The Fujitsu Fi-5220C is one of Fujitsu's lower-end scanners that incorporates both a document feeder and a flatbed. Due to this, it is an all-rounder that will enable you to scan virtually any type of document. The specification from Fujitsu states that it will scan 30 pages per minute and hold up to 50 sheets in its feeder.
In the box, along with the scanner, you will find the USB cable, power lead, a CD containing some basic Fujitsu software and the scanner drivers. The input tray is also separate in the box and you'll need to connect this once the scanner is set up (this is very straight-forward.)
The over all set up was very easy with plug and play simplicity. The machine may look heavy and bulky, but it is deceivingly light. The scanner will only need a metre or so in desk space so will happily sit at the end of your desk if needs be (assuming your desk isn't as untidy as some of ours!)
As with all our tests we scanned the same sample docs in Adobe in black and white at 200dpi.
Due to the Fi-5220C having a sheet feed capacity of 50 it makes sense to test the speed on 50 rather than 100 as some of the other machines have previously been tested.
50 A4 single text pages - this took 2 minutes 2 seconds on the document feeder, which is actually quite a bit slower than the 30 pages per minute that is quoted by Fujitsu.
A little note: it seems that all scanners are different when it comes to which way round the paper is taken. After a little trial and error we found that with the Fi-5220C the paper should be loaded back to front and upside down.
As mentioned earlier, the Fi-5220C is said to take 50 sheets in its document feeder. In fact, the scanner loaded 57, so if you are scanning masses of documents then this will save you (a bit of) time.
One slight issue that occurred a couple of times was once the first page had been taken through, the following few sheets were scanned together. Other than this the feeding seemed reliable, and it did not happen regularly.
One of the most common questions we get asked about scanners is "how will it cope with different types of paper such as invoices?" As a result the invoice test is probably the most important. The Fi-5220C coped with this particular test with ease and took the selection of invoices with no problems.
Another plus for this machine is that it does scan business cards through the document feeder. It wouldn't be the end of the world if it didn't because it does also have the flatbed, but it is another indication of the scanner being a worthwhile purchase.
As with all scanner manufactures they do not recommend that you scan staples but accidents do happen. We scanned through a batch knowing that two of the pages were stapled together. The Fi-5220C did not take the page through; it got about half way and then jammed and outputted an error message. If the scanner does jam, firstly open the unit by pressing the blue button next the feeder. Then pull out the pages in question, close the unit and restart the scanning. Any pages scanned prior to the jam will be saved - as with most scanners.
(PLEASE NOTE: remove all staples prior to scanning!!... No manufactures recommend that you scan staples - this will very quickly scratch the lens and will not be covered in your warranty! Although it is time consuming, preparation of documents is key)
It is important to not only test scanning text, but photos too. To test this we have A4 magazine pages, so the paper is shiny and quite thin and the image will be made up of photos and text.
The scanner took 1 minute 33 seconds to scan 10 duplex A4 pages in colour at 300dpi. The scanner will scan up to 600dpi (either via the flatbed or feeder) but this does dramatically increase the time taken to feed each page.
If you do purchase this scanner it is assumed that you will be using the flatbed from time to time. The flatbed scans at around the same speed as the feeder, so within around 2 seconds, you will have a 200dpi black and white document scanned in. It takes around 14 seconds to scan a single page at 600dpi in colour. Scanning pages from books is another use of a flatbed, so we tested this too. Books are always a bit of a pain because you have to try to fold them open down the middle, but if you manage this, the book will sit nicely beneath the lid.
If you are swapping between using the flatbed and the feeder regularly, make sure you remember to change the function each time within the driver - it can get very frustrating if you load the feeder, click scan, and watch the flatbed try to scan
Conclusion
If you need an all-in-one flatbed/feeder scanner then you are getting a reliable unit with the Fi-5220C. However, you are effectively paying a couple of hundred pounds more to have a basic A4 flatbed attached to a Fi-5120C - so maybe look at buying a cheap flatbed (which will cost around £50 and scan to a much higher resolution) in conjunction with a Fi-5120C rather than the Fi-5220C. This will however take up more space, and will be more hassle with drivers and software etc.
Please note that all of our reviews are based on one sample scanner and may not therefore be a statistically correct assessment of the model in question. Given the simplistic nature of the tests, in an attempt to keep the reviews comparable with other models, many of the features available to each model were not tested and we strongly recommend visitors to our website to view the official product specifications provided by the manufactures. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure all information is accurate we accept no liability for any inaccuracies or omissions and any decisions based on information contained in this review are the sole responsibility of the visitor.
The Fujitsu Fi-5220C is one of Fujitsu's lower-end scanners that incorporates both a document feeder and a flatbed. Due to this, it is an all-rounder that will enable you to scan virtually any type of document. The specification from Fujitsu states that it will scan 30 pages per minute and hold up to 50 sheets in its feeder.
