My reasoning: (Vista Ultimate laptop)
1) It intelligently waits until the computer is idle, to auto-perform OCR chores. You have the option to do so as you scan, but this slows down scanning. There's also a menu click which yields a list of scans awaiting OCR-- really nice touch!
2) Unlike proprietary organizers, the "cabinets" created within the organizer software are actual directories on your hard disk. Likewise, folders created within the organizer's cabinets are subdirectories on your disk. So, you get the best of all worlds-- use the organizer knowing you're not locked in, as it's just a slick interface for what is actually existing on your drive. (i.e., Create a cabinet = create a directory)
3) Thermal receipts, even trying-to-fade ones, come thru crisp and clear, miraculously, when scanning.
4) I have Adobe Acrobat Professional 8, which is a necessary evil in my business. I can now avoid that bloated monster altogether when it comes to receipts and anything else I choose to scan using this system. That alone is worth the price of entry!
5) The duplex scanning is wondrous-- paper goes thru only once, with both sides captured simultaneously -- speedily. This still blows my mind (I have a duplex Canon MP830 multifunction-- for all practical purposes, its scanner has been blown away by this device.)
6) Let's face it-- sometimes, paper jams. This is the FIRST machine encountered-- since the late 80's when I started computing-- which makes it so easy to fix things. You just push the little square silver arrow atop the scanner, open, get the paper, and close it. Incredibly easy and no-fuss! And yes, the wrinkled paper then flows thru fine (I gently kept a finger on that one item as it scanned thru, just to be safe.) BTW, I had scanned upwards of 300 items before a jam occurred.
7) Lots of options, re speed, resolution, etc. All easy to get to, all quick to implement. These folks actually used this thing during the creation process, as it seems they didn't miss a trick in making this a genuinely consumer friendly device!
8) The consumables are comparatively cheap. The pad assembly (Part # PA03541-0002) needs replacement every 10,000 sheets or a year-- google the actual part # to see the $8 retailers); the pick roller (Part # PA03541-0001) lasts about 100,000 sheets-- about $12. I noticed a huge price variation among retailers while googling, so I placed my order today; they're not in stock at most places, but I have plenty of time so who cares. This is bound to be a profoundly popular scanner per word-of-mouth, and consumable prices may increase accordingly. BTW, right-click the ScanSnap Manager tray icon for "check consumable supplies" to get a tally on current sheet usage, which you can reset during the replacement process.
9) Small footprint-- lives in a bookcase shelf atop my desk.
10) One of the rare occasions where I've had absolutely no post-purchase regrets with an electronic item!
Long and short of it is this: I've finally lived long enough to see one hardware manufacturer get everything right. There's a pdf manual, but I read it only to investigate consumables (thought it would be a "gotcha!" but was pleasantly suprised at the reasonable cost). I assume you're reading these reviews carefully (as I did), trying to decide between the ScanSnap and a lower priced alternative. For once, I decided not to play cheapskate, and boy oh boy, am I glad!! (The price here has already escalated a bit, so do it now, my friend!) Fujitsu ScanSnap S300 Color Mobile Scanner
I had been looking into replacing my flatbed scanner, but was intrigued by this small, mainly PDF unit. I decided to go for it for 2 reasons: 1) 99% of what I scan are documents perfect for PDFs, and 2) the scanner's small size. I am so happy with this scanner! The PDFs are crisp and clear, much better than my flatbed scanner. The scanner reads both sides of a page at once and automatically removes blank pages. It's also quite a bit faster and much quieter than my other scanner (which I'm keeping for handling photos and other types of scans). The software that comes with the scanner is nice - not hard to use/learn.
I'm using a PC running Windows XP, not a laptop. Don't feel that you need to be mobile to justify using this scanner, although I'm sure that would be a main selling point for those who are on the go.
This is an outstanding scanner. It really lives up to its name as it makes scanning a snap. The Scansnap's software is very user friendly, making it very simple to adjust things such as file type (JPEG vs. PDF) or scanning level. I also like how the Scansnap can scan both sides of a document or photo. The archiving systems also seems like it works quite well. The Fujitsu Scansnap is easy to setup and easy to use. I highly recommend it.
FOR MAC USERS
I made the mistake of assuming that the Fujitsu Scansnap would also work with a Mac. These days most things work easily with Mac, not the Fujitsu. Actually the Scansnap works nicely while I run Windows XP Pro on Parallels. The good news for Mac Users is that Fujitsu now makes a Scansnap for Mac. The bad news is that it's going to cost over $50 more! Apparently the different color and MacOS-specific software justifies the extra cost. - Scanner - Fujitsu - Duplex - Document Scanner'
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