Review

From Document Manager Magazine Vol 18 No 03 - June 2010

The fi-6800 claims to be simultaneously the best performing A3 scanner in its price range, and the smallest in its class - no mean achievement!

PFU Fujitsu's newest mid-volume production scanner was actually launched in the UK at the end of 2009: it is evidence of the device's instant appeal that it has taken Document Manager around 5 months to get hold of one to review. Fortunately, we can say that it was definitely worth the wait. The fi-6800 is a deceptively small piece of kit considering its capabilities: it is cleverly designed to have a footprint similar to devices with only a fraction of its throughput. Although it could sit comfortably on a desktop in an office or departmental environment, the fi-6800 is still capable of processing an impressive 60,000 documents a day with its rated scan speed of 130 pages (or 260 images) per minute.

A major selling point of the new device is its paper handling: paper feed technologies have been 'trickled down' from the company's top of the line fi-5900C. As a result, the fi-6800 can identify and resolve paper feed issues before they cause problems, ensuring maximum uptime and minimal operator intervention. Sheet eject speed is adjusted 'on the fly' to ensure neatly stacked piles in the output hoppers no matter what mixture of documents have been processed. An Automatic Image Quality Checker highlights any irregularities such as folds or tears in originals. The operator can decide whether to re-process or accept the scans, without losing their place in the batch.

Perhaps the most interesting innovation is the Intelligent MultiFeed Function (iMFF) - whenever the fi-6800 detects a multi-feed or multilayer document, the scan process is interrupted, the offending document sent to the scanner exit path, and the image (both sides if duplex) shown to the operator, so they can decide there and then if re-scanning is necessary. As you'd expect from Fujitsu, the fi-6800 comes with VRS included, and is easily integrated with document and content management applications.

User interaction is driven from an intuitive LCD panel, and the compact design will allow for seated as well as standing operation without discomfort, which is useful - and surprisingly uncommon! The whole device feels sturdy and robust enough to withstand high daily scan throughputs without struggling, while operator access is easy for cleaning and basic maintenance tasks. Apparently the rubber used in the roller mechanisms has been improved in order to make picking, separating and transporting of mixed document batches a smooth uninterrupted process.

The fi-6800 excels in so many areas that it is hard to decide what makes it really stand out in a possibly overcrowded marketplace.  It is extremely small and quiet in use compared to most rival devices - it is something of a wolf in sheep's clothing in that it offers massive scanning capacity in what looks like an office device. Ease of use, from the LCD user interface to the Intelligent MultiFeed Function, is clearly central to the design. It aims to offer a more automated, more user-friendly scanning experience by exploiting the best technologies from higher-end machines, and it appears to have succeeded entirely. 

More info: www.pfu.fujitsu.com/en/

VERDICT
A smartly designed combination of excellent paper-handling and ease of use make the fi-6800 a hugely appealing device for mid-volume production environments.

Review