Businesses are unique, which means the standard office functions they require the most will change from company to company.
Maybe you’re a business that constantly prints documents, requiring a machine that can handle a large print volume. Or you’re a company that needs a machine to copy a sizable number of documents every day.
Or, as we will discuss today, maybe you need a machine that can handle daily scanning duties exclusively and want to know what the best option is for you and your business.
As a locally managed print vendor whose been in the industry for over 35 years, we’ve gained an intricate knowledge of the different types of scanners and helped numerous customers find the right scanning option for their business needs.
Because we partner with Xerox and sell their products, we will be going through their scanner arsenal and touching on the different scanner categories you can choose from.
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A Xerox scanner will not be the choice for everyone. There are several reputable companies out there that sell quality scanners that may be a better fit for your specific situation.
However, if you’re interested in purchasing a Xerox scanner and want advice about which one would be best for you, then you’re in the right place.
How Do I Know if I’m a Fit for a Xerox Scanner?
Before getting into the Xerox scanner categories and breaking down the specific models, you will want to assess whether a scanner is a worthwhile purchase for your business.
To do this, answer these four questions first:
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Do you only need scanning capabilities?
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Do you scan documents daily?
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Do you need a personal desktop scanner, even if your business already has a machine with scanning capabilities?
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Do you need a personal scanning option for the remote work environment or other individual projects?
If you answered yes to these questions, then you are a prime fit for a scanner. If you answered no to any of the questions above, then a scanner may not be a fit for you.
The 3 Types of Xerox Scanner Categories
Xerox breaks their scanners into three categories: personal and mobile, workgroup and developmental and production.
Each of these categories contains multiple scanners that meet certain needs. Below are breakdowns of all three categories, including the different models, key specifications and notable differentiators:
Personal and Mobile Scanners
The first category of scanners is the personal and mobile category, which includes the least expensive scanner options and is primarily a solution for those who require a portable scanner or a scanner for the remote work environment.
Xerox has four options in the personal and mobile category: the Duplex Travel Scanner ($119.99), Duplex Combo Scanner ($269.99), Duplex Portable Scanner ($339.99) and the Xerox D35 model ($359.99).
The cheapest option, the Duplex Travel Scanner, is best used when needing to scan documents on the road and has a daily duty cycle of 100 pages.
The Duplex Combo Scanner is an option for users who require a flatbed scanning option for the ability to print book/magazine pages or any oddly shaped or messy papers. It can scan up to 1,500 pages daily and has scan speeds of up to 25 pages per minute (ppm) for one side of the paper and 50 ppm for both sides of the paper.
The third option in the personal and mobile category is the Duplex Portable Scanner, which is a bigger and more efficient option than the Duplex Travel Scanner and has a daily duty cycle of 1,000 pages.
The last and most expensive option in this category is the D35 Scanner, which is the most efficient option in the personal and mobile category with a daily duty cycle of 8,000 and scan speeds of up to 45/90 ppm.
Which Personal and Mobile Scanner is Best for Me?
If you’re looking for a scanner to travel with, then the Duplex Travel Scanner would be the best fit for you.
If you need a more versatile portable option with a higher daily duty cycle, then the Duplex Portable Scanner would be the best option.
The Duplex Combo Scanner is an option for users who need to scan specialty documents, such as forms, passports or magazines and books.
The D35 Scanner has the biggest daily duty cycle and would be best for users with a high scanning capacity who need a personal scanning option.
All of Xerox’s personal and mobile scanners weigh less than six pounds and are best for individuals who scan at a small-to-medium capacity.
Workgroup and Departmental Scanners
The second category of Xerox’s scanner arsenal is the workgroup and departmental category, which also includes three scanner options that vary in certain specifications.
Scanners in this category would be a fit for most businesses that scan documents regularly and need a machine that can handle a large daily scanning duty cycle.
The DocuMate 6440 ($649) is the least expensive option out of the bunch and contains a daily duty cycle of 9,000 pages with scan speeds up to 40/80 ppm.
The next option in the workgroup and departmental category is the D70n model ($1,295), which has the biggest scan capacity of any of the scanners in this category (15,000 pages) and the fastest scan speeds (up to 90/180 ppm).
The third option is the N60w scanner ($1,399), which has a daily duty cycle of 10,000 pages and is distinguished from the others by allowing for USB, Ethernet and WIFI connectivity, and for having a touchscreen.
Which Workgroup and Developmental Scanner is Best for Me?
The DocuMate 6440 is a good starter option for those that need a bigger and more proficient scanning option than the models listed in the personal and mobile category.
The next scanner on the list, the D70n model, is best for individuals or workgroups who want the most efficient option in terms of daily duty cycle and scan speeds.
If you require a WIFI connection in an ideal scanner, then the N60w scanner would be the only option for you out of any of the scanner options since it’s the only model with WIFI capabilities.
Production Scanners
The third and final category for Xerox scanners is the production scanner category, which will be a category of interest for you if you scan a significant number of documents every day or require a scanner with the capability to scan large-sized documents.
The DocuMate 4700 is the cheapest of the four options in this category ($795) and has a daily duty cycle of 1,000 pages. It contains flatbed scanning capability and can scan the smallest documents out of all the Xerox scanners with a minimum document size of 0.15” x 0.15”.
The DocuMate 4830 ($2,395) is the next model in the production category and also includes flatbed scanning capabilities, which is best for scanning magazines and other specialty documents. It has a daily duty cycle of 3,000 pages and has a scan speed of up to 50/100 ppm.
Next up is the W110 model ($5,995), which is a high-capacity scanning option with a daily duty cycle of 100,000 pages. It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) capacity of 500 sheets and scans at speeds of up to 120/240 ppm.
The most advanced model in the production category is the W130 model, which has the same duty cycle as the W110 model (100,000) pages but has the fastest scan speed of any scanner in Xerox’s collection (130/260 ppm).
Which Production Scanner is Best for Me?
If you need a production-style scanner that has flatbed scanning capabilities, then the DocuMate 4700 and DocuMate 4830 would be the best models for you. The DocuMate 4830 has a higher daily duty cycle, so it would be a better fit if you scan more than 1,000 documents daily.
The W110 and W130 models contain much of the same basic features and specifications, except the W130 model is more efficient with higher scan speeds.
What Do the Xerox Scanners Have in Common?
Now that you have a feel for the different Xerox scanner categories and have learned about the specific models, there are four commonalities that all the scanners share that would be useful to know. These include:
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Black-and-white and color scanning capabilities.
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600 dpi optical resolution.
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Output bit depth: 24-bit color, 8-bit gray, 1-bit black-and-white
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Microsoft Windows 10 compatible.
The features and specifications listed above come standard with any Xerox scanner and require no additional purchase.
Think a Xerox Scanner Is Right for Your Business?
Scanners can be useful for many businesses who scan documents at a large volume, need a desktop solution for scanning, require a machine that exclusively scans or desire a scanning solution for the remote or travel environment.
Scanners are not for every business, however, and if you do not need a separate machine to handle significant scanning, then a scanner may not be the best purchase for you.
Almost all major print manufacturing companies sell scanners as well, so while we went into detail about Xerox’s collection of scanners today, there may be another company that can better meet your scanning goals with their options.
Make sure to consider your daily scanning volume, what documents you’re scanning and your office equipment budget before making a final purchasing decision.
If you are interested in a Xerox scanner or have any additional questions, reach out to us and we will walk you through the next steps.
