Thursday, April 5, 2007

Art's Web Blog

Personal Desktop Scanners "Wave of the Future"?

A few months ago I was in a clients office doing an analysis for their printing needs in New Jersey. As I was going from office to office, I noticed that everyone had their own personal desktop scanners. This particular client had 12 Fugitsu ScanSnap S500's ($495 Retail)and all were connected locally via USB. As I made the rounds with the owner to each office, I was curious why the desktop scanners and not scanning from the MFP's, he stated that scanning at an MFP wastes time and productivity and for $500 each, he figured he was saving almost 20 hours a month of productivity! He also stated that all documents are scanned locally and then distributed or archived. I thought this was pretty neat idea and tucked it away in the ole memory banks. Just a few weeks ago doing another print analysis I again encountered 15 of the these scanners at another location, hmmmmmmm is this coincidence or a new fad.

Just yesterday one of my clients called me and asked me to quote on 6 desktop scanners similar to the Fugitsu, although he mentioned that he had seen the Canon DR2050c (Retail $695) and liked what he saw. Now this got my attention!

The Fugitsu Scan Snap S500 comes with a 50 page feeder, ABBY Fine Reader, USB 2.0, and scans at 36ppm in mono chrome and 18 ppm in color (150 dpi). Nice little box plus it is an upright scanner, the foot print is just under the size of a letter size piece of paper.

When comparing prices on the Internet, this are no margins, maybe $50 per box, however an solution like this may get you the MFP sales over someone else where scanning is an issue.

Keep it in your back pocket, I surely will.

My experience with these small scanners it that they work for awhile then start having feeding problems, so after the warranty expires you stop using it, or throw it away and buy a new one. How much savings is there in spending $500 per year per employee to scan? Of course everything depends on individual's scanning volume. If files are scattered all over on everyone personal PC's what do you think data security is like, and do you think back-ups are being done?

True, with the reliability of the feeders if the customers are doing heavy volume, however for $79, you can buy a two year MA replacement. I disagree with your thoughts in reference to the cost of the scanners at $500 for each year. If productivity was increased by 3 or more hours a month (average cost of employee in the East $25.00 hr) by scanning at the desktop, there would still be an instant ROI of more than $20 each month. Even if you had to buy a new scanner every year.