My next scanner (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

I have had a really good Epson scanner that used to work great with
Mac, but suddenly ceased working early last year.

I have a feeling that when OS X was updated to 10.5, it did something
to affect the scanner drivers. Even the Epson site doesn't have drivers
for the my model to work with the new version of Leopard.

In any case, it seems that Neatdesk has just released their
Neatdesk for Mac. It looks pretty phenomenal, and I am awaiting
reviews on Amazon before deciding to make the purchase.

Here is information on the scanner: Click Here.

 

[Sam Posten]

Can't help you there. I have near zero need for a scanner and on the rare times I do need one I use the one at the office. I've pretty much stopped printing stuff at home too, I bought what was a top of the line badass laser printer in 1990 that lasted me over 10 years but I never bothered to replace it once I upgraded to XP and XP didnt support it all that well on release date... It was kinda stumbling along too anyway on its last legs anyway...

 

[Parker Clack]

Looks cool. I wonder if the Neat Receipts will work as well. It would be nice to take with you on a business trip so you can scan in business cards, etc.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Ron, before our landfills become even fuller, have you tried third party software with your Epson: VueScan Scanner Software
I got it years ago because the included Epson software was just awful. The one problem with Vue Scan is the substandard user interface (at least version I have, maybe they've improved).

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Ted,

Actually, yes, I did try that software and no-go.

I can't figure out if the scanner is broken or it was because of
an upgrade in the OS. I just distinctly remember after a software
upgrade the scanner stopped working.

 

[Ted Todorov]

That's too bad. What model is your Epson -- I have an Epson scanner gathering dust and should give it a shot. For sure I haven't used it under Leopard.

 

[Will_B]

Feeder scanners are fantastic for getting rid of the pile of bank statements or other financial/health/automobile crap that one has some obscure obligation to keep. Even if you eventually get your flatbed scanner working, buy that NeatDesk.

I'm on a PC, and I use a Fujitsu ScanSnap, and it comes in handy. Mine just turns everything into pdfs, it doesn't do the text recognition. Which is fine... the point is just to save the info somewhere other than in a pile.

 

[Will_B]

...Just make sure it can suck in oddly shaped papers, like credit card statements (which sometimes are the length of legal sized, not letter-sized, paper). And see what the reviews say about whether it scans all the way to the edge of the paper -- many bank statements print to within a couple millimeters of the edge of paper, so the scanner has to capture all the way to the edge.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Ted,

I have the Epson 3170 Photo scanner.


Will,

That Neatdesk does look cool, doesn't it? It's highly rated if you
read the Amazon reviews (at least for the PC version). Just waiting
on some Mac reviews. Thanks for the advice on what to look for.

 

[Darren Lewis]

The Fujitsu ScanSnap S510m is supposed to be a fantastic document scanner. Does duplex scanning in one pass and comes bundled with Adobe Acrobat (not sure if it's version 8 or 9 it comes with).

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Darren,

That's a nice scanner. Probably does better quality scans than
the Neatdesk (I am guessing for the price), but it seems to lack
the receipt and business card functions as well as software that
automatically itemizes that information.

 

[Darren Lewis]

From this review, it can do business cards and receipts. Not sure about organisation though.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Darren,

I want to thank you for your recommendation. After finding that
the Neatdesk for Mac has been out of stock and that the reviews for
the Fujitsu are unanimously better, I am looking to get this scanner...

Click Here

It is a newer model than the one you suggested (seems that model
may be phased out)

Appreciate your advice and I will let you know if I purchase it and
what i think.

 

[Darren Lewis]

I've had my eye on that Fujitsu range for a while now, but my recent new MacBook purchase has put buying one on hold for a little while. I guess they've updated their models since I last looked. They also do a smaller portable version as well, but again I've no personal experience of it.

They do seem to get good reviews, so I'd be interested to see what you think if you do get one. They're also recommended by DevonThink as a companion to their paperless office software.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Darren,

It was a tough choice between the NEATDESK and the FUJITSU.

However, moments ago, still feeling unsure, I went ahead and
ordered the FUJUTSU.

The sticking point was the software. It seems that the NEATDESK
has better bundled software that actually fills in business card
information and then transfers it to address book. It was noted in
a review that the FUJITSU does the same but I am not certain if it
is with software already bundled with it or extra software that has
to be purchased.

Still, my final decision was based on reviews. The FUJITSU had
overwhelmingly better reviews. In fact, I couldn't find a bad review
of it on AMAZON or any of the other reviews I had googled. Yes, I
am paying $70 more than NEATDESK but I figure I am paying for
a quality scanner.

(By the way it was $40 cheaper on New Egg but I don't like their
return policy and restocking fees)

So, Darren, I wish to thank you for your recommendation. I will let
you know how well this works out for me once I receive it.

 

[LDfan]

Fujitsu scanners rock! They are highly regarded in the legal industry for their fast scanning and quality. We have a few 6120 scanners (which offer TWAIN compliance) at work and they run circles around the other HP and Canon models we've had in the past.