Fujitsu ScanSnap S300 Document scanner

Remarkably easy to use. Unpack box, install software, plug in scanner, load pages into document feeder, press the “SCAN” button and presto – neatly arranged, clear, color, pdf files of the documents. Automatically scans both sides of the page (“duplex” scanning), and automatically deletes any blank pages. I have already used it for papers of a number of sizes: check stubs, letter size, and those weird oversize insurance declaration pages.

Default operation is to scan to pdf files, but it also scans photos to “.jpg” format. I have little experience scanning photos, so I don’t know whether these scans are high quality. They’re good enough for e-mailing, or adding to the web, but I can’t tell if they are publication or archive quality.

I didn’t time the scanner, but a handful of pages takes only a few seconds. The manual claims that the scanner is slower when using USB power, but I didn’t notice much difference using the default image quality settings.

Allows previewing of scans before saving, allows rename of files before saving and allows files to be saved in a specified folder. There are a number of options regarding image quality, compression, file locations, color detection and a host of others. Other than changing the target folder, the preset defaults are fine for me.

I successfully used it for a stack of about 15 sheets of paper – the automatic document feeder (ADF) managed the lot easily.

Small and easy to carry around, can be powered from USB or AC (both power cords are included). Folds up into a compact unit about 12 by 4 by 4 inches with all the working parts well protected, weighs just over 2.5 pounds (without the power brick, which is not needed if you use the USB power cord when traveling).

The only downside I can see is that the ADF is collapsible and is made of three pieces of somewhat flimsy plastic — handle with care to avoid damage.

The included document manager seems to be nothing more than a fancy explorer. I don’t need yet more redundant software. I have not tried the optical character recognition (OCR) or the business card reader (that is supposed to read a standard business card and convert to a Microsoft Outlook contact.

Other Comments:

1. If you want to use the USB power cable, you need TWO open USB ports on your computer

2. If you have a stack of paper that have been folded or stapled (remove the staples first!!!) the ADF will sometimes grab two sheets at once. Slightly ‘fanning’ the stack before loading the ADF helps

3. The scanner software needs a couple of additional features: (1) ability to delete a page before saving the scan; and (2) ability to rotate a page or more before the pdf is saved (the auto-rotate is very good, but not perfect)

4. The documentation states that the software is compatible with Windows XP or Vista. I installed on my Windows 7 32 bit Home Premium computer with no problems.

I’ll report back in a few months when I’ve had more experience….