Customer Reviews

Fujitsu SCANSNAP FI-5110EOXM-15PPM FOR MAC USB 2.0 ( PA03360-B035 )

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am offered items to review almost every day; everything from iPod cases to large format printers to hard drives to monitors to the plethora of software available on the Macintosh. Most things I turn down, as there are only so many hours in the day, and only so much space in my office for another piece of hardware. So when the opportunity came up to review the ScanSnap, I was surprised that I actually wanted to.

I had in my mind, before the unit arrived, what the ScanSnap was all about. A document scanner, not a flatbed scanner. I read it does duplex scans (both sides of a document at the same time) and outputs directly to Adobe Acrobat format. It all sounded good to me, but the proof is in the pudding.

Well, the pudding is small, as in tiny, it is fast, and it tastes really good! Okay, enough of the metaphors.

The ScanSnap is so much smaller than I had thought it would be. When I first unpacked it, I looked back in the box to make sure there was no base unit or something I did not see. This thing is about the width of a half loaf of bread, and the depth of half that! Small and tiny, just the sort of thing my desktop work area appreciates.

Size matters, yes, but not as much as functionality does. If it does not work as advertised, well, it could be the size on an iPod and I would not be impressed. Thankfully, the folks at Fujitsu have not let me down, as the ScanSnap works and works very well.

Installation is painless but does require a restart. I noticed that there is no TWAIN import functionality, but for the purpose this document scanner was created for, I don't see this as a negative. You won't use the SnapScan for importing high-res graphic files. For that, a drum or flatbed scanner would be more appropriate.

On the software side of things, SnapScan uses Adobe Acrobat Standard, which comes free in the box with the scanner. When a document is scanned it (more on that in a moment) it is saved as an Acrobat file. This is great for a number of reasons. First, Acrobat has become the default document format for transmitting and printing most documents. It is flexible, easy to use, but also powerful enough to use as an electronic workgroup and documentation online (or off) workflow. You can set passwords in Acrobat so that you can have some control over who can / can't open sensitive documents. Spotlight can also search text within PDF files, although not documents scanned with the SnapScan, as these documents are scanned as a picture, without any OCR involved.

No OCR (Onscreen Character Recognition, the process of a software application understanding text when it is scanned in and converting it to editable text and font) is probably the most disappointing aspect of the SnapScan. While it is great to be able to quickly and painlessly scan in all your important documents, there is no way to search for text within those scanned files. Also, the user is not prompted to name each file as it is scanned, so to create somewhat of an organized structure of your scanned documents, the user is forced to go back and rename files. I found doing a Save As in Acrobat worked well, after which I would delete the original scanned PDF.

The SnapScan settings give the user a good combination of options such as compression rate (the lower the compression, the greater the scan quality, Paper Size (I leave it at Automatic Detection, which works great), file format (don't like PDF? Save your scans as JPGs instead), Scanning options (quality, color mode, and scan button), Save options, and Application options in case you would rather Preview open the scan over Adobe Acrobat. All in all, most of the option a typical user would need to control the scanner.

The ScanSnap software automatically launches at start up, so there is no need to hunt and find the application to start scanning. The software and hardware is all ready to go.

The most impressive aspect to the ScanSnap has got to be the speed a document is both scanned and displayed on screen. The advertised speed is 15 pages per minute, which may not sound like much at first, but basic arithmetic will show that is four seconds for one page. And not just one side of the page, but both sides of each page! The scanner is intelligent enough to know if what you are scanning is a one or two-sided document, and acts accordingly.

One button scanning. Add the document(s) you want to scan in the feeder (50 sheets capacity) and push the big round button, and the ScanSnap takes it from there. It is so simple; the ScanSnap is the Macintosh of small office documents scanners.

I had so much fun working with the ScanSnap; I got carried away scanning every document I could find. Mortgage papers? Checks. Insurance papers? Check. Old pay-stubs? Birth certificates? Receipts? Check, check, and check. The scanner is so simple to use, and PDF's small enough (even on high quality settings) to easily archive, I feel this is the first document scanner I can use to truly move all my important papers into electronic format.

Here are the specs:
Scanning Range: A4, A5, A6, B5, B6, Business card, Letter, Legal and Custom sizes (can set for up to 5 different paper types) / Automatically recognizes paper type by paper length
Interface: USB 2.0 (1.1 compatible)
1 Year Limited Warranty
Scanning Speed: 150dpi Color, 15 PPM, 300dpi color 5 PPM
Compatible with Mac OS X 10.2 and up.

MyMac.com Rating: 4.5 out of 5

It is a pleasure to write a review for a product which exceeds ones expectations. This is truly a wonderful scanner and software combination for an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) connected to your Macintosh.

Several years ago, I installed a corporate EDMS system connected to a central server. Since that time I wished there was something which could be used at home or in a small office which would allow me to shread much of my filed paper. This inexpensive system provides such an opportunity.

With the Macintosh operating system using 10.4 with Spotlight, searching for documents is very easy. I was very concerned about the ability to store a lot of documents, but then not have a way to find the stored documents. In the corporate system using a central server, one establishes indexes for storing and retrieving your documents. But it is easy to set up a file structure to store your documents on an individual computer. You must think ahead to set up a folder structure to organize your files before you start.

The Adobe Acrobat software included with this software allows you to add search criteria in several ways. First you can add keyword metadata to each file, or simply use an file name if there is sufficient space. Acrobat also provides a very good OCR engine which will convert your document from an image to a set of searchable words. It is not extremely fast, but it is much faster than I had expected. Once this has been done, Spotlight again can search for any word or set of words which are included in the document.

The quality of the scans if very good. It is nice that the scanner does both Simplex (single sided) as well as Duplex (double sided) scanning. The scanner can automatically determine if the document is single or double sided, but makes a mistake on occasion if the document is dirty on the back of a single sided page. However it is easy to delete pages from a multipage file if one is added by mistake. It is also easy to crop images once they are scanned. It is wise to review and adjust images if necessary before saving the file and putting it in the correct folder. Acrobat also can easily rotate pages if they need to be rotated 90 degrees either clockwise or counterclockwise or simply 180 degrees. By doing this quick review and adjustment, you know the file will be of excellent quality when you need to go back to review it at a later time.

The feeder on the scanner works very well. It say that it can hold 50 sheets, but I have loaded more and it still worked fine. There are occasional jams, but it is very easy to clear the jam and continue with the file your are scanning. For most papers, the fastest scanning speed produces a very clear image. However when I scan detailed maps, I find that I would like a little more detail and have moved one step further in finer imaging. However there are two more of which I have not found the need to use. The scanner has autosizing feature for scanning paper. I have found that I can scan anything from the size of business cards to 8.5 x 14 paper on this scanner. It does NOT have a flat bead and always uses the auto feeder. All files produced by the scanner are pdf which is a very useful format.

Acrobat has a featue to let you email the file to another person which I have found very convenient. Since the scanner scans so quickly, I have found that I use it very frequently for emailing documents rather than faxing.

The footprint of the scanner is very small and fits nicely in your workspace. It folds up easily to make it even smaller when not used. It folds so easily that I usually close it when it is not being used.

The drivers for the Macintosh work perfectly. I have not found any problems and it is very easy to adjust the settings.

In the corporate system I installed, we also used Fujitsu scanners which scanned 39 pages per minute. The only advantage I see they had is that the sheet feeders were a little larger and they also had a flat bed scanner option. However they cost nearly $10,000. So what a bargain this scanner is at $400. I did not buy mine at Amazon as I found that the market provided the same scanner at about $60 less.

In conclusion, I would strongly recommend this scanner for any person or small business wanting a way to eliminate paper and make your files much easier to retrieve. If you start with such a system, make sure that you do regular backups of your hard drive. I was frequently asked about how secure the files where when using an EDMS system. I would reply that they were very secure because we backed up the servers every night and stored out backups off site. The small user can do the same thing using either DVD's or other storage medium. What people must remember is that data can be secured much easier that stored papers. How many people keep copies of all their paper work off site? Should you have a fire, it is easy to retrieve your backups and buy a new computer. You will have all your files back and can be up and running again in a very short period of time. But if you have lost all your papers, you could be fumbling for a long time.

So what do it think of it....Absolutely Super!

Tried many other solutions for scanning bills, etc. to PDF files. This is by far the best solution that is compatible with the Macintosh. Have had little problem with misfeeds and the software handles them very well. The OCR with the bundled Acrobat works reasonably well and is extremely easy to use.

I love the basic design, great hardware/software linkage, and software interface of this Mac-happy scanner. However, I value my time too much to babysit the feed mechanism of the unit I received last week. It inconsistently graps multiple pages as other reviewers have disclosed. So, if you're scanning a 10-page doc and it misses one somewhere along the way, have you really accomplished anything? No. You must either try the whole thing again (with likely the same result), or you must figure out what page(s) is missing, scan it separately, and go thru a simple yet not expedient Acrobat process to insert the omitted page. In the end, this machine made it +90% of the way to being a really great product, but the shortcoming fouls half the machine's overall utility. Swing a little bit harder next time Fujitsu.

I am a heavy use of DevonThink Pro office software for the Mac, and the Fujitsu ScanSnap for Macintosh is the absolute ideal companion for scanning documents. DevonThink Pro does a lot more than hold pdf documents, but turning paper into pdf for long term storage is a major issue even in my small one-man office. This combination of tools allows me to scan any loose sheet paper, and then throw it into a storage box that I've never have to open again. It would be better and cheaper if Fujitsu left out Acrobat standard edition, and replaced it with DevonThink.

This unit is very fast and accurate. It automatically detects double-sided and color documents and organizes them accurately. The documents are surprisingly small when in finished pdf format, although you should have a fast computer with a lot of disk space to make the best use of this, because once you get started, you'll find yourself emptying out your file cabinets into your document center.

I've noticed mention of jamming in other reviews, so I'll just add that it does occasionally jam, especially if you mix paper sizes. Removing jammed paper is extremely easy and fast, so it's a non-issue. The benefits of this system greatly outweigh any small inconveniences. In the past I used Paperport a great deal, and the failure rate with it was much higher than with the ScanSnap.

I still need to use an HP flatbed scanner when I need to "photocopy" pages that are still in books. Formerly, I used my HP with ADF for stacks of paper, and the ScanSnap "blows it away". Also, the ScanSnap is not intended for photo quality images, so hang on to your old flatbed for photos.

This particular version is for the Macintosh. When I first ordered mine, I accidentally ordered the PC version and had to pay a hefty re-stocking fee, so be sure to order the exact one you want.

This scanner is just what I've been looking for for the past couple years - and now it's finally out for OS X!!! Think: paperless office! I took my filing cabinet, scanned a couple thousand pages to PDF, did a backup and archive of my PDF files, then burned all the paper! The ScanSnap is a joy to use! At first I had a couple paper jams, but then learned how to fan the end of the stack so it never jams! I love this, and Adobe Acrobat is wonderful for editing, rearanging pages, etc. I highly recommend this product. It's the perfect companion to my 12" iBook!

What a wonderful machine. Scanning is effortless. It hardly ever jams and takes up minimal space on my desk. I cannot recommend this scanner enough

The thing that most impressed me with the Fujitsu Scansnap was the ease of installation and instant results. I did the install with a member of our staff and this is the sort of situation where you can usually expect delays and snags and lots of groaning and pulling of hair and rending of garments. Not the case here. I took a quick glance at the handy quick start guide, installed the Scansnap application, then I installed the included Adobe Acrobat with distiller package, plugged in the scanner and attached the USB cable to the iMac G5, fired up the scanner software and checked the settings according to the quickstart guide, put a page in the scanner, pushed the scan button and, I kid you not, shazam!, in about 5 seconds Acrobat lauched and displayed a PDF of the page -both sides. Very impressive. Amazing job and a tip of the hat to the team that did the hard work on this down at Fujitsu. The scanner software allows a number of handy features like control over PDF compression and so on. You get a full copy of Adobe Acrobat and Distiller to boot. What's not to like?

Worried at first to get average Mac software, as you do with a lot of Canon, Sony..etc products. Fujitsu software is surprisingly good. Despite minor issues that they should really try to address (i.e. automatic paper size detection can't deal with the first legal page in a letter stack), the install, setup and use is easy.
I really like the automated features such as color/B&W detection, size detection (most of the time) and the on/off simply by closing the cover.
Scanning at average (but readable) quality is amazingly fast (as long as you have a computer that can cope with it).
Finally, it's very small and doesn't look bad on a desk!
Congratulation Fujitsu for releasing an above average Mac scanner and software.

At last, someone has gotten ADF scanning right for OS X. I cannot recommend this scanner highly enough. Including the reboot of my MacBook Pro, installation of software and setup, took approximately 5 minutes from box opening to start of scanning. I popped in a 20-page document [almost all text and a few B&W images], and the Fujitsu scanned it in less than a minute. Seconds later, I was reviewing it in Preview. The inclusion of Acrobat Standard & Distiller 7.0 is a bonus. At this price, and this level of functionality, this ranks as one of the best add-ons for our home ever. [Note: I have not checked to see if I can scan over a network yet.]

UPDATE: This is potentially a great unit. And it works beautifully with my Mac. Image quality and OCR and duplex all work just as advertised. One flaw is that it cannot scan different size pieces of paper as part of the same document group [not unique to this scanner though]; so, if you have a bunch of papers from your mortgage file, but they are different sizes--as is often the case--forget about it. You will have to scan them separately. But for me, the worst is that the ADF [the Automatic Document Feeder] quit working properly after just a week. No matter what I do, it pulls through multiple sheets at the same time. I can actually scan individual pages faster on my Canon flatbed. FWIW, Fujitsu support was great about arranging a loaner and getting it repaired. However, the ADF is still on its best day, only 80% reliable. I have read that the S510M is more reliable.

If I were to write this review for the first time, I would give it just 3.5 stars, but I cannot seem to change that part of the rating.