Professionals have forgotten about production scanners in the recent past. They are so used to having a scanner sitting on top of their office copier or office printer that they don’t think much about a separate production scanner. In a busy office companies generally can’t afford to have their primary office copier tied up for many days, weeks, or even months while a large scanning project is completed. You may also have a highly-paid employee wasting a lot of time while scanning large stacks of paper documents that could be scanned more quickly and efficiently using a production scanning device.
It’s difficult to do web research on the prices of production scanners. Many web sites will take the lazy way out and direct you to a contact form, an email address, or a phone number that says, “Call for Price”. Calls to office technology companies usually result in “Let me call you right back”. Even engaging a document technology professional in a face-to-face cost discussion will likely result in a vague answer on price.
If you are looking for an honest answer for a production scanner price, you have come to the right website. Edwards Business Systems is a leading reseller of production scanners and other document scanners. We can help you cut through the clutter and give you the information you will need to put together a budget for acquiring a production scanner. This article will also help you determine which features have the largest impact on the cost of scanners.
Most production scanners will cost between $5000 and $100,000 depending on a number of variables such as speed, brand, resolution, features, and throughput. Reliability is also very important, as you don’t want to buy a scanner for your large, multi-month or multi-year scanning project, and have to buy another production scanner right in the middle of the task.
Definition of a Production Scanner
If you have used the scanner that sits on top of your office printer, you have already had some experience with a production scanner. Take that scanner off of the top of an MFP and make it faster and able to handle more sheets of paper. That is essentially what a production scanner does.
Sheets of paper are moved into the scanning mechanism at high-speed using some type of pinch roller or friction feed. The most productive scanners have the ability to scan both sides of a sheet of paper at the same time which improves overall scanning throughput. The paper transport mechanisms have to be very fast and very robust for projects where tens of thousands of sheets are scanned per shift.
At the very top of the production scanning food chain, input capacities range from 750 to 1000 sheets, and scan speeds approach 250 pages per minute. Bundled software allows for barcode reading, automatic image quality processing, and auto-indexing into Content Management Systems like Square9 and DocuWare.
Production scanners are valuable assets in operations where entire file cabinets of paper documents are being converted into online digital documents. A great example of a project that used production scanners would be Google’s large project known as Google Books where over 25 million books and billions of pages were scanned and posted online over a 15-year period.
Production Scanner Types and Classifications
Low-Volume Production Scanners: Low-Volume models generally start at around $5000 for the device, which feature 250 to 300 -page input capacity, duty cycles in the 25,000 to 50,000 scans per day range, and scan speeds up to 100 pages per minute.
Mid-Volume Production Scanners: Mid-Volume models usually have prices in the $5000 to $10,000 range for the device, which features 500-page input capacity, duty cycles in the 50,000 to 75,000 scans per day range, and scan speeds between 100 and 150 pages per minute.
High-Volume Production Scanners: High-Volume devices will have prices that range from $20,000 to $75,000, 500 to 750-page input capacity, duty cycles in the 100,000 to 150,000 scans per day range, and scan speeds that can exceed 200 pages per minute.
Which Capabilities Drive Up the Cost of a Production Scanner?
There are several factors that drive up the cost of a Production Scanner.
Speed: The main thing that can increase the cost of a Production Scanner is speed. The rule of thumb is that faster scan speeds equal a higher price. The fastest Production Scanners can scan at a blazing scan speed of 300 pages per minute. Scan speed can be increased for two-sided originals with scanners that can scan both sides of the sheet simultaneously.
Be prepared to pay a lot for that level of speed, scanners in that speed range can cost between $50,000 and $75,000.
Software: Software can be a hidden or unexpected factor that adds to the price of a Production Scanner. Specialized softwares and programs can cost from free to over $10,000 depending on the application. Make sure you know what software you will need for your Production Scanner so you don’t overpay for features you won’t use.
Resolution: Higher native scanning resolution usually means a higher price tag. Most scanning projects and applications do not require more than a 600 dpi optical resolution.
Input Capacity: Again, the higher the input capacity, the higher the price.
Duty Cycle: A duty cycle of over 1000 scans per hour will increase the cost of a Production Scanner.
Brand: Just like buying an automobile, certain brands cost more than other brands. A Maserati will usually cost more than a Mazda.
It is very easy to add features and accessories to your Production Scanning device that can substantially drive up the bottom-line price. Do your homework to ensure you don’t purchase any extras that you don’t need.
What Drives Down the Price for a Production Scanner?
Here are some principles that can be applied to drive down the cost of a Production Scanning device.
Speed: Calculate the number of scans you will need to make in a normal work shift, then work backwards to a scans per minute speed. Add a bit more speed back to account for removing staples and flattening folded sheets. This should be your target scanning speed for your Production Scanner. Don’t pay for more speed than you need.
Software: Analyze your scanning workflow. Determine what software you will need for your Production Scanner so you don’t overpay for useless capabilities. Most Production Scanners come out of the box with many of the software programs you will need to be productive with your high-volume scanner.
Resolution: There is a direct relationship between native optical resolution of a Production Scanner and the cost. If your application does not require an optical resolution higher than 1200 dpi, then don’t pay extra for it.
Duty Cycle: You won’t need a duty cycle of 80,000 images per day if you are only scanning 10,000 images per day.
Don’t overpay for your Production Scanner. Do your due diligence first. Don’t buy more scanner capacity than you will use. Your EBS sales representative can help you scope out the right Production Scanner for your operation.
Why Do Some Companies Have Higher Scanner Prices than Others?
There are a number of reasons why some Dealerships charge higher prices for Production Scanners than others do.
Experience: Select a dealership that has extensive experience selling and installing Production Scanners. Edwards Business Systems has installed Production Scanners for large organizations and understands the potential challenges of a comprehensive and complicated implementation. A less-experienced dealership may charge more because they are learning on the job, and you end up subsidizing their on-the-job training.
Installation and Training Fees: Some Production Scanner dealers will charge a premium for installation and training fees. Be sure to ask your sales rep to line item the training and other related charges separately so you can compare and contrast and understand exactly what you are paying for.
Why Are Some Production Scanner Dealers Less Expensive Than Others?
There are a number of reasons why some Production Scanner Dealerships are cheaper than others:
Experience: A dealer that sells many Scanners will comprehend the entire sales cycle and the installation and training process much better than a dealer who occasionally sells these devices. Dealers that sell a lot of Production Scanners will get volume buying discounts from manufacturers and can pass the savings to their customers in the form of lower prices.
Installation and Training Fees: Dealers who sell a large volume of Production Scanners will also have a substantial business in implementation and training deliverables. High volume will allow them to charge a more nominal fee for professional services for Production Scanner installs.
Choosing the Best Production Scanner for YOU!
While many companies offer good quality products, it often comes down to who you buy them from and who will support them. Why do some companies charge more for scanners than others? Like anything, you tend to get what you pay for. If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is. When you buy a Production Scanner, you are entering a long-term relationship and you want to be sure the company you buy from will be there and will honor their contracts. Do your due diligence on the company; check out their online reviews, references, and reputation. It is costly to run a reputable and sustainable organization, to provide the appropriate training and certifications for their associates, plus competitive compensation and benefits and that ultimately impacts your price. If you want the absolute cheapest Production Scanner you can probably find it, but remember you want to be confident that the company will still be there to support that inexpensive scanner.
Does this mean you should overpay for your Production Scanner? Of course not! What it means is you should expect to pay a fair price and enter into a win/win relationship that delivers the right solution for your organization and a reasonable profit for the dealer who you want to become a trusted business partner.
Where does Edwards Business Systems Fit?
We like to say that Edwards Business Systems is the ideal Production Scanner dealership. Not too cheap, not too expensive, but right in the center. We employ experienced, skilled technicians and we pay them commensurate with their abilities. EBS provides a quality office technology service. We also sell a consistently large volume of Production Scanners, so we understand our processes and can sell and maintain the technology we sell very cost-effectively.
If you are interested in learning more about Production Scanners, please contact us and an expert member of our team will reach out to you.
To understand more about exactly how much a high-volume scanner will cost your organization, fill out the form below and we can provide a no-obligation quote. Buying a Production Scanner need not be a negative experience; this is an opportunity to improve productivity, security, efficiency and get an outstanding deal. Plus, we work with you in your preferred way, either remotely or in person.
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Classes of Production Scanners
There are three basic classes of production scanners:
LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION SCANNERS
Low-Volume models generally start at around $5000 for the device, which feature 250 to 300 -page input capacity, duty cycles in the 25,000 to 50,000 scans per day range, and scan speeds up to 100 pages per minute.
MID-VOLUME PRODUCTION SCANNERS
Mid-Volume models usually have prices in the $5000 to $10,000 range for the device, which features 500-page input capacity, duty cycles in the 50,000 to 75,000 scans per day range, and scan speeds between 100 and 150 pages per minute.
HIGH-VOLUME PRODUCTION SCANNERS
High-Volume devices will have prices that range from $20,000 to $75,000, 500 to 750-page input capacity, duty cycles in the 100,000 to 150,000 scans per day range, and scan speeds that can exceed 200 pages per minute.