Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner review

REVIEW – Each of my two printers at home has a scanner, but neither is a duplex scanner. When the Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner was offered to the Gadgeteer for review, I was excited to try it out. What’s the verdict? Well, it’s relatively small and lightweight. It scanned my large two-sided documents quickly and allowed me to save them as searchable-PDF files (there are lots of file types you may save your scan as). I also found that I was able to scan multiple photos at once and save them as individual files using the multi-crop TWAIN application setting.

However, when scanning a large document, it sometimes would crop off important information close to the edge of the page thus requiring me to rescan that page. In addition, while scanning photos using the multi-crop setting, the scanner would get crop-happy and chop a photo into tiny pieces creating for me my very own unique and challenging puzzle. Anyway, I had to rescan the image by itself without the multi-crop setting. Additionally, the quality of the photo scans was not quite as good as I expected.

Overall, this scanner makes quick work of large two-sided documents and scanning lots of photos but you need to review the scans carefully to make sure all the information is there and the photos are intact.

What is it?

The Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner is a device that will scan your documents and photos using either the duplex Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) tray or the flatbed scanner and will allow you to save the scans digitally in different file types depending on the scan destination. Duplex scanning means that this scanner can scan both sides of one sheet of paper simultaneously. This scanner is meant to supplement your existing printer(s) to give you or your small business additional functionality.

NOTE: This scanner is NOT WiFi or Ethernet compatible. It connects to your computer via USB and uses your computer’s processor and WiFi or Ethernet connection to your network to do its work.

What’s in the box?

  • Xerox® Duplex Combo Scanner
  • Power Supply with Power Plug Adapters
  • USB Cable (USB-A to USB-B cable, USB 2.0 data transfer speed)
  • Spare ADF pad
  • Quick Installation Guide
  • Technical Support Card
  • Warranty Card
  • DVD-ROM including:
    • User’s Manual
    • Visioneer OneTouch
    • Visioneer Acuity
    • ABBYY Business Card Reader
    • ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint
    • Scanner Drivers: TWAIN, EMC® Captiva® ISIS® and Microsoft Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) Driver

Hardware specs

Document Requirements (ADF)

  • Minimum Item Size 3 x 5.9 inches (76 x 150 mm)
  • Maximum Item Size 8.5 x 14inches (216 x 356mm)
  • Capacity 35 pages of 20lb printer paper (75–80 gsm)
  • Paper Thickness 16–28 lbs. (60–125 gsm)

Document Requirements (Flatbed)

  • Minimum Item Size 0.5 x 0.5 inches ( 13 x 13 mm)
  • Maximum Item Size 8.5 x 11.70 inches (216 x 297 mm)
  • Item Thickness 0.39 inch (10 mm)

General Specifications

  • Model Number: XD-Combo
  • ADF Scan Speed: 25 ppm/50 ipm @ 300 or 200 dpi (Color, B&W, or Grayscale)
  • Duty Cycle: 1500 pages/day
  • Optical Resolution: 600 dpi
  • Interpolated Resolution with Visioneer Acuity: 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1200
  • Output Bit Depth: 24-bit color, 8-bit grayscale, 1-bit bitonal (black & white)
  • Scan Method: Duplex Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) or Simplex U.S. Letter / A4 Flatbed
  • Scanning Media Supported: Paper, plastic ID cards, photos
  • Image Sensor: CIS (Contact Image Sensor)
  • Light Source: RGB LED lamp
  • Interface: Hi-Speed USB 2.0, compatible with USB 1.1
  • Certifications: UL/C-UL, FCC CLASS B, CE, CB, WEEE, ROHS, ENERGY STAR, MEXICO ENERGY (CFE), RCM, USB-IF, CCC
  • Operating Temperature: 40° ~ 95° F (5° ~ 35° C without condensation)
  • Relative Humidity: 10% ~ 90%

Scanner Dimensions (Trays Extended)

  • Width 15.8 inches (402 mm)
  • Depth 13 inches (330 mm)
  • Height 5.5 inches (139 mm)
  • Weight 5.94 pounds (2.7 kg)

Power Information

  • Power Supply APD (WA-36A24R)
  • DC Jack, 2P, 100~240 VAC, 24 VDC, 1.5 A, 36 W, Class 1, ENERGY STAR, RoHS
  • Scanner Rating: 24 VDC, 1.5 A
  • Power consumption
    • ≤ 15 Watts (during operation)
    • ≤ 6.0 Watts (on standby)
    • < 2.0 Watts (power save after 15 minutes without scanning)
    • ≤ 0.5 Watt (power off)

Cable Information

  • USB cable 1850 mm, 28AWG, with core, RoHS compliant

Software Information – Supported Operating Systems

  • Microsoft Windows
    • 32-bit or 64-bit 7 (Service Pack 1)
    • 32-bit or 64-bit 8 / 8.1
    • 32-bit or 64-bit 10

Scanner Drivers

  • TWAIN, WIA, ISIS

Bundled Software

  • Visioneer® OneTouch®
  • Visioneer® Acuity Module

Design and features

The Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner is a really lightweight and small flatbed/duplex ADF scanner. I was surprised by how lightweight it was. It is almond colored and made of hard matte plastic. The top of the scanner has paper guides and an Input Tray for the ADF. And just below that is the Output Tray.

The plastic control panel is very simple and contains from left to right an LED display, the Up/Down Function keys, a Simplex button, a Duplex button, and a Power button/Status Light. The control panel looks black in my photos by is actually a very dark blue.

If the ADF gets a paper jam or you need to replace the small blue ADF pad, you can do so by lifting the ADF cover. Lifting the Scanner Lid reveals the flatbed scanner. The bottom of the scanner has rubber pads at the corners to prevent scratching furniture or moving around. You’ll also notice that on the left side of the bottom of the scanner is a grey sliding button. This is a locking button that will prevent the scanner from scanning when in the locked position. You must slide this button to the unlocked position in order to use the scanner. The back of the scanner has the power port and the USB-B port that you use to connect to an outlet and your computer, respectively.

Setup

I chose to install the driver and all of the scanning software. I did not install it from the web because I received errors, so instead, I installed the software from the DVD and checked for updates later. The installation took quite a bit longer than I anticipated. Each piece of software required me to accept the terms of use before proceeding.

Performance

Once all the software was installed, I could launch the One Touch 4.6 software which would bring up the above tiny screen of scanning functions. Left-clicking on any of the icons (Scanning Function Presets 1-9) starts the scanning process when the scanner is powered on and connected to a computer. Right-clicking on any of the icons launches the One Touch configuration screen.

The OneTouch application provides nine preset scanning functions for this scanner:

  • Function 1 – “Scan” – the default uses the ABBYY FineReader Sprint application destination and saves the file as a searchable PDF
  • Function 2 – “Search” – the default uses the ABBYY FineReader Sprint application destination and saves the file as an sPDF
  • Function 3 – “Print” – the default uses the Microsoft XPS Document Writer setting destination and saves the files as a BMP
  • Function 4 – “Email” – the default uses the PackagedMail setting destination and saves the file as a PDF
  • Function 5 – “Archive” – the default uses the Transfer to Storage setting destination and saves the file as a PDF
  • Function 6 – “Photo” – the default uses the Transfer to Storage setting destination and saves the file as JPG
  • Function 7 – “Edit” – the default uses the Microsoft Word application destination and saves the file as a DOCX
  • Function 8 – “Contact” – the default uses the ABBYY Business Card Reader application destination and saves the file as a JPG
  • Function 9 – “Magazine” – the default uses the Transfer to Storage setting destination and saves the file as a JPG

Configuration settings for preset scanning functions



The first screenshot above is the OneTouch configuration screen for Scanning Function 1 entitled “Scan”. The default view is the Multi-Function tab which allows you to select the destination of the scan, the saved file type, and the configuration.

The Options tab located at the top of the screen (shown in the second screenshot above) allows you to select things like which destinations to show, “Use job separator when scanning multiple pages”, and “Custom file naming”.

The last screenshot comes up when you click on the Edit button from the default configuration screen. On this screen, you must first unlock the preset configuration by clicking on the lock icon to allow you to adjust the settings.

You can alter the Scan Settings as shown in the last screenshot above…



…Page Settings, Acuity Settings, Redaction Settings (not shown), Advanced Settings, and sometimes Storage Settings depending on which scanning function you are editing.

When selecting the file type from the default configuration screen, you can right-click on the file type to select the quality of the scan e.g. minimize size, normal, or maximize quality.


I tended to use Scanning Preset Functions 1 and 5. Scanning Function 5 is entitled “Archive”. When editing this function, I was additionally able to edit Storage Options settings like where to store the file.

Scanning large two-sided documents

After altering the Scanning Function 1 to my preferences, I was able to start scanning some large two-sided documents by left-clicking on the icon. You can also use the control panel on the scanner to select Function 1 using the Up Function key or Down Function key and then press the Simplex or Duplex button on the scanner.

After the initial scan was completed, I was then prompted to enter a file name because that’s how I configured the scanning function.

Because the ADF tray limits the number of pages it will hold to about 35, I had to divide large documents into sections. After scanning the first section and naming it, Scanning Function 1 opens up the ABBYY FineReader 12 Sprint application which was the destination for Function 1. However, this is only one section of the document that I was scanning and I wanted to save all the sections in one file. To do this, I needed to click on “Add pages” and select “Add from scanner”.

After selecting “Add from scanner”, the right pane of the application displayed settings for the additional scan (so, I guess I’m no longer using the OneTouch scanner settings but the ABBYY FineReader Sprint scanner settings?). I selected the ADF double-sided paper source, Letter (11″x8.5″) paper, 300 dpi resolution, and the Grayscale (Optimal for OCR) setting. I then clicked on the “Scan to Document” button.




While scanning a large document which was about 400 pages long, there where some cropping issues. Periodically, when there was important information near the edge of the page being scanned, it was cropped such that some of the information was lost as shown in the screenshots above. This happened to about 20 pages out of 400.

To illustrate the problem, the first and third images above were scanned using the ADF and lost some details, while the second and fourth images above were scanned using the flatbed scanner and did not lose any detail. I had to rescan the problem pages and place the new images in the correct position in the document then delete the messed-up image. This was a bit tedious. I tried to figure out if settings like “AutoCrop to original” were the problem, but nothing seemed to work.

You can also see in the above scans that even though the scanner was set to scan to 8.5″ x 11″, the widths of each page is slightly different. This drives me crazy! However, even though the pages are slightly different widths, most of those pages did not lose any information.

When I was finished scanning all sections of my large document, I saved it as a searchable PDF by clicking on the red “Searchable PDF” button located in the right pane of the screen. It successfully converted the document into the PDF.

The scan quality of the documents was really quite good – better than the scanners on our printers. The OCR capabilities of the ABBYY FineReader Sprint application was also pretty good. It made most of the text searchable (some text was not very clear on the original to start with).

Overall, even though the scanner made quick work of scanning my large documents, I had to be careful that it wasn’t cutting off important information. In the end, I think it was worth it. I saved a great deal of time using this duplex scanner over my other simplex scanners on my two printers.

Scanning old photos



Using Scanning Preset Function 6, I also scanned lots of old photos. Since I wanted to scan about three photos at a time and save them as individual files, I had to alter the configuration settings for Function 6 to use the TWAIN Driver PLUS settings as shown in the first screenshot above.

After clicking on the “Use TWAIN Driver PLUS settings” checkbox then clicking on the gear icon next to it, it launched the TWAIN driver settings screen (shown in the first screenshot above). I had to select “Advanced” from the dropdown menu located at the top right corner of the screen shown in the second screenshot above to reach the multi-crop settings that I needed which was located under the Advanced tab. It took me quite a bit of time to find the multi-crop setting. But once I found it, I was able to scan three photos at a time and save them as individual files as long as I was saving them as TIFF files (you can’t do this with JPG files).

However, while scanning several photos at a time using the multi-crop setting, the scanner sometimes cropped a photo into small bits as shown above. I’m not sure why – perhaps because of all the vertical lines in this photo? It was necessary to unselect the multi-crop setting and scan the photo by itself in order to get the image to appear correctly as shown above. This slowed the scanning process down some. This happened several times and not just with landscape pictures but also with people. The tops of some people’s heads were cut off and saved as separate files. Perhaps the scanner needs some therapy. Luckily, I was able to scan about two-thirds of my photos without this problem.



The above images are various captures of the same photo to give you an idea of how well the Xerox scanner captures the colors and details of the photo. The first image above is from the Xerox scanner (a 600 dpi JPG). The second image shown above is from the Google Photoscan app on my phone which uses my phone’s camera to capture the photo and the last image is one taken directly with my Pixel 2 XL camera. Each of the photos was resized to 800 x 800, but no other adjustments were made; brightness, contrast, color saturation, color hue, and gamma settings on the scanner were left at the default settings.

The image that best replicates the actual photo is that taken directly from my Pixel 2 XL camera. I suppose with some work, I could get the Xerox scanned image to better replicate that of the original by adjusting the scanner settings or by using photo software. However, if you need a scanner to scan all your old photos, perhaps it’s best to look for a photo scanner.

Overall, the scanner did an adequate job of scanning my old photos. Though you should know that I’m not a really sentimental or nostalgic person. Thus, I felt that I was able to save time by scanning several photos at a time and have the scanner automatically crop them as separate images and save them as separate TIFF files rather than scanning the photos one at a time.

What I like

  • The Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner makes quick work of scanning large two-sided documents
  • For my purposes, it also adequately scans about three photos at once and crops and saves them as individual TIFF files
  • The scanner is lightweight and is relatively small for a flatbed/ADF duplex combo scanner
  • It adds duplex scanning capabilities to your home office or small business at an inexpensive price tag

What I’d change

  • The scan widths of 8.5″ x 11″ scans were cropped at slightly different widths throughout the document, but only about 20 pages of a 400-page document were cropped such that important information was lost, thus requiring me to rescan those pages
  • It cropped some photos into several pieces also requiring me to rescan those photos individually with the multi-crop TWAIN driver setting turned off
  • I would love for it to be WiFi or Ethernet compatible

Final thoughts

When I first received the Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner, I was disappointed that it didn’t connect to my network either via WiFi or Ethernet (it must be connected to a computer via USB to work). However, I think that if those things were included in this scanner as well as the processing power necessary to quickly scan large documents, it would be more expensive. Because the scanner was connected to my computer, it used my computer’s processor and my computer’s WiFi connection to allow me to scan quickly then save the document anywhere that my computer had access to. I guess that means I’ll be hauling my computer into the room where the scanner resides because I don’t have room for the scanner where my computer normally sits.

In addition to the fact that the scanner must be connected to your computer via USB to work, I noticed that when scanning documents, all of the widths of 8.5″ x 11″ scans were slightly different. And on about 20 pages out of 400, the scanner would crop them such that some valuable information was cut off along the edge of the paper. Because of this, I had to rescan those pages and move them to the correct position in the document and delete the old ones before saving the whole document. Incorrect cropping also occurred when scanning in several photos at a time and saving them as individual TIFF files using the multi-crop TWAIN driver setting. Approximately one-third of the time, the scanner would crop one photo into several pieces and save those pieces as separate TIFF files, thus requiring me to rescan them in without the multi-crop setting.

Overall, the Xerox Duplex Combo scanner did a decent job of scanning my large documents quickly and clearly and an okay job of scanning my photos. Using the scanner saved me a lot of time even after correcting for all the issues that I had with it. My husband (who works at home) and I intend on using the scanner mainly for digitizing our personal and work papers so this scanner will suffice for now. If your main purpose is to scan photos, it may be best to search specifically for a photo scanner.

Price: $219.99 (down from $269) from Xerox, $229.99 from Amazon
Where to buy: Xerox or Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Xerox.

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Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Structure Sensor 3D scanner review

REVIEW – The iPad market share has hovered around 20 to 30% for the past few years. Imagine how different our world and experience would be if each one of those cameras had 3D capture ability. The Structure Sensor is an attachment to the iPad that provides the ability to capture 3D information. Read on to see what I think!

What is it?

The Structure Sensor is an attachment to an iPad, but also works with non-iPad tablets, iPhones, and can be modified to work with standalone applications. It contains two infrared LEDs, an infrared structured light projector, and an infrared camera.  The Structure projects a unique infrared pattern of dots out in front of it, and the infrared camera captures the projected pattern as it is reflected off of objects. Apparent variations in the position of the captured dots are interpreted by software to determine the relative position of a captured image. The graphic below, by Paul Kah of the Lappeenranta University of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, illustrates the technique in a cartoon.

The Structure Sensor uses images from the iPad’s built-in camera, so aligning the Structure sensor up to the built-in camera is critical. The Structure Sensor provides a custom designed mount to ensure alignment. The sensor software also uses the iPad accelerometer, compass, and computing power to generate the 3D images.

What’s in the box?

My employer purchased this device so I didn’t see the box it came in. The following description is from the Structure website:

Structure Sensors purchased directly from the Official Structure Sensor Store will arrive in a gift box, like so:

 

Structure Sensors purchased from Amazon.com will arrive already assembled, in a new “bento box” style, which doubles as a carrying case for your Structure Sensor, bracket, and cables:

Regardless of where it was purchased, your Structure Sensor should arrive with the following:

  • One Structure Sensor
  • One Lightning cable
  • One Power Adapter
  • One magnetic screwdriver
  • Eight (8) M1.6 screws
  • One user manual

Precision Bracket with Aluminum Latch

The Precision Bracket with Aluminum Latch will arrive in a separate box, like this one:

Precision Brackets with Aluminum Latch for iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4 will arrive in a “bento box” style, which doubles as a carrying case for your assembled Structure Sensor, bracket, and cables:

Structure Sensor Bracket For iPad Pro

Your Structure Sensor iPad Pro Bracket should arrive with the following (shown from top to bottom):

  • One Bracket Alignment Tool
  • One Structure Sensor Base Plate
  • One Bracket

This is what the bracket looks like when not attached to the camera:

The bracket surrounds the iPad camera so that a specially designed 120-degree lens may be installed for use with some applications. The camera lens may be unusable by other hardware add-ons if the bracket secured with an adhesive is applied to the rear of the iPad.

Design and features

The Structure Sensor is an anodized aluminum device with a glass front and a plastic back. The back is designed to fit into or screw onto a bracket that connects it to the iPad. The Structure Sensor has its own internal battery to preserve the battery life of the iPad, The bottom side of the camera has a port for the dedicated AC charger. An LED indicator on the Structure Sensor’s glass face will pulse when your Structure Sensor’s battery is charging. As soon as your battery is completely charged, the LED indicator will be illuminated continuously until the AC charger is disconnected.

There is also a port for the data cable to lightning adapter cable

If the Structure Sensor is used with a non-iPad device a separate cable may be purchased that terminates in a USB type-A connector. This cable may also be used with a USB power adapter to charge the Structure Sensor and will charge the battery more quickly than the standard Power Adapter.

When the sensor is latched to the rear of a device and connected with the dedicated data connection to the device it looks like a kludge to repair an inoperable camera. Technically its similar to taping a Microsoft Kinect to the back of the iPad. However, despite its appearances, the bracket and camera are sturdy when attached and function as if the Structure Sensor were an integral part of the tablet.

The biggest feature of the Structure Sensor is that it was designed as a piece of standalone hardware and not a custom attachment for a specific program. Occipital, the makers of the Structure Sensor published an SDK for the hardware very early on. This development philosophy helps establish this hardware as a well-supported attachment to the iPad. There are over 80 apps built for Structure Sensor as of December 2018.

Rapid 3D scanning of objects and people and 3D scanning of interior spaces were the features I used. The sensor can also be combined with a virtual reality headset to provide augmented reality experiences that incorporate real integration of the 3D environment. 

I’ll talk about two of the apps I was able to use with the sensor.

Scanner – Structure Sensor Sample

The scanner app allows you to capture 3D models of objects and people by simply walking around them with your iPad and the Structure Sensor accessory. Captured objects can be sent via email (uses OBJ format). The camera collects color information as well to make a texture file. When scanning I got the best results moving the iPad up and down to cover the entire model and then making sure I captured distinct areas, such as the face, all at once so that the iPad would provide the best result when the data is stitched together. Having patience is important; moving too quickly will cause the model to not be assembled correctly. I make models of each of my children. You can see that the model I made of my son’s hair is corrupted on one of my earlier tries.

After some practice, I got the hang of it and was able to capture both of my children without any model errors. Here’s a model of my daughter.

You can view the full model here. The models import into the Windows 10, 3d builder in the wrong orientation and with an error, but the orientation can be rotated and the error is fixed by the program.

Canvas

Canvas is another app for the Structure Sensor. This app is designed to render a room in 3D and has an option to have the 3D scan converted into a CAD (computer-aided design) file so that architects and builders can use the captured measurements as a starting point for modification.

I decided to model a downstairs hallway in my house that has a number of doors and a coat rack area in order to test the capabilities of the device. I had some guidelines to go on but since the time I have made the renderings and now, a video on the scanning process has been published by Occipital. The video below gives an impression of what it is like to use the software.

Once some familiarity is gained with using the software, the whole process is quite fun. The software indicates the rendering of the space by apparently covering it in a white foam. The end result is that the entire scanned area looks like it is covered in shaving cream or marshmallow.

Here are some pictures and screenshots that I made of the capturing process.

This shows a screenshot of the other end of the hallway.


Instead of showing the camera image, it is possible to show the image depth view rendered in false color

The model files I made include the stairwell going upstairs.

Here is a view of the stairs from the opposite angle.

This is my best rendering. The remainder of the attempts below have some shortcomings. Some, like the capture with an incomplete floor, would be fine for conversion into a CAD model.

Both sides all crooked

Floating coat rack

Odd looking ceiling

Good but some missing wall

Incomplete floor

One side crooked

Rotated during scan

Like the Scanner app, the models import into the Windows 10, 3d builder in the wrong orientation and with an error, but the orientation can be rotated and the error is fixed by the program. CloudCompare is a good cross-platform alternative, has a portable build, and doesn’t have any importing issues.

What I like

  • Unique device
  • Powerful features
  • Open development

What needs to be improved

  • Learning curve
  • Cost
  • The adhesive bracket may limit camera use
  • The camera cannot be used with a case

Final thoughts

With the Structure Sensor, a whole new dimension can be experienced with your iPad. 

Price: $379 to $499
Where to buy: Structure
Source: The sample for this review was provided by my employer.

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Structure Sensor 3D scanner review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 14, 2018 at 11:04 am.

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Xerox Duplex Portable Scanner review


REVIEW – For folks like me that walk around with as much technology as possible, portability is a critical need. The art of being ready for any and every situation related to the photography/videography industry means that I should be ready and able to meet the needs of clients at a moments notice. In my mind, a portable scanner adds value to my on-the-go gear.

What is it?

The Xerox Duplex Portable Scanner is a compact, well built portable scanner that is capable of simplex or duplex scanning. However, it is not battery powered.

What’s in the box


1 x Xerox Duplex Portable Scanner
1 x AC Adapter
1 x Rear Paper Feed Tray
1 x Spare ADF Pad
1 x Micro USB Cable
3 x Power Plug Adapters
1 x Quick Install Card
1 x Warranty Card
1 x DVD (includes user’s manuals and software)

Design and features

Specifications:

• Weight: 3.3 lbs.
• Simplex or Duplex: Duplex (two side scanning)
• Interface: USB 2.0
• Optical Resolution: 600 dpi
• ADF Capacity: 20 sheets (20 lb. paper)
• Visioneer OneTouch Technology (PC): Yes
• Duty Cycle: 1000 pages/day
• Dimensions: 11.78″ x 4.1″ x 2.93″ (299 x 104 x 74 mm) (W×D×H)
• Output Bit Depth: 24/8/1
• Scan Method: ADF Duplex
• Light Source: LED (light emitting diode) instant on
• Maximum Paper Size: 8.5 x 118 in
• Drivers: PC: DriverPLUS TWAIN, ISIS, WIA Mac: Visioneer Scan Utility, TWAIN, ICA
• Imaging sensor: CIS (contact image sensor)
• Paper Thickness/Weight: 16 – 28 lbs.
• Background Color: Black
• Minimum Paper Size: 2.25 x 2 in
• Speed @ 300 dpi, b&w, grayscale, or color: 15 ppm / 30 ipm
• Speed @ 200 dpi, b&w, grayscale, or color: 20 ppm / 40 ipm

This scanner has a sleek and simple design. When opened up from its compact state, it has a rear paper feed tray, a front folding out paper tray and a top side control panel.


There is also an included rear scanning tray for pass-through scanning.


When the scanner is powered on the power button lights up blue and the LCD display shows status and current settings.


Below is a close-up view of the control panel. It is well labeled with function buttons for scanning in simplex or duplex mode and the up/down buttons for changing settings.


Below are screenshots of some of the screens that are presented when installing the software suite.
Software included in the bundle:
PC: Visioneer OneTouch with Acuity
ABBY® Fine Reader Sprint
ABBYY Business Card Reader 2.0
Desktop Organizer software
Scanner Drivers: Visioneer DriverPLUS, TWAIN, ISIS, and WIA
Mac: Visioneer Scan Utility
TWAIN and ICA drivers
ABBY® Fine Reader Sprint





Performance

System Requirements:

  • Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
  • DVD-ROM drive capable of reading Dual Layer DVDs
  • Universal Serial Bus (USB) port
  • Microsoft Windows operating system
  • 2 gigabyte (GB) internal memory (RAM)

Minimum available hard disk space:

  • 350 MB for the scanner driver
  • 1GB for Visioneer OneTouch
  • 1 to 2 GB for each additional application

Opening the scanner from its compact form and getting it ready to scan is very easy, and the installation of the software that includes the drivers and the software bundle is very easy. I installed it on a laptop with the Windows 10 OS and there were no issues. One important process is to follow the instruction to not connect the USB cable until the software installation prompts you to do so. This process is actually normal practice when installing USB devices. Once the installation was completed, I placed a document in the feeder and pressed the simplex button. In seconds it scans and appears on the screen. I did the same for a two-sided document using the duplex function. For the first test, I chose .pdf as the file format. You can also scan documents as various image formats and you can scan various types of documents like business cards, etc. You can scan via the Automatic Document Feeder or via the rear scanning tray. In addition, you can initiate the scanning process from the software. There is an abundance of settings available that are too many to mention in this review. You can see all of the features by reading the manual here.
The following are some screenshots to show some of the options, settings, and features available via the software:




What I like

  • The size of the scanner
  • The simplicity of the setup
  • The included software
  • The ease of use
  • The build quality
  • The simplex/Duplex functionality
  • The scanning options and versatility

What can be improved

  • A built-in rechargeable battery to make the scanner truly portable and usable even in environments where AC power is not available

Final thoughts

I really like this Xerox Duplex portable scanner. it is lightweight but yet well built, and it is so easy to use. As a photographer/videographer, I frequently meet with clients at locations convenient to them, and when I have them sign a contract, I usually take it back to my studio, scan it and then email a copy to them. On many occasions, I have seen the uneasiness with some clients after they make a down payment, and don’t have a copy of their contract right away. I will use this scanner to scan the signed contract on the spot, and then they can have the document and I will have a copy. Well done Xerox!! Thumbs up!!

Price: $249.99
Where to buy: Xerox website or Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Xerox.

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Xerox Duplex Portable Scanner review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 27, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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