Fujitsu Scansnap Reviews

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By Roses are Red

I have now used this scanner for two big projects with documents and photos. I scanned over 100 photos, all different sizes in just a few minutes. The quality was surprisingly great. It even straightened the image if the photo went through the scanner in a skewed position.

I also had to compile over 40 sets of documents and did it with great ease. Before I bought this, I checked the reviews and was very impressed. This is probably one the best reviewed products I have ever seen.Now that I have it, I see why. I think I might get the portable version, too.

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By Bruce Zlotowitz

I purchased this scanner after reading many positive reviews. Even with my expectations set high, the scanner exceeded all my expectations.

The scanner design is nothing short of slick and innovative. The ingoing and outgoing paper trays fold over each other and use magnets to hold them in place. When folded, the scanner has an extremely compact footprint and keeps dust from piling up.

The installation was very straightforward. You first install the software and then plug in the scanner. ( I chose not to install the ScanSnap Organizer and I use windows directories instead.) The ScanSnap Manager works extremely well. You load your documents into the feeder, press the Scan button on the scanner and the magic begins. The pages zoom through the scanner, the software prompts where and how you want to save the scan, and when they say 20 pages (both sides!) in one minute, they are not exaggerating.

The business card software works very well. You fire up the software, load in your cards, hit Scan (I found that more than 10-15 were too many at one time) and the cards scan. The ocr then pulls the data into the correct fields. The card ocr is not foolproof and all cards should be viewed to ensure the info is correct, as businesses cards – especially specialty ones – don’t always convert properly.

The scanner automatically removes blank pages, which is a necessity when scanning in one-sided documents. It also cleverly rotates the scanned image if it was fed lopsided or if it was scanned upside down.

If there is one word to describe this scanner, it is “Smart.” While $425 may be pricey for home use, any businesses that wants to go paperless will find that this pays for itself over and over. We spent one day scanning and shredding our file cabinet. What amazes me most is that the scanner is considerably faster than our shredder!

This is the first review I ever wrote on Amazon.com but I was so impressed that I was inspired to write one. As you can tell, I’m a big fan of this scanner!

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By CWJ

I purchased the Fujitsu SnapScan S1500 during Christmas 2009. Over two months, I have scanned over 14,000 pages without problems. The scanner is truly a remarkable productivity tool that I will continue to use to convert my technical library into a searchable PDF library. All in all, the software does perform as the descriptions indicate. The scanner is extremely fast and performs in a very forgiving manner.

Although I am using the scanner with a Mac, I purchased the Windows version to get the Adobe Acrobat Pro 9. I run Vista using fusion, so I am able to utilize the Mac platform for most of my business applications and occasionally use Windows, if I really need to. The Mac has had absolutely no problems with the scanner. perhaps over the next several months, I will be able to reclaim 50 yards of bookshelves in my office.

The business card scanner software performs as advertised but it is not good enough to populate the Mac “address book” with the requisite information. The resulting data does not have the granularity that the address book looks for. I’m still trying to find software that will allow business card scanning with direct input into the address book. However, having said that I believe the software should work just fine with Microsoft outlook.

Note that the software is meant to only scan and “create” a searchable PDF file. The user would need software, such as Preview or Acrobat, to work with the file. There are numerous PDF software packages that can do all kinds of miraculous modifications to the file. If I have time, I like to cut out the articles such that the advertisements are removed and save the articles as a new PDF file. This helps with searching and file size. However, it does take more time.

A few points about using the scanner may help new users to avoid a few very minor issues. I like to read magazines and scan the articles that strike me. Most magazines have a gum backing (to hold the pages) which will leave a slight deposit on the scanner’s clear plastic scanning area. This is not detrimental to the scanner But after scanning numerous pages, the clear plastic windows should be cleaned. A soft cloth gently applied to the window will clear the gummy substance. Don’t be too aggressive as the gummy material will come off and you do not want to smear or scratch the scanning area.

Currently, I try to cut the backing off with a knife so that the gummy stuff does impact the scanner. Also, If you want to scan a book, use a table saw to cut off the binding or find a printer that has a “power knife” to slice off the backing.

The scanner is extremely forgiving if you forget a staple. Before scanning an old group of papers, be sure to fan the stack to ensure that the pages are not stuck to each other and that staples are not included in the batch. If a staple is missed, you’ll definitely recognize the noise as the feeder attempts to pull the stuck pages through. Quickly release the scanners lock mechanism which will open up the “clamshell” scanner design. This is a single button (push button lever) located on the right side of the swing-out portion of the scanner. Opening the mechanism will automatically shut the scan down, relieve the stuck staple (pages) and protects the scanner. The software will ask if you want to continue scanning but usually you need to straighten up the papers, remove any staples or stuck areas and re-start the scan from the beginning. I use an old credit card to “rake” the crumpled paper back into a semi-flat condition. The scanner is very forgiving for less than perfectly flat paper.

Sometimes the papers (reports) are bound using a spiral binding. after removing the spiral binding, simply load up the paper and press the scan button. Sometimes the holes may tend to catch on the (scanned) page as it exits the scanner which causes the overall scanned stack to start to spill off the tray. This is not a big deal. Simply remove paper as it begins to misbehave or watch and guide the sheets as they feed through. I usually sit with the scanner as it works since most scams are only a few pages. Often, the pages behave and over 50 can be scanned in one run.

Very glossy magazine pages may have to be fed through more carefully. A very large stack of glossy pages (20 – 50) may not feed through very well. Limit the number of pages to five or so. Five pages probably covers most articles.

PDF scanning software works quite well. It is very valuable to ensure that the PDF file is searchable. however creating searchable PDF files does take a bit more time. Once you start going to an electronic filing system, you no longer know which notebook or file folder the paper is in. Being able to search the text in the scan is the only way to find your electronic knowledge, regardless of how clever your filing convention may be.

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By R. Hsu “Tech Geek”

I bought this scanner with Amazon Prime about a week ago. Installation takes 5-10 minutes and it is exceptionally easy to use. The quality of the scans are amazing and the speed with which it scans both the front and back (3 seconds) is beyond anything that I have ever used. No more re-inserting a stack of papers to scan the back of double-sided statements. This scanner was an upgrade from a flatbed scanner I had with an automatic document feeder that only did 4 pages per minute. What a phenomenal upgrade for not much more! This scanner does 20 ppm but it is understated because it can do front and back at 20 ppm…so if you do the math, its really 40 ppm implicitly. After reading reviews on both Amazon and Newegg, I decided to buy this scanner and now I want everyone to know what a great deal it is. I was able to scan through a motley crew of about 30 statements in less than an hour. That same amount of work would have taken me hours. Thanks to all the other people that posted reviews and I hope this review convinces you that this is the right scanner for you. For those of you who are worried that this scanner might be too complicated, don’t worry. You simply install the software and push a button the scanner to scan. Its something I would recommend for computer users of any age, even my 60-year old parents!

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By C M Ellinger “ESW Inc.”

I needed a portable, super-high quality scanner for our tax/bookkeeping business and digitizing my home records. After about a month of research, I chose the ScanSnap. It’s an investment-type price, but it’s worth it. Everything you need comes in the box, and the install is very easy/fast- I’ve got it installed on both of my desktops and my laptop. I go to client’s homes and scan in multiple years’ worth of receipts, check carbon copies, invoices, and other tax documents at a time. The ScanSnap is small enough to carry with me or leave on my desk (the footprint is about the size of a half-sheet of legal paper) since it folds up so nicely. It’s super fast, and the color and B/W scans come out incredibly clear- even wrinkled, faded receipts come out clear and readable. Since it scans both sides of the page, it cuts the time in half. The organizer is pretty good so far, I’m still learning the software. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with this machine.

**I would recommend buying the carrying case and some extra carrier sheets, they’re really convenient to have when you have super wrinkled, or oddly shaped papers. **

Others have complained about jamming issues, but the only time I’ve had a jam is when I first started using it and I put too many receipts in at one time- it grabbed multiples at once. If you feed them one after another, (its easy to do) or just use a carrier sheet, this doesn’t happen. Just pay attention while you’re scanning, and use common sense, you’ll be fine. I scan for several hours at a time without a break, and have had no problems. I love this thing, and HIGHLY recommend it.

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By Rebecca Washam

I just recently purchased the Fujitsu ScanSnam S1500 and I LOVE this thing! It was very easy to set up, doesn’t take up a lot of deskspace, and the best thing about it is that it will upload scans to my MSFT Share Point database and will also scan business cards and put the information in my Outlook contacts for me. I can also just scan and directly email too. It scans very quickly as well. The only negative is, like other reviewers have said before, if you have anything on the back of your page, it will scan it along with the front, if it perceives it not being blank. Other than that small thing, this is a winner!

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By Thomas R. Malecki

For my purposes it’s a great little scanner that does more than I expected. Had only one problem where I needed to call tech. support and they did a wonderful job of correcting it. Would buy it again in a heartbeat.

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By N. Buchanan

I upgraded to the Scansnap S1500 from an old HP ADF scanner and the difference is amazing. The unit scans super quickly, nearly silently, and quite well. And for duplex, it is twice as fast, since it scans both sides simultaneously. The experience with duplex scanning is indicative of the difference between my previous sheet fed scanner and this one. With my old unit, I dreaded duplex documents, which involved scanning one side of the page for the whole document, then reversing the whole document and scanning again, and then interweaving the page. Now with the Scansnap, I look forward to duplex documents because it means I get twice the number of pages scanned in the same time.

I am a social science grad student digitizing all of the source material for my dissertation. So my experience with this scanner is primarily with B+W text scanning directly to PDF. For this, the scanner is amazing. And needless to say, I am on a tight budget. So believe me when I say that this unit is worth at least twice the price. This is especially so when you factor in shipping costs for moving documents (ie reams and reams of paper) from place to place. For grad students, who have a lot of paper, shipping can be a big expense.

But perhaps most importantly, here’s a tip on cross platform compatibility: Fujitsu sells two models, the S1500 for PC and the S1500M for Mac. HOWEVER, the device itself seems to be cross platform–and this can be confirmed with a quick google! While the device is, the software is NOT; however, the DVD that shipped with my S1500 came with BOTH Mac and PC versions of the Scansnap Manager. This is the basic software used to control the scanner. As a result, I am running my S1500 (which is sold as PC only) on a Mac. The only difference between the S1500 and S1500M (and this may be big if you do not already have a version of Acrobat Professional) is that the included Acrobat Professional disc is EITHER Mac or PC, not both, depending on the scanner version you purchase. SO … if you want to use this scanner in a cross platform environment, you can. However, you must choose which version of Acrobat you want–PC or Mac. (It is important to note that PDF authoring software is important to have if you want to get the most out of this scanner. While it will produce PDFs without it, authoring software is necessary to manipulate the PDFs you create–to rotate pages, combine or divide documents, etc.) Let me be clear that I only know for sure that the S1500 comes with both Mac and PC Scansnap Manager software. I assume the S1500M does as well, although I do not know for certain.

Also of interest is that the scanner works under Ubuntu GNU/Linux using SANE drivers and gscan2pdf. However, in my experience the scanner controls are not as complete under SANE and gscan2pdf as with Fujitsu’s proprietary drivers on a MAC and PC. Other seem to have had better experiences than I. Ultimately, Linux users should know that it is possible to use this scanner; however, it may take some tweaking. But if you use Linux, you are most likely used to this.

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By 1biggeek

First, I had the prior model. However, I am now hooked on Fujitsu and would not hesitate to buy the newer version, if only my old ones broke down. For my law office, I must scan all documents into PDF in order to file/scan with the court system. It is absolutely amazing how easy it is. I can scan a document, assign it to a folder and upload it to the courts in under a minute. I have bought several of the last model for my office, all with no problems after daily use.I buy alot of different types of electronics and this one was so easy and is so reliable. Highly recommended.

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By Ernest E. Svenson “Ernie the Attorney”

I’ve been using ScanSnaps since they first appeared on the horizon. Prior to that, I’d been on a serious quest to become totally paperless. I worked in a law firm and convinced them to get a scanner and I learned how to use it. The machine was large, complicated and expensive. If it hadn’t been so expensive I would have bought one for myself to use at home, but I just couldn’t justify it. When the ScanSnap was announced I realized that finally there was a scanner that could scan batches of documents at an affordable price. I assumed that there had to be a catch, and that would mean the scanner wasn’t quite top-notch.

I bought one anyway. I realized instantly that this was the holy grail of scanners. And, as I said, I’ve been using them ever since. Every one of these scanners has been a model of reliability. I’ve recommended these scanners to hundreds of people and every single person I’ve recommended it to has wound up falling in love with it. Like anything in the world of technology, it is best if you take the time to explore the settings and figure out how to make it work best for you. As a home scanner there is simply no other option, not in my view. The all-in-one machines are fine if you only want to scan a few things here and there. If you are going to scan stacks of documents then you need a real scanner.

How good is this scanner?

Well, like I said, I’m a lawyer and I’ve recommended this scanner to other lawyers and helped them set it up. Many other tech-savvy lawyers I know have discovered this scanner on their own. Lawyers as you may know, are huge devourers of paper. A couple of lawyers I know work in small firms where this is the only scanner. It can totally handle the workflow of paper that a small firm of lawyers receives. But, most of these firms quickly decide to get a scanner for each lawyer. And why not? It’s not that expensive, especially when you consider that it comes pre-loaded with Adobe Acrobat (which is normally a $200+ value). If you want to be paperless then you want to scan to PDF, and having Acrobat allows you to manipulate your PDFs (e.g. add signatures, insert pages, rotate pages, make sticky notes etc.).

I’ve used both the Mac version of this scanner and the Windows version and they are completely equivalent. They both work wonderfully. The Windows version of this scanner comes with wonderful software called ScanSnap Organizer, which makes it really easy to batch scan a bunch of different papers (e.g. bank statements, utility bills, receipts etc) and then later on put them into folders or whatever you want to do to organize things. The Mac version doesn’t come with this software, but there is a great program called ‘Yep’ (just google ‘yep mac software’ and you’ll find it) that costs about $34 and is even better (in my opinion) than the Organizer software that comes with the Windows version of the ScanSnap.

It’s rare in the world of technology that one product winds up dominating because it simply stands heads-and-shoulders above everything else that purports to compete with it. The Fujitsu ScanSnap is one such product. I advise a lot of lawyers about becoming paperless, and whenever I hear that someone has tried and failed to make the switch away from paper, I often find that the root problem is with their scanner. It’s either too powerful (and therefore too complicated), or it’s not powerful enough (e.g. the all-in-one device, and this is even true of the $10,000 high end multi-function devices). The ScanSnap is like the porridge in the Goldilocks fable: it’s just right.

Install the software, then plug it in and hook it to the computer. Configure it and then load a stack of paper. Try putting a letter in upside down and see what happens (it will auto rotate it to the proper orientation). It will straighten pages that you load crooked, and it will scan the front and back of pages at the same time. But it will toss out the back pages if they’re blank. It can scan in color or black & white. You can run OCR (optical character recognition) so that the document will be text-searchable (I don’t do this because it takes a little extra time and generally isn’t worth it, but you can do it easily if you want). If you get this and want more room on your desk then get rid of your fax machine and get a low-cost web based fax service like [...]which lets you send and receive faxes by email. You’ve got the Scanner and I presume you have an email account.

What are you waiting for? The paperless revolution awaits you, and all you need to make the first step is this Scanner.