Great document scanners offer speed supported by useful features ranging from ease of use to durable construction
To get the most out of modern office software, you need to transform your paper into digital documents. In a paper-heavy business, digitization is an ongoing challenge. The best way to get ahead of it is to find the best high volume scanner for your business and press it into service.
There is no one-size-fits-all scanning solution. High volume scanners are useful in several industries, but each has its own priorities and considerations. To find the right scanner for you, first determine what makes a high volume scanner right for your business. Then, you can start to zero in on the model that meets your specific needs. Here are the features to consider when shopping around.
Features to look for in the best high volume scanners
High-speed scanning
First and foremost, a scanner must be fast. Speed doesn’t just increase the number of pages you can process in a day. It also allows workers to return to other productive tasks more quickly. Plus, now that their documents are digitized, they can tap into the wealth of tools digitization allows. Remote collaboration, audit trails for compliance, automatic document routing, and more all become possible.
Exactly how much speed you need will vary based on the number of documents you generate each day. It’s also worthwhile to consider how you expect that number to change over the next several years. It may be prudent to plan for a more document-heavy future as your business grows.
High volume scanners typically reach speeds of at least 100 pages per minute (ppm). Their user manuals may also provide an expected daily volume, which tells you how many pages you can scan before the machine starts to wear down faster than usual. Make sure these numbers align with your needs.
Secondary speed features
Scanning speed is about more than simple page-per-minute stats. Your scanner needs other features to support its ppm, or it risks underperforming. Start with the intake tray. If a 100-ppm scanner’s intake tray can only hold 100 sheets, you’ll need to refill it every minute. Whenever you’re refilling, your scanner isn’t scanning. That means its effective ppm — the number of pages it scans in an actual working environment — will drop below the advertised value. On the other hand, if your tray holds 300 sheets, the scanner will have a third of the downtime.
Similarly, determine whether your scanner’s stated ppm refers to double-sided scans. Duplex scanning amounts to nearly twice the speed, as each page only needs to pass through the scanner once.
To get the best high volume scanner, look for one with duplex scanning and an automatic document feeder (ADF) that can hold at least 500 sheets. These features help you get more scanning done in fewer batches, freeing your employees up for other work.
High quality scans
Speed is only part of the equation. Scans also need to be clear and legible. Not only does that make work easier for your employees, but it also powers automations. The clearer your scans, the more easily optical character recognition (OCR) can identify and pull important data. Software can then read that data, automatically populate it to other systems, and route the document to its proper storage location.
For example, the total from a scanned invoice could automatically be reflected in your accounting software. The invoice itself could be routed to a centralized storage location, alongside its corresponding purchase order and receipts. As a result, clear scans can ultimately translate to saved time.
Scan quality is measured in dots per inch (DPI). For documents and simple diagrams, 300 DPI is usually clear enough. Scanning at higher resolutions, such as 600 DPI, takes a little longer but is best for photos and other detailed images.
The best high volume scanner will likely incorporate image enhancement software. This technology, often powered by artificial intelligence (AI), can help clean up scans and even scan small details such as hand-written notes.
Did You Know?:The fi-8950 uses proprietary Clear Image Capture (CIC) technology to achieve crystal clarity and precise color performance. Click here to learn more.
Streamlined paper handling
A high ppm rating doesn’t mean much if your scanner jams frequently. Well-designed paper handling can help to prevent those jams, raising uptime and keeping productivity high. For example, the best high volume scanner might use automatic separation control and skew correction to keep documents moving smoothly through the machine. Some scanners can even detect stapled documents and prevent them from scanning. That momentary pause can save you hours of downtime.
Paper handling also affects the sizes and shapes of documents you can scan. Does your business need to scan legal paper, letter paper, card stock, or IDs? If so, look for a scanner that can support those documents’ lengths, widths, and thicknesses.
Rugged build quality
A high volume scanner is a long-term investment in your business. The longer it lasts — and the less maintenance it requires — the more time and money it can save. The best way to gauge a scanner’s build quality is to review its expected volume or duty cycle. These numbers refer to how many pages the scanner can process over a certain period of time before it starts to degrade faster than expected. Seek out a scanner with an expected daily volume of at least 100,000 to ensure it’s built for the long haul.
Even with the best high volume scanner, some maintenance is inevitable. Choose a trusted brand and consider a service plan for your scanner. Look for machines that are simple to repair, and offer easy access to any internal parts that might need to be replaced. LEDs that illuminate the interior make that process even easier.
Ease of use
The more quickly employees learn to use a device, the more quickly they can start using it. Scanners that are simple to learn and operate help cut down on learning curves. As employees learn to use the scanner, they can refine their workflows and raise their efficiency over time. They can also avoid submitting IT tickets that bog down your support team.
Look for clear, backlit, color LCD screens with simple, intuitive commands. The easier it is to execute a basic scanning job, the better.
Flexibility and compatibility
The best high volume scanner does your business no good if it doesn’t integrate with your existing technology. That starts with operating system compatibility, but it extends to your document management software. An effective scanner uses software to optimize images, tag digitized documents, and extract the data they contain before sending those documents to their destination.
You’ll also need easy ways to connect devices to your scanner. Wired connections such as USB and Ethernet are highly reliable, but have to be kept tidy and physically secure. Connecting via WiFi, meanwhile, lets you print from anywhere in the office.
Did You Know?:The fi-8950 combines an ultra-fast 150 duplex ppm with a 750-page hopper to blaze through even the biggest scanning tasks. Click here to learn more.
Our recommendation: RICOH fi-8950
Those in the market for the best high volume scanner have no shortage of options. We take great pride in having spent the last 50+ years researching, designing, and developing some of the most advanced and powerful electronics in the world, including our professional grade fi and SP series of scanners.
Built to purpose for the most demanding document handling jobs, fi and SP scanners are capable of processing tens of thousands of pages per day at the highest levels of accuracy. Their intuitive integration capabilities with all existing work suites minimize time-to-value for businesses looking to invest in tools that will pay dividends for years to come.
With scanning speeds up to 300 ppm and an ADF capacity of 750 sheets, the fi-8950 can devour digitization projects. Superior paper handling features such as automatic skew correction and stapled documents detection keep scans running smoothly. Combine them with enterprise build quality and you get an expected daily volume of 130,000 sheets, saving you money on maintenance and replacements for years to come.
Click here to learn more or shop the rest of our production scanner line.
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