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Evernote and the Fujitsu ScanSnap 1500

gazumped

By gazumped
in Going Paperless

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gazumped

gazumped 11,656

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For general information, I just bit the bullet, sold a family member and bought a ScanSnap. This after experimenting for some time with flatbed scanners and digital pictures of documents.

I didn't have a document feeder on the original scanner(s), and getting reasonable quality digital pics of A4 and A3 documents involved me in building a RW copy frame with lights that quickly add a few degrees to the average temp around here, especially if you're diving in and out to replace sheets or change book or magazine pages between shots. So: long story short - paper conversion = much work, no fun. (Though I kept at it because Evernote was an organised and paper-free-ish light at the end of my sweaty tunnel.)

I still had some paper to shift, so I bought a ScanSnap. Think differences between squinting and contact lenses, cheap headphones and live music; seriously - being able to load up to 50 pages, seeing it zip through the scanner at 20 pages/ minute and process itself into a reasonably small Evernote package are so awesome that.. I was minded to share it with you.

More seriously I got from somewhere around here the directions to direct a ScanSnap output to an Evernote page, which replaced my first instinct to use ScanSnap's built-in "scan to a folder" option, and use that as my Evernote Input folder. The instructions I got worked quite well, but as a natural last resort, and after much use, I then Read The (Fujitsu) Manual - which includes a description of updating the ScanSnap Manager software. (Right-click icon, choose Help and Online Update).

Duly updated, the ScanSnap Manager then offers me a new range of choices, including various standard "scan to" destinations including "Evernote Note" and "Evernote Document". Which I'm now using in preference to all others, because they work rather well.

One thing I can't get out of SM is a version number, so I can't tell you when this was introduced; but if you have a ScanSnap without these options it would be worthwhile checking for online updates.

Meanwhile Rock On Evernote! I'm getting closer by the day to that towel by the pool I promised myself at the start of this project..

(Health Warning: all the information here relates to the Windows version of ScanSnap software - can't speak for other OS's)

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gazumped

gazumped 11,656

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...It was only a small family member...

Just as an add-on to all of the above, I inherited Acrobat 9 with the scansnap - a PDF product that my inherent suspicion of MS-style monopolies (and dislike of heavy pricing) has so far made me avoid. It was "free" with the ScanSnap however...

I've tried Nitro and Foxit and PDF Converter Professional while learning more about the general nature of PDFs, and using all of those I had a go at a 95MB PDF that was a mega-compendium of about 5 years' billing invoices that I wanted to keep.

There is, of course, the 50MB note limit to bear in mind and I wanted to compress the file rather than split it or actually throw away some of the history.

Although the other three more-or-less professional PDF packages could only get the heap of paper down to 95MB, Adobe, on a standard "compress file" option, got it down to 47MB - and having tested now on various other files Adobe seems significantly more economic with your bits on a standard conversion or scan.

So. If you're looking to economize on space, upload times and/ or monthly usage - get genuine Adobe PDF software! (-and watch your settings, obviously. 600dpi full-colour scans will be large files in anyone's software.)

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  • 1 year later...
C6REW

C6REW 416

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Hi Gazumped,

I have the S1300 currently at home in my study, but think this will move to the office and I need to buy an A3 version so I can scan in pages from magazines i want to throw away.

How does the S1500 A3 scan work? I have read that it scans it in two parts and stitches it together. Is this any good for a magazine article with photos?

Best regards

Chris

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happydreamer

happydreamer 12

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Hi Chris,

Just wanted to weigh in on this discussion...I bought a Fujitsu s1500 scanner (Don't have any kids still at home that I can sell -I had to sell the cat) and if you haven't got one, then RUN and get one. It is AWESOME! I've used the flatbeds for years, and this walks all over them. The A3 works by folding the item in half, putting it in the special carrier sheet and feeding it through a certain direction. The item is saved stitched together. I've only used it once. I used it on a house plan and it did have a line across where it connected but maybe I had it set wrongly. Gazumped sounds like he has done many more than me.

I just love the way the unit whips through the toughest stack and the ease with which the whole thing is made searchable and saved to Evernote. I just want to say I picked up a near new Canoscan 600F flatbed as well (for $20!) and it is a great deal harder to operate than the Scansnap. My money is on Fujitsu when it comes to scanning documents.

Kath

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C6REW

C6REW 416

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Hi Kath,

Thanks for the input. As mentioned I have the S1300 and it is an awesome bit of kit. I also have a top end Epson flatbed scanner for photographs and am beginning to think that may be a better idea for my magazine articles.

I have many hundreds of photographic magazines and only keep them due to the odd article that I want to refer to. So cutting the pages out, scanning them, storing in Evernote then binning the magazines would certainly make my life easier and tidier! I just wished I could get a ScanSnap that would do the job for A3 simply rather than what you have described.

Not sure if the S1500 would give me any benefits - not bothered about the cost - over the very small S1300, so may end up just buying another S1300 so I don't have to transfer them between the Office and home study. But if anyone can point me in the direction of a product that does what the ScanSnap does but for A3 then that may be my answer.

Best regards

Chris

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happydreamer

happydreamer 12

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Ok dimensions.

Height Back 6 1/4 inches

Height Front 3 1/2 inches

Width 11 1/2 inches wide

Depth of Base is 5 inches deep

and depth at widest part of unit (halfway up the side) is 6 inches

Unit is not a rectangular unit, it has an interesting shape as it folds out. It's about the size of a ladies handbag. (I nearly wrote the size of a good sized ladies handbag but that wouldn't be right!)

Kath

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  • 4 weeks later...

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