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More Info About Epson WorkForce ES-400 Color Duplex Document Scanner
Get organized fast with the WorkForce ES 400 duplex document scanner. Perfect for the home or office, this reliable, easy to use performer boasts speeds up to 35 ppm/70 ipm(1) with Single Step Technology, which captures both sides in one pass. Its 50 page Auto Document Feeder allows you to breeze through stacks of documents — from business cards to receipts, extra long pages, and more. Scanning to cloud storage accounts(2) like Dropbox and Google Drive, or to searchable PDFs and editable Word and Excel files, is simple. For added value, this compact scanner includes Epson ScanSmart Software(2), plus a TWAIN driver for compatibility with virtually all document management software.
Top Review
I got three of these Epson scanners to compare and see which works better. I got the ES-400, ES-500W, and the DS-1630. I also have a DS-510 that's a few years old that I'm comparing to. I'm a computer tech who works with a lot of small medical offices. I prefer the Fujitsu Snapscan scanners, but a lot of offices need twain scanning to integrate with their software. The Fujitsu scanners that will do twain are pretty expensive so I tend to go Epson for the offices that need twain. I wanted to see if there's a reason to buy one or the other for the offices I work with.
The ES-400, ES-500W and my old DS-510 are all only document feeder scanners. The new ES-400 and ES-500W are 35 page per minute which is a good step up from the 26 page per minute of the DS-510. I'm sure you have to use a USB 3.0 port and the included cable to get this speed. Other than being faster than the DS-510, I don't notice too much difference between my old scanner and these new. It works about the same. The software is about the same. If you have an older Epson, this will be a speed boost, but not much else of an improvement.
The ES-500W does have wireless built in, but it's not fast enough to be really useful. Yes, you can scan directly to the cloud or to a phone. It's just too slow! And that's true for all wireless scanners I've used. The ES-400 really seems to be the same scanner minus the wifi, so we'll be buying more ES-400 scanners. It's only $50 difference so I'm sure some clients will opt for the ES-500W just because they think they might use the wifi. In past experience with previous scanners, the wifi scanning doesn't get used.
The DS-1630 has a flatbed and a document feeder. It's quite an interesting mix. I thought that some offices might want the flatbed. But after I played with this, I'm not sure this is very useful. It's slower than the other scanners at 25 pages per minute. It also has quite a big footprint since the glass is 8.5x11 so it doesn't fit as well at a desk. Most offices I work with don't need the flatbed often. Also, they have large all-in-one printers so they use the flatbed there when they need it. I work with some graphic designers who need a flatbed, but they want a better scanner than this and don't need the document feeder. (And for the graphic designers we get Epson Perfection flatbed scanners). Many offices use desktop scanners for the speed and convenience of being at a desk and you don't really satisfy either of these here. I'm sure there is an audience for this, but for me I thought it was more interesting before I used it.
The software for all of these scanners is about the same. The twain driver works great and allows it to integrate with other software that scans. The epson software is ok, but not nearly as easy as the Fujitsu Snapscan software. With the Snapscan software, I setup my default scan location and settings and then just press the button on the scanner to have the scan where I want it instantly. If I want to name the files as I go, it can do that to. Here with the Epson Software I have to go through a process of opening software and clicking more buttons than I want. It's just slower. If I don't need twain, I buy the Snapscans. If I need twain, I buy Epsons and don't use the software.
Even though these have all been perfectly reliable so far, I don't find that the Epson scanners last as long as the Snapscan scanners. I have offices that have just replaced 10 year old Snapscans just because they're really obsolete (and these were used heavily). With the Epson scanners, I find I get 2-5 years out of them. They're not as well made. The Epson scanners serve the purposes I need and I will keep buying them. I think the Epsons are the more reliable of the scanners beside Fujitsu.
In the end, I like the new scanners. I don't see a reason to upgrade from old Epson scanners unless a 25% boost in speed is enough. If you need twain scanning, I think the Epson scanners are the way to go. -
Michael
Top Review
Early today I wrote a review that told you not to purchase this scanner. I had repeat failures to scan and had the scanner lock-up.Talked to tech support for almost an hour. Nothing we did helped, the scanner would stop functioning and display error codes. I actually had the thing packaged to return when I decided to contact Epson's customer support a second time. The tech recommended I remove my flatbed scanner software,the flat bed scanner was a different brand, one I only used to scan slides and negatives. I was skeptical but tried as directed. I then re-installed the scanner through the Epson support website. I have spent the last two plus hours scanning old documents.Maybe 500 pages passed though without a single glitch! I could not be happier with this item. The Epson tech support call line was great. I was connected to a tech in less then 3 minutes. Never before have I had this level of success with a call center. I am very pleased with this item and would recommend it to anyone. I'm in the process of scanning 50 years worth of documents. Having a scanner that works this well even with odd sized papers sure makes my life and this project easy! -
Mcdtc
Warranty & Support
Amazon Return Policy:You may return any new Epson WorkForce ES-400 Color Duplex Document Scanner for PC and Mac, Auto Document Feeder (ADF) purchased from Amazon that is "dead on arrival," arrives in damaged condition, or is still in unopened boxes, for a full refund within 30 days of purchase. Amazon reserves the right to test "dead on arrival" returns and impose a customer fee equal to 15 percent of the product sales price if the customer misrepresents the condition of the product. Any returned product that is damaged through customer misuse, is missing parts, or is in unsellable condition due to customer tampering will result in the customer being charged a higher restocking fee based on the condition of the product. Amazon will not accept returns of any product more than 30 days after you receive the shipment. New, used, and refurbished products purchased from Marketplace vendors are subject to the returns policy of the individual vendor.
