"If you're willing to pay a couple hundred bucks for a desktop scanner
that can only scan one-off images, this has to be the one. It's fast,
easy-to-use, and can connect to most storage apps."
For
Speed
Size
Connectivity
Against
Price
One-off scans only
Overview and how it works
Before I had the opportunity to review the Fujitsu ScanSnap
iX100 ($199, £186.40, AU$232) I doubt I would have ever written the
following opinion: scanning documents can be fun. Most of us have had
jobs and internships that required us to stand for hours at a time in
front of massive, radioactive, multi-function scanners. We fed documents
into feeders. We lifted and lowered trays. We hated every second of it.
With the ScanSnap iX100, you'll never have to expose
yourself to the horrors of Oldsmobile-sized scanners. At just 14 ounces
and 10.7-inches wide, the ScanSnap is a powerful, portable and
easy-to-use device. The miniature scanner allows you to
wirelessly scan documents to the computer, mobile device or cloud
storage utility of your choosing. Images and documents will be
replicated perfectly into PDF and JPEG in just a few button-clicks. This
can sometimes be problematic (more on that later), but your experience
with the device will be thoroughly enjoyable (especially when compared
to your grandfather's scanner).
How it works
To
scan documents into a computer, all you need to do is plug your
ScanSnap cord into your USB port, insert your document into the feeder
and press the blue Scan button. Your document will be fed through the
device. On your computer monitor you will be prompted to decide whether
to end scanning or to add a new document to the feeder. When
you're done scanning you will be prompted to choose where the image
will be saved. You can choose from a variety of options, including any
folder on your device, any printer connected to your network, email,
iPhoto or cloud storage utilities like Google and Dropbox. That's it. You're done.
Mobile scanning
If
you prefer to scan to a mobile device you will have a different but
equally simple experience. You will be required to download the ScanSnap
Connect App on your smartphone. Once you're all set up
and ready to scan, you will press the blue Scan button within the app,
the document will be fed through the ScanSnap, and the document will be
sent to your phone. Voila! Mobile users have two options
for connecting the device: 1) using an existing wi-fi connection within
your home or office or 2) using the ScanSnap's dedicated wi-fi network
to scan wherever you might find yourself needing a quick scan.
Use cases and final verdict
Use cases
The ScanSnap is ideal for people who
constantly gather business cards, photos or other paper items that don't
necessarily require physical copies. You can quickly load a business
card into the machine, scan it and then use the device's CardMinder tool
to store the card-owner's name and business information. It's also great for organizing receipts from business trips or from the grocery store. You
won't want to use the ScanSnap for multi-page scanning. Because you
need to load each page individually, the scanner is best-suited for
one-off scans. If you need to create a PDF of your graduate thesis, then
your grandfather's scanner is probably a better bet.
Speed
The
ScanSnap is incredibly fast. Fujitsu says the scanner can create a
digital file of a Letter page in 5.2 seconds. I actually had a better
experience. My full-color image was sent to and pulled through the
machine in 3 seconds. The business cards I scanned went through the device in about one second. If
speed is your top requirement for purchasing a scanner, and you're only
concerned with one-off scans, you'll absolutely love this machine.
Flaws
Because
the device is so good at recreating images, you'll find that
less-than-mint images will look even worse in digital formats than they
do on paper. Dust, creases, and scratches will appear on images if the
pages aren't completely clean. The image I scanned looked perfectly fine
to the naked eye, but the scanner returned the following digital file
(click to expand to see flaws):
See crease mark on upper right-hand side of imageThe
device claims to offer "Automatic Image Stitching," which allegedly
connects folded or disattached images along their centerlines. I tried
to do this, and it does work, to an extent; however, the image created
won't be exact and you'll definitely see creases or tear marks when the
final digital image is created. Smartphones can create
digital files of images. It's called a camera. If you simply take a
photo of your receipt or document, you can run the file through
Photoshop to convert it to a PDF or a JPEG. This means the ScanSnap is
doing something you could already do. However, it does make it easier
and more practical - if you're willing to spend almost $200.
We liked
The
ScanSnap is incredibly fast, versatile and handy. It's a small device
that can travel with you wherever you go and it can send your files
wherever you need them sent.
We disliked
Because
it can only scan one page at a time, you'll likely want to use a normal
scanner for multi-page jobs. Also, be careful how you treat your
physical files - the ScanSnap will copy all image flaws (even the ones
you can't see) and reproduce them on digital files. Because this is a
luxury item and not a necessity, you may not want to spend $200.
Verdict
I
thoroughly enjoyed using the ScanSnap. It made creating expense reports
and storing business cards easy and fast. It was so much faster than
Fujitsu advertises it to be, which is always a pleasant surprise.
However, I'm not sure I'd spend $200 on something that can only be
qualified as a luxury item.
