Outstanding piece of office equipment that will help you quickly organise paperwork
ScanSnap iX2500: 30-second review
The Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500 follows in the line of superb desktop scanning machines that I’ve looked at previously, including the ScanSnap iX1300. Here, the overall design has been refined with a large touchscreen and up to a 100-page document auto-feeder that just makes your life scanning documents that much quicker and easier.
Every aspect of this document scanner has been enhanced, including the connectivity options, which now include Wi-Fi 6, USB-C and Bluetooth options, meaning you can connect to almost any device. With software that you can install on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices, giving you plenty of options over the way you control the scanning options and settings.
When it comes to speed, the fact that it now features a 100-page auto-feed helps to speed up any scanning process, and with a 45 PPM simplex and 90 IPM duplex scanning, the speed at which you can get through documents is surprisingly fast.
What I really liked about the auto-feed was that even with relatively old documents that were creased, it was able to individually pick them out and scan them through either a single or double page.
The other aspect that impressed was that it was able to handle a mixed-size batch with relative ease, so if you have some A4 and A5 sheets, rather than having to do each size separately, you can bundle them all together, and the scanner is clever enough to work out the difference.
Over a flatbed scanner, the small ScanSnap iX2500 takes up a small footprint, meaning you can place it on a shelf or somewhere out of the way until it’s needed, as it’s unlikely that a document scanner is something you’ll be using on a day-to-day basis.
The other aspect is the tight integration with Google Drive as well as other cloud options, meaning that as you scan, you can directly upload to a cloud folder so that others can access the scans, or you can just keep the documents securely stored for later use.
The large 5-inch touchscreen works exceptionally well enabling easy navigation through settings and scanning. This is complemented by an equally impressive app, which again enables you to configure all areas of the scanning process.
Alongside the scanning hardware and mobile app is a decent suite of software with OCR and PDF tools, which enable you to convert your scanned images into editable documents that you can update and search within your chosen application.
While you might not be able to scan an old book, the fact that it can scan multiple pages quickly and easily and in a multitude of different formats and quality settings, makes the ScanSnap iX2500 a superb choice for any home or small office where document scanning is a requirement.ScanSnap iX2500: Price & availability
How much does it cost? £550 / $700
When is it out? Now
Where can you get it? Widely available
As a scanner from the Ricoh stable, the ScanSnap iX2500 White Edition, as I’m looking at in this review, is widely available from all major office suppliers and retailers, including from Ricoh’s ScanSnap store.
When it comes to price, the unit retails between £550 / $700, highlighting that this is intended for small businesses rather than for the consumer market.
Value: 4 / 5ScanSnap iX2500: Design
The first impression of the Ricoh scanner iX2500 is the design resembles a compact and rather stylish desktop printer. It is essentially much the same form, with an auto sheet feeder at the top and an output tray at the base.
When the printer arrives the top lid, that doubles as the sheet feeder tray is folded down over the touchscreen, making a very neat and compact ensuring it will fit nicely on the side of a desk or on a shelf.
One of the great things about the design is that once set-up it can be used almost completely wirelessly, although AC power will be required.
When it comes to cables, there’s absolutely no need to connect them directly to your desktop, laptop or mobile device, as aside from the power cable that goes into a wall AC socket, all interaction with the scanner can be done wirelessy.
When it comes to footprint, it measures 292 × 161 × 159 mm, ensuring it will fit almost anywhere, and weight-wise, whilst it is relatively heavy at 3.5 kg, its compact size makes it easy to handle and position.
The style is very minimalistic, and it certainly looks like a piece of office machinery, but with the tray and feeder both folding and sliding in, it makes a very neat unit that can be easily stored.
One of the features that really appeals to me when using the iX2500 is the large 5-inch touchscreen. As you fold the feeder tray up and over the top of the machine, it reveals the large touchscreen, which is used to quickly navigate through all the options and settings. Alongside the screen is the large scan button to the right, so when it comes to basic operation, it’s really quick and easy to use.
However, there are a few things worth noting. The first is that this is not, and doesn’t have the ability to be, a flatbed scanner, so if you require scans from books or any larger objects, you will still need to rely on larger flatbed scanner.
A small issue you might have, especially if it’s sitting on a shelf, is that the hinged feeder cover does require a little bit of vertical height. Through the test I didn’t find the height an issue, as you’re going to have to feed through your documents anyway, so the fact that the cover opens up just gives those documents some support. It’s worth noting, though, that while the machine might fit on a shelf for storage, it’s going to need a little bit of vertical clearance so you can place the documents inside comfortably.
