Kodak ScanMate i1150 review

If your business requires scanned documents in all shapes and sizes – think drivers’ licences, forms, even credit cards – then you might just fall for the Kodak ScanMate i1150. With a stylish design matched
with quiet operation, it’s as well suited to a front-desk reception
as it is to a solicitor’s desk.

What you’ll particularly love is its speed. An all-new “transaction mode” boosts small batches of scanning from the standard 25ppm to a superfast 40ppm. It’s fully automated, too; if there are more than ten pages, the i1150 drops to its standard speed for the remainder.

We were suitably impressed when we put Kodak’s claims to the test, with a ten-page sheaf of statements taking a mere 15 seconds to scan. After pressing the button, there’s a small delay as the main software, Smart Touch, loads up on the associated PC, but this never exceeded four seconds.

For a 30-page duplex colour test, we watched the scanner slow down after the tenth page, but it still averaged 30ppm at 200ppi and 27ppm at 300ppi. Paper handling is excellent, with the scanner dealing efficiently with a wide range of documents, ID cards, flimsies and receipts. It will scan embossed credit cards, too, but these must be inserted in portrait orientation exactly in the centre of the input tray.

The i1150 also scores for scan quality: its crisp, clean output will satisfy not only the naked eye but also document-archival systems. Post-processing for searchable PDFs takes longer, but it’s worth the wait as conversion is accurate.

You use Smart Touch to control what happens to each scanned document. You can create nine profiles, each of which is then assigned to a scan-button number that appears on the unit’s handy colour LCD screen. Unlike scanners that have only a numerical display, this has icons showing what type of document the selected profile will produce, so there’s no need to keep a list handy.

Each profile defines whether it’s a colour or mono scan, as well as the resolution and the destination. You can also determine whether you want simplex or duplex scans, anti-skew, hole-fill and blank-page skipping. Scans can be sent to email, a printer or a cloud destination, and Kodak includes options for SharePoint, Evernote and Box. Unlike with Xerox’s DocuMate 5445, we had no problems linking a profile to our Evernote account. Dropbox and Google Drive aren’t supported, however, as Kodak doesn’t rate them as suitable for business use.

The i1150 is also Kodak’s first scanner to include barcode recognition as standard. If you’re using only Smart Touch, but enable barcode recognition, it will simply create a separate file whenever a code is detected. It’s cleverer if you’re using the bundled Capture Pro Limited Edition, which provides extensive bulk scanning, indexing and document management. Here, it can actually read the barcode and act on it; for example, you can name the files created using the barcode number. The package also includes EMC’s Captiva Cloud Toolkit, which savvy programmers can use to create web-based document capture apps.

This scanner isn’t cheap, but it still compares well on price with similarly rated rivals, and the transaction mode gives it a boost in every sense. The easy-to-use LCD screen, quiet operation and versatile features make the ScanMate i1150 a great choice for businesses that don’t want to keep their customers waiting.