Scansnap fi 5110eox2
The Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 is a handy little device, if you need documents scanned. It’s small, for one thing, so you can fit it on most desktops, which is extremely convenient. But the real question is whether or not the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 works, and does it work well enough to justify its price tag? (Click here to check latest price)
If you’re in business, be it big or small, you’re living in a hybrid world of digital document imaging, somewhere between the world of paper and the allegedly paperless future. You do virtually all of your communication by way of phones or email, but that hasn’t eliminated as much honest to god on paper paperwork as you might have liked.
Document scanning is a good way to deal with this, assuming that you’re trying to avoid being buried under an avalanche of TPS forms and their cover sheets. This is where document scanners like the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 come in handy, allowing you to store the documents digitally and shred the rest.
This isn’t to say that document scanning doesn’t come with it’s own problems including but not limited to:
- paper jams
- software issues
- storage space issues
- file corruption
- unforeseen mechanical problems
Document Scanners
If you need to keep your office organized and clutter free with a minimum of hassle, you need to buy a good document scanner, which brings us to the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2.
Hardware wise, the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 is a compact, slick looking device. The actual machine itself is the same as the original model, as the only changes were to the software system that runs it. It’s designed to accommodate paper up to legal size (8.5 X 14 inches) , so if you have larger documents, you’re going to need to look elsewhere.
Aside from the compact size, the other big thing that the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 has going for it is the sheer speed. The company specs say that the scanner will scan a document every four seconds, or fifteen a minute. The actual machine seems to work a little faster than that, which can actually add to a meaningful amount of time if you use the thing a lot.
Business Cards
While the ScanSnap is primarily intended for use as a document scanner, it also does double duty as a business card scanner, which is a feature that a lot of small businesses ignore when they really shouldn’t be. You probably get a ton of business cards and unless you have some kind of system in place, you probably spend a lot more time than you should keeping track of them.
The Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 allows you to scan those cards, transfer them to your computer and throw the originals away. This is another area where the desk friendly size comes in, because if you keep it on your desk you can do this in a flash. Instead of looking for business cards, you’ll have them right at your fingertips.
Duplexing
The other real time saver on the ScanSnap is the duplexing feature. Basically, it will scan both sides of a sheet of paper without you having to do anything, so you can actually scan thirty pages a minute by scanning both sides of a two sided sheet of paper. More, if your particular scanner outperforms company specs, which they often do.
The Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 also does a bunch of stuff automatically, which also serves to save you time. When you use the duplexing feature, it automatically orders the pages in the correct order, assuming that you had them in the right order in the stack. With other scanners, you run a real risk of having to go back in and arrange the files manually, which can eat up a great deal of time.
The ScanSnap also looks at the documents that you’re putting in and automatically switches between black and white and color, so you don’t have to fiddle with the settings if there’s something in color stuffed in the stack of paper you put in the machine. It will also automatically ignore blank pages if you want it to, which is another simple time saver.
Image Quality
With a resolution of 600 dpi, the documents themselves look great when scanned by the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2, and the controls for adjusting the image quality are simple enough for just about everybody. The normal setting, which gives you the fastest scanning time, is probably going to fine for most documents, but you might want to bump it up if the documents have fine print on them.
You should keep in mind that the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 is a document scanner, which has its own inherent limitations. While most graphics will come through fine, it is not and was never intended to be a photo scanner.
It’s not that it won’t scan them, but the resolution isn’t high enough for them to be especially useful. It also doesn’t scan greyscale, which isn’t ordinarily a problem, but I’m mentioning it here because it might matter to you.
Software wise, the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 comes with three different packages already loaded; Adobe Acrobat Basic, ScanSnap Organizer and CardMinder. As you might imagine, the latter two are there to help you manage the stuff you’re scanning in with the scanner.
You are probably already familiar with Acrobat, but the version here actually allows you to work with the documents, which is a change from the free version you usually get on the web. The Adobe program is actually pretty expensive on its own, so the inclusion here actually goes a long way to justifying the price of the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2.
Probably the worse thing that can be said about the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 is that compared to similar devices, it’s a little more expensive. You do get a lot for the money, for example the included Adobe program, and it’s a lot easier to use than many other document scanners, so we’re okay with the price. For the cost, the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 is probably the second best document scanner, after the Scansnap S1500.
Where can I buy the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2?
This scanner is available at Amazon, among other online retailers, for a great price. Click here to get more details.
(clutter image thanks to Cogdogblog & Creative Commons)