Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Hardware differences of Fujitsu S300M vs. S1500M ScanSnap Scanners

H

hanguolaohu

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 5, 2007
139
1
I'm debating purchasing the Fujitsu S300M or the S1500M ScanSnap scanners. I'm wondering whether there are any hardware differences between the 2 models besides the bundled software? I already have Adobe Acrobat Pro 8, and could purchase Abbyy Finereader or get the special proprietary Scanreader copy from a friend. I'm just wondering besides speed, are there any innate hardware advantages to using the S1500M? If not, then I might get the S300M for the portability factor. Anyone have any experiences with either of these scanners?

Thanks,
Alexander
 
The differences between the s300m and the s1500m are clearly defined; One is for high volume, the other is for portability. I got the s300m and only scan about three pages a day (mail) and it works fine. Same for receipts too. It scans pretty quick using USB but its slower than using the power brick so keep that in mind.

I can't imagine what would be different besides speed.
 
I'm just wondering about how the S1500M seems to have better software integration than the S300M. I read that the S1500M will do OCR on the fly using Abbyy Finereader's proprietary software specifically made for it. I'm leaning towards purchasing the S300M as I'm a SOHO owner, who just wants my scanning to be efficient and have powerful and simple integration.

Thanks for info guys!
 
I just wanted to jump in here.

I was debating between these two scanners as well. The thing is, I already own the s300 for PC. I recently switched to Mac and I've tried to mess with the drivers and seek help from others on getting this thing to work on the Mac.

I'm also a small business owner and time is money. The more time I spend on trying to tweak it, the more revenue lost. Billable hours are important in my case. And, I don't really want to always rely on VM running windows as I just really want to stay away from that as much as possible. I'm running quickbooks in it and I just hate going in there, but the quickbooks for Mac looks horrific (sorry off topic).

Anyway, the s300 on my PC really does a great job and I have been able to slip it in a bag along with my netbook for on the go scanning. It really is a little work horse and the quality is amazing. I was just not wanting to have to rely entirely on VM or evernote to sync up scans on my PC, so to save time I wanted to purchase the Mac equivalent. I plan on keeping the PC and just using it in a satellite office for occasional use and wanted to keep the s300. Otherwise I may just sell it or give it to a "Windows colleague."

So, I really just wanted to say that this piece of equipment (PC version anyway) has been a vital addition to my business. I need to scan a lot of documents during the day and the s300 has done the job.

Now, whether to spend the extra dough on getting the s1500M just to get Acrobat 8. Plus I am sure to add a MBP here in the very near future. Guess I just answered it.
 
Thank you Phatlip, very informative and honest opinion. I'm now leaning toward the S300 because of the value and size. The S300 is $240 on Amazon while the S1500M is $400, and I don't believe the S1500M's feature set is worth the extra $160 unless you run a large volume of paperwork. I have the OCR software I need already. Thanks again!
 
I pulled the trigger on the s300m today on Amazon. I expect it to be exactly like the s300 in performance. If you are looking to do a lot of initial scanning (like emptying out your filing cabinets) it's still worth it to go with this model as it is plenty capable.

Once you get to the normal scanning of a few pages, heck even tens of pages a day, you'll realize this puppy will keep up just fine.

Also, because of this sweet scanner, I've forgone the typical fax machine set up. I use the myFax service and if I need to fax a document (that I didn't type), then I just scan that sucker in and upload to the site to fax. Again, another $$ saver.

I've also had several people comment on this piece of technology as if they didn't know something like it existed (portable that is). Fujitsu has surpassed the competition in my opinion. Now if only they would just ship both drivers for PC and Mac all in one.
 
I have this to scan business cards in English and Chinese:

http://worldcard.penpowerinc.com/worldcard-mac.html

Although I like the unit, you have to feed business cards in perfectly in order to scan properly and the software is a bit lacking. I'm hoping the Iriscard 4.0 will have good multilingual OCR capabilities to fit my needs. Since Iris has been in this business a long time, I'm assuming the software package is quite developed. My Worldcard Ultra unit, for example, doesn't include a "Notes" field for my cards, which is quite annoying.

Alexander
 
That worldcard device is pretty sweet looking.

I've used the s300 without a hitch when scanning b. cards.

I got the s300m yesterday and fired it up. It works just as expected. I haven't loaded the Iris software, but I'll be giving it a spin.

I just have to reiterate that this scanner is one of the top five best technology purchases I've ever made. I still can't believe I have colleagues scanning in documents 1 by 1 on a flatbed in jpg (LARGE files) and email them out. I always dread getting their scanned documents. This has saved my business a ton of time and money. Did I already say that? LOL!
 
Sounds awesome. I want to get one soon. I like the Worldcard Ultra, but you have to feed it perfectly, it really takes perfect timing and pressure and it doesn't scan the entire card perfectly. The design is very nice though as it fits the elegant Mac aesthetic plus it's tiny portable, good for traveling.
 
I have both scanners, S300M and S1500M and am running Snow Leopard. I use Mariner Software's Paperless as a content manager for those things I scan.

The S300M uses RGB LEDs as a light source; the S1500M uses a lamp. Color rendition (scan -> print -> compare with original) is slightly better with the S1500M, but that is not a deal-breaker.​

The ScanSnap software works with both, and drivers for both scanners load from Fujitsu software. Nothing native in Snow Leopard.​

If you switch from one scanner to the other, be sure and let your Mac know you did. I quit ScanSnap manager software in-between scanner swaps, and that seems to do the trick. I've had to restart my Mac once or twice, but I think that's just me disremembering steps.

Uses. I've gone back and scanned old tax records, family records, stuff I couldn't bear to throw out. I had to buy a new shredder just to process the paper that's been through the scanners. I use the S1500M on my desk and the S300M stays in a carrying case mostly to take to my 88-year old father's house so I can keep up with his tax records and investments. It's easier if we're looking at the "same" piece of paper, and I no longer have his clutter in my office.

Carrying cases. If you ever think you'll own the S1500M, get the carrying case for this one. The S300M carrying case (from Fujitsu) is almost too small. All the power cables and mini-brick fit under a stiff panel at the bottom of the case; the S300M goes on top of the panel. It's a pain in the a$$ to tuck everything away. It was one of those "duh moments," when I realized I could get the S1500M case, let the S300M rattle around (no damage), and transport the S1500M if I ever have to. Price difference is modest. I also have used a travel case for shoes for the S300M scanner. It has a good separator (scanner/cables), and those are as cheap or expensive as you want.

We've heard for years about the "paperless office." For me, it's arrived. Hope this helps.
 
I have the 300m and the S510M, which the 1500 replaced. The S510M is a far better scanner, IMO. Much faster, much less jamming and it handles more sheets at a time. I would go with the 1500 in a heartbeat over the 300 if you don't need the portability.

Now just waiting for Fujitsu to update their software for Snow Leopard.
 
Couple of ?'s

I'm thinking about getting either the 300 or 1500, for both personal use, family, and small business.

I have Paperless that I got with the last MacHeist or MacUpdate Bundle. How well does that work with the scanners? So far I have just barely played with Paperless, using it to organized PDFs of online bill pays.

I am also curious about the ability to scan color photos, both 3x5 and 4x6.
I know it's not a photo scanner but would it produce decent scans for onscreen use only. My elderly parents have shoeboxes full of old photos and I was thinking of scanning them and making DVD slideshows, so high-res isn't important.

I know that years ago there was a HP Flatbed Scanner that could batch scan photos but of course that feature didn't work on a Mac. I also heard stories about how it scratched pictures, sometimes even tearing them.


Any info is appreciated!

Thanks
 
spacepower7 said:
I'm thinking about getting either the 300 or 1500, for both personal use, family, and small business.

I have Paperless that I got with the last MacHeist or MacUpdate Bundle. How well does that work with the scanners? So far I have just barely played with Paperless, using it to organized PDFs of online bill pays.

I am also curious about the ability to scan color photos, both 3x5 and 4x6.
I know it's not a photo scanner but would it produce decent scans for onscreen use only. My elderly parents have shoeboxes full of old photos and I was thinking of scanning them and making DVD slideshows, so high-res isn't important.

I know that years ago there was a HP Flatbed Scanner that could batch scan photos but of course that feature didn't work on a Mac. I also heard stories about how it scratched pictures, sometimes even tearing them.


Any info is appreciated!

Thanks
Click to expand...

I had a 300 and then purchased a 510... the 1500 replaced the 510. If you're using it for business and personal, get the 1500. My 300 jammed frequently when about 8 or more sheets were loaded at a time. Forget loading more than a couple small receipts at a time. The 300 is great for portability, but the 510 is much better at handling larger loads and different sized sheets and is quite a bit faster. The 1500 should be even better.

For photos... It's definitely not a photo scanner, but I've scanned a lot of my old photo album photos directly into iPhoto and got rid of the originals. Very quick and easy. The quality isn't that of a flatbed, but I'm not anal about picture quality as some are.

--If you're interested in what a scanned photo looks like from my 510, private message me and I'll find something to scan for you when I get home.

I've never had any photos scratched/torn from my 510 (haven't tried photos on the 300). The only thing that has been torn are docs that I forgot to unstaple. :)

Haven't tried Paperless. I usually just scan to folder (doesn't work in Snow Leopard, but there's a fix coming this month). I just downloaded the trial version of Devon Think but haven't had the time to try it out yet. I imagine it works well with the scanners because Devon sells the ScanSnaps with their software as a bundle option.
 
scottness said:
I had a 300 and then purchased a 510... the 1500 replaced the 510. If you're using it for business and personal, get the 1500. My 300 jammed frequently when about 8 or more sheets were loaded at a time. Forget loading more than a couple small receipts at a time. The 300 is great for portability, but the 510 is much better at handling larger loads and different sized sheets and is quite a bit faster. The 1500 should be even better.

For photos... It's definitely not a photo scanner, but I've scanned a lot of my old photo album photos directly into iPhoto and got rid of the originals. Very quick and easy. The quality isn't that of a flatbed, but I'm not anal about picture quality as some are.

--If you're interested in what a scanned photo looks like from my 510, private message me and I'll find something to scan for you when I get home.

I've never had any photos scratched/torn from my 510 (haven't tried photos on the 300). The only thing that has been torn are docs that I forgot to unstaple. :)

Haven't tried Paperless. I usually just scan to folder (doesn't work in Snow Leopard, but there's a fix coming this month). I just downloaded the trial version of Devon Think but haven't had the time to try it out yet. I imagine it works well with the scanners because Devon sells the ScanSnaps with their software as a bundle option.
Click to expand...

UPDATE: ScanSnap update for Snow Leopard is finally available!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back