Need recommendation on a scanner for business

[Nathan Foster]

Hi,

I need to purchase a scanner for business purposes. More
specifically, it will be used primarily for scanning documents for
electronic filing in federal court. The documents must be in PDF
format, and I would prefer that the files be as small as possible.

I know that many scanners come with software which creates PDF files,
but it is my understanding and experience that not all PDFs are
created equal. First, some will create only image-based PDFs, without
recognizing text first. Second, some with make different size files.
So, in all likelihood, I will purchase a license for Adobe Acrobat.
However, if I am going to go that route, I want to make sure that
whatever scanner I choose will play nicely with the Acrobat software
(the primary users are not quite as tech-savvy as I am, so no
compromises on usability).

So, I ask what are some good business scanners with document feeders
that play nicely with Acrobat? And should I be considering something
other than Acrobat? Cost definitely matters, as this is a small
business. Thanks, in advance.

Nathan

 

[Hecate]

Hi,

I need to purchase a scanner for business purposes. More
specifically, it will be used primarily for scanning documents for
electronic filing in federal court. The documents must be in PDF
format, and I would prefer that the files be as small as possible.

I know that many scanners come with software which creates PDF files,
but it is my understanding and experience that not all PDFs are
created equal. First, some will create only image-based PDFs, without
recognizing text first. Second, some with make different size files.
So, in all likelihood, I will purchase a license for Adobe Acrobat.
However, if I am going to go that route, I want to make sure that
whatever scanner I choose will play nicely with the Acrobat software
(the primary users are not quite as tech-savvy as I am, so no
compromises on usability).

So, I ask what are some good business scanners with document feeders
that play nicely with Acrobat? And should I be considering something
other than Acrobat? Cost definitely matters, as this is a small
business. Thanks, in advance.

One recommendation - whichever scanner you get, get Abbyy Finereader
as the OCR software. Much better than Omnipage in producing PDFs IMHO.

 

[David R]

I suggest you do your research on spacific scanners. First hunt out
those scanners by manufacturer that you think would make a good
choice. Then come back to Google and do a search for topic on them
and ask questions about them.
Suggestions on what to look for:
Get something with a document feeder. Don't get too cheap. You price
target is $700 up to $1500. I bought a HP 7450 two years ago and I
use it daily with Acrobat. Not everyone likes HP but I have had no
problems with it. Look for something that has a scan area of 8.5 x
11.

Here are some scanners you can look at.
www.Epson.com
www.Microtek.com
www.HP.com

 

[eastern]

Cost definitely matters, as this is a small business. Thanks, in advance.

Nathan

So does the cost of your time, especially if you're a professional. An
cheap OCR program that consistently produces a few percent more errors than
another, more expensive one, is probably not worth it. If you frequently
work against deadlines you might consider that also.

Dane

 

[Nathan Foster]

So does the cost of your time, especially if you're a professional. An
cheap OCR program that consistently produces a few percent more errors than
another, more expensive one, is probably not worth it. If you frequently
work against deadlines you might consider that also.

Dane

Ok, so I got away from this post for a while. Yes, the cost of my
time definitely matters. When I say that cost matters, I just mean
that this isn't for a huge operation. The scanner will, in all
likelihood, see relatively light use, though I would love to use it
more to get more of our documents in electronic format.

I will check out the software recommended above, but I would still
love a specific recommendation or two about a few models.

Nathan

 

[Nathan Foster]

So does the cost of your time, especially if you're a professional. An
cheap OCR program that consistently produces a few percent more errors than
another, more expensive one, is probably not worth it. If you frequently
work against deadlines you might consider that also.

Dane

Ok, so I got away from this post for a while. Yes, the cost of my
time definitely matters. When I say that cost matters, I just mean
that this isn't for a huge operation. The scanner will, in all
likelihood, see relatively light use, though I would love to use it
more to get more of our documents in electronic format.

I will check out the software recommended above, but I would still
love a specific recommendation or two about a few models.

Nathan