Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i Review

Is this Document Scanner the Fujitsu ScanSnap ix500 Lite?

This post is not at all intended to slight the smaller and more portable document scanner. It's just a different machine entirely. With the ScanSnap ix500, it's extremely versatile and competent. It's a bit on the pricey side but that's okay because you know what you're getting when you buy it.

The s1300i is meant for people on the go. That comes in handy especially if you just want to scan a couple of things after a meeting. You don't want to drag yourself to the office to scan a few items. As a portable and lightweight machine, you can print anywhere there's an outlet. Cars have those outlets nowadays. This is huge.

On the other hand, this lightweight document and card scanner is not meant for scanning your entire office documentation. You could do it but it would take a lot of work because of how many pages the document feeder holds.

So, anyways, on with the review.

The Fujitsu S1300i is a fantastic option for anyone looking for a portable scanner that can be easily tossed into a medium-sized bag and that won’t take up too much space around the office. This is a small device that uses a feed like a printer to accept documents rather than ‘flatbed’ that would necessitate it being at least 8.5″x11″ in size. With smart software features that make scanning and organizing documents easier than ever before, it’s also ideal for small businesses that are tired of keeping piles of paper documents in their home office. As a scanner without a printer but with plenty of integration with cloud services, it’s a logical step in a world that’s moving more and more towards mobile devices and cloud storage and further away from environmentally-unfriendly paper.

But is it a step too far, too soon or is it a compelling argument for ditching the printer aspect altogether? And does it really deliver on its promise of convenience and portability?Features and Benefits

One of the best things that the S1300i has going for it is its speed and ease of use. Just press the respective scan button to quickly save your color or black and white (monochrome) documents as PDF files. Double-sided documents are no problem and it’s easy to scan multiple pages into a file by simply stacking pages on the paper-feed as you would with plain paper in a printer (though some users have reported a tendency for it to grab more than one page on occasion).

The S1300i comes complete with ScanSnap Manager (with two versions to cover both Mac and PC users) to help make the process as straightforward as possible and to avoid additional software costs. In many ways this software is the real star of the show and includes features that allow the scanner to register when documents have been entered upside-down or when a blank side has been scanned, making it much less fiddly to upload files than it was with the scanners of yore. More importantly, the Manager uses OCR (optical character recognition) allowing you to export documents as Excel Spreadsheets or Word Documents for smart searching and editing. That’s right, it will convert a scanned page from a magazine into a Word document that you can then edit like any other, complete with images and all. Another nifty feature is the ability to scan directly to an iPad or Android tablet, which really emphasizes the advantage of using mobile devices over folders of paper when you’re on the go.

Other packaged software includes CardMinder for Windows and Cardiris for Mac which let you easily scan and organize business cards, as well as the ever-impressive EverNote. Using the S1300i with Evernote makes particular sense as a way to quickly store hand-written notes or letters on the cloud and then search through them dynamically on a smartphone.

The S1300i charges either directly via the mains adapter or through your computer’s USB ports, which is very useful if you need to take it with you when meeting a client or going on a business trip. While small, it’s a well-made device that won’t look out-of-place next to a nice PC set-up.Limitations

While the S1300i is a great product, it is not without its limitations and it won’t be for everyone. For starters, this is actually the relatively ‘budget’ option from Fujitsu. Those looking for more features would do better with the ‘Deluxe’ model which has additional features such as its ‘Rack2-Filer 5.0′ software that automates organization and ‘filing’ of multiple documents. This way you can scan a pile of documents and not have to worry about manually sorting them into different folders. Another limitation is a lack of a twain driver, meaning that it can’t be used with Photoshop easily; possibly a blow for some professional designers (though it’s easy enough to work around). Both this model and the deluxe model are little guys remember too, so they aren’t quite as speedy as large scanners with a similar design – something which the Engadget reviews picked up on in their appraisal, but neither are they are costly.

More to the point, though, some users are going to find the lack of a printer to be a big limitation. If you’ve already embraced mobile, the cloud, and like, the idea of keeping your invoices in a digital format or scanning interesting magazine pages in to read on an iPad, then this will be a tempting offer. On the other hand though, if you’re the sort of person who still likes to keep paper copies of your documents and who finds themselves printing out lots of e-mails, then you’re probably going to want a printer to go along with this machine. At that point you’re then looking at either getting a full-sized all-in-one scanner-printer combination, or buying multiple devices to use together. You’ll also still need a traditional scanner if you want to scan collages or cardboard. The ScanSnap is quicker than a flatbed scanner because it scans multiple sides at once, but when you’re looking at buying multiple devices some of the cost and space benefits get compromised.

Summary

In conclusion, this is a well-made portable scanner that can save you a lot of time organizing your documents and moving to a truly paperless office. If you like the idea of quickly converting your piles of paper into PDFs or reading magazine cuttings on the tube, then the Fujitsu s1300i may be for you. If you’re looking for something more powerful with a built-in printer though, or you aren’t quite ready to leave paper behind, it may be more of a luxury than a necessity.