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Document Scanners

Document scanners are what you need to take your office "paperless." These devices make quick work of turning mountains of paper into (searchable, if using OCR) PDF files.  Both Epson and Brother have excellent Linux driver support for these products.

Modern document scanners such as these are even quite good at scanning photographs and many users (except graphic desingers) find they can eliminate flatbed scanners from their desks.

All these scanners scan at an optical resolution of at least 600 dpi which is more than twice the maximum line screen of the great majority of consumer printers.  This means, in effect, "perfect" fidelity on (re-printed) output from scans.  [Of course this presupposes you are using the scanner, software and your printer correctly!]

These scanners also all offer single-pass duplex (i.e. 2 sided) scanning.  This is a very important feature if you are going to scan a lot of paper.

Epson (26 ppm)

Epson DS-510
This amazing and inexpensive document scanner connects directly to a USB port of a computer.  Drivers: TWAIN and ISIS.

This unit is often available as a refurbished unit at a significantly reduced cost.  Most of these "refurb" units are in actuality not used (or are barely used) as some people just don't have the patience to set up a piece of technology.  The refurbished units are generally available at more than 30% discount with warranties identical to new units.  Often the only difference with the refurb units is the box.

This entry will link to both refurbished (if available) and new units.

Epson DS-560
The DS-560 adds wireless network scanning.

It is otherwise identical to the DS-510.

 

 


Brother (24 ppm)

These Brother scanners are a bit more expensive than the Epson units.  While rated "slower," some people experience slightly faster results with the Brother units than with the Epson scanners. Your mileage may vary.

Brother ADS-2000eBrother ADS-2000e

Like the Epson this is an amazing and inexpensive document scanner and connects directly to a USB port of a computer. It can also can save files directly to a USB memory stick. Drivers: TWAIN, WIA, ICA, and ISIS.

Brother ADS-2500we
This unit is similar to the ADS-2000.  However, it adds wireless and network scanning, which can be significant productivity boosters.

It also includes a touch screen.  This can also make scanning more productive by providing greater feedback and more direct access to features on the unit itself.  This is useful particularly when scanning to a network location.  Indeed, this scanner does not need to be anywhere close to a computer (as long as a network connection is available).



Page Last Edited: Monday, May 30, 2016
Page First Published: July 24, 2015

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