[Web4lib] Flatbed scanner for public use

[Melissa Belvadi]

We have managed to find ourselves with 4 different options for flatbed
public scanning! 
These range from the little $100 retail-scale ones attached to some
computers to a fairly expensive (low 5 figures) Zeutschel (which is
amazingly fast and disappointingly poor quality for the cost despite
some awesome auto-cropping/"perfect book" software features). 

In the middle, like DeAnn, is our public photocopier. We went with
Xerox. The Xerox 7545 is a colour printer/copier that can also scan up
to 11x17 in colour. 
We have it hooked up to a cash/card machine for charging for printing
and copying, but scanning is free. It's networkable, and can email scans
up to the limit that your SMTP server will handle (for us that's 10MB).
It also has a USB port to download the scan. Other features that you
didn't include are that patrons can directly print a PDF from their USB
stick (of course in our setup that costs money), and they can also use
the automatic document feeder to make their scan as well as the flatbed.

Xerox has two less expensive non-colour copiers (but both scan in
color, they just don't have color toner cartridges for printing/copying)
- one with an 11x17 bed, and the cheapest with a smaller 8.5x14. We
found however, after the purchase, that the smallest one can't do
multi-page PDF scans from the flatbed, only the ADF - every page becomes
a separate PDF document with the small one. 

I'm close to finishing a set of web pages that compare and contrast all
4 options with some "best practices" tips. You are welcome to read
through them for anything useful. 
http://library.upei.ca/scanning 

We had also looked at Ricoh before settling on Xerox and found the
Ricoh black-and-white multifunction copiers didn't have the USB port,
which was a deal-killer for us. 
Neither had the ability to send a document straight to Google Docs -
I've never heard of that feature before.  

Melissa 



---
Melissa Belvadi
Emerging Technologies & Metadata Librarian
University of Prince Edward Island
mbelvadi at upei.ca
902-566-0581 



>>> On 3/23/2011 at 05:54 PM, DeAnn M Buss <dmbuss at syr.edu> wrote:


We just leased new copiers (Canon iR3245(s) are the B&W units. Canon
IRC5045(s) are the color units but lots of options out there) that allow
all of the functionality you mention except Google Docs.  If a patron
scans to email or flash drive it is free.  If they chose to print out a
copy then they are charged per page.

Best of luck in your search.

DeAnn Buss
Director of Information Systems
Syracuse University Library

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Janet Fine
Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 2:47 PM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org; Nassau County Library Association
discussion gr
Subject: [Web4lib] Flatbed scanner for public use


3.23.11

Hi Everyone,

We are researching the purchase of a flatbed scanner for public use. 
We would like the scanner to be a standalone unit and have the ability
to send the scanned documents to
a flash, email account or Google Docs. It would be good if the scanner
also had a print option. We looked at CCP Solutions standalone scanner
and were very impressed
at its ease of use and compact design--the public loved it as well--but
my Board wants us to do more research before purchasing anything.

If you have some names of vendors or experiences to share with me, I
will summarize all info for the group.  Your help is greatly
appreciated.

Kind regards,
Janet Fine
Department Head, Circulation and Computer Services
Great Neck Library
159 Bayview Avenue
Great Neck, NY 11023
(516) 466-8055 ext. 205

    
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4lib at webjunction.org
http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/