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.
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
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.
Slower flatbed scanner handles multiple tasks well, including PDF.
Price when reviewed: $150
Current prices (if available).
Speedy sheet-fed scanner excels at making PDFs from documents.
Price when reviewed: $495
Current prices (if available).
