As part of this month’s focus on commercial imaging, scanning and shredding, we’ve asked a number of the industry’s leading manufacturers to offer an overview of their stand-alone and MFP-embedded scanning solutions that enable end-users to manage their document workflow more efficiently and effectively.
Many of these products connect seamlessly with third-party software and applications that speak to the needs of a variety of office verticals.
Brother International
The Brother ImageCenter ADS-3600W professional desktop scanner is ideal for mid- to large-sized workgroups with complex workflows looking for flexible connectivity, advanced security features and increased efficiencies. This model offers a wide range of Brother-developed and third-party solutions to address business needs, such as Kofax ControlSuite compatibility, and is ideal for streamlining intensive document management processes in government agencies, health care facilities, courts, corporate environments and more.
The ADS-3600W also supports the optional barcode utility feature, which can automatically separate batches of documents using barcode-reading technology and send the documents to the appropriate folder(s), allowing for more accurate and efficient data input. In addition, the Brother web connect feature enables direct scanning to a variety of cloud applications, including Google Drive, Evernote and Dropbox.
The ADS-3600W integrates with several other document management applications and electronic health record (EHR) technology applications, including Cerner for compatibility in health care environments. Furthermore, the Brother team of sales professionals and field engineers can collaborate with both the channel and end-users to develop customized document-capture and workflow solutions that meet each company’s unique requirements while reducing the burden on IT professionals. For example, customers can place their logo in the background of the display or customize business workflows to allow access to specific device functions while hiding others.
Lastly, all Brother touchscreen scanners share a common user interface with Brother MFPs. This greatly reduces the end-user’s learning curve for companies that have a mixed environment of Brother scanners, printers and multifunction devices. By offering a comprehensive, integrated portfolio of document-management hardware and software, Brother is uniquely positioned to help firms of all types focus on their core business instead of inefficient workflows.
Canon U.S.A.
Whether users are on the go or in the office, Canon offers document scanning solutions that can help provide a seamless experience and improve personal productivity virtually anywhere. The latest document scanners feature bundled software on select imageFORMULA devices that can assist with a variety of needs, such as business card scanning as well as file archiving, retrieval, sharing and more.
Canon imageFORMULA scanners also integrate with many compatible third-party software applications, including a TWAIN driver, an industry-standard interface for connecting scanner hardware to scanning software. Many Canon imageFORMULA scanners also include the ability to scan directly to the cloud, which can be helpful as more people look to cut down on paper use and digitize documents for collaboration and cloud storage.
The compact Canon imageFORMULA DR-C225 II office document scanner features flexible feeding and high-quality imaging. Equipped to scan up to 25 pages per minute in black and white, grayscale or color, it can hold up to 45 sheets in its feeder and handle a variety of document types and sizes, including certain thick, thin, long and unique sized documents, as well as plastic or embossed cards. It also includes powerful, easy-to-use scanning software, as well as a business card organizer and a tool for businesses to create, view, edit, convert, and collaborate with PDF files. With its upright and slender design, the imageFORMULA DR-C225 II is ideal for any user tight on desk space.
The Canon imageFORMULA P-215II mobile document scanner is portable (weighing about two pounds), allowing it to be used in locations such as home and remote offices as well as classrooms. It scans up to 15 pages per minute in black and white, grayscale or color, and holds up to 20 sheets in its feeder. Plus it includes easy-to-use scanning software, as well as a business card organizer and a document manager.
Epson America
Epson has become one of the fastest-growing scanner brands in America. Offering reliable document scanning solutions, Epson addresses common business needs to help promote greater productivity wherever professionals set up office. Whether on-the-go or in a fast-paced office, its broad portfolio of business document scanners is designed to suit a variety of work environments.
- Epson’s portable document scanners, such as the portable DS-70, are designed for full-function and flexibility on the go, accommodating documents up to 8.5×72” and smaller-sized business/ID cards and receipts.
- The DS-530 II comes equipped with enhanced paper feed technologies. It delivers high-quality scans at speeds up to 35 ppm/70 ipm and features a 50-sheet ADF for efficient document management.
- Epson also offers network scanners, such as the DS-730N, that include built-in, secure networking for flexible, remote scanning to online storage accounts, email and more, whether working in the corporate or home office.
- Engineered for busy office environments where speed and dependability are paramount, Epson’s high-speed document scanners, such as the DS-870, deliver speeds up to 65 ppm/130 ipm and feature a 100-page ADF for high-volume batch scanning. Workgroups can easily scan, organize and upload a variety of documents from the desktop, including mixed stacks of business and ID cards, long documents and folded pages up to 11×17”.
- Designed for fast, high-volume scanning, Epson’s large-format document scanners, such as the DS-32000, have flexible vertical and horizontal feed options to accommodate sheets up to 12×17”, long invoices, passbooks, multi-page documents and sealed envelopes.
All Epson commercial document scanners include a three-year limited warranty with next-business-day replacement, and most Epson models are equipped with TWAIN and ISIS drivers for integration with existing document management systems and seamless workflow compatibility.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions
Konica Minolta is empowering customers with reliable scanner solutions for today’s hybrid workforce via partnerships with Fujitsu and Kodak Alaris. Both companies have committed to working closely with Konica Minolta to address evolving customer demands, especially as a result of the changing workplace environments due to the pandemic. The dramatic shift to remote working has further increased the requirements for smart automation of document-intensive processes, and both companies have been making significant investments in their products and R&D to support this shift and optimize business processes.
Fujitsu and Kodak Alaris have addressed customer challenges in a number of ways over the last few years through new products and services:
Fujitsu
- The launch of two new scanners for the ScanSnap series (iX1400 and iX1600) with additional capabilities and enhancements, including a touchscreen display, Wi-Fi connectivity, PC-less scanning with scan-to-cloud functionality and scan-to-mobile device.
- The launch of five new devices, including the fi-800R, an ultra-compact foldable scanner designed for the higher education market.
- The addition of the ScanPartner SP-1120 and ScanPartner SP-1130 (personal workgroup portfolio), as well as the introduction of the fi-7800 and fi-7900, the latter being its fastest scanner to date at 140 ppm.
Kodak Alaris
- Updates to its network-focused INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution, which quickly gets information from paper to digital form and directly into a business workflow process, thus saving time and money while ensuring better adherence to data privacy requirements.
- Expanding its remote service offerings with three new monitoring-as-a-service tools, delivering cloud-based device management for its scanners.
- To bring the company’s vision of providing innovative information capture solutions for digital transformation (DX) full circle, they most recently launched the Kodak S2085f/S3000 series of low-volume production scanners, replacing its i2900/i3000 series of devices.
Konica Minolta’s scanner portfolio offers a range of desktop scanners for general office and production environments, bringing information into the digital era to streamline workflows.
Lexmark International
Combining innovative scanning software solutions on a device already utilized in the office is how Lexmark helps customers create, scan and store documents without the need for a stand-alone scanner. With the company’s hardware and its free capture technology, a Lexmark MFP can help dealers show customers how to efficiently manage their scanning needs.
Lexmark’s intelligent MFP capture technology collects and routes end-user documents and data by extracting, organizing and sharing information with the people, systems and processes that need it most.
The embedded document capture capabilities enable partners to help customers:
- Offer screen displays with customized images.
- Provide control of advanced imaging capabilities.
- Send faxes directly from the device through the IP network.
- Route captured data to a predefined personal or public shared network folder.
- Eliminate the need to use a separate capture server to drive imaging functions.
- Build intelligently adapted workflow solutions simply and cost-effectively.
The Lexmark Scan Center allows users to review, enhance and index images, then route to multiple destinations using an intuitive touchscreen interface. Users can quickly create high-quality images and confirm their delivery via thumbnails without using a computer desktop. Scan center allows users to add one-click shortcuts that are recognizable by icon and icon text for a workflow. For instance, a scan-to-email workflow becomes HR Onboarding and is associated with a business process.
For more advanced capture capabilities, users have more precise control over file naming and imaging, and support for more scan destinations. For example, users can scan a paper document once, quickly optimize the digital image quality and then simultaneously route the file to multiple destinations using a single, user-friendly intuitive interface on a Lexmark MFP.
Ricoh
Managing information in print and digital forms continues to be a crucial factor in business success. As hybrid workplaces evolve, information travels faster, and perhaps further, than ever. This requires secure, accurate ways to simplify the complexities of information management and access. The good news is much of this can be accomplished with the devices currently in an office, wherever that office may be. It may just require a fresh perspective.
Traditional office hardware has often been viewed as an output device because of copying and printing functions. However, it plays a role as an input device in digital transformation. Input devices are incredibly crucial to information management, especially as more and more teams work in dispersed environments.
When viewed as an input device, dealers and their end-customers can envision a multitude of ways to supplement and enhance the overall print and data capture experience. To achieve this, organizations should look at the new ways needed to manage information in the new and next “normal” and even take different industries’ needs into consideration.
Scanning functions can help organizations more accurately and effectively manage and share information across these hybrid workplaces and will play a new and crucial role in business success. It’s an important capability of the new print experience because it helps add value—whether that value is sharing, storing or updating information.
Toshiba America Business Solutions
Many of Toshiba’s MFPs feature a dual scan document feeder (DSDF) capable of scanning 240 two-sided pages per minute. With refillable 300-sheet input trays, Toshiba MFPs easily scan 1,000 impressions within five minutes. Such functionality is integral for clients, considering more and more organizations want to streamline their workflow by converting paper documents into digital ones.
Scan preview—a feature utilizing Toshiba MFPs’ large 10.1-inch front panel to preview and edit scanned documents—is one element not found on most single-function scanners.
The company’s MFPs also make it seamless to rotate, reorder, insert and delete pages as well as adjust any scan settings before saving documents as a digital file. A setting is also included to eliminate blank pages, which is important for clients working with one- and two-sided documents in a single stack.
Optical character recognition (OCR) technology is an invaluable capability for today’s businesses. It makes scanned documents searchable and editable and is available across Toshiba’s e-STUDIO MFP line.
Specific scanning tasks have been made simpler through a template feature that leverages the large user interface while allowing personalized scan and destination settings at the touch of a button. More than 12,000 templates are easily programmable, and the DSDF can be set to start automatically upon the selection of a given template. End-users also benefit from a large touch screen on Toshiba MFPs that offers a user-friendly interface that is ideal for organizations seeking to optimize costs and office space.
The productivity and convenience built into Toshiba’s next-generation MFPs ensure performance and value. The scanning function and the features built into the company’s latest systems are quickly becoming as important of a purchasing consideration as the copying and printing functions.
Xerox
Digitization, or digital transformation, isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a fundamental shift that’s changing how organizations operate internally and interact with their customers, suppliers and partners. Converting paper processes to digital ones helps them remain efficient and deliver better customer service.
Imagine converting handwritten meeting notes to an editable Microsoft document for easy sharing with others. This could enable legal professionals to get sensitive information automatically redacted from legal documents using their laptop or tablet, translate a text document into 40 languages, or convert a text document to audio for listening on the go.
Xerox’s ConnectKey Technology-powered AltaLink 8100 series of MFPs can do more than standard copying and scanning devices. They allow customers to develop an end-to-end digital ecosystem, with complex document workflows reduced to push-button simplicity. Document routing, storage, sharing and security are all integrated and automated. Additionally, the Xerox App Gallery—a collection of downloadable workflow apps—allows users to expand and customize the capabilities of Xerox ConnectKey-enabled MFPs such as the AltaLink line.
The AltaLink 8100 series helps speed workplace digitization with ultra-fast scanning of up to 270 images per minute and optical character recognition that allows clients to extract more value from information. The Xerox Print and Scan Experience offers installation and management of Xerox devices through Windows 10 systems and provides unique productivity tools such as one-touch print settings, auto straightening and auto cropping. Combined with ConnectKey apps, including connections to the most popular cloud solutions such as Dropbox and Google Drive, these MFPs can support customers as they shift from physical to digital businesses.
