Scanner buying guide

Things to consider when choosing your scanner:

• Are you likely to increase the throughput in the coming months / years?
  Often it's better to buy a machine capable of scanning higher quantities than you initially require as there's a good chance you'll find more and more to scan.
• Do you have a backlog of paper to scan?
  Again, buying a scanner that is capable of doing a few hundred sheets per day is fine when in general use, but if you intend to scan thousands at first, the scanner may not be up to it. If you're unsure, please contact us and we can advise.
• Types of document to be scanned
  If you need to be able to scan unusual items, such as tachographs or passports, your choices may be limited. If you only need to scan 100 pages per day, but some are A3, you will have to spend a lot more on a scanner. We recommend in this case looking at ways to scan the A3 without the expense. Some of the A4 scanners offer a "folio-mode" which enables you to fold the A3 sheet in half and scan it - the software then intelligently pieces together the two images giving you one on the screen.
• Scanning over a network
  There are only a handful of scanners which enable full network scanning directly from the unit itself. You can scan into a network folder using any of the scanners, or you can make a scanner available on several workstations by adding a Silex SX-2000U2.
• How much to spend?
  Like anything, buying the cheapest scanner and over-using it will cost you more in the long run. It's important that you find a balance between a sensible cost and a scanner which will do what you need with a little room for increased use. Below are our recommendations for each category which should give you an idea on what to spend...