Our review model (the faster E1035 device) was ready to use within ten minutes of unboxing, including download and install for the Alaris Smart Touch software.

The E1000 series is aimed at SMEs as well as departmental/workgroup type users, and this is exemplified by the intuitive software offerings as well as the devices' small footprint and fast, quiet use. Weighing just over 3kg and barely a foot wide, the E1035 is smaller than many desktop printers and almost silent when scanning.

Performance is impressive and the E1035 feels like it could run all day if needed: it can scan up to 35 A4 pages per minute (70 images per minute duplex) whether black-and-white, grayscale or colour, at 200 or 300 dpi. Recommended daily volume is 4,000 pages for the E1035, 3,000 for the other model in the new range, the E1025 (which, as the model number might suggest, can scan up to 25 ppm/50ipm).

Paper handling too is as good as users have come to expect from Kodak/Alaris in recent years: it will handle mixed document batches, ID cards, bank cards etc. as well as passports and larger documents (the last two each require an optional accessory). Feeder capacity is better than many workgroup scanners in its market space, holding up to 80 sheets.

Perfect Page image management software behind the scenes ensures optimum image quality every scan without user intervention: this includes automatic straightening, brightness and colour balance adjustment, punch hole filling, and blank image deletion.

Software-wise, users have the option of either Capture Pro LE or the aforementioned Smart Touch, which we used for our review. Smart Touch allows users to use any of nine preconfigured options for managing and routing scanned images, and these options are easily fine tuned without any technical expertise required. Scans can be saved in the 'usual' formats - PDF, JPG, Office documents etc. - and sent to specific destinations including applications, Cloud services, email, SharePoint and the like. A novice user could simply use the presets that come with the software and never have to alter their configuration.

The user interface on the scanner itself could hardly be more straightforward: a small LED display shows the option (1-9) selected, with touch-sensitive buttons to shift up and down, and similar buttons for start and stop, as well as a Power On button. And that's all there is to it. The scanner can also be driven direct from the attached PC of course, where a right click of the Alaris icon shows you the options list and allows the user to edit the configuration if required. Here users can easily alter the destination application, file type, naming format, as well as scan-specific options including 'edit image before saving', 'separate by barcode' and the like.
More info: www.alarisworld.com