Kodak Alaris has expanded its document capture portfolio with the launch of a new line of low-volume production scanners. IDM took a look at a model in the new Kodak S3000 series which provides the entry level into A3 scanning.

The model we previewed was the S3100f, where the f indicates integrated flatbed capability. This is a 100ppm scanner that is part of the Kodak Alaris push to take the document capture point to the start of a business process, rather than something that happens to documents after they have been dealt with.

Previously document capture may have been done at the end of a process as a means of keeping a record.  The new scanners and software from Kodak Alaris are designed to provide an automated portal for integrating paper-based information into digital workflows and archives.

The S3000 series is the entry level for A3 scanning with the i4000 and i5000 series offering additional features for high volume workflows.

Differences with the previous model i3450 which it replaces become obvious when the scanner opens up and you notice it is now completely black inside.  This is to provide better contrast for scanned documents to allow automatic splitting of multiple scanned documents.

The S3100f also includes a colour touchscreen control panel with buttons able to be customised for different users and network connectivity whereas the i3450 was USB only. This allows the S3100f to live on a network and provide shared scanning capabilities for a workgroup, as it has sufficient processing power on-board to not require connection to a host PC.

Many functions that previously required a user to return to the PC have been embedded in the S3100f so they can be completed using the control panel. This embedded capability is powered by the Kodak Perfect Page technology, which performs over 30 enhancements on every image that is captured during the scanning process.

The Capture Pro Limited Edition software included with the Kodak S3000 Series Scanners now offers the ability to export to SharePoint in addition to other cloud repositories.

There is increased feeder capacity with a 300-page input hopper and built-in image processing. This includes the ability to digitally stamp a document at the point of capture rather than in a post process, providing enhanced traceability. Configuring your document stamping options is a simple function available within the scanner driver, so that users can get the most out of the scanner regardless of the downstream software used.

Another new feature made possible by the embedded processor in the S3000 series is barcode enhancement. So, if you scan a proof of delivery document for instance and configure Kodak Capture Pro undertake a database lookup, if the barcode is not recognised, the user can rescan that particular page with additional barcode enhancement enabled.

The flatbed scanner is noticeably improved in the S3100f, particularly for book scanning with an improved swingout for thick books and capacity for book edge scanning. Where you have multiple documents that you don’t want to put through the rollers, just place them on the flatbed and let the S3000 series scanner automatically split each document, saving the time it would take to scan them individually.

The S3100f has been designed as an A3 workhorse and with its ability to live on a network and handle the needs of dozens of users it provides significantly lower cost of ownership than an MFP.

https://www.alarisworld.com/en-au/solutions/document-scanners/departmental#section%201