Panasonic KV-S1046C

As you might guess from its 75-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) and high rated speeds, the Panasonic KV-S1046C is a color duplexing document scanner designed for busy workgroups with a need for speed. It proved its mettle, at least in scanning to image PDF format, though it was a bit sluggish when I switched to saving in searchable PDF.

The off-white and gray Panasonic KV-S1046C measures 9.3 by 12.5 by 8.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 8.8 pounds. Paper is loaded through a 75-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF), and the paper path is straight-through. The ADF also can hold up to 3 embossed plastic cards (ID or similar). It has an extendable output tray. Connectivity is via USB 2.0 cable.

As is typical of document scanners, it scans at up to 600 ppi. It offers automatic double-feed detection, prevention, and skip. It supports the scanning of longer documents (up to 8.5 by 100 inches).

Software
Software includes Panasonic Image Capture Plus utility, which lets you scan and save documents to different formats, as well as Twain and ISIS drivers, which enable you to initiate scans from nearly any Windows program with a scan command. (The scanner does not support Mac OS X.)

Scanning Speed
I did the testing of the KV-S1046C, which is rated at 45 pages per minute (ppm) for simplex scanning and 90 ppm for duplex, with Image Capture Plus. In scanning to image PDF using the program's 300 ppi black-and-white default setting, it posted average speeds in scanning our 25-page test documents of 20.8 ppm for simplex and 57.8 ipm in duplex. But when I switched to scanning to image PDF at 200 ppi, the KV-S1046C turned in a zippy 41.7 ppm average speed for simplex scanning and 82 ipm for duplex, just off its rated speeds.

Scanning with Image Capture Plus is a two-step process; when the scan is complete, you initiate the output, in which it converts the scan into the desired format. It scanned and saved a 200-ppi searchable PDFs in an average of 2 minutes 3 seconds and a 300-ppi searchable PDF in an average of 3 minutes 20 seconds.

The Editors' Choice Kodak i2600 has an even faster rated speed than the KV-S1046C, at 50 ppi for simplex and 100 ipm for duplex scanning, and tested at the same 41.7 for simplex scanning and a slightly slower 76.9 ipm for duplex. Yet when we switched to searchable PDF, generally considered the preferred format for document management, the Kodak scanned our test file in just 1 minute 16 seconds. Although the Editors' Choice Canon imageFormula DR-C125 , rated at a much lower 25 ppm simplex/50 ipm duplex, met its rated speeds in scanning to image PDF (25.4 ppm/49.1 ipm), it took only a minute to scan to searchable PDF. The Panasonic KV-S1026C took 2:44 to scan to searchable PDF at 200 ppi.

The Software's on You
The absence of any software for the KV-S1046C other than Image Capture Plus and the Twain and ISIS drivers is unsurprising, as the scanner aimed at businesses that presumably already have a document management suite and are looking to upgrade to a faster, more capable scanner. The same was true of the KV-S1026C. Nonetheless, if you have need for such software, you'll have to buy it separately with the KV-S1046C.

When I tested the Panasonic KV-S1046C, it nearly matched its sizzling rated speeds for simplex and duplex scanning to image PDF at 200 ppi. When I switched to searchable PDF format, though, it was considerably slower than two Editors' Choice models, the Canon imageFormula DR-C125 and the Kodak i2600. At 4,000 pages, the Kodak's daily duty cycle is twice that of the KV-S1046C. The Kodak also adds some very capable software in Nuance PaperPort 12 for document management and Nuance OmniPage 18 for optical character recognition (OCR).

Befitting its lower rated speeds, the Canon DR-C125 was much slower than the KV-S1046C in scanning to image PDF, but with searchable PDF it turned the tables, as the Panasonic took more than twice as long to scan and save the same test document. The Canon also includes a solid, if basic, software suite.

The Panasonic KV-S1046 is a capable workgroup scanner, and nearly as fast as its high-rated speed?at least when scanning to image PDF. It lagged a bit when scanning to searchable PDF. This model is best for offices or workgroups that already have document management software in place (or are willing to invest in it separately).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/BA_qDqW8Htg/0,2817,2416865,00.asp

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