The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 is a portable scanner that fits well into any on-the-go computing scenario. It’s compatible with Macs and PCs, so Macbook lovers and PC laptop users alike will both enjoy having a small, lightweight and fast scanner at their fingertips. It weighs less than one pound, in fact.
The S1100 fits right into a laptop bag easily and runs on one USB power cord. Drawbacks include lack of duplex functionality and moderate speed, so for small jobs, simply taking a photo can be faster. If you need scanner quality, though, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 is an excellent value.
A Portable Scanner for Mail, Plastic Cards and Receipts
If you’re a busy traveler, you know the need you have occasionally for having a scanner on you so that you can scan letters, important documents and receipts in particular. Most financially savvy individuals these days scan all of their receipts and important letters. Some users even scan business cards for immediate filing in addition to plastic cards. Yes, you can scan plastic with this unit. If you have plastic ID cards that need scanning, perhaps at a school or business event that requires such cards, you can easily scan them for record keeping.
Key Features of the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100
The scanning resolution of the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 is 600 dpi, which is more than sufficient for most personal scanning needs. It runs on only one USB cord, so extra power cables are not needed, which is a handy characteristic when space is at a premium. That also means the scanner will need to be connected to your computer to scan – it does not scan to an SD card like some portable scanners.
Documents are fed one at a time as the S1100 is a one-side-only scanner. This is not a “duplex” scanner like the ScanSnap S1300 scanner. This is not a huge factor for most users typically, as you can simply feed the other side of the page without having to push or click any extra buttons to continue the document. Simply feed the S1100 until you are done and click “finish.”
Alignment is automatically performed by the included software, so there’s no need to manually adjust and straighten your images after scanning. Fujitsu has done an excellent job in this department. Most scanner users know that aligning an image after scanning is typically a necessary task, but it’s not with the S1100.
The unit’s scanning speed is a respectable 7.5 seconds for most jobs. It accepts the usual types of documents like standard and legal, plus post cards, business cards and plastic cards such as IDs. It also scans directly to a searchable PDF which makes organizing even easier.
Software Included with the ScanSnap S1100
The main software application included with the S1100 is Fujitsu’s ScanSnap Organizer. The Organizer software accepts your scanned documents and files them in a virtual filing cabinet, where you can easily view, edit and search your documents.
The package also includes an optional software app called the ScanSnap Quick Menu, which allows a user to easily determine the digital location of whatever documents being scanned. Scanning straight to popular applications like Microsoft Word or Excel is a simple affair, and it includes the ability to search for documents scanned previously with applications like Evernote. Support is also included for Google Docs.
For business card scanning, the S1100 includes CardMinder for PCs and Cardiris for Macs. These software programs allow information on scanned business cards to be extracted and organized in an editable format.
Overall, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 is a great little portable scanner. While you can find a cheaper portable scanner, you may not get the quality of a Fujitsu scanner. Customer reviews have been quite positive and this scanner is already selling well on Amazon following its 2011 release.
