Affinity Law Office Technology Blog

ScanSnap S510 Initial Impressions

Two recent appeals with especially long transcripts led me to conclude that the scanner built-into my trusty Brother all-in-one laser printer was too slow for large jobs such as scanning in thousands of transcript pages.  I'd used and supported Visioneer and Xerox DocuMate scanners in the past.  They are identical but for cosmetics and (sometimes) software bundles.  So I was initially tempted to go that route.  Then I began researching small home-office document scanners on-line (as I always do before an important purchase).  There were rave reviews about the Fujitsu ScanSnap series and particularly the S510 model.  Those reviews, and a $50 main-in rebate (through June 30), led me to give the S510 a try. 

The box arrived from NewEgg.com with some damage, but nothing inside seemed affected.  I opted for the deluxe bundle, which adds the Rack2-Filer scan management software.  Rack2-Filer seems to do what PaperPort does for the Visioneer and Xerox scanners.  I have not fully explored it yet, so my comments here will not include the Rack2-Filer software. 

In addition to Rack2-Filer, the software bundle includes the ScanSnap manager software (drivers, a configuration utility, and a "Scan2" utility that allows you to save your scans to folders, email, etc.), Adobe Acrobat 8 Standard, and Abbyy Fine Reader OCR software.  Installation went smoothly and when the scanner was plugged in (do this only after all of the software is installed), the drivers installed and I was set to get to work. 

My first batch of scanning, transcripts from a child custody appeal, did not go well.  I could tell from handling the paper that there was something odd about it.  The ScanSnap thought so too, repeatedly pulling multiple pages.  Each time it did so, I had to start over.  I began to think I made a mistake not going with the Visioneer or Xerox scanners.  The ScanSnap has a 50 page document feeder, so I decided to load 45 pages at a time just to be safe.  After a few failures, I tried gently resting my hand at the top of the paper stack in the autofeed to provide some downward force.  With the odd paper, that worked and I finished the first transcript (the shorter of the two appeals at around 1200 pages) quickly. 

As it turned out, it was the paper, not the scanner, causing the autofeed problems.  The next batch of transcripts, and by far the largest, was on what felt like regular copy paper.  I scanned-in about 2000 pages for that appeal.  There was only one misfeed, and that was on a cover page that was torn on the leading edge (perfectly understandable).  When I ran it through again after straightening the torn section, if fed through without a problem.

I used the configuration setting to automatically convert scans to searchable PDF format.  At the end of the physical scanning process, there is a delay while the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) needed for the searchable PDF format is performed.  Once the OCR is done, the manager software pops up and lets you select where you would like to save the scanned document or what you would like to do with it (such as email it).  I chose to save it over the network to the drive where I store my client documents.  The save process happens very quickly, even to a network drive over a wireless connection.

Physically, the S510 is tiny.  And unlike the Visioneer and Xerox scanners I've used, the input and output trays are designed to fold over one another onto the scanner housing for easy transport.  Nothing needs to be removed.  That process also shuts off the power to the scanner (although there is also a dedicated power button on the front panel if you decide to leave the trays extended while the S510 sits on your desk, but want to power the scanner off during periods when it is not being used).

But for the S510's problems with the strange paper from the first transcript, I am impressed.  Hopefully it will turn out to be as reliable as the Visioneer and Xerox document scanners I've used in the past.  So far, the S510's lack of TWAIN compliance does not seem to be a problem.  But if you must use software that requires a TWAIN-compliant scanner, the Visioneer or Xerox would be a better choice.         

Desktop Search program ratings

Although this post is categorized under Document Management, it is important to note at the outset that file searching is only part of what a true document management system does.  Full-featured document management software (DMS), such as Worldox, assures that files are saved and profiled using parameters you specify.  You've heard the phrase "garbage in - garbage out" (GIGO for short).  True document management systems effectively eliminate the "garbage in" half of the problem assuring that there will be no "garbage out" when you try to find a documents somewhere on your network.  Desktop search software works on the premise that there is much "garbage in" and does its best to limit the amount of "garbage out" when you search for a document or file. 

But if your firm is too small to justify the expense of a full DMS system, or if you want to reap some of the benefits of document management to test the waters before you invest in a full DMS system, desktop search software can be a great option.  There are many desktop search programs, some of the best of which are free.  I've used Yahoo Desktop Search in my home-based appellate practice for well over a year and have been very satisfied. 

But how does a user know that he or she has selected the best desktop search software?  About a year ago the University of Wisconsin E-Business Consortium published a detailed comparison report of a dozen desktop search programs.  As it turned out, I was not far off in my selection of Yahoo Desktop Search.  It was ranked second of the dozen programs tested.  At the top of the list was Copernic Desktop Search.  However, Yahoo bested Copernic in the very important (for law firms) area of security.  The best known desktop search software from Google was ranked fifth.