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PRINT.IT
9
As businesses adopt digital
workflows to speed up
business processes, cut print
costs, shrink their carbon
footprint or just save space,
scanning is moving out of the
back office and evolving from
a specialist application to a
standard task carried out by
knowledge workers.
Fujitsu’s new range of
desktop scanners, the
Z generation (see
Business
Info
, Issue 107), reflects these
changes by combining the
defined processes and quality
control of a document scanner
with the spontaneity of personal
ad hoc scanning to email,
folder, print, Microsoft Office
and Sharepoint. The ability
to switch between these two
modes makes this an interesting
solution for staff whose workload
includes, but is not limited to,
the scanning of reasonably high
Scanners vs MFPs
Which is best
for scanning:
the office MFP
or a dedicated
document
scanner?
www.binfo.co.uk
Comparison
volumes into specific enterprise
applications, such as a content
management system.
However, with prices starting
at £920 (ex VAT), this is not a
cheap option especially when
you consider that most offices
already have a scanning
capability on the office
multifunction printer (MFP). So
the question is why would you
choose to scan on a dedicated
scanning device rather than
an MFP? Does an MFP have
weaknesses that make it
unsuitable for volume scanning?
In the past, scanner
manufacturers would have
argued that paper handling,
speeds and scan quality
were all inferior on an office
MFP. Today, this is a harder
case to make: mono MFPs
now have colour scanners;
even mid-range A4 MFPs
have dual-head scanners
that can scan both
sides of a page in
a single pass; large
colour touchscreens
show scan previews,
sometimes with the
option to re-order,
reformat, add or
delete pages; many
automatically remove
blank pages or de-
skew documents,
saving time for
the operator;
and external
or embedded
connectors to enterprise
applications make it easy to
route documents into digital
workflows.
Scanners still have the edge
when processing mixed batches
of documents that might contain
fragile, damaged or hard to read
documents. This is not just a
function of the sheet feeder:
Kofax VirtualReScan (VRS)
software, included with most
document scanners, does an
incredible job of removing colour
backgrounds or darkening text to
make documents more readable
for improved OCR accuracy. This
feature is especially useful for
delivery notes and other tatty or
poorly printed items.
Even where paper quality is
satisfactory or good, there are
reasons why you might opt for a
dedicated document scanner.
Hardware is a minor
consideration in an enterprise
ECM implementation, way below
software, consultancy and
support: document scanners
might be included in a project
because that is the input device
the provider favours; or because
any cost savings that come from
using an existing MFP might be
negligible within the context of
the whole project.
At the entry-level, a small
business might have an old
or low volume MFP that offers
nothing like the functionality
of a personal scanner. Indeed,
small desktop scanners are
one of the strongest parts of
the market, predicted to grow at
compound annual growth rate
of 17% between 2011 and 2015
(source: Infosource).
In addition, there are
question marks about the
practicality of using a shared
device to scan large numbers
of mission critical documents.
Will doing so inconvenience
other users? Will it impact
the productivity of the person
doing the scanning? And will
it introduce unnecessary
complications into the workflow,
for example by requiring a user
to move documents from one
part of the office to another?
The problems caused by
sharing devices could be
exacerbated if the number of
MFPs on office floors continues
to decrease, as print volumes
decline and businesses
consolidate their printer fleets.
Tim Brosnihan, Document
Scanning Solutions marketing
manager for Canon Europe, said:
“An MFP is generally shared
by users, so you wouldn’t want
someone scanning a batch of
200 documents and restricting
access to other users of the
device. If the customer has a
more specific scanning function
within their business, it may
be more appropriate to have a
standalone desktop device for
a specific user or team. It’s all
about productivity and what is
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