Document Scanners Tame Paper Chaos
Models from Microtek and Fujitsu can turn piles of hard copy into convenient PDF files.Document scanners can transform a cluttered office into a more manageable place, and the $495 Fujitsu ScanSnap FI-5110EOX and the $150 Microtek ScanMaker 5950 are both handy tools for storing large volumes of hard copy information on your PC. I found each scanner ideally suited for different uses.
Both are USB 2.0 scanners that can convert documents directly to Adobe Portable Document Format, and each can manage up to 50 pages at once via its included automatic document feeder.
Fujitsu's petite ScanSnap FI-5110EOX PDF scanner.
The compact 5.5-pound FI-5110EOX--the latest addition to Fujitsu's ScanSnap line--is a sheet-fed model designed to convert single- or double-sided pages directly to PDF. It cannot scan bound books or magazines, nor is it intended to handle photos. But what it does, it does well. A single button starts the scanner, and a simple utility (ScanSnap Manager) lets you select the desired level of image quality and compression.
In my tests using a preproduction unit's default settings, the ScanSnap took just under 2 minutes to turn a 30-page document into a 300-dots-per-inch PDF (3MB in size) that was generally readable, although some small fonts looked fuzzy. The FI-5110EOX provides 600-dpi maximum optical resolution (up from 300 dpi in its predecessor). The upgraded software bundle includes Adobe Acrobat 6--an excellent workgroup collaboration tool--as well as CardMinder 2 for importing contact info from business cards into an electronic database.
Bigger Scan
Microtek ScanMaker 5950.
The 10-pound ScanMaker, meanwhile, claims more desk space than the ScanSnap, but it boasts 2400-dpi maximum optical resolution and can handle photos, books, and magazines. This multipurpose flatbed model also sports a bevy of push buttons to quick-start different scanning tasks, such as PDF creation.
The shipping ScanMaker I saw was much slower than the ScanSnap at PDF scans; it took nearly 8 minutes to turn my 30-page document into a 300-dpi PDF (4.6MB in size). However, although it has no PDF compression options, the ScanMaker's results were perfectly readable, including small fonts. The software bundle includes Adobe PhotoDeluxe 4.1 for image editing, ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR software, and a scanning utility (Microtek ScanWizard) that offers more control (such as the ability to adjust color) than the ScanSnap software.
The speedy but pricey Fujitsu ScanSnap FI-5110EOX is arguably the better choice if PDF creation is your only focus, and especially if you want to scan double-sided documents. For those who need a multipurpose scanner, the slower but more affordable Microtek ScanMaker 5950 does photo scanning and OCR tasks in addition to PDF.