Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 Document Scanner

i've had this product for well over a year now. do read all the reviews and info regarding lack of twain and other facilities and know that you're only going to be happy if the bundled software does what you want. in my case it does. in fact the default settings are just what i want nearly all the time. i get a LOT of mail and scan it all, so basically I'm using this product for document archival and not, for example, for digitising photos and so on. i've found it a great product for this purpose and it has saved me so much time, im never going back to paper.

build quality is adequate but not amazing. the amount of papers you can scan at any time is limited by the hopper size, so large wads of paper (eg books) must be split up first. You have to have it tethered to a pc via usb and use the builtin software. there is a scan button on the unit itself, but i would like to see two buttons - "scan" and "scan single sided". by default, it will scan both sides, but some documents have rubbish on the back that you don't want copied. To force, single sided, currently you have to click on the user interface, which is slower than just pressing a button.

after several months of use, it will start to jam on multi-page scans. you can recover from a mid scan jam, but i find it easier to start over. this can be annoying until you realise that you MUST clean the rollers every once in a while. i use isopropyl alcohol, but probably a wet cloth would do if you're careful. it jams because the rollers get coated in dust from papers. this is understandable, so if you're a heavy scanner, remember to clean it, every so often and you'll be ok. I've also noticed occasional vertical colour streaks on images, maybe the image sensor is dying or maybe my cleaning isnt perfect. this would be annoying if i really cared a lot about the images. not enough info on this whether it's my unit or a generic defect or me.

regarding value for money, it's quite expensive, but I've been happy with it. in fact, i'd gladly pay even more for an even better model, however full up heavy duty scanners rocket in price. the copy of acrobat bundled has been useful. if you're on a slow PC, the OCR is very slow. personally, i scan documents to PDF without OCR then OCR those that i want afterwards. this means i can get everything scanned as quickly as possible and it's the speed and ease of this that i recommend with this product rather than all round features.

I already own a ScanSnap S510; this is the updated model for PC (there is also another updated version for use with MAC). I had been tempted to just go for a second S510 as I was a bit worried that a newer model might be less easy to use, but decided against that as most outlets were charging a much higher price for the older model.

I have not purchased a second ScanSnap because of any fault with the original. I just have two different offices and decided that it was preferable to have a ScanSnap in each rather than save scanning up to be done at only one location. My 'older model' ScanSnap is still working fine.

The S1500 is just as easy to set up and then use as the S510. All you have to do is place the item that you want to scan into the hopper, make sure it is face down, press a button and then most of the rest is handled by the software. Altering the image quality (and thus the amount of space each scan will use) is also straightforward and it is also easy to scan into a word document that will allow you to edit the text (something that I never managed to master with previous scanners).

A4 documents (and smaller things like cheques) are very straightforward scans; A3 items are also a breeze, although these items need to be folded and placed inside a (supplied) holder, which can be slightly awkward to start with as the folded edge needs to sit precisely at the edge of the holder or you end up with a gap in the middle of the scanned document (if the edge is too far inside the holder) or missing text (if the edge is outside). This does not take long to master.

The obvious difference between the S510 and the S1500 is actually a redesign of the body of the scanner. The newer S1500 has a more angular appearance and the 'scan' button is illuminated in blue (which is very nice). Otherwise the mechanics appear to be much the same so, if you are weighing up the pros/cons of the S510 vs S1500 I would tend towards the S1500 as the newer model but otherwise go for whichever is the cheapest option.

This is definitely one of those killer products you don't realise you need until you use one... When you finally have one, you realise how much time and effort (and money if you are a business) this little beauty will save you. I purchased mine before Windows 7 was released and had it running on Vista and XP. Fujitsu released an update a while ago and since since I upgraded to Windows 7 64bit, i have it working perfectly on this too. I haven't had any of the issues another reviewer experienced with the software, my guess is his pc has some other problems on it, or the Antivirus is scanning the folders that he is scanning into and slowing the process down, in which case I would force the AV to exclude the default save folder for scansnap (some of those packages are notorious for bizarre problems like that).

The product is very elegant, probably my best looking peripheral and is quite smart the way I only have to open the lid or close it to turn the device on or off. Aesthetics aside, most importantly for anybody is that it is extremely simple to use with two main workflows:

1. Quickmenu.. This allows you to put the document into the scanner, press the scan button and after completing the scan you get an on screen prompt asking you what you want to do with the scan and showing you lots of icons you will recognize. You can choose things like scan to email, print, word, excel, powerpoint etc. I think this is the way most people should use it if they are scanning different types of documents and want to do different things with each.

2. Standard mode.. This seems best setting for people who want/need to always scan into the same application (e.g. PDF into acrobat).. this allows you to set all of your preferred settings (quality, color, duplex etc) and every time you press the scan button, the scanner will use those settings and scan into the application or folder you set in your settings.

Unlike TWAIN/ISIS based scanners, It can be used very simply without having to read 100 page manuals to figure out what the names of the settings actually mean and what they do if you alter them. The settings are all labelled in user friendly terms that mean you dont need to be an IT professional to understand what it will do.

Some people have mentioned it doesn't have TWAIN or ISIS drivers.. Unlike other scanners that have complicated settings and options, this product requires no TWAIN or ISIS drivers because it has everything you need in the package. As a document scanner that scans directly to email, print, word, powerpoint, acrobat (or any other application that can open jpeg or pdf).. you simply dont need to use TWAIN/ISIS. Even people who want to use apps like Paintshop, Paint.NET etc (and believe they would need TWAIN acquire for that) can have the scansnap send the image to any of those apps. To do this, you need only to open the scansnap Manager, change the Mode to "Color" (instead of Color detection), change the file type to JPEG, then go to application, click add and find the exe file for your application. Once you have added it, it becomes an application that you can scan directly into... if my memory is correct, i think it allows you to define up to 10 applications in addition to the standard list that most users would require.

Personally i use my scansnap at home to do the following:
> Scanning all correspondence with HMRC and all tax return related documents
> Scanning all of my travel expense receipts straight into Excel so i can keep a track on my expense claims at work, I can even scan the very tiny receipts using the carrier sheet (excellent that they include this in the package).
> Scanning all letters from my banks (into searchable PDF), plus bank statements (straight into Excel) so i am able to properly check what i am spending against the online banking statement.
> Scanning utility bills and credit/debit card slips (those that still send them) straight into Excel, enabling me to keep tabs on my home expenses.
> Scanning business cards i collect during my business trips - This is achieved with the cardminder functionality which automatically OCR's the business card and puts all the words into the correct fields (e.g. name, surname, telephone, mobile etc) and enables me to make edits before saving. After that i push this straight into Outlook and then i'm able to sync all the contacts i want straight into my smartphone. This feature saves me a lot of time as I travel a lot and collect a lot of business cards.
> Another use i found was after I was denied warranty on a 10 month old speaker system because I couldn't find the receipt/shipping note (this definitely wasn't Amazon). Since that I started to scan every delivery note/receipt/warranty card for everything I purchase.. then let the software OCR them into searchable PDF. This means its really easy to find the details in case theres a future problem with a product i have purchased and no nonsense looking for paperwork afterwards.

The software that is included is excellent and intuitive to use, the scansnap manager software allows me to view, edit and manage the images even after they have been scanned. Think of it like windows explorer allowing you to view all your images in a tree like file/folder view, but with the added ability of sending straight to email, print or performing OCR and importing into word, excel, powerpoint etc all with drag n drop. One review said the OCR was slow on his pc, I have the software OCR everything in the background (I think the scansnap manager software manages this task) and have no slowdowns when OCR is taking place.
Whilst most people probably wouldnt require this, i found one of the coolest features was the ability to use a highlighter pen, mark part of the document with the highlighter (e.g. the word British Telecom), scan the document and the document could be sent to a folder called "British Telecom". Upon tinkering a bit more, i found you can set it to extract only highlighted text, or to extract parts of a page including graphics and tables, really smart idea.

The bundle also includes Cardminder as already mentioned, Abbyy Finereader and also includes a full version of Adobe Acrobat. One reviewer thought the product was expensive, I disagree with this. When you consider the price for Adobe Acrobat alone is almost the price of this scanner (look for yourself) which puts the value of this whole product bundle into perspective.

That reviewer complained also of paper jams, I found that wiping the rubber rollers periodically negated that entirely, somebody also mentioned streaky images, I found that is just when the glass gets dirty and is easily solved with a periodic wipe. I scan about 20-50 documents a month, so I just wipe it once or twice a month, nothing difficult in that.

All in all, I found it so effortless to use, i even took the risky decision to purchase one for my father so he could use in his business. This was risky because he is a bit of a technophobe at best, but i really shouldn't have been worried because he finds it extremely easy to use and it has become a tool he uses daily for his business.
Sometime after I purchased mine, they released a version that had some more software included (scansnap deluxe). This is the version I bought for my father, it simplifies things by presenting the filing system like a physical filing cabinet/rack, with ringbinders you can label and store "on the shelf". I found I am happy with the standard version, but my father finds this really helpful way of understanding how to manage his digital documents (just like you would with a physical filing system). I haven't really had chance to check the full functionality of that, but my dad says "its mustard".

If you are like me, have lots of letters, paper and clutter and want to rid yourself of it, I recommend you get yourself a scansnap and a paper shredder at the same time!!!! (Amazon should do a recommended buy the two together!!). You will never look back again.

The scanner comes with a 2 Year manufacturers warranty where they exchange the product within 1-2 days, you dont need to buy a 2 year warranty from squaretrade with this.