Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Scanner Review

I had an older version of the Fujitsu ScanSnap for a couple of years now and when I heard of the new Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500, I just had to get it. My first impression after first use is this machine is fast. Even though my old ScanSnap was fast, the iX500 definitely beats it. It comes with many improvements compared to previous versions.

Here’s a quick intro video of what the Fujitso ScanSnap iX500 can do…

Features

• Works for both PC and MAC
• 25ppm color scanning (it’s FAST!)
• 50-page automatic document feeder (ADF)
• USB 3.0 connection
• Built-in GI microprocessor
• Wi-Fi Features – You can scan via Wi-Fi with your smart phones and devices such as your iPad, iPhone, Android devices and much more via Wi-Fi. This feature is actually very well done which makes the iX500 a great choice for mobile scanning jobs.  You can scan and create high quality images that can be saved to your smart devices and/or uploaded to services such as Evernote, Dropbox, Google Drive, Salesforce or SugarSync.
• Creates Editable PDF Files – Using the Abobe Acrobat software, users will be able to scan, create and edit data as they wish. Each PDF file can contain a password and digital ID attached to protect your personal information.
• Software –  Comes with Cardminder, ScanSnap Organizer, ABBY FineReader and other Fujitsu Software.

Installation Process

Setup was straight forward and easy especially since the installation process was similar to my old Fujitsu ScanSnap. This process took about 8-9 minutes. Nothing special or hard about it

The Test

• Speed – It’s definitely faster than my old Fujitsu ScanSnap. It states that this model can scan up to 25ppm and it definitely got there.
• USB 3.0 Connection – The advantages of having a max speed of 5 Gbps (USB 3.0) vs 480 Mbps (USB 2.0) is a plus. The USB cable included was 6 feet long which was great.
• Reliability – All documents (thin, bended, wrinkled,  and post-it note attached to it) were scanned without any problems and there were no paper jams. This is a big improved from previous ScanSnap versions.
• Wi-Fi – The WiFI feature is one of the reasons that I decided to upgrade and I’m glad I did. You use any smart devices via Wi-Fi to control your scanner from anywhere. The iOS app I downloaded for my iPhone worked perfectly. You can do whatever type of scans you want and it will be instanly be made avaliable to you. You have the ability to scan using any smart devices with no computer required. The scans will go straight to your smart devices.
• Quality – The scan quality is superb and unmatched

The Price

The new iX500 is the best of the best and although it’s more expensive than other scanners, it’s worth the asking price. It’s an amazing piece of hardware. You will not find a better desktop document scanner out there right now.