Document Management Software Question

Posted by Chris Thompson
Nov 8, 2011 at 02:19 PM

I have a ScanSnap S1500, the big brother to the S1300. It is, without question, worth spending the money for a dedicated scanner like this if you have any volume of paper to deal with. At a minimum, to be usable, you want your device to have ultrasonic double-feed detection and be able to duplex scan in a single pass. The kind of speed that the ScanSnap devices have is also a boon.

The one drawback that feed-based scanners (like my S1500) have is skew. As the paper goes through the device, it tends to shift slightly, and since it’s being scanned as it goes through, you do get some skew. The driver software tries to correct for this, but it can’t completely. So if absolute fidelity to the original is a big issue for you (maybe archiving important books or family heirloom documents), these won’t do. I don’t see the skew issue mentioned enough in online reviews, which are generally just glowingly positive without discussing drawbacks. I do not know what roller configuration the S1300 has… it may actually be better than the S1500, which only has a single broad roller in the center of the page… you’d get less skew with several smaller rollers, evenly distributed, like the feed mechanisms that laser printers have.

If you’re into book scanning, also consider a dedicated book scanner. I had an OpticBook 3600 which worked well but it ended up breaking. These don’t have skew because they scan a whole page at a time over glass.

Ultrarecall is a good software choice for a workflow. I personally use DevonThink Pro. Depends what platform you’re using.

—Chris

Pavi wrote:
> >Hi, I am considering buying a scanner to facilitate the “paperless” lifestyle. The
>main function will be to scan receipts, old writings, etc. into UltraRecall. OCR
>would be nice.
> >Has anyone used, and can give opinions, on the following: Canon
>Imageformula P-150 and Fujitsu Scansnap S1300?
> >Also, should I get a dedicated
>scanner, or an all-in-one such as Canon Workforce 635 or Canon Workforce 840? I
>presume that the dedicated scanner has better software and usability for business
>cards, etc. However, my current printer is about to die, and having a new printer for
>documents (no photos) would be useful.
> >Any opinions?
> >Thanks, /Pavi