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June 3, 2009
Scanner Review: Fujitsu fi-6140
One of the nice things about working for Adobe is that occasionally nice things show up on my doorstep.
That was the case a few months ago when a Fujitsu fi-6140 scanner arrived. My test of this scanner was delayed as I waited for my new laptop to arrive . . . apologies!
Fujitsu fi-6140 scanner on my messy desk.
Fujitsu offers an entire line of scanners from inexpensive personal scanners to heavy-duty departmental scanners. Many of their scanner offerings include Adobe Acrobat, too!
| Need to learn about scanning and OCR in Acrobat 9? Check out my movie page to see how to use these features. |
The Fujitsu fi-6140 is department-level scanner that is rated to scan 60, double-sided black and white pages per minute at 200 dpi and 40, double-sided color pages at 300 dpi. This kind of performance is about three times what you'll find in a personal scanner.
The price is also about three times more:
For a small firm that doesn't do a lot of scanning, the Fujitsu fi-6140 might be overkill. However, if you have a lot of documents to scan, or difficult document types, this scanner has many benefits:
- TWAIN Interface
Unlike the ScanSnap personal scanners, Fujitsu's business scanners can interface to any software such as Acrobat. (You can't scan inside of Acrobat using the ScanSnap, which is an annoyance). - Scanning Options
The fi-6140 TWAIN driver offers sophisticated imaging tools such as edge cleanup, hole removal, document numbering, etc. You can even have the scanner automatically scan the front of pages at one resolution and the back in another. - Paper Handling
The fi-6140 capably handles thick card stock and other tough to scan documents. I scanned a stack of credit cards and it worked fine! - Speed
The fi-6140 is fast, really fast. If you scan large stacks of paper frequently, you will benefit the most. - Software Bundle
In addition to Acrobat, the fi-6140 includes full versions of professional-level software such as Kofax VRS Professional and Fujitsu ScandAll Pro. - Long Duty Cycle
In the rest of the article, you can read more about my overall impression of the Fujitsu fi-6140. In this review, I'll cover how to use this scanner with Acrobat and access some extended functions.
Spoiler alert: I liked it! Read on . . .
September 6, 2007
Using Acrobat with the Fujitsu fi-5110C Scanner
Fujitsu has an excellent reputation in the document scanning business. Many solo and small firms use their popular and inexpensive ScanSnap S510 document scanner—about $400 or so street price—for document scanning.
While I've scanned thousands of pages using my ScanSnap, it was a workflow challenge because the modely I have could not be directly controlled by Acrobat.
The ScanSnap S510 doesn'tt support TWAIN, a standard software protocol that allows scanning devices and software programs to communicate.
Thus, I was delighted recently when Fujitsu was nice enough to send me an evaluation unit of the ScanSnap fi-5110C, the next model up in the line. You can find this model for about $600 to $700 at various online stores.
The ScanSnap fi-5110c is a good choice for solo or small firms that want more control over scanning to PDF. It includes a good TWAIN driver and the full version of Adobe Acrobat 7 Standard. Fujitsu tells me that they will be upgrading to Acrobat 8 shortly. This device is compatible with both XP and Vista.
The ScanSnap fi-5110C is rated to scan fifteen double-sided pages per minute.
Read on to learn more about my experience using this scanner and some tips and techniques for setting it up.
November 9, 2006
Using Acrobat with the Canon DR-2580C Scanner
One of the perks of my job at Adobe is that partners send me cool stuff to evaluate. Sometimes the products come without any warning. That was the case when I received a Canon DR-2580C scanner recently. I don't even know who to thank!
The DR-2580C is a great scanner for a solo or small firm. The DR-2580C is rated at 25, black and white, double-sided pages per minute at 300 dpi. That's smoking fast! Best of all, this scanner includes a full version of Adobe Acrobat 7 Standard. I assume they will upgrade the bundle to Acrobat 8 in the future.
For a scanner this fast, the price is reasonable ranging from about $640 to $750 depending on the online retailer.
I've discovered a few tips for using this scanner with Acrobat 8. While we're at it, I'll make note of some new OCR features in Acrobat 8.
Read on more info…