I love the ScanSnap line and have had several models. I have adopted this product line at my workplace for personal scanners, and we have never had a failure. They're fast, reliable, durable and this model is no different. I've also owned the model slightly larger than this, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Mobile Scanner (PA03603-B005). I would definitely choose this model for the mobile traveling worker.
This is the first ultra mobile Scansnap, and I cannot convey how impressed I am with it! The device is literally about the size of two snickers bars put end to end. It's tiny, feels well constructed, and does not require external power. The software installation is quick is easy. It does not come with Adobe Acrobat Full version, like some of the older models used to include. It does not scan double sided as do many of the other Scansnap devices. If you've used a scansnap this one puts the brakes on and reverses you-- the paper actually feeds in the front and out the back-- Opposite of all Scansnaps. It works just fine once you realize what's going on there.
Those couple of drawbacks considered, if you are a mobile road warrior who needs to scan on the go, (signed paperwork, business cards, receipts, etc.) this is clearly my most preferred choice for a mobile scanner. The quality of scans is completely satisfactory, and honestly this little device does much better with tiny thin pieces of paper like receipts as compared to some of the larger models-- that are designed for a whole stack of paper-- and from time to time will skew a thin tiny receipt sideways and crinkle it up.
My thoughts on this model vs. the S1300: If you travel and set up at a hotel, temporary office or trade table type environment for a few days or all day, or need double sided scanning, the S1300 is a fine option. It's larger and takes more space if you're flying. If you travel or fly daily, or move from client to client during the day and want the smallest lightest option, this would be my recommended option. It would be perfect for sales forces, insurance company members, consultants, and others who go from place to place quickly, want minimal bulk, and the ability to scan a few documents quickly & easily. If you need to scan small stacks of paper, go with the S1300.
As I continue to have the scanner longer I will plan to update the review. But at this point, the install was easy, the scan quality is good and use is easy, and the device is unbelievably small yet feels "not flimsy" and I couldn't be any more pleased with it's functionality and portability. If you have any specific questions or would like a certain additional feature tested, please leave a comment below and I will answer you ASAP.
Update: I have added a photo of it in my hand for size comparison. It's unbelievably trim!
Update: I've completed my first business trip with 13 pages of various sized receipts, full page receipts, baggage fee wide receipts, etc. I was able to scan them all in about 2 minutes. As well, a couple features I didn't mention explicitly above: The scanner auto aligns the images-- you don't have to worry about feeding them through exactly straight. Finally, the software "sits and waits" between receipts you feed through, until you click "finished". This is a FAR superior software feature to the larger S1300-- because it takes a few moments to put down & pick up another receipt. The scanner sits patiently and waits for you to feed through as many receipts or pieces of paper as you want, with no urgency.
The scanning went perfectly and I'll post a few examples of the scans with no personal info on them as an example of scan quality. Since I've had the scanner I carry it with me in my backpack every day to & from work and everywhere I travel with my work backpack. Still going strong with no issues. Fujitsu SCANSNAP S1100 CLR 600DPI USB Mobile Scanner (PA03610-B005)
At last, this road warrior's arsenal is finally complete. I've tried multiple portable scanners over the years -- Antec, Neat, CardScan -- but they were always either slow, producing poor quality scans (Antec, Neat) or they lacked flexibility for scanning a range of document sizes (CardScan).
In the meantime I'd become an enthusiastic fan of Fujitsu's ScanSnap line, owning two desktop models, one for home and one for work. They performed so well, in fact, that I inevitably postponed all business trip scanning until I got back to the office, but after being out of town for a few days a longer, it was still always a chore I dreaded coming home to.
So the day the S1100 went on sale, I snapped one up right away, reviews-unread, and fortunately my faith in Fujitsu proved to be well-founded. The latest member of the ScanSnap family delivers most of the punch of the desktop models, including quality, speed, smart design and brilliantly simple-to-use software. A couple of features had to be sacrificed to whittle the ScanSnap down to ultraportable size that scans and chargers over a single USB cable, but they make for a reasonable compromise: the S1100 doesn't perform two-sided scans, and there's no multi-page feed. For my line of work this means I'm still able to process about 80% of my scans while I'm on the road -- usually at night, while chilling in front of the TV in my hotel room -- which gives me a huge head start on client follow-up and expense report filing. Just like its desktop big brothers, the S1100 is a little paper-eating monster, and you can work your way through an unwieldy stack of paper in a surprisingly short amount of time. The included Evernote integration is just icing on the cake, making uploads, filing, organizing and accessing files over multiple computers/devices a breeze.
There are two shortcomings with the new ScanSnap that aren't exactly deal-breakers, but still worth mentioning, although I'm still comfortable rounding up my recommendation to a 5-star review. A travel case would be greatly appreciated, especially since the S1100 is by its nature bound to spend much of its existence getting tossed around in suitcases. Build quality seems adequate enough, but I'm still concerned. For now, I've managed to recycle the slip cover case that came with my Neat scanner (so I guess it wasn't a total waste of a hundred bucks), but I'm still looking for something a little more solid.
The other annoyance is the ridiculously embarrassing business card software that's bundled with the ScanSnap line. I'm comfortable enough writing code that I managed to slap together a script that imports a PDF scan of business cards into my CardScan software -- which I never truly appreciated just how brilliant it was until I tried working with its horrendous, counter-intuitive competitors. Fujitsu really needs to track down a business card software that's worthy to be bundled in with the otherwise flawless ScanSnap line up, or they should just bury the option altogether, as fast as they can. - Portable Scanner - Fujitsu - Document Scanner - Easy'
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