Epson WorkForce DS-30 Portable Document Scanner

This scanner is ideal for anyone that has to scan a lot of things and a flat bed scanner is to slow. This is fast! I have it used for B&W and color and it works great. I would recommend it! Oh, one problem, the instructions says to just set it up and start scanning…but it did not say — if you have TWO Epson scanners, you must tell your computer which Epson scanner to use. It would not scan and would not scan until I noticed the screen asking which scanner I wanted to use, Changed computer to DS-40, then it worked perfect! I have used it for small Rolodex cards and 8 1/2 x 11″ sheets.

Now that I have it working I love the little thing. It scans fairly quickly and does a credible job of OCR for making searchable PDF files. Photo scans are good but you do need to set the scanner to maximum resolution to get proper results. The included Epson Scan driver and software are simple, very easy to use and the user interface is surprisingly complete, given it’s simplicity.

The device is tiny, about the size of a folding umbrella and it even comes with a nice carry pouch to protect it. It is well made and quite sturdy. Handling it gives no hint of flimsiness although I would not recommend handling it roughly.

Comes with a little kit of cleaning sheets, a calibration sheet and disks for both Windows and Mac. Very nice.

It should be noted that I had one heck of a time getting this device to work. Calls to Epson left them just as mystified as I was. After a bit of experimentation, it turns out the installer requires a couple of Windows Services –Windows Image Acquisition and Shell Hardware Detection– to be actually running before the drivers will install. It’s fairly common for IT people to stop or disable the Shell Hardware Detection as a security measure, since it produces that pop-up window when you insert a usb device. So if you run into problems check these services and be sure they’re on Automatic.

I can easily recommend this to my clients and friends.

We have used a Epson WorkForce DS-30 at the office I work at for several months before I decided to get one for home use. I needed to get my piles of paperwork since buying a house under control! This review will be based on using it at home & office.

It does come with a lot of software, some of which you may not ever need (if you are a casual user), but you can skip installing that which is nice. There is a Epson Scan, which is a 1 page scan. Useful for on the go or quickies (IMO). The main program Document Capture Pro where you can scan multiple pages (one at a time), rotate, flip, etc. Good for those long scan sessions. You have coffee right!

It also comes with both AbbyFineReader and Presto! Biz Card both of which have the option of not being installed. I have not had needed to use Abby FineReader, but BizCard is junk. Do not recommend (see Cons).

Pros:
– Document Capture Pro (IMO the primary scanning program) is pretty easy to set up, change and navigate. You can easily scan several pages, you just have to add each page individually by adding it (right click + add page).
– Unlike some other small portable or handheld scanners this one doesn’t have a page limit that you need to watch for so you don’t accidentally burn out your scanner by using it too much at once. I scanned all my mortgage paperwork (120ish pages) in one sitting with no issues and about 200+ pages at work in a day. The one at work has currently scanned about a banker box of paperwork and is still going strong.
– For being small and portable you get pretty good results. No, not holy moly great, but pretty good.
– You are able (using Document Capture) to send your scanned documents directly to email, Evernote and a bunch of other programs that I haven’t used personally because I am scanning them for personal (work) use.

Cons
– Biggest con, IMO is the speed. It isn’t fast but gets the job done. I think the trade off you really have to consider is portability (size) vs speed. It’s certainly faster than watching paint dry!
– Color yellow never really shows up well unless it’s SUPER bright (if anybody really cares…someone might!). We scan carbon copy type yellow sheets alot, they always come out as white.
– Something is a bit off with black and white vs Color quality (even in same high vs medium quality scans). Black and white scans always look a little more grittier and pixelated. We tend to scan everything in Color for better quality (even if the original is B&W).
– Presto BizCard is one of the software that is all but useless. The idea is you can scan business cards and it will automatically import the data from them to a database. Except it doesn’t work well for about 70% of cards I tested it on. If they have weird writing, it won’t work. Big picture = nope! Half the info one side, the rest on the back = also won’t work. Nice idea, but program is almost junk. You end up needing to edit or add in almost all the information by hand. If you want a sortable database just make one in Excel or something like that. You will save yourself a headache.

TL:DR – If you need a portable little workhorse that is kinda slow but gets the job done whatever you throw at it. I recommend the Epson WorkForce DS-30. It just keeps going and going!

Great product, software is extremely easy to use. Detail is amazing when needed, can be dialed down for smaller files. Never looses connection and has a surprising range. Use it to scan receipts and invoices. Gets a decent amount of use. No issues whatsoever. Would definitely recommend.

Awesome, compact scanner for those bills and other documents. Both hardware and software are great, and do just what I was hoping for. Hardware take some time to get use to. Feed of paper sometimes require some patience (may need to try second time), scan button needs to pressed somewhat hard, or it may not always start. Software is awesome. Let you adjust all the options the way you want it. I use it mostly for scanning a bills, so I set it up for readable pdf’s with the scan date prefix. When scanning multiple pages, you can just press the button instead of pressing next page on the computer window. Speed is not great, but acceptable for occasional scan of few pages. Scanning of both sides simultaneously would be a great addition. Overall, love this little scanner, fits just right behind back of my computer screen.