Scanners

Good, Cheap Scanner Recommendation

In most small businesses, price is a big factor when it's time to buy a new office scanner. For a good, cheap scanner, we recommend the Epson V300. It's a reliable scanner and the price is definitely right for the typical small business!

These days, it's hard to do business without an office scanner.

But many business owners are hesitant to invest in an office scanner because they are intimidated by prices, especially if they are facing the possibility of purchasing scanners for multiple workstations or employees. More often than not, the dilemma business owners face isn't based on cost alone. There are myriad inexpensive scanners on the market. The trick is finding a good, cheap scanner that is capable of delivering quality outputs on a consistent basis.

The Epson Perfection V300 is the undisputed king of the entry-level scanner market. It offers good image quality, relatively fast scanning speed and other features that you normally wouldn't expect in a base-level model. Small business owners find this scanner particularly attractive because ROI goes through the roof -- the Perfection V300 meets many (if not all) of their scanning needs at a minimal cost to the company.

Here is a sampling of the features and benefits your company will receive from this reliable entry-level device:

• Resolution. The Perfection V300 has 4800 dpi optical resolution. Although this level of resolution is standard on larger machines, it's nice to know that you won't sacrifice image quality with a device designed for budget-conscious users.
• Transparency adapter. This model comes with a transparency adapter. But compared to mid-level models, Its capacity for scanning slides and negatives is limited since the adapter has a four-slide/six-frame filmstrip capacity.
• Software. Bundled software includes Epson's own scanning utility as well as software that lets you scan directly from most Windows programs. Again, compared to more expensive scanners the software you receive will be limited. However, this is offset by the price point and is adequate for most small business applications.
• Scanning options. This device allows you to do multiple scans to a PDF file. By pressing a button on the screen or on the scanner, you can choose to either scan another page or end the scan.
• No ADF. As an entry-level model, the Perfection V300 does not come with an automatic document feeder. Most business owners who are looking for a good, cheap scanner don't require this feature, but it's something you should know before you purchase the product.
• Cost. Dollar for dollar, it's hard to be the Epson Perfection V300 scanner for value. Expect to pay around $90 for this highly effective, but scanning solution.

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