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Brother ADS-1100W

Editorial Type: Review     Date: 03-2014    Views: 4722   





Brother has introduced the ADS-1100W as part of a range of compact document scanners aimed at the increasingly flexible scan requirements of knowledge workers and mobile staff.

At first glance it looks like this machine has set itself some impossibly high targets, but it manages the task with great aplomb. It includes an ADF (maximum of 20 sheets), has a separate feed slot for embossed cards, boasts the capability to handle receipts, business cards and long documents with equal ease, offers incredibly easy wireless and smartphone/tablet access, and even boasts a USB slot for connecting a memory stick to scan direct onto. If you can think of a 'nice-to-have' feature for a small-to-medium office scanner, the chances are Brother have already put it onto the ADS-1100W.

Setup is fast and simple: we tested it via USB connection as well as wireless, and the whole process took less than ten minutes from opening the box to viewing the first (perfect) scan on an Android phone. Connecting the ADS-1100W is simplicity itself if your wireless access point or router is WSP or AOSS enabled (most modern ones are, including the standard BT Home Hub). Press the WSP button on the router, press the equivalent button on the scanner, and wait for the wi-fi light to come on. That's all there is to it. Download the free Brother 'iPrint & Scan' app, and you're ready to scan.

The ADS-1100W is surprisingly fast for such an affordable scanner (16ppm/32ipm colour A4 scans) and quality is as good as you'd expect from any modern machine. The lid/cover lifts up to form the spine of the ADF, with fold-out arms to help hold larger documents. Brother includes a receipt holder for small/fragile slips of paper (and even a receipt handling software package, BR-Receipts). Business cards too are handled easily, thanks to the bundled BizCard software from NewSoft. Embossed bank cards or ID/driving licenses can be scanned via a separate slot on the back of the scanner. Here we also find the useful additional USB slot, for attaching external memory devices to which scans can then be immediately saved without needing a PC attached.

With the lid open or closed, the user can still access the good-sized colour touch-screen control panel that drives the ADS-1100W. Scanning to file, print, email or OCR is straightforward, and the manual offers ample advice on setting up custom settings for more advanced use. Alternatively the user can opt to manage scanning from the supplied ControlCentre software interface that is available in Windows or Mac versions. For users who don't already have a destination application in which to process their scans, Brother also includes Nuance PaperPort 12SE.

This is the first time that the team at Document Manager has had a chance to look in detail at any of Brother's scanner range, and it is no exaggeration to say that we have been mightily impressed with what we've seen. The ADS-1100W is a wolf in sheep's clothing in the desktop scanner market - it looks like most other small office scanners, but boasts a more comprehensive feature set than pretty much all of the competition at the price.
More info: www.brother.co.uk

VERDICT
With its massive feature set and flexibility, the ADS-1100W is something of a "Swiss Army Knife" of scanners - and we mean that as a whole-hearted compliment. Fast, compact, wireless, smartphone support, handling all sorts of different document shapes and sizes; this is a very impressive little device.

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