Xerox DocuMate 510: Digital-Camera-Near.com

Xerox DocuMate 510

Xerox DocuMate 510
by Xerox

List Price: ~~$498.88~~
Category: CE
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Customers in the UK, Buy this product at amazon.co.uk for British Pounds

Digital Photo Product Details

Manufacturer: Xerox
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: XDM5105D-WU
Product features:

scans directly into PDF format
converts documents into PDF files at 10 pages per minute
holds up to 50 pages in ADF
includes TWAIN driver
scan up to legal size documents with ADF

Accessories:

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Xerox DocuMate 510

Customer Review: Good hardware, bad software
Summary: 3 Stars

This scanner works, most of the time. I am moving toward the (still distant) paperless office, and this scanner has gotten me much closer. However, I can't recommend purchasing one because it has some maddening problems that just don't seem to be tractable.

The DocuMate 510 doesn't work at all with Windows Server 2003, because apparently corporations don't need to scan documents.

On Windows XP, it provides both TWAIN and WIA drivers. In my case, I can choose between the TWAIN driver, which inverts the colors of all black and white scans (the option to correct this simply doesn't work on my PC), and the WIA driver, which ignores the auto document feeder, forcing me to babysit the machine while it scans. I've worked around this in Microsoft Office Document Scanning with a greyscale scan that converts to black and white, but that slows it down from its rated 10ppm to about 3.

The Documate 510 software bundle includes (indeed, centers around) PaperPort 9 Deluxe, which allows scanning to PDF. Despite the "Deluxe" this product is crippleware, designed to entice you to buy the "real" version: PaperPort Pro. Except PaperPort Pro is now at version 10, which isn't really compatible with this scanner, due to the driver problems mentioned above (which are pervasive no matter what application is used, except the shipped version of PaperPort 9 Deluxe appears to have some kind of workaround).

I've tried several times to reinstall the drivers in the hopes of correcting some of these issues. Doing so requires on-the-spot "registration" every single time, including typing in the 20-character alphanumeric serial number from the back of the unit. As an added bonus, it requires you to enter your email address and subscribes you (with no indication that it is happening) to Xerox's marketing email list.

I believe this scanner is actually made by Visioneer, who sells or sold it under another name (4650?) and OEM'd to Xerox as the Documate 510. The "beauty" of OEMing a product made by someone else is that you can take it to market without a single person in your organization knowing how it works. This certainly appears to be Xerox's approach, as evidenced by the product's second-class citizen status on their website and their support personnel's inability to deviate from their call scripts.

So the Documate 510 does work, sort of. I have scanned quite a bit of material with it; my complaint is that the experience is inevitably much slower and far more frustrating than there is any need for it to be.

I am unconvinced that there are any superior alternatives in this price range, but as a result of my experiences, my office won't be buying any more scanners from either Xerox or Visioneer.

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Description of Xerox DocuMate 510

Xerox DocuMate 510 flatbed scanner with Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for Windows, 600 x 1200 dpi optical resolution, 42- bit color, USB 1.1 interface. 50 page ADF capacity, 10 ppm at 200 dpi B/W

Designed to be at home in any office environment, the Xerox DocuMate 510 single-pass flatbed scanner offers 600 x 1,200 dpi resolution, 42-bit color, and fast USB 2.0 connectivity. It has an auto document feeder that's able to handle up to 50 sheets of 18 lb. paper at a time, allowing convenient scanning directly into PDF format at up to 10 pages per minute (at 200 dpi, black-and-white).

Able to handle originals ranging from 4.5 by 5.5 to 8.5 by 14 inches(via ADF), the auto document feeder will to help speed up any office environment by letting you batch scan items as small as checks or index cards, as well as legal sized documents. The DocuMate 510 is clearly designed for office document support and includes software tools to help streamline file management, text editing, and single-button PDF creation. It has a certified ISIS driver for compatibility with ISIS-based imaging applications, and it is at home in any Windows 98SE, 2000, ME or XP environment.

What's in the Box
DocuMate 510, power supply and cord, USB cable, Quick Install card, user's manual, CD-ROM (including TWAIN and certified ISIS scanner driver, ScanSoft PaperPort Deluxe, ScanSoft TextBridge Pro 9 OCR, ArcSoft PhotoImpression)

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