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For a long time now we've been hearing from ibml how the major cost element of any data capture operation is the labour involved in preparing and handling documents; indeed their latest research suggests that over 70% of that cost is labour-related, while the capital outlay can be less than 10%. All of which argument has been limited, until recently, to ibml's target market of very high volume, very high speed scanning requirements. But with the introduction of their newest device, the ImageTrac DS1150, ibml is no longer aligning itself solely with the 60k-plus market.

Having more or less cornered the top-end of the market, the company is now offering a 'scaled-down' version of their ImageTrac range that still manages to present significant ROI value. The 'DS' in the name of the new device is almost certainly meant to signify 'Desktop Scanner', for that is what this new machine is, make no mistake - even if it is one of the most solid and robust looking desktop scanners we've seen in a long time. This is no more than anyone would expect from the makers of the top-end ImageTrac, of course - the question really is: can ibml scale down without losing some of their feature rich functionality?

The short answer has to be yes: on a spec sheet comparison, the only thing the ImageTrac DS1150 can't handle that the larger devices can, is envelopes, and that is a minor quibble indeed. In almost every other respect this is a true 'mini-ImageTrac'. Capable of speeds up to 150 ppm, users are quickly left in no doubt that this scanner will, like that battery bunny, just keep going and going. Its rated duty cycle is 150,000 pages a day. In effect ibml has extended its range downward, without sacrificing any of the company's traditional speed or intelligence.

The ImageTrac DS1150 incorporates dual output trays for automatically sorting out different documents such as separator sheets or cheques from mixed batches, as well as an imprinter as standard. Multi-feed detection will automatically stop the scanning process - but this can be overridden by the operator if required. Software-wise, the desktop device comes bundled with SoftTrac ScanDS, a 'lite' version of that used on the larger ImageTracs. This makes it easy to manage a mixture of devices in a bureau or BPO environment, and indeed this is likely to be a key target market for ibml, allowing such users to consolidate on a single manufacturer for high and medium volume devices. Having the same user interface across the whole range will make for quicker setup and deployment as well as easier management of a fleet of devices handling mixed projects.

The ImageTrac DS1150 is likely to attract a variety of potential buyers for different reasons: high-volume operations that need an affordable backup scanner that still has all their necessary functionality, centralised operations with remote scanning requirements, and even potentially those lower volume users who require the sorting and intelligence that ibml's reputation has been built on for so long.
More info: www.ibml.com

VERDICT
The ImageTrac DS1150 constitutes a shrewd business move from ibml, who can now offer an additional string to their bow for existing users of the ImageTrac range, as well as opening up a whole new market of users who require high speed, high availability scanning at a more affordable price point.