The Duplex Scanner – An Office Necessity

Today’s modern-day offices are usually fitted with the latest whistles and bells – the newest and best laptops, desktop computers,

LCD monitors, Internet based phones, and so on.  But one piece of equipment that might be overlooked when buying the latest and best devices is the duplex scanner.  The duplex scanner is one of the first pieces of equipment that should be purchased.  Here’s why.

The duplex scanner scans and reads hard-copy documents in half the time of regular scanners.  It accomplishes this seemingly impossible feat by reading the front and backside of a document, at the same time.  That means no more need to flip over a document once one side is scanned and read, which can add up to a real timesaver if there are multiple two-sided documents to scan.  And other than simultaneously scanning and reading both data and images, it operates much like a regular scanner.  It utilizes optical character recognition technology to digitalize data and images and then through its bundled software, uploads the document to a PDF, Microsoft paint, etc., which can later be saved to any file extension you choose. 

Picture the following case scenario.  You’re working in a busy insurance office and you receive at least 10 new applications for insurance coverage on a daily basis.  These applications are six pages each, and they’re double-sided.  And each application needs to be scanned and uploaded on a weekly basis.  That means each week you’ll be responsible for scanning and uploading 300 pages of hardcopy documents (six pages x 10 x 5 days).  That’s a lot of paper to scan, especially if it’s only one of your job duties.  But if the office had a duplex scanner, that seemingly endless job would only take half the time, which is certainly more manageable. 

Besides saving valuable time, the duplex scanner is small enough that it’s quite inconspicuous in an office setting.  It’s as small as a large three-hole puncher and only weighs a little over one pound.  That means it can easily fit on a desk alongside a desktop or laptop computer.  And since it doesn’t require its own power source (hooks up with a simple USB cable), you won’t need any additional electrical outlets.  Simply connect the cable to your computer and you’re ready to scan.  It’s that simple!