ScanSnap iX100 Review - Wireless Battery Powered Scanner

ScanSnap iX100 Review – Wireless Battery Powered Scanner

ScanSnap iX100As Mugatu so famously said in Zoolander, “Wireless scanners are so hot right now.” Today Fujitsu America is releasing their second Wi-Fi scanning model – the ScanSnap iX100.

Fujitsu has sold a mobile ScanSnap (the S1100) since 2011, but it had one limitation – it needed to be connected to a computer via USB. Over time more and more scanners were cutting the cord, and the S1100 was starting to show its age. The [ScanSnap iX500][ix500] was the first wireless ScanSnap, but it is a little big to throw in your bag.

Fujitsu sent me a review iX100 to check out, so let’s take a look.

ScanSnap iX100

Size and Hardware

The ScanSnap iX100 is 10.74 x 1.87 x 1.41 inches (273 x 47.5 x 36 mm) and weighs 14.10 ounces (400 grams). It is extremely portable. In fact, when I sat down to write this review I initially couldn’t find it because it was tucked away in my bag and I initially missed it.

Like the S1100, the iX100 can scan “flat” where your paper goes through the back of the scanner, but it has an exit guide that you can flip up to have it return the paper to you. This is really handy for scanning dual-sided documents as the iX100 only scans single-sided. The video later on in this review shows how this works.

ScanSnap iX100

Being a mobile scanner, it obviously does not have a document feeder, so to improvise Fujitsu implemented what they call “continuous document feeding”.

You put the first page in the scanner and hit the scan button. Then you can keep feeding paper in and it will grab it and keep scanning. It will keep waiting for pages until you hit the Scan button again to signal that you’re done. Again, a nice touch to make scanning faster and easier without a document feeder.

Speaking of faster and easier, the ScanSnap iX100 scans at 5.2 seconds per page. This is two seconds faster than the S1100, and almost as fast as the ScanSnap S1300i which is pretty remarkable when you consider the size.

Like the S1100, the iX100 has a USB port on the side. If you’d like, you can use the iX100 as a USB-connected scanner, and this port is also used for charging the device – this is the first ScanSnap with a Lithium battery.

ScanSnap iX100

Wireless Scanning

While you can use the ScanSnap iX100 as a USB scanner, I expect that most people (myself included) will use it wirelessly.

With no wires connected whatsoever, you can scan to a computer or mobile device. How you do this depends on whether you are connected to a known Wi-Fi network or not.

ScanSnap Wireless Setup

Scan To Existing Wi-Fi Network

If your computer or mobile device is connected to a wi-fi network, you can set up the iX100 to connect to it. There’s a Wi-Fi switch on the back that controls whether it will attempt to connect or not.

ScanSnap iX100 Wi-Fi

A nice touch – the scanner will remember up to five Wi-Fi networks and switch seamlessly between them. I set it up for my network at home, then set it up at a friend’s house, and it switched back when I arrived back home without me needing to reconfigure anything.

Once the scanner is connected to a Wi-Fi network, it can scan to a mobile device running the ScanSnap Connect app (currently available for iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire), or it can scan to a Mac or Windows computer.

This is nice and everything, but what if there is no Wi-Fi network that you can connect to?

Scan Using Direct Connection

If there is no Wi-Fi network that the iX100 knows about, it will attempt to create its own.

This video shows how this works:

Video summary: the iX100 can create its own Wi-Fi network that you can connect to using your iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire device running the ScanSnap Connect app. You can also connect to it with a Mac or Windows computer if the computer has the ScanSnap software loaded on it.

Battery Life

The ScanSnap iX100 has a Lithium battery, and they rate it as being able to do 260 scans per charge.

That is one of those “ideal conditions” numbers, and from talking to the folks at Fujitsu about this, they say with switching between wireless networks and that sort of thing, around 140 pages is more likely in the real world.

I haven’t hit any battery issues yet. If you ever need to charge it, you can plug the included USB cable to any computer USB port or other USB charger.

ScanSnap Receipt

I will talk about software in a bit, but I want to focus in on one particular new feature that almost made me fall out of my chair: the ScanSnap iX100 comes with receipt management software.

ScanSnap iX100 Receipt

Frankly, this has been a hole in the ScanSnap offering for quite some time and it is great to see it being plugged.

Unfortunately, I have been getting reports that ScanSnap Receipt is only showing up for customers in the United States. I’m looking into more details on that.

I will have a separate blog post on ScanSnap Receipt specifically butYou can now have the ScanSnap scan receipts and it will attempt to read the information from them. You can then categorize the receipt information and export. Super handy for taxes.

Update 09/23/2014:I have now written a separate blog post. Click here to read about my ScanSnap Receipt overview.

Dual Scanning

If you have small items to scan the iX100 has a feature called dual scanning that I hope makes it to other models in the future.

If you put two small documents in, the scanner will recognize them as separate documents and either export two PDFs or a single PDF with two pages, depending how you have it set up. Handy for receipts and business cards.

ScanSnap iX100 Dual Scanning

Automatic Image Stitching

Another new-to-ScanSnap feature is the ability to take a wide document, fold it in half, and have the ScanSnap automatically stitch it together as if you scanned one large document.

Essentially, it is doing this without the need to use a Carrier Sheet.

I have to admit, I couldn’t get this feature to work. Maybe I had something set wrong or maybe I wasn’t using the right type of wide document, but here is what the Help says should work:

  • A3, B4, or Double Letter size documents with a double-page spread
    -Documents folded in half that have characters, a figure, or table on the fold line

Scan Quality

The scan quality of the iX100 is the best of any portable scanner I have reviewed. It is remarkable for a scanner this size.

That being said, scan quality is subjective. What I have done is zipped together a group of documents of a variety of types and resolutions. Take a look if you want to see some samples.

Click here to download the iX100 scan samples.

Software

As with all ScanSnaps, by default the iX100 has the more-and-more-useful Quick Menu enabled which makes scanning very easy.

ScanSnap iX100 Quick Menu

It will detect the type of document that you are scanning and recommend some options. You can also add your own applications to it, and hide the ones you don’t use.

ScanSnap Organizer For Mac

As I mentioned earlier, ScanSnap Receipt almost made me fall of my chair. The release of ScanSnap Organizer for Mac finished the job. The lack of a document organizer for Mac OS X has been another sticking point for a long time, so it is great to see them addressing that.

Bundled Software

Here is the software that comes with the iX100:

  • ScanSnap Organizer (Windows, Mac)
  • CardMinder (Windows, Mac)
  • ABBYY FineReader for ScanSnap (Windows, Mac)

It also comes with the ability to scan to the cloud with Evernote, Dropbox, SugarSync, Google Drive, and Salesforce. You can also scan to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

Is The S1100 Gone?

I assumed that the iX100 replaced the S1100, but that is not entirely true. Fujitsu will replace the S1100 with the S1100i, which will be released at some point in the future. It is like the iX100 but while the iX100 scans at 5.2 seconds per page, the S1100i scans at 7.5 seconds. Also, the S1100i does not have the ability to scan wirelessly and does not have a battery.

The S1100i does come with the same software as the iX100, and they have added the dual scanning and image stitching capabilities. I’ll update when it is available.

Pricing And Availability

For some reason it often takes a while for ScanSnaps to show up on Amazon, and at the time of writing the iX100 does not seem to be there. I will update this post when it is available. The retail price is $229 USD.

The ScanSnap iX100 is a great update to the S1100, and has some killer software improvements that I hope will make it to other ScanSnaps in the future. I’ve found it really helpful to have a small wireless ScanSnap to carry around in my bag, and if you are someone who has a need for a mobile wireless scanner, it is hard to go wrong with this one.

About the Author

Brooks Duncan helps individuals and small businesses go paperless. He's been an accountant, a software developer, a manager in a very large corporation, and has run DocumentSnap since 2008. You can find Brooks on Twitter at @documentsnap or @brooksduncan. Thanks for stopping by.

Leave a Reply 57 comments

David - March 2, 2016 Reply

Hi,

I am an American living in Japan. I recently bought a FUJITSU Image Scanner ScanSnap iX500 only to find out that all the drivers are in Japanese only. Is there a work around to get english versions of the software? Thank you.

john s. - September 3, 2015 Reply

Hello

How about the Recognition from Business Cards ?

regards john s.

Richard Guest - February 28, 2015 Reply

Can the ix100 scan directly to an Evernote account using wi-fi that has an Internet connection or does it have to go to a pc/mac/tablet/phone first.

Thanks

    Brooks Duncan - March 2, 2015 Reply

    It needs to go through a computer or device. It won’t scan directly to Evernote.

    Steve Ingram - April 6, 2017 Reply

    Hi Richard,

    The ScanSnap wireless scanners can now run through an app called “ScanSnap Cloud”, from Fujitsu, that can (once set up via an app or on the PC/Mac) scan directly to DropBox< Evernote< Google Drive, etc without you having to go near a mobile app/laptop/PC/Mac.

    See http://www.fujitsu.com/us/microsites/scansnapcloud/

Brooks Duncan - September 23, 2014 Reply

I’ve posted about ScanSnap Receipt here: http://www.documentsnap.com/scansnap-receipt/.

ScanSnap Receipt - Initial Overview - September 23, 2014 Reply

[…] mentioned in my recent ScanSnap iX100 Review that while the scanner is good, what made me fall out of my chair was the under-the-radar inclusion […]

Andrea - September 22, 2014 Reply

Since the software is called “ScanSnap Receipt,” it would be great if Fujitsu would allow owners of other ScanSnap models to purchase it. I’ll cross my fingers about that.

Brooks, when you write your review about the receipt software, I’d like to know how it stacks up against Neat’s functionality (when it works) and whether PDF documents and receipts can be imported into it.

I’d also like to know where the heck the IX100 can be purchased, since it’s not even available on the Fujitsu website now.

Thanks,

    Brooks Duncan - September 23, 2014 Reply

    It would be cool if they could make it available for older ScanSnaps (even for purchase), though I’ve never seen Fujitsu do that. And yeah it is not online yet in the US as far as I’ve found so far. I’ll update when it is. Here’s the ScanSnap Receipt post: http://www.documentsnap.com/scansnap-receipt/.

Stephen - September 22, 2014 Reply

Here is the answer why I can’t see the Receipt software…

global-service.industry@siemens.com > wrote to me…

I did some asking around about the ScanSnap Receipt software and it turns out this software only comes with the IX100 scanners sold in the US.

That is really poor and bad communications in terms of a product launch.

    Brooks Duncan - September 22, 2014 Reply

    Thanks Stephen. That’s what I was afraid of. I’ll update the post with this information.

Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

Thanks for sharing the above Taiho.

I tried the steps you outlined but the Receipt software never showed for me.

It must be because I’m in the UK. Looks like I’m boxing this back up and returning it.

    taiho - September 20, 2014 Reply

    what model do you have?

      Jay Johnson - September 20, 2014 Reply

      Both a 500 and 1100.

        Taiho - September 20, 2014 Reply

        Its available for the 500 but moton the 1100

      Stephen - September 21, 2014 Reply

      I have the ix100

    Kupal - September 20, 2014 Reply

    Stephen,

    Shoot me an email at kupalkajunk@gmail.com before you decide returning it

      Stephen - September 21, 2014 Reply

      Cool – all sent.

taiho - September 20, 2014 Reply

Rejoice People!!! i finally found a way to install the the scansnap receipt software in all my 5 macs.

Here is the procedure. If some of you are proud owners of the IX500 then rejoice because you can download the receipt software.

Here is what i did…

1.Go this page……..http://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/computing/peripheral/scanners/software/ix500.html

2. This is for the IX500 but you could go to select ix100 if you own it. i can’t select the english ix100 software because mine is the japanese version and won’t allow me to download the english version and I’m being directed to the japanese website due to my serial # which i guess they know that is japanese version, so i selected the IX500 because i own one.

3 Select your OS downloads(windows or Mac). Mine is a Mac

4.Click the “download request form” tab and you can select any software you want(e.g. Abby Fine Reader, Card Minder and fill out the form(enter your serial # and part # of your unit, name and email) and then hit “send”

5. in about a few seconds, you will receive an email confirming your access with username and password to “All” the scansnap software that you are able to download even though you selected one particular software on the request form.

6. And wola! You will see all the software including the “Scansnap Receipt” software that all you people are wishing for. Remember i did this request on my IX500 and for sure that it is available for the IX100. IF anybody has other models( s1300i, s1500, etc), pls share it with us if its available for download. Please let me know if this works for you and just throw a simple “thank you” to me and to Brook and ill be happy with that.

I have an s1100 and i will try to do the same procedure and see if the receipt software is available for this model. I will update you.

Enjoy your new Scansnap Receipt software!!!!

    Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

    Thanks for sharing the above Taiho.

    I tried the steps you outlined but the Receipt software never showed for me.

    After I entered the password details emailed to me I was directed to this page of contents > http://we.tl/MPv0F3bw5S

    It must be because I’m in the UK. Looks like I’m boxing this back up and returning it.

    Oh and you might want to download this (quickly!)> http://we.tl/JqBcU9LsfS

      Ed - October 12, 2014 Reply

      A few days late here probably. I am in the UK and have a found a way of getting the software. let me know if you are still trying to get it.

        Stephen - October 12, 2014 Reply

        Thanks for replying. I did manage to get hold of the software. It only as a dollar currency so I understand why they don’t allow UK folk to download it.

        I thought the software was pretty buggy – it keep force quitting on me.

        Hopefully they will roll out more currencies and get the software more stable.

          Ed - October 12, 2014 Reply

          It is quite stable on my laptop. Seems to work reasonably well. Gets the amount and Vendor most of the time. A bit slow in processing and converts date to US format if it makes sense or leaves it if it doesn’t. I.e. converts 01/10/2014 but doesn’t 22/09/2014.Still takes a while to process reach receipt with correcting and combining, etc. Maybe this will get quicker once I get used to it.

          Ed

        Jonathan - December 27, 2014 Reply

        Hey Ed

        Could you let me know how you got it… I’m in the UK.

        J

    Jay - September 20, 2014 Reply

    Before downloading any added software, try just plugging in the 1100 and using the 500 installed software. You should find it will work with the 500 drivers.

    Kupal - September 20, 2014 Reply

    Sorry folks…scansnap receipt software is not available for the s1100

      Jay Johnson - September 20, 2014 Reply

      While it may not be “available” as a download for the 1100, I can confirm with a certainty that it will work on a model 1100. In other words, if you have the software drivers for the 500 installed, they will operate the 1100 just fine. (This is per tech support and personally verified.) And then, if you are able to locate a download of the receipt software for the 500, it will work as designed on a 1100.

Jay Johnson - September 20, 2014 Reply

Taiho…Are you able to uninstall the foreign software and install the English software now that it is available as a direct download?

They also have the English manuals available as a download on their website:

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/computing/peripheral/scanners/ssmanual/ix100.html

Just wondering.

    taiho - September 20, 2014 Reply

    i did not uninstall my jap version since i already got used to it even though its in Japanese. I just click ever link and see what comes up and then i go from there. But i will probably uninstall it and just install the available english software except for the software that requires the download request form(e.g. Abby fine reader, card minder) the only thing I’m missing is the scansnap organizer software which is not available for the IX500 on Macs and only in IX100 for the Mac. I have the Jap version of the Organizer software and remember, i can’t download the english version coz it won’t allow me coz of my jap IX100 scanner.

      taiho - September 20, 2014 Reply

      Maybe somebody can throw me a Scansnap Organizer software for the Mac. I can trade you with a japanese version….hahaha!

        Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

        Search for sk474 on twitter, follow me and I’m sure it can it sorted.

Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

Thanks for the info and tip. I double checked the software versions and they all seem to be the latest updates. I’m starting to think it IP related and they are severing me software based on my IP location.

Jay Johnson - September 20, 2014 Reply

A follow up comment…I got out my 1100 and ran a receipt through it. The ScanSnap Receipt software recognized it and functioned just as it should. Can you download the receipt software from Fujitsu now if you own an 1100 alone? I don’t know, but I have confirmed it will work with that unit when it is available.

    Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

    Thanks for the insight Jay.

    I’ve plugged my in ix100 via the USB and nothing has changed in terms of seeing the Receipt software.

    Can I ask how you contacted Fujitsu support today?

    I’ve emailed and tweeted but had no response (given the weekend I was cutting them some slack!)

      Jay Johnson - September 20, 2014 Reply

      Technical Support

      Phone 1-800-626-4686

      Hours: 5 a.m. – 5 p.m. PST,
      Monday through Friday

      Saturday Hours: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. PST

      Live Chat: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. PST,
      Monday through Friday only

      They closed today a 1300 hours, so you will have to call them on Monday. But, they were lighting fast on picking up my calls and taking care of business.

        Jay Johnson - September 20, 2014 Reply

        You may have already done this, but there is already an update to the “Online Update” software.

        http://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/computing/peripheral/scanners/software/ix100.html

        I was not given the option to download the receipt software until I had updated everything else. And, there was some software I had to update twice to get the most current version.

Jay Johnson - September 20, 2014 Reply

So, I have four computers with the software for my 500 and 1100. I normally have the 500 plugged into the laptop on my desk. I use both scanners on the other three at various times.

After reading the review, I took a chance and clicked down to the online update and it offered the receipt program to me as an update. I clicked and it installed.

I tried to replicate the process on another computer with the manager software installed and got the “your software is up to date” message. It did not give me the option to install the receipt software again on the second computer.

I wish I could offer an explanation to you all, but it seems allowing my single install was a fluke and not what Fujitsu intended to have happen.

Update…I found I have different driver versions on the two computers. One for the 1100 and one for the 500. I’m doing an update on the second one now and will see if that makes any difference. According to Fujitsu, the version 6.2 for the 500 is backwards compatible with the 1100, but the 5.X for the 1100 will not work with the 500.

More to follow…

    Brooks Duncan - September 20, 2014 Reply

    Yeah, you’ll definitely want to have the iX500 software installed on all the computers. I don’t think that ScanSnap Receipt will be offered as an update with the S1100 software (my guess).

      Jay Johnson - September 20, 2014 Reply

      So, several hours later…I have learned that the 500 software is backwards compatible with all the scanners in the series. You cannot install the software from the 1100 disk and use it for the 500. But, after going though the process of installing all the software and updates for the 500, I was given the opportunity to install the ScanSnap Receipt software. (I am watching the download as I type.)

      According to Fujitsu Support, the receipt software was released on Tuesday. It is intended for the 100, so I was the first non-100 person to mention I have it installed. He did say the only way it will install is to be connected via a USB cable. It will not work wirelessly. He also said, if you own a 100 and it is not installing, contact support and they will help you install it. He has verified the installation process with his own 100 scanner.

      For the 500 user, my installation just completed on computer #2. I have run a receipt through it and verified it is working!

Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

I’m on a Mac. Online update says I’m ‘up to date’.

    Brooks Duncan - September 20, 2014 Reply

    So strange. So you have an iX100 and there’s no option in Quick Menu or the Applications tab for ScanSnap Receipt? Which country are you in? Maybe that matters for some reason.

      Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

      I’m in the UK. It is really odd. Even when I search the http://fujitsu.com website the is no sign of a download link.

        Brooks Duncan - September 20, 2014 Reply

        I’m starting to have this horrible feeling that ScanSnap Receipt is US and Japan only. Investigating.

          Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

          Thanks for looking into it.

          Taiho - September 20, 2014 Reply

          Hi brook,

          I bought my ix100 last July from bonanza which was shipped from japan and it was a japanese version. The manuals are all in japanese so i have to scan it and ocr it and bring it to google translate for me to understand how to set it up and it was a pain but igot it to work finally. had a hard time installing the software and try to set up my wif connection because its all in japanese so i have to do a copy and paste on the window screen and again bring it to google translate. My installed software is in japanese and did an online update but i guess i cant help you guys because i know if i download the software, it will all be in japanese just like my scansnap organizer but i just kinda figure out how to use it coz its similar to my english version of my ix500.

          I will try to do an online update on my jap version and will try to figure if it comes with the receipt software and i will update you.

Stephen - September 20, 2014 Reply

Great review thanks!

I too can’t find the ScanSnap receipt software. The main reason I bought the scanner. Any links or tips to find the installer software would be appreciated.

    Brooks Duncan - September 20, 2014 Reply

    Stephen and Taiho – if you right click on the dock or ScanSnap taskbar icon and go Help > Online Update, does it download? If not are you Mac or Windows?

Andrea - September 17, 2014 Reply

Is ScanSnap Receipt going to be available to work with other ScanSnap models?

I’ve been thinking about purchasing a NeatReceipts scanner just for scanning receipts, but I’d definitely prefer scanning them with my ScanSnap S1500 if using ScanSnap Receipt with it (or something like it) is an option.

    Brooks Duncan - September 17, 2014 Reply

    I would guess (with no concrete information) it will come to iX500 owners via Online Update in the next few weeks. ScanSnaps previous to that I doubt but could be pleasantly surprised. Will update if I find anything more.

      Andrea - September 17, 2014 Reply

      Thanks, Brooks. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

      I’m looking forward to your review. If the software is good, I’ll buy an iX100 to get it if I have to. I’d rather do that than buy a Neat.

        Jay Johnson - September 17, 2014 Reply

        I went to the “online update” tab and found the ScanSnap Receipt is already available to download right now.

          Taiho - September 19, 2014 Reply

          Hi jay, i went to fujitsu software download and check the update tab and no scansnap receipt software download..can u provide a link where its at..thanks for sharing

Jay Johnson - September 17, 2014 Reply

The demonstration showed connecting to a handheld/tablet device using their software. What is the process, and can you demonstrate, a direct connection to a laptop? Obviously, the iOS and Android software does not work on a Windows laptop, so there must be another way to do it.

Part 2…When can we expect to see ScanSnap Receipt available to existing users?

    Brooks Duncan - September 17, 2014 Reply

    Hi Jay,

    Direct Connection only works on mobile. You can scan wirelessly to a computer, but you both need to be on the same wi-fi network. If you don’t have a wi-fi network you can connect to, it is iX100 -> Mobile only.

    As for when ScanSnap Receipt to existing users. I would guess (with no concrete information) it will come to iX500 owners via Online Update in the next few weeks. ScanSnaps previous to that I doubt but could be pleasantly surprised.

Megan - September 17, 2014 Reply

Great review Brooks! Thanks for the wonderful detail!

Dani - September 17, 2014 Reply

Does the CardMinder link to your Contacts app on a Mac? Outlook on a PC?

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