I love my IX500 so much that I took it into work to show it off. I pulled the paper out of all the binders in my office and scanned them. Really wowed my coworkers and my manager with its speed and efficiency. I cleared a lot of office shelf space (and completely filled a recycling box with an 17" stack of paper) and now have all that rarely visited documentation sitting on the computer instead where I can instantly reference it. Took only a few hours.
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Considering a ScanSnap IX500
- Thread starter richard13
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I just received mine today. I'm so excited but have to wait until my new 5k iMac comes on Monday. Hopefully going paperless won't take to long to get set up. Any tips you found useful for new user to set up or scanning options for folders or such.
Your help will be much appreciated
Your help will be much appreciated
I highly recommend the e-book "Paperless" by David Sparks (AKA MacSparky). That's what got me going. Available in iBook Store (it's multimedia) or as a PDF. I've followed his advice cover to cover and it has worked out excellently. One thing he suggests -- Hazel -- I've found particularly valuable. I'd go so far to say that without it my attempt to go paperless would have failed because of the sorting problem. This especially becomes true when you file incoming statements and receipts. It's fantastic when you download a statement (go paperless when you can!) or scan a statement and it gets renamed with a date stamp and reasonable title, gets moved to the proper folder on my server computer, and gets tagged so I remember to enter/reconcile it in Quicken.
One suggestion for scanner maintenance. When you start scanning receipts, the paper used seems to mess up the pressure rollers and you get feeding problems until you clean the rollers. Fujitsu sells a very expensive cleaning fluid and wiping pads however they also say you can use Isopropyl alcohol. I've got a bunch of (inexpensive) lens wipes which contain Isopropyl alcohol and nothing else -- cleans those rollers just fine. And no other issues with the ScanSnap after over a year of use (I started January 2013 as a New Year's Resolution).
I have been using a Fujitsu Scansnap S1500M for over a year and have been very pleased. Just received my new 5K iMac - very nice.
Another recommendation for going paperless - "The Ultimate iPad" by James Floyd Kelly. This is not the typical iPad book; it's a very practical guide to serious uses of the iPad, including scanning and organizing. Your paperless organization need not be limited to the desktop computer - you can integrate the iPad and online storage options. Highly recommended.
I'm thinking about going full paperless too but I have some questions
The scansnaps seem to be very good but they are only usb arent they? But I'd like to have it on the network. Currently I only have an HP officejet 6700 which is a all in one but if I scan with it from my Mac and select "Text" format to make a pdf it recognizes not really the text. I would like to have all the documents searchable. Are the Scansnaps better at ocr?
What I'd like to do is to stuff all the paper into a scanner, the scanner saves it as pdf in a searchable text format pdf on a network share and its done. But I dont know if thats possible
The scansnaps seem to be very good but they are only usb arent they? But I'd like to have it on the network. Currently I only have an HP officejet 6700 which is a all in one but if I scan with it from my Mac and select "Text" format to make a pdf it recognizes not really the text. I would like to have all the documents searchable. Are the Scansnaps better at ocr?
What I'd like to do is to stuff all the paper into a scanner, the scanner saves it as pdf in a searchable text format pdf on a network share and its done. But I dont know if thats possible
I believe (but don't quote me) the IX500 will scan wirelessly to an iOS device but not a computer.
As long as you can connect it to computer you can have it scan into a network share. That's what I do. It also OCRs the document so you do get a searchable PDF.
As I mention above I also use Hazel to move the scanned files into an appropriate folder based on the file's content.
Thanks follow for the help. I've d/loaded "Paperless " and will start the read. What is Hazel is it software? The one thing that worries me ahout all software is if you have to reinstall will there be any problems with the software finding all the docs again seamlessly. Or if there is new new OS and the software that I'm using will not be compatible how will I recover and or access them if I have to use different new software
http://www.noodlesoft.com/hazel.php
Hazel just automatically organizes things in Finder based on rules you setup. So hypothetically if Hazel disappeared, all your files would still be in the folder Hazel moved them to. You would not need Hazel to view files.
In "Paperless" David Sparks does point out that risk if you use database software to catalog and store your documents. As Weaselboy (and Sparks) point out, Hazel saves the document in standard system folder hierarchy. This also makes it easy to view on any system (OS X, Windows, Linux,...) that can access the drive.
If you have a continuing need to scan books, Fujitsu makes a contactless scanner for books or similar materials. It's the SV600. Reviews on Amazon indicate that it does a good job but can be time consuming.
The ix500 will indeed scan to an iOS device, but it will also scan to a computer wirelessly. I have it set up to scan to my rMBP wirelessly and it works great.
I usually scan to an action folder and then Hazel takes over and renames it, then moves it to my NAS.
I generally scan to DevonThink Pro Office... which is an incredible document database which uses artificial intelligence to correlate documents. The longer you use it, the better it gets at knowing where things go. I do not use any auto file features... instead I use the "magic hat" which suggests where to put each document. It is scary good.
I also have a profile set up to "Scan to Folder"... that I have pointed to a shared dropbox folder. If anyone in the family wants something scanned... I use that profile and it shows up in our shared dropbox folder.
/Jim
I also have a profile set up to "Scan to Folder"... that I have pointed to a shared dropbox folder. If anyone in the family wants something scanned... I use that profile and it shows up in our shared dropbox folder.
/Jim
I tried DevonThink Pro Office last year - VERY powerful program. The one feature that held me back was that all of the data is stored in a proprietary database file. Yeah, I know, there is an export function for the data, but ... that's something that you have overcome inertia and remember to do manually.
I was burned several years ago when I stored a lot of data in a proprietary format, in this case ".max" files used by PaperPort, a document manager for Windows. It took several years for me to figure out that I should store the files in standard .pdf format after that format was allowed by PaperPort. Even today I'm still trying to convert some old .max files on my Mac computers.
I still get the heebie-jeebies when thinking about proprietary data formats.
I'm not criticizing the excellent DevonThink Pro Office program, just sayin' ...
The other for me is the very clunky syncing between macs, and between mac and iDevices. Yes it can be done, but after a year of doing it and actively participating in the DT forum about it to make sure I wasn't missing anything, it was a huge relief to abandon DTPO.
If I only had one mac and no need to access docs on iPad or iPhone, I would go back.
Bingo - you have hit the nail on the head. DevonThink Pro Office is a great tool for a researcher who collects and stores online data and who mostly works from a desktop computer. If you are constantly switching between computers or from desktop to mobile devices, there are better tools. And cloud syncing is essential.
All of this is evolving, and it's fun to watch and participate.
If you look into DTPO... all of the data is in the package... in plain old finder format. You can always get 100% of your data without exporting or even using the application at all. Just copy it out of the package in its original format. I believe you would lose your organization... but every single file is in there and easily retrieved just using finder.
Personally I do not want my data to be stored on other machines... and especially onto my IOS devices. I do not need my 1997 (or any year) income tax returns with me on my iPad... and quite frankly... I do not want it there. I have a minuscule percentage of data that I want synced to my iPad... and just sync that particular data over.
/Jim
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DTPO has very powerful 2 way syncing built in. It was included on a more recent version of the software. I have on on two iMacs... my wife and my own. Either of us can add/edit/modify/file... and every hour (my preference)... the two machines 2-way sync. Essentially... we get the exact same view from either machine... and either can edit.
In practice, I pretty much do 100% of the organization... and my wife just wants to view data that was previously stored. It works perfectly... but also works if she wants to add data. I generally just have her add data to the inbox on her iMac, and then I do the organization later on my iMac.
Neither of us bother syncing to our MBAs. Same reason as I stated above for my IOS devices. I really prefer not to have 99.999... % of the data to be out there on my traveling devices that may end up in the wrong hands by accident. Personal choice.
/Jim
Thanks for the additional info; I was not aware that DTPO had been updated with the better syncing capability. This is not surprising, though - the DTPO developers seem to be first-rate.
I should have been more precise with my thinking on data access on mobile devices. I really like to have certain data available on the desktop as well as on mobile devices (phone, iPad) - certain receipts, current articles to read, technical information, etc. I agree that you would not really want information such as old tax returns stored on mobile devices.
It's really a matter of data organization. What type of data to store in DTPO and what to store in Dropbox, synced to phone and iPad? Or what to store in local, but accessible storage such as Transporter or Pogoplug? I don't really need to be sitting at my Mac to work (read, research on internet) and add stuff to my database. I can do a lot of this from a laptop or iPad.
James Floyd Kelly discusses some of these issues in his excellent book, "The Ultimate iPad".
So many decisions, so little time ...
Thanks for the additional info; I was not aware that DTPO had been updated with the better syncing capability. This is not surprising, though - the DTPO developers seem to be first-rate.
I should have been more precise with my thinking on data access on mobile devices. I really like to have certain data available on the desktop as well as on mobile devices (phone, iPad) - certain receipts, current articles to read, technical information, etc. I agree that you would not really want information such as old tax returns stored on mobile devices.
It's really a matter of data organization. What type of data to store in DTPO and what to store in Dropbox, synced to phone and iPad? Or what to store in local, but accessible storage such as Transporter or Pogoplug? I don't really need to be sitting at my Mac to work (read, research on internet) and add stuff to my database. I can do a lot of this from a laptop or iPad.
James Floyd Kelly discusses some of these issues in his excellent book, "The Ultimate iPad".
So many decisions, so little time ...
I sync a ridiculously small amount of stuff from DTPO onto the DevonThink mobile app. Currently... only copies of my passport and nexus cards... just in case they got lost during a trip.
I do have dropbox folder that I keep owners manuals for anything that I might need while traveling... such as my DLSR manual and similar items. There is no reason why I cannot put my passport/nexus scans in there instead of DTPO.
I do have the ability to get to 100% of the email that I've ever received while mobile. I do this by having copies of 100% of my incoming email getting forwarded to a gmail archive account. So, I can log into the Gmail via the web, and search for any email back to the beginning of time.
/Jim
scansnap ix500 drops wifi
there are a lot of knowledgeable people on this thread so I thought I'd try here.
ix500 - great scanner. I am having a problem with mine (ie adobe search) but that is for another time. Lately I changed from linksys routers to apple airport time capsule. once i got it set up (major diff was IP address range on old router was 192.168... and now it is 10.0...
Anyway, I get wireless working. I sue it. I close the cover. To use it again, I need to plug the USB cable back in and set it up wirelessly again.
Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
there are a lot of knowledgeable people on this thread so I thought I'd try here.
ix500 - great scanner. I am having a problem with mine (ie adobe search) but that is for another time. Lately I changed from linksys routers to apple airport time capsule. once i got it set up (major diff was IP address range on old router was 192.168... and now it is 10.0...
Anyway, I get wireless working. I sue it. I close the cover. To use it again, I need to plug the USB cable back in and set it up wirelessly again.
Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
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Your answer might be found in the last post in this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1619936/
Thanks, just saw that as you were replying. I kind of helped, got it working, makes no sense how, but it is working.
Right click scansnap in systray, connect by Wifi, click remember, select scanner and OK. But I did this same thing thru one of the scan snap utilities earlier...
Right click scansnap in systray, connect by Wifi, click remember, select scanner and OK. But I did this same thing thru one of the scan snap utilities earlier...
Sometimes, the best scanner is the one you have on you!
Try Pic Scanner app for iPhone and iPad. Can download and try ten scans free, then a reasonable $2.99 purchase enables unlimited scanning. Plus points:
1) Can scan up to 4 photos together (Start with 1-2 for practice)
2) Photos are automatically cropped and saved individually
3) Can scan directly from albums or frames (No need to take out photos)
4) Needs no internet connection, so can scan anywhere
5) Can upload to Dropbox or iCloud for archiving
App store link is https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pic-scanner-scan-photos-fast/id644278663?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo=4
Try Pic Scanner app for iPhone and iPad. Can download and try ten scans free, then a reasonable $2.99 purchase enables unlimited scanning. Plus points:
1) Can scan up to 4 photos together (Start with 1-2 for practice)
2) Photos are automatically cropped and saved individually
3) Can scan directly from albums or frames (No need to take out photos)
4) Needs no internet connection, so can scan anywhere
5) Can upload to Dropbox or iCloud for archiving
App store link is https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pic-scanner-scan-photos-fast/id644278663?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo=4
True, but I'm glad I've got the ScanSnap. You can't beat 50 double sided pages per minute, OCRed.
That said I do use the app JotNot Pro on my iPhone to scan receipts when on the road. It puts the scanned receipts into DropBox, then Hazel (running on my server) moves them out of DropBox into my Receipts folder. Locally scanned receipts (using the IX500) take a different path but also get moved into the Receipts folder. I can easily find receipts by their date stamps, and when I have many I just use Quickview to find the right one.
After three months, Hazel tosses the old receipts in the trash. For receipts I need to archive longer, I have to copy them elsewhere (such as into a tax folder) before the 3 months have passed.
I've had this operating for over two years now and it's worked out just fine.
I am familiar with ScanSnap and JotNot Pro: both are great tools for scanning, OCR'ing, organizing documents and receipts. Pic Scanner is a photo scanner, great when you are away from your trusted ScanSnap (e.g. visiting an aged relative who has a stash of old photos but no scanner or internet
Its features (JPG output, batch scanning, filters, captions, albums..) are tailored for photos.It isn't a substitute for a doc scanner, just as a doc scanner isn't a substitute for it. It's just an additional tool worth having on your iPhone/iPad.