Epson DS-770 II Color Duplex Document Scanner Review - PCMag

Replacing the Editors' Choice award-winning DS-770 reviewed present successful May 2018, the Epson DS-770 II Color Duplex Document Scanner ($649) is different medium-to-high-volume sheetfed document scanner designed for modest-size offices and workgroups oregon possibly for work arsenic a engaged idiosyncratic oregon hybrid scanner. Like the original, the DS-770 II combines comparatively accelerated throughput with industry-standard precocious accuracy. It lacks networking and enactment for astir handheld mobile devices, though it works good connected to a azygous machine via USB oregon arsenic a walk-up instrumentality operated from its beforehand power panel. The class of non-networkable midrange scanners whitethorn beryllium a spot of a niche, but the DS-770 II has the close premix of comparably debased terms and precocious capableness to assertion an Editors' Choice grant of its own.

Digitizing Docs: Just the Fundamentals

The Epson DS-770 II measures 6.9 by 11.6 by 6.6 inches (HWD) with its insubstantial trays closed—like astir papers scanners successful this class, its desktop footprint astir triples with its trays unfastened for business—and weighs 8.1 pounds. Given an inch oregon truthful and a lb oregon two, it's astir the aforesaid size arsenic its galore susceptible competitors. To sanction lone a few, there's the Canon imageFormula DR-M260, the Raven Pro Document Scanner, the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600, the Brother ADS-4700W, the HP ScanJet Pro N4000 snw1, and Epson's ain wireless-networking-equipped DS-790NWN.

Like astir sheetfed papers scanners, the Epson DS-770 II takes other table abstraction with its trays extended. (Credit: Epson)

In keeping with its just-the-basics configuration, the DS-770 II's onboard power sheet consists of a fistful of buttons—Power, Double Feed Detection Skip, Slow Mode, Stop (Cancel), Start (Scan)—and 5 presumption LEDs including Error, Automatic Feeding Mode, Ready, Double Feed Detection Skip, and Slow Mode.

The scanner interacts with Epson's Scan 2 oregon Document Capture Pro bundle for determining which parameters to use during scanning (more item connected that successful a moment). Of the competitors mentioned above, each but the Canon travel with colour interaction screens that marque selecting and executing scans from the beforehand sheet easier and much versatile.

The power sheet is astir arsenic elemental arsenic they come. (Credit: Epson)

The scanner's maximum optical solution is 600dpi (1,200dpi interpolated). Color extent is 30-bit interior and 24-bit external, and the minimum and maximum papers sizes are 2 inches quadrate and 8.5 by 20 feet respectively. Depending connected the bundle you use, supported export formats see representation and searchable PDF files, arsenic good arsenic Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

The Epson's automatic papers feeder (ADF) holds a generous 100 pages, and the device's rated regular work rhythm is 7,000 scans. The Canon DR-M260 is rated for 7,500 scans, but its ADF holds lone 80 sheets. The Brother ADS-4700W and Fujitsu iX1600 are rated for 6,000 scans and person 80- and 50-sheet ADFs, respectively. The Raven Pro holds 100 sheets and is rated astatine 6,000 scans daily, portion the HP N4000 trails with a 4,000-page standing and a 50-page ADF.

Using the DS-770 II: Limited Connectivity, Comprehensive Software Bundle

You tin link the DS-770 II to a azygous machine via a USB 2.0 oregon 3.0 cable. There's nary enactment for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. The downloadable bundle bundle consists of Epson Scan 2 and Epson Document Capture Pro, positive TWAIN and ISIS drivers for scanning straight into assorted fashionable applications.

Standard interfaces are constricted to USB. (Credit: Epson)

Epson Scan 2 is the company's modular scanning interface. Its Beginner, Office, and Professional modes fto you (and your team) prime a scope of options based connected users' scanning experience. Epson Document Capture Pro is simply a operation scanning interface and rudimentary papers absorption and archiving program.

Epson Scan 2 is simply a top-notch scanner interface. (Credit: Epson)

Document Capture Pro combines a scanning interface and papers absorption app. (Credit: Epson)

If you request web support, Epson sells an optional Network Interface Unit that adds Ethernet connectivity for a comparatively steep $350. You'll astir apt bash amended by considering a exemplary specified arsenic the Epson DS-790WN that comes with wired and wireless networking built in.

You tin get an Ethernet adapter for an other $350. (Credit: Epson)

Testing the DS-770 II: Fast and Accurate

Epson rates the DS-770 II's scanning velocity astatine 45 one-sided (simplex) pages per infinitesimal (ppm) and 90 two-sided (duplex) images per infinitesimal (ipm, wherever each leafage broadside counts arsenic an image). I tested the scanner utilizing Document Capture Pro implicit a USB (what else?) transportation to our Intel Core i5 testbed PC moving Windows 10 Pro.

First, I clocked the DS-770 II arsenic it and Document Capture Pro scanned, converted, and saved our single- and double-sided 25-page substance documents arsenic representation PDF files. The Epson clocked 46.2ppm and 92.7ipm, which is mean for this class. The HP, Brother, and Fujitsu scanners are each rated astatine 40ppm and 80ipm, portion the Canon and Raven Pro are bully for 60ppm and 120ipm.

Next, I scanned our two-sided 25-page papers and converted it to the much versatile searchable PDF format. The DS-770 II finished the occupation successful 32 seconds, which is quicker than astir of its rivals discussed present (but slower than the high-end Brother ADS-4900W astatine 25 seconds).

As for optical quality recognition, the DS-770 II is each spot arsenic close arsenic astir of today's fantabulous desktop scanners, speechmaking our Arial (sans-serif) and Times New Roman (serif) trial documents with nary errors astatine sizes down to 6 points. We occasionally spot a scanner negociate 5 points with 1 font oregon the other, but the quality is negligible—you'll seldom if ever tally into benignant smaller than 10 points with real-world concern documents. I should notation that the DS-770 II performed amended than mean successful tests involving decorative and header fonts.

Verdict: A Basic Powerhouse

Chances are, fixed this scanner's large ADF, comparatively accelerated speeds, and constricted connectivity, it would instrumentality 1 idiosyncratic a batch of clip to scope its 7,000-page regular maximum—you'd person to load the feeder 70 times a day, oregon astir 10 times an hour. Needless to say, astir home-based and tiny offices don't person the resources to give a squad subordinate solely to scanning, which whitethorn explicate Epson's assurance successful offering a three-year warranty; astir users are improbable to propulsion this instrumentality anyplace adjacent its limits. In immoderate case, the Epson DS-770 II, similar its predecessor and galore different Epson scanners, is simply a terrific instrumentality good deserving of an Editors' Choice motion arsenic a middle-to-high-volume, non-networkable papers scanner.