Comments for Fujitsu ScanSnap - A Fast, Sheet-fed Document Scanner

Comment from philalethes on 2011-11-22

2011-11-22T18:41:23Z

I too have one, completely awesome. I used to scan whole books in on a flatbed and got pretty good at it and can go back to that when necessary.
I have scanned photos in with no problem Leo, 5x7 slide right through and look good at 300 dpi jpeg.
I used to use Adobe Acrobat for OCR but find that the ABBY software bundled is just as good, maybe better.
For batch renaming I like Better File Rename, very flexible and worth $20

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Comment from Robert Pilling, C.A. on 2011-11-02

2011-11-02T21:51:01Z

It's true that a ScanSnap S1500 won't scan a page from a book. HOWEVER, if you actually do a lot of that, you are likely not using it for business, because it's a very slow process. We've used the ScanSnap S1500 for over 2 years now, and it has allowed us to turn our offices into "virtual" offices, because you don't need to have access to the actual papers. You can access them on the computer system from anywhere in the world.

As everyone has mentioned, the ScanSnap scanners are very fast. When clients bring their tax records in to have me work on them, we don't keep them anymore. I have an assistant scan them, and then send them back with the clients. No filing them, or losing copies any more. (And yes, for ledger sheets, too large for the scanner or even our flatbed scanners, we use the cellphone picture ap to copy them.)

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Comment from Glenn P. on 2011-11-01

2011-11-01T19:08:41Z

The sort of thing I scan most often is a page from a book. Let's see your much-vaunted Fujitsu ScanSnap scan that.

Our HP Photosmart 2575 All-In-One Printer/Scanner, which has a small flatbed scanner built in, can handle it easily.

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Comment from Nathan on 2011-06-17

2011-06-18T02:47:11Z

The ScanSnap is awesome. My latest employer has one and it is hands down the best sheet scanner I have ever used. It is an excellent piece of technology. I consider it a must for any business environment, and a great improvement overthe office scanner printer copiers I have used in the past. Granted it can't do what a flatbed scanner does, but how often do you really scan a set of building plans? Buy the top of the line S1500 (or whatever its called), then if it doesn't live up to the hype you can always return it. But I bet you won't!

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Comment from Fred Nerd on 2011-06-14

2011-06-15T03:06:19Z

I have Cam Scanner on my Android. Excellent. $5 or so (I think) but the amount of times I have scanned in house plans that only the boss has, invoices, receipts, certificates, etc. and only needed my phone. (Nexus S) It takes a picture, recognises the corners, trims and straightens it, then enhances the image. In under a minute I can have a paper invoice emailed off in good quality.

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Comment from One Ordinary Guy on 2011-06-14

2011-06-14T17:29:43Z

I know you don't want to sound commercial, but this scanner is now indispensable to me. Three seconds per page? This doesn't sound fast until you scan something with a lot of pages, and then you realize how great it is. It isn't just fast, it takes different sizes and types of documents and auto-rotates them on the fly. It also sizes the final product, which saves disk space. As to the PDF conversion, it doesn't take that much time. I only use it when it is needed, so I turned it off by default. I tried two HP scanners and besides their glacial speed, I had to manually perform many of the tasks that this does. My only complaint? It is not a flat bed scanner. Some things (you mention pictures) just need that. I am completely sold on this, despite the price tag.

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Comment from Ian C on 2011-06-14

2011-06-14T15:42:27Z

It is a great machine - its ability to copy A3 documents folded in half is better than I expected and its photo scanning is also better than expected. It just works.

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Comment from Bob Onysko on 2011-06-03

2011-06-04T00:08:04Z

Leo, please share your folder organization protocol with your readers. Besides the scans from ScanSnap, how about the protocols for other documents you store such as photos, documents, etc.?

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Comment from Mark J on 2011-05-31

2011-05-31T18:27:12Z

@Johnny
Most scanners have their own software and won't function with other software. You might try going to the website of your scanner to see if they have updated software, but it is not very likely that the will have any.

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Comment from Johnny on 2011-05-31

2011-05-31T15:43:05Z

I already have a scanner,, but would like to try another software for scanning. I understand that the ScanSnap has it's own software,, but what about us that has a great scanner but have not so great software?

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Comment from Mark J on 2011-05-30

2011-05-30T19:30:14Z

For us less intense users, I recommend a normal flatbed scanner for under $100. The few times it gets frustrating are not enough to make up for the price difference. I'm writing this not to disagree with Leo, but to let all you home users know that a scanner is a useful addition to any home. I send out an average of only 2 faxes a month and use an online fax service. The time savings alone of not having to run out to a shop has easily paid for the machine.

Actually, the resolution of many digital camers allow you to also "take a picture" of a page with sufficient clarity to suffice as a scan. With proper lighting it can do in a pinch.

02-Jun-2011

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Comment from Malik on 2011-01-04

2011-01-04T18:19:11Z

It is indeed a very useful tool however I have run into a slight problem. It is bending a corner on the top of every page.

have others experienced the same and is there a way to fix it?

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Comment from Bev on 2011-01-02

2011-01-02T23:57:12Z

I am trying to copy medical charts -- hundreds, maybe thousands.
each of the charts will have a name, e.g. John Smith, and certain sections:
1. progress notes
2. lab
3. xrays
4. consults
5. bills
each section will have entries from different dates.
Is there a way to scan the charts one at a time, Mr Smith, then Mrs Jones, then Mr x...
with possibly 50 pages in each chart, so that each piece of paper is named within the chart
e.g. Mr Smith
progress note date nov 1 2010
progress note date jan 2 2010
progress note june 6 2009
progress note feb 4 2009
then lab for dec 20 2010
lab for nov 6 2010
lab for jan 10 2010
lab for feb 6 2009
consult from dr P
consult from Dr K
consult from Dr E
bill for dec 7 2010
bill for march 12 2010
each of the items scanned will have the date in a diferent spot. does the date, section name need to be manually entered for each document?
or can the scanner pick up the name of the document and the date?
in other words, for a 50 page chart, does someone have to give a name to each of 50 pages? lab done on sept 12 2010 would not be helpful to look at if I am looking for a chest x-ray done on sept 12 2010.
If the scanner can't name documents fairly easily, is there another way to do this easily?
possibly program a drop down list with choices of progress notes, lab, x-ray, bills with many different dates (which already are in my microsoft word).
Thank you.
Bev

The scanner has no way of "understanding" the document you are scanning in order to give it a more useful name, or even help in creating one. It uses date and time. You then have to either accept that as a name (remember, if you enable OCR then the documents are searchable, and for many people that's enough), or you have to manually rename.

03-Jan-2011

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Comment from Richard Berman on 2010-03-09

2010-03-09T20:47:20Z

I bought my ScanSnap the year it was introduced and thought it was love...until I had the problems of having to give a file name to every document that scanned and this was not, at least back then,the most user friendly operation...and the complexity of ;naming' finally made me give it up...it still sits here on my desk as a lonely memento to "what might have been."

I guess I don't understand this. I mean, it's not going to magically come up a name that's meaningful to you, so how can you not expect to deal with naming? I don't find it that much of a chore, myself.

10-Mar-2010

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Comment from Milliaw Ozzaib on 2010-02-12

2010-02-13T00:20:11Z

Beware?

I've used the ScanSnap s510 for almost a year, and it was love at first sight. This wonderful scanner finally did what I wanted, and really helped reduce the paper in my office - until recently.

What used to be a joy has turned into a masochistic ordeal, as I now am getting frequent "disk full" errors after scanning sometimes as few as 3-5 sheets. I have a minimum 6 GB of free storage on the drive. The error appears most often in the "better" resolution (About 300 dpi?) and seems limited to the duplex (double-sided) mode. I've tried swapping the scanner between two machines to see if the problem is machine dependent, but have the same problem on both. One suggested fix, to change the file the scans are saved to (something about clearing the root files) hasn�t helped either.

To their credit, Fujitsu has suggested several fixes (which haven't worked) and seems interested in supporting the product, but hasn't supplied a solution as yet. None of the software upgrades, tweaks, or re-installs has worked. As I've had this scanner for almost a year, it may be this flaw requires some time to develop, or that there is some conflict in the XP upgrades that upsets the delicate software ecological balance on my machines that has turned this champion into a boat anchor.

Any suggestion is welcome.

I would guess that the drive which houses your Windows Temporary Files is close to full. Check all your drives and see if any are close to full, even if you think they're not being used by the ScanSnap. If there is one (particularly if it's C:) clear off some room.

13-Feb-2010

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Comment from Frank D on 2009-12-15

2009-12-15T19:17:06Z

Unfortunately, scanning is made to sound deceptively easy and "almost" foolproof. However, what about scanning your bank account records, for example? One digit in error and you can be in deep, deep trouble. Let me know when scanning is 100% accurate, not 99.9% or so, and then I'll allow myself to be sold on it for things other than literature, pictures, and the like.

Scanning: at a high enough resolution, you won't miss a digit. I now regularly scan all my bank statements and shred the paper. (Though whenever I can I skip the paper and download digitally.)

OCR: or "optical character reconition" that turns a picture of your scanned page into text - yep, that can be error prone. But as long as you have the original scan for visual verification, IMO you're good.

17-Dec-2009

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Comment from Patricia on 2009-10-21

2009-10-22T02:52:39Z

I absolutely love my ScanSnap at work so much that I purchased one for at home. At the office it has eliminated a four-drawer file cabinet stuffed full of invoices. Of course, check with your accountants, attorneys, or whoever to make sure digital documents are ok. Makes finding an invoice for audit much easier than dragging out those heavy storage boxes. And if a paper invoice is misfiled, well, it could be anywhere! I also scan such things as contracts (I also keep the paper document) or other documents which my boss seems to ask for every couple of months; e-mailing him the PDF is a lot faster than making that photocopy every time he asks for something. It is amazing how many uses you'll discover for this scanner.

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Comment from ian minter on 2009-08-18

2009-08-18T12:54:42Z

We have three of these at work and they are absolutely fantastic, really fast for multiple page documents, good operating software. Awesome machines

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Comment from Mark Jacobs on 2009-05-11

2009-05-11T21:37:39Z

For the rest of us poorer geeksand non geeks, I recommend any good flatbed scanner. It's much slower but does books, photos, my wrists (holding the books in place) and just anything. As a teacher, I find it indespensible. Of course being a geeky teache, I scanned in all of the textbooks I use and just carry my netbook around.

I'm also the advocate of paperless libraries, ie the internet hosting everything ever printed. I'm just waiting for Google to find a solution to get the authors paid.

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Comment from Leon Le Leu on 2008-11-13

2008-11-13T11:12:43Z

I normally use a Canon 2580C but I thought I needed another scanner so chose the ScanSnap based on price.

It is a drawback that you cannot produce TIF files directly but it is a simple matter to create TIF from PDF using the Microsoft Document Imaging software as a virtual printer.

It is easy to use. But I have noticed an error on several occasions - a disc full error. Has anyone else had that. All of my discs have ample room. Which disc is it referring to?

Anyway the error means I have to stop the scan after, say, 25 pages, and then continue the scan using a new file. I have seen no reference to this error on the Internet with respect to scansnap but surely other people are getting it.

I try to run a paperless office and the ScanSnap along with my Canon DR2580C are helping with that.

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Comment from Victor Kamikubo on 2008-11-06

2008-11-06T19:57:07Z

Fujitsu has a $50 rebate (check their website) until Dec. 31, 2008 on the ScanSnap s510.

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Comment from Steve Lajzer on 2008-11-04

2008-11-05T00:44:31Z

Just to add my two cents. I work for a large medical practice. We have two scanners that are about $3000 each (also Fujitsu) and we have four of the scan snap scanners for various light duty. I am the resident geek and when I want to scan something I almost always go to the scansnaps. They are just too easy and too versatile to use anything else. Color,B&W,Scan to PDF, or scan to a custom program, It does it all. You can make them scan to as many as five applications.
It is very quick and easy. I have been so happy with them that I also bought one for my home use.
I also have had the large scanners repaired and have to replace consumables often. Not so with the Scansnaps.

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Comment from Bill Fuhrmann on 2008-11-04

2008-11-04T17:46:33Z

Can the scanner be set to default to Group 4 TIFF compression? That is pure Black and White (no grays) and is a really compact lossless compression format.

90%+ of things I would want to scan would be prefered in that format.

I don't see an option for TIFF, only PDF and JPG.

- Leo (Notenboom)
05-Nov-2008

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Comment from Bo on 2008-11-03

2008-11-03T18:42:07Z

So, Leo, how big is the file generated by a double-sided color scan to PDF? Thanks.

Depends dramatically on the document being scanned (areas of solid colors or space compress better than images of text), and the quality of scan you choose. I'm seeing 32k or less per page to over 256k - again, depending on the complexity of the image. I also have slightly better quality selected than the default.

- Leo
04-Nov-2008

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