Microtek ScanMaker 5950 Flatbed Scanner

Pros: Software (with Windows XP), Scan results, and Price
Cons: Scanner has a fatal flaw in the design of the case.

I started having problems with the ScanMaker 5950 immediately after installation. I noticed that the scan bar was getting "stuck" part way down the page! Then I started reading reviews and found a LOT of others report the same problem. Often this scanner ...

Pros: Low price. In some configurations works as advertised. Integrates well with Adobe.
Cons: Major bug in compatibility with Windows 2000 and Internet Explorer.

Based on Epinion reviews I purchased this from Amazon.com. After spending a whole morning trying to set it up on a network PC running Windows 2000 and Internet Explorer 6.0, I got it apparently running--feeding sheets properly, giving the appropriate scanning progress bar, but no image was produced. Ultimately I went online and filed a tech support query only to be told that there are known incompatibilities between their machine-software combo and Windows 2000 running Internet Explorer 6.0 with no known fix as yet. This is a pretty common PC configuration. I think that an appropriate warning should be given on their web advertising and elsewhere. (When I brought the machine home and ran it on my Windows XP Pro configured PC, it ran fine.

Pros: Gain familiarity with UPS shipping schedules.
Cons: These Microtek scanners simply do not work.

Scanner and two replacements arrived doa. The glass scan surface was warped and would not allow the scan head to move back and forth for scanning. In addition, Ecost.com (the online vendor)would not take a return of a Microtek scanner 5950(read the fine print on the return policy page. They will not take a return on products with a history of failure) Microtek scanners are exempted from their normal return policy.

Now I have a dead scanner with no one offering to refund my money. I have to pay the shipping cost on all the returns and every one they send as a replacement has been broken as well.

Avoid Microtek and Ecost like the plague.

Pros: A timesaver to increase productivity.
Cons: Occasional paper jams, but you do not lose the work scanned.

I'm in the legal profession and we have to keep our files for many years. I have 17 years worth of files to consolidate onto the computer (about 95 boxes). With the hand-fed scanner I was using - it was going to take more than 5 years. (I'm up to 2 boxes a day along with my other job duties). The microtek 5950 is an absolute lifesaver. It does have a 50 page capacity feeder, however you can keep adding documents to continually keep it feeding when the paper feed gets low. I highly recommend this scanner for the small business owner with a tight budget.

Pros: Feed it paper and let it go
Cons: Nothing I've observed so far

After looking around for a while I saw this. 50 pages is what the thing is supposed to hold. I've found that if you just stick in a stack that it just keeps feeding and feeding it more and more paper! I was looking and most document scanners are those cheap single sheet ones which I wasn't going to do. I don't have the time nor patience to sit there individually feeding one page at a time. It reminds me of the commercial, "set it and forget it." I really do just leave it for 5-10 minutes and come back and its done. Fantastic product for any home office!

Pros: Fast, works out of the box within minutes
Cons: Nothing as yet

After reading the reviews online I was somewhat hesitant of diving into the Scanmaker 5950. I read all 21 reviews and found that the majority of people seem to like the product, with a few getting what sounds like a bad batch of scanners. I called a few vendors and asked them if they had experienced any problems and they all said that the return rate on this product was extremely low. Taking that into consideration I gave it a try. I needed something to scan in high volumes of paper and make them into PDFs. I scan in invoices, reports and other misc documents and this product interfaces with Adobe Acrobat flawlessly. I couldn't ask for more! A+++

Pros: The speed of the scanner is good.
Cons: Manufacturer did not address the problem.

Within days of receiving this scanner, we had problems. A small thin plastic tab that guides the paper through was creased and catching the paper. The manufacturer had us send the machine back, but did not fix the problem. When we called them, they just mailed us the tab and it was up to us to figure out how to install it. We will not buy another product from this manufacturer.

Pros: Automation simplicity, cheap price
Cons: When is the 100 page feeder coming out?

I own a small business and need something that can scan forms without having my secretary sit there and manually scan each one into Omni Form, or worse yet sit there and try to duplicate them.

What we do is use the scanner to scan the documents in Omni Form, make the changes and then PDF them in Acrobat to distribute on the web.

Works perfect for this task and I couldn't ask for more. Most of the time she turns on her computer, has it stand scanning 25 pages or so and then goes and gets herself a cup of coffee. Automation at its finest. So far so good.