Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 33
 Good hardware, bad software February 13, 2005
M. Patient (Houston, TX USA)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
This scanner works, most of the time. I am moving toward the (still distant) paperless office, and this scanner has gotten me much closer. However, I can't recommend purchasing one because it has some maddening problems that just don't seem to be tractable.
The DocuMate 510 doesn't work at all with Windows Server 2003, because apparently corporations don't need to scan documents.
On Windows XP, it provides both TWAIN and WIA drivers. In my case, I can choose between the TWAIN driver, which inverts the colors of all black and white scans (the option to correct this simply doesn't work on my PC), and the WIA driver, which ignores the auto document feeder, forcing me to babysit the machine while it scans. I've worked around this in Microsoft Office Document Scanning with a greyscale scan that converts to black and white, but that slows it down from its rated 10ppm to about 3.
The Documate 510 software bundle includes (indeed, centers around) PaperPort 9 Deluxe, which allows scanning to PDF. Despite the "Deluxe" this product is crippleware, designed to entice you to buy the "real" version: PaperPort Pro. Except PaperPort Pro is now at version 10, which isn't really compatible with this scanner, due to the driver problems mentioned above (which are pervasive no matter what application is used, except the shipped version of PaperPort 9 Deluxe appears to have some kind of workaround).
I've tried several times to reinstall the drivers in the hopes of correcting some of these issues. Doing so requires on-the-spot "registration" every single time, including typing in the 20-character alphanumeric serial number from the back of the unit. As an added bonus, it requires you to enter your email address and subscribes you (with no indication that it is happening) to Xerox's marketing email list.
I believe this scanner is actually made by Visioneer, who sells or sold it under another name (4650?) and OEM'd to Xerox as the Documate 510. The "beauty" of OEMing a product made by someone else is that you can take it to market without a single person in your organization knowing how it works. This certainly appears to be Xerox's approach, as evidenced by the product's second-class citizen status on their website and their support personnel's inability to deviate from their call scripts.
So the Documate 510 does work, sort of. I have scanned quite a bit of material with it; my complaint is that the experience is inevitably much slower and far more frustrating than there is any need for it to be.
I am unconvinced that there are any superior alternatives in this price range, but as a result of my experiences, my office won't be buying any more scanners from either Xerox or Visioneer.
 ALL images are titled left October 9, 2005
RS (WA, USA)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I have tried several permutations and combinations with this scanner. Here are some of the observations:
1) Image resolution is too bad for the file size it produces. I used an EPSON scanner before, and could get a much better B&W and color resolutions for a much shorter file size
2) All the images are titled towards one side. So, if you are scanning photographs, this is not the right scanner. A part of the picture will always need to be cut out if you try to straighten it up!
3) When trying to get a reasonable B&W resolution (300 dpi), scan speed is not as great as advertised.
Overall, I don't think this scanner is worth its price.
Not recommended for scanning directly into Word September 12, 2005
A. M. Chester (Morristown, NJ)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
Our company bought this scanner to be able to scan documents directly into Word. (Our HP scanners can do this easily.) The problem we ran into was that the scanned image from the Xerox had black lines on either side. When I called tech support I was told I would have to crop the image with the software that came with the scanner, save the image and then insert it into Word. Rather than incur the wrath of the secretary who needed to perform this function, I exchanged the Xerox for an HP scanner. The Xerox performed fine in other respects, so it all depends on what you need it for.
 JUNK - don't waste your money or time! July 10, 2006
aurora2
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
My company bought this scanner about a year and a half ago. We have 10 - 15 people who use it intermittently. It does not see heavy use. From the beginning we've had trouble with it jamming and feeding multiple pages. The cover to open it is very hard to snap open, and it won't recover from a jam without us turning off the scanner and rebooting the computer. I discovered that if I change the automatic document feeder pad assembly every 3 months or so, which I should not have to do, it helps the jamming and misfeed issue. Recently I went to order these pads, which were $20.00 apiece, and I couldn't find them on Xerox's website. When I called them they said this item was no longer being sold individually, but in a kit with cleaning solution and 2 pads. So what would have cost $40.00 - bad enough - now costs $100.00 !! As if we haven't spent enough money and frustration on this thing. I am going to do my best to get rid of this thing and buy one that works!
 AMAZING SCANNER!!!! March 19, 2004
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
This scanner is everything that I expected and more!!!! I cannot express how happy I am with this scanner. It scans quickly - both with the auto document feeder and the flatbed. The step-by-step installation instructions were very easy to follow.
I highly recommend this scanner to anyone who wishes to purchase a high-speed, inexpensive scanner.
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