SCAN STATION

Scanning for Workgroups

This 27-ppm simplex scanner is targeted at workgroups and departments, front offices and remote offices. It comes with the full version of Imaging for Windows Professional 2.0 from Eastman Software (Billerica, MA, 888-242-3518, www.eastmansoftware.com).

The hardware and software combined let you do things like scan to fax, scan to email, scan to print and scan to file in batches at a rapid rate. Unlike higher-priced scanners that require you to buy your own interface cards and cables, this scanner comes complete with cables, card and software.

Imaging Professional 2.0 lets you read and write Eastman Software Imaging Server image files and documents using ActiveX controls. It can also open and save images stored in any ODMA-compliant document management system. It can send images to Microsoft Exchange folders.

The Flow feature in the software lets you create little workflows that automate the handling of batches through several steps (such as scan, then enhance image, then OCR, then send to specified email recipient).

Installing this system was a little hairy at first. The scanner and the Eastman software didn’t talk to each other. Technical support people at Fujitsu and Eastman Software were very helpful. The problem turned out to be a configuration file that had been created by another software program being tested on the same PC. Once I deleted that file, all was well.

The quality of the scanner’s output was very good. Without any adjustments, it delivered four-point type clearly. Documents with black text on a white background were very readable. It handled forms with pale text on a shaded background with equal aplomb. It had trouble with dark shading, as do most scanners that lack a color dropout feature. Magazine pages came out clearly as well.

The scanner can output in grayscale, so if file size isn’t an issue for you, you can get excellent image quality. It has a CCD array, which should provide better image quality than the CIS units of some low-end scanners.

The paper handling was fine on ordinary plain paper and the scanner met its rated speed with ease (it averaged about 29 ppm for me). The document feeder is the same mechanism that Fujitsu has on its higher-end scanners. Shiny magazine paper and some thin documents were also fine. Very thick paper and paper with damaged front edges gave the scanner some trouble and led to a few jams.

The Imaging for Windows Professional software was a pleasure to use. Creating a Flow is very easy — you just click on the options you want. The first step in the mini-workflow can be scanning or pulling an incoming fax. The second step might be enhancing the image and/or OCRing it. The next step might be filing the document in a folder or emailing or faxing it to someone.

A Flow takes two minutes to set up. Once it’s set up, you just stick a batch of papers in the scanner’s ADF, click on the Flow and everything happens automatically.

We would recommend this scanner to companies that need to provide batch scanning in remote or front-office locations. It’s really handy if you want to scan and e-mail files or turn incoming faxes into electronic documents. The price is low enough that you can afford to buy several, and the performance is strong enough to handle significant daily volumes.

Scanner: ScanPartner 93GX
Price: $2,795
Speed: 27 ppm
Daily duty cycle: 2,000 pages
Resolution: 100-400 dpi
Duplex support: No
Document feeder capacity: 50 pages
Warranty: One-year on-site service. An $895 ScanCare package is available that includes two on-site visits and consumables.
Strengths: Good image quality, low price, useful software package. Ideal for remote office or light departmental needs.
Weaknesses: Image enhancement and OCR options are limited. It’s not for complex documents with color dropout, form ID or barcodes.
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