havent actually tried them, the fujitsu scansnap line looked good.

I know a person with a ScanSnap S510 and it's ridiculously easy/fast, and the OCRed PDFs are great.

However, the "portable" one (S1300) is $300. I was kind of hoping to keep it under $200.

[wellington1869]

I know a person with a ScanSnap S510 and it's ridiculously easy/fast, and the OCRed PDFs are great.

However, the "portable" one (S1300) is $300. I was kind of hoping to keep it under $200.

if speed isnt an issue you should be able to find a well rated one for about that price. If you have a lot of documents tho, the speed really helps.

have you checked out the 'neatdesk' model? I believe it comes with a whole "document management" software package to automate the OCR-ing in one step.

[aegrotatio]

The key to getting a good auto-feeding scanner is that you should consider not getting an all-in-one scanner/copier/fax/printer, but instead consider a dedicated scanner with a document feeder.

We use this Xerox and it's reasonably fast.  It works just like a modern auto-feeding photocopier in that the sheet slides over an aperture above a stationary optical bar.  When using the bed, the optical bar moves.  It's quite clever and very reliable.  For duplex scanning you just take the stack of papers you just scanned and turn it over and scan again--the software knows how to collate the document automatically.

XEROX DocuMate 515 24 bit 600 dpi Fast Simplex Scanner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16838152014

Note, I have talked to colleagues who use all-in-one scanners and their multi-page auto-feeders break down after a few months and from then on will only work with one sheet at a time.  This Xerox scanner, on the other hand, just works.

[williamjoseph]

I use the canon MX7600. it auto duplexes. I got it as a referb from Newegg. Newegg has it at 244 or 249, i did a word search. canon.com has it for 199 straight from canon. Linky

Anyway, I've had mine since Feb or March of this year. Love it. Its like someone hid a lazer printer inside the inkjet.

[Megaweapon]

I got my Epson GT-S50 on sale last year for $350.  I selected it mainly because (at least at the time) it held more pages at a time (75) than any of the document scanners in its price range (and even many more expensive ones...)

I've been pretty lazy about actually using it, but when I have it has gone very well.

[muchadoaboutnothing]

I appreciate the feedback.

What I'm hearing is that if I don't want something that's super slow/unreliable I should spring for the dedicated scanner, so I'll probably end up going with the S1300. It's a compact, but it'll do 8 pages (both sides) which is plenty fast, plus the portability is nice. And the extra cost is something that's hard to justify.

From an organization perspective, I'll be doing some scanning every day, but I'm not looking to speed through a stack of papers 5 feet high.

[microsoft windows]

Get a photocopier. Those go fast.

[kishy]

Although I haven't used the feature, my Brother MFC-465CN all in one has a document feed thing on the scanner. Looking at it I'd estimate the capacity is between 50 and 100 sheets.

I'll have to figure out if it works well or not I guess. Great scanner, I've just always used it as a flatbed though.

[aegrotatio]

The all-in-ones seem to break down quickly.  They have a habit of losing the ability to feed more than one sheet.

The Xerox I linked to works exactly like the photocopier at my workplace.

Be careful of scanners that do not have beds like that Fujitsu especially if you need to scan little crinkly receipts.

[EverythingIBM]

here:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/IBM-COLOR-FLATBED-SCANNER-Machine-Type-0275-011-/320558788050?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2caedd2


Get an IBM flatbed scanner! I have one. Haven't been able to use it since I don't have any parallel cords. Oh well.

[kishy]

Does that have the Centronics printer-style connector or just DB25?

If you just need a typical 'printer cable' I'll send you one...

[Voixdelion]

Well, with a product like that you are pretty much trading quality against price.  The cheap ones won't last, and the good ones are pricier by a good margin.  Ever consider buying something from a thrift store or pawn shop?  Selection is getting pretty good depending on if you know where to look.  Often second hand shops near upscale areas carry very nice merchandise at a very attractive price. (West Hollywood is fabulous for this - the gay couples break up, one moves out and then other just tosses out there parters stuff just to be *****y.  They have NICE stuff, too.  LOL)

I like the feature set of my hp 7410 but they are NOT built to last ... However the auto duplexing is very nice and its reasonably fast.  That all being said, if you have second hand shops nearby many of them can be found for about $25 which is a great deal considering that if you keep your eyes open the high failure rate of the ink carriage piece (which is "non repairable" - unless you are like me and determined enough) means that a great many end up out on the curb.  I cannot in good conscience recommend anything by HP unless it is secondhand for that matter, because they are overpriced for what HP considers a disposable piece of hardware.  Go with something by brother if you buy new, they seem to be longevity minded.

But seriously, here in Los Angeles there are positively multitudes of document feeder scanning auto duplexing copy faxing wireless network card reading HP's going for 35 bucks and less - sometimes with dual paper inputs and ink cartridges still in em.  Chad found the first 7410 on the curb and brought it home - didn't work but I fixed it with one of those circuit writer pens and some tape.  We just a second one for 25 at Out-of-the-closet  that we were gonna use for parts, but that one works, so now we have two.  =D  Comes in very handy for archiving grandads physics articles.

[williamjoseph]

go referb!

[firestorm]

FWIW, the only one I have experience with (in terms of newer scanners) is a Canon Scanfront 220.  We have several here, and they're very very nice, but very expensive at around $1500 or more.  

They have a touch screen, plus PS/2 inputs (or USB) for a keyboard and mouse, which was one of the reasons I chose them.  Another reason I chose them, which I doubt you'd find useful, is that they can authenticate against LDAP.  Our users can log in using their Active Directory user account and get the Global Address List.  They're highly customizable, which can be done at the machine and moreso via the webpage.  Several users use one-touch jobs for routine scans.  They also duplex scan in one pass (sheet fed scanner with two imagers.)  

They're also relatively small, and they have been problem free (although LDAP can be slow), but unfortunately I'm sure they're well outside your desired budget.

[keyb_gr]

Well, with a product like that you are pretty much trading quality against price.  The cheap ones won't last, and the good ones are pricier by a good margin.

^ What he said. It definitely can't hurt to go with a refurb'd or used unit for "real" office use (rather than home use), their feeders tend to be quite a bit more reliable.

[aegrotatio]

I fondly remember dumping my LEGAL sized not-really-SCSI scanner, the kind that came with its own not-really-SCSI adapter, which the manufacturer cancelled all driver updates for when Windows XP came out.

I went to the transfer station, placed it gently on the concrete mat, then I dropped a 19-inch CRT on top of it and watched the glass from the scanner explode in a 360-degree arc.

Wish I had a camcorder.  *sniff*

[microsoft windows]

here:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/IBM-COLOR-FLATBED-SCANNER-Machine-Type-0275-011-/320558788050?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2caedd2

Show Image

Get an IBM flatbed scanner! I have one. Haven't been able to use it since I don't have any parallel cords. Oh well.

You can get some parallel cables dirt cheap on Ebay.

[aegrotatio]

Literally, I think it was either an Epson or HP scanner, and they said absolutely not supported, not even if we bought the drivers from them.

Be careful:  parallel ports look exactly like SCSI ports on old scanners.  DB25 can be either parallel or SCSI and you don't want to make the wrong choice.