Good document scanner with ADF, PDF and OCR

  • Thread starter silenceseeker2003
  • Start date
S

silenceseeker2003

I am currently shopping for a good scanner that will handle automatinc
feeding in multiple pages without jamming every 5th page that I scan.

I would also like it to have the ability to automatically generate
*text searchable* PDF files (possibly based on some text recognized in
the scanned page by packaged-in OCR).

The ability to automatically produce Word documents (by means of OCR)
is a plus.

I don't need lots of colors, just high speed document scanning at a
reasonable price for a small business (SOHO).

I have no clue how to start looking at and comparing the right
products without spending years of reasearch... :)

I would appreciate any tips or recommendation that you may be able to
share with me.

Thanks,
Sam
 
S

silenceseeker2003

I am currently shopping for a good scanner that will handle automatinc
feeding in multiple pages without jamming every 5th page that I scan.

I would also like it to have the ability to automatically generate
*text searchable* PDF files (possibly based on some text recognized in
the scanned page by packaged-in OCR).

The ability to automatically produce Word documents (by means of OCR)
is a plus.

I don't need lots of colors, just high speed document scanning at a
reasonable price for a small business (SOHO).

I have no clue how to start looking at and comparing the right
products without spending years of reasearch... :)

I would appreciate any tips or recommendation that you may be able to
share with me.

Thanks,
Sam
Click to expand...

OK - I think I am onto something that may make everybody's life here
(especially mine) somewhat simpler:

Is it still safe to say that the Fujitsu S500 ScanSnap is the best
bang for the buck one could get today?

http://tinyurl.com/2t9fcu

Is it true that it is "by far the most reliable in the consumer
scanner business" as described here?

http://tinyurl.com/3dmu2r

If so, why would anyone choose to pay $19,000 for a similar scanner?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16838115028

(not that I plan on spending that much, I am just curious to know what
could possibly be worth a price difference of $18,500)

Also, I noticed that the S500 was discontinued and was replaced by the
S510 (from the same ScanSnap series). In my experience, newer products
are always less reliable than older ones. Is that the case with the
ScanSnap S5xx series, or can one say that we have an exception?

Thanks,
Sam
 
S

silenceseeker2003

No answers?

No problem. Here is an intermediate result of my research:

First, the S510 is identical to the S500 as far as hardware is
concerned. It is EXACTLY the same exact piece of hardware. The only
difference is the bundled software:

http://www.fujitsu.ca/products/scansnap/s510/compare.html

Second, it appears to be supported on Linux, despite not being TWAIN
compatible:

http://www.awe.com/mark/blog/200709161530.html

Third, the bundled software does support SEARCHABLE PDFs:

http://tinyurl.com/2qhdta

Looks like a worthwhile investment. :)

Sam
 
S

silenceseeker2003

On the other hand, for the same (or lower) price, I can buy the Canon
imageClass MF4690 Laser MFP which offers not only duplex ADF but also
duplex printing, copying (why would I want to do that?) and faxing.

http://tinyurl.com/36n49k

The only downside is that its ADF is only 35-sheet (vs. 50-sheet in
the S510) and the scanning speed is... unknown? (the S510's is 18
ppm).

Actually, there is another HUGE downside (for the Canon) which is the
duplex scanning feature: it does not do that in one pass, but in two.
Which means less reliable paper feed (and eventually shorter life).

Anyone has any experience with the Canon imageClass MF4690 ?

Thanks,
Sam
 
S

silenceseeker2003

Oh wait... the Canon imageClass MF4690 does NOT have duplex scanning
capability. How could I miss that?

Sam
 
J

Jan Groshan

Have you checked out the Xerox Documate 152? I just got it and LOVE it.
Twain AND WIA. Fast, easy, compact design, and with PaperPort 11 and
OmniPage it does everything I could want. I scan into several programs and
the Twain and WIA works seamlessly. Duplex scanning is done in one pass.
It's a bit more expensive than the S510, but I think it's worth it.
 
S

silenceseeker2003

Have you checked out the Xerox Documate 152?
Click to expand...

No, this is the first time I hear about it. Thank you for letting me
know. I will certainly consider it - if I eventually decide to go for
a stand alone scanner (vs. MFP).

The temptation to get an MFP for the same price is too big. I need a
B&W laser printer, too and it seems almost dumb on my side not buy the
Canon imageClass MF4690, hitting two birds with one stone.

This is despite the fact that the Canon imageClass MF4690's canner is
not a duplex scanner. Worst case, if I find out that I need the speed
and functionality of a single-pass duplex scanner, I can alway buy the
Fujifilm or the Xerox (and continue enjoying the convenience of a
duplex laser printer, a copier and a fax machine).

One jiffy before I actually go ahead and purchase the Canon imageClass
MF4690, I just need to make sure that it is capable of generating
**TEXT SEARCHABLE** PDFs.

Thanks,
Sam
 
J

John

I like the Canon and Panasonic high speed scanners they are very good,
reliable and built for heavy use. The only thing is the high price of
the ink cartridges but if you shop around you can find them for around
£60. Some of the offerings from Kodak also look good. I don't think I
would consider any other make for a document scanner than those. I do
like Xerox photocopiers and printers though, they can't be beaten.

John
 
J

John

No, this is the first time I hear about it. Thank you for letting me
know. I will certainly consider it - if I eventually decide to go for
a stand alone scanner (vs. MFP).

The temptation to get an MFP for the same price is too big. I need a
B&W laser printer, too and it seems almost dumb on my side not buy the
Canon imageClass MF4690, hitting two birds with one stone.

This is despite the fact that the Canon imageClass MF4690's canner is
not a duplex scanner. Worst case, if I find out that I need the speed
and functionality of a single-pass duplex scanner, I can alway buy the
Fujifilm or the Xerox (and continue enjoying the convenience of a
duplex laser printer, a copier and a fax machine).

One jiffy before I actually go ahead and purchase the Canon imageClass
MF4690, I just need to make sure that it is capable of generating
**TEXT SEARCHABLE** PDFs.

Thanks,
Sam
Click to expand...

Why don't you pack it in and quit?
 
S

silenceseeker2003

Why don't you pack it in and quit?
Click to expand...

I tried to quit, believe me, but my wife won't let me - she says I
need to bring food to my 12 kids, so I can't quit (my work).

As for packing in, I will definitely pack in the bloody scanner and
send it to the manufacturer (once it breaks). They don't make them
anymore the way they used to, you know.

I just have to buy it first.

Sam
 
S

stronky

Hej Sam, and others

I've got a somewhat similar question, maybe you can help me out.

I need an automatic document feeder (ADF)-scanner and additionally,
I'm looking for software that can change the names of the scanned
documents into a text that is in the pdf-files. So, the documents I
want to scan are contracts, with a contractnumber on it. The scanned
files are given names by the ADF-scanner, but I want to change these
names into the contractnr.pdf. (This way I can search for contracts by
contractnr!)

Preferably in a batch mode, there are about one hundreds contracts a
day, and I don't want to change these names manually! I hope any of
you have experience in this and can give me some suggestions.

Thanks in advance!
Leona
 
C

CSM1

Hej Sam, and others

I've got a somewhat similar question, maybe you can help me out.

I need an automatic document feeder (ADF)-scanner and additionally,
I'm looking for software that can change the names of the scanned
documents into a text that is in the pdf-files. So, the documents I
want to scan are contracts, with a contractnumber on it. The scanned
files are given names by the ADF-scanner, but I want to change these
names into the contractnr.pdf. (This way I can search for contracts by
contractnr!)

Preferably in a batch mode, there are about one hundreds contracts a
day, and I don't want to change these names manually! I hope any of
you have experience in this and can give me some suggestions.

Thanks in advance!
Leona
Click to expand...


I don't think anybody ever came up with a software that can find the
contract number every time and use for a filename. There are automatic
filename generators that increment the number.

There are plenty of scanners with ADF and there is good OCR and PDF
software.

Some of the better document scanners.

Microtek.
http://www.microtekusa.com/di.html

Kodak scanners
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/dpq/site/TKX/name/DIHome

Kodak Software
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/dpq/site/TKX/name/SoftwareRoot

There are many others.
 

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