Fujitsu ScanSnap S500 Pass-Through Scanner

Our law office bought this scanner after months of aggravation dealing with an HP 5590 flatbed. This scanner outperforms the HP hands down, on just about every factor.

~Installation~

The install was a snap. The install process involved running setup software on three different CD-ROMS: the Scan Snap software itself, Abby Fine Reader (OCR software) which integrates with it, and Adobe Acrobat 7 (full version). I ran into one minor glitch installing one of the programs (I had to manually run the setup program when the icon didn't respond to being clicked on). Other than that, the programs installed and integrated without a hitch.

After the software was installed, I plugged in the scanner's power and USB cords and Windows (XP Home Edition) recognized it and it was ready to go.

~Performance~

I have to say, you probably could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out how easy it is to use. Load the originals in the tray, press the big green SCAN button, and the sheets fly through the scanner (it came set up for duplexing, and I left it set that way). The software processed the pages relatively quickly, suppressing blank pages (also the default setting - so you can leave it set to duplex without worry about wasted file size with blank pages).

The Scan Snap installs a system tray icon that lets you switch between various "profiles" - in other words, you can select whether you want to scan documents directly into PDF files, or to either Acrobat or the proprietary Fujitsu program. For the most part we "set it and forget it", leaving it on scan to PDF - as other reviewers wrote, you just load the papers, hit the green button, and you're pretty much done (unless you want to rename the file - you'll have the option to name it yourself, or have the program assign one automatically).

One potential downside is the fact that this scanner is not TWAIN compliant and doesn't have a TWAIN driver. This is so far from being an issue for us that I don't even think about it - but some who may need that functionality might have to pass on it. Also, those who might need to scan in large or bulky items that won't fit in an ADF (such as a book), might prefer to go with a flatbed scanner (or a flatbed with an ADF attached). However, the Scan Snap does come with a carrier sheet that allows you to easily scan odd-shaped documents without problems (we use this to scan in small scraps of paper like receipts that would otherwise be difficult to scan through an ADF - it also allows you to fold over and scan large-format papers such as A3).

Finally, the unit itself is very compact - it's got a footprint of about 5.5" x 11" - smaller than a sheet of paper!

Finally, although not "technically" part of the scanner, the inclusion of Adobe Acrobat really makes this product a best buy. On the first day of use, I was tasked with scanning a number of documents which ended up in different files, then having to merge the PDF's, reorder the pages, and delete some of them. Without reading any manual, and only one glance at the help file, I was able to get it done in about 20 minutes, including scanning time.

Also included are a business card reading/organizing program, and a document management program, neither of which I've yet tried out (no need at this point).

Overall, this product seems like an incredibly good value. Although not the cheapest on the market, it is so far a solid performer with an easy to implement and stable platform.