Epson And Kodak Alaris Honored With BLI Summer 2014 Pick Awards

Buyers Laboratory LLC, the world’s leading independent tester of document imaging products, announced its highly anticipated Summer 2014 Pick awards in the scanner category recently, bestowing honors upon two scanners from Epson and two scanners from Kodak Alaris. Announced twice a year, the Pick awards acknowledge the products that gave the best performances in BLI’s extensive suite of laboratory tests in the previous six months.

The Summer 2014 scanner Pick winners are

EPSON AMERICA, INC.
Epson WorkForce DS-760
Outstanding A4 Large Workgroup Scanner

Epson WorkForce DS-860
Outstanding A4 Departmental Scanner

KODAK ALARIS
KODAK i3450
Outstanding A3 Flatbed Low-Volume Production Scanner

KODAK i4600 Plus
Outstanding A3 Mid-Volume Production Scanner

Speed, Versatility Meet Affordability
When compared with competitive scanners tested, the Epson WorkForce DS-760 and WorkForce DS-860 outperformed the competition, helping them earn Pick awards in their respective categories for the Summer 2014 award season. The 45-ppm (90 ipm) DS-760 stood out for its better than average media handling, productivity and value, and easy to use hardware and bundled scan software. Thanks to its larger than average 80-sheet ADF, the unit can scan a wider than average range of paper sizes. The DS-760 exhibited faster than average black-and-white and color speeds in the hardware throughput tests. When compared with competitive devices available, the unit’s estimated total cost of ownership is about 36 percent lower than average.

“Thanks to its user friendly design and better than average performance, the Epson WorkForce DS-760 can fit in any workgroup scanning environment looking for an affordable capture solution that can be up and running quickly,” said Joe Ellerman, BLI’s senior scanner technician.

“Epson has significantly expanded its document scanner product line over the last year, underscoring our commitment to delivering digital imaging solutions that meet a wide range of customer needs,” said Mark Pickard, senior product manager, Document Scanners, Epson America, Inc. “The WorkForce DS-760 and WorkForce DS-860 are two of our most powerful scanners to date and we are honored that they have been recognized by such a prestigious industry influencer.”

The 65-ppm (130 ipm) Epson WorkForce DS-860 exhibited better than average results for the majority of performance categories tested. Among the standout results include higher than average OCR accuracy for the majority of documents tested, faster than average speeds in the hardware throughput tests and the ability to accommodate a wider than average range of paper sizes. The unit also has an estimated TCO that’s about 41 percent lower than average.

“The Epson WorkForce DS-860 offers the total package: robust software, a rich feature set and an intuitive design all for a lower than average price,” said Lisa Reider, BLI’s senior product editor for scanners. “The DS-860 provides virtually everything needed to capture and route documents in fast-paced workgroup and departmental scanning environments.”

Innovative Enhancements
Combining the unique integrated flatbed design of the KODAK i2900 with the fast speeds and superb functionality of the enhanced KODAK i3400, the KODAK i3450 is a clear winner for this season’s Pick recognition. The i3450 also offers a broader than average range of acceptable paper weights and sizes, and Intelligent Document Protection technology that senses when a document is being damaged and stops the scan process to allow for user intervention. Plus, its projected total cost of ownership is about 39 percent lower than average when compared with competitive units on the market.

“Any organization looking for a high-speed, flatbed-equipped dedicated scanner would be hard pressed to find a better product than the KODAK i3450,” said BLI’s Reider. “Its robust media capabilities, intuitive software and easy to use hardware design help seasoned and novice users to process several thousand scans a day with ease.”

"The i3450 Scanner is a compact device with huge performance, delivering consistent throughput to power through paper intensive processes. The space-saving integrated flatbed enables users to scan batches and exception documents with the same unit to achieve a new level of versatility and value. It can easily scan file folders, book pages, magazines, passports and torn documents, and with the unique book-edge scanning feature, it can scan the full width of book pages with complete clarity," said Tony Barbeau, vice president and general manager of Kodak Alaris's Document Imaging division.

The 120-ppm (240 ipm) KODAK i4600 Plus surpassed the competition in nearly every key performance area evaluated, helping to secure its position as BLI’s Summer 2014 Pick winner for the A3 mid-volume production scanner category. The unit’s 500-sheet document feeder handles a broader than average range of paper weights and sizes, and accepts business cards, checks and thick plastic ID cards. The bundled KODAK Capture Pro Limited Edition software allows users to separate batches via barcodes, blank page or by page count, and include index data in scanned documents via barcode, manual entry or drag-and-drop OCR functionality. The i4600 Plus also has a projected total cost of ownership about 45 percent lower than average.

“Kodak Alaris continues the tradition of providing reliable, robust and affordable high-speed scanners to the production market with the i4600 Plus,” said Ellerman. “Its versatile media capabilities, easy to use software and hardware, and economical consumable options help to set this one apart from the competition.”

"The i4600 Plus Scanner is one of the most agile and versatile capture solutions we have ever engineered," said Barbeau. "It offers even greater productivity for busy office environments where speed is critical."

Stay tuned for upcoming Buyers Lab “Pick” and “Outstanding Achievement” award announcements in the following categories
July 15: A3 MFP Picks and Outstanding Achievement Awards
July 16: A4 Printer and Printer MFP Picks
July 17: Outstanding Achievement Awards for Energy Efficiency

About Buyers Laboratory LLC
Buyers Laboratory LLC (BLI) is the world's leading independent provider of analytical information and services to the digital imaging and document management industry. For over 50 years, buyers have relied on BLI to help them differentiate products’ strengths and weaknesses and make the best purchasing decisions, while industry sales, marketing and product professionals have turned to BLI for insightful competitive intelligence and valued guidance on product development, competitive positioning and sales channel and marketing support. Using BLI’s web-based bliQ and Solutions Center services, 40,000 professionals worldwide create extensive side-by-side comparisons of hardware and software solutions for over 15,000 products globally, including comprehensive specifications and the performance results and ratings from BLI’s unparalleled Lab, Solutions and Environmental Test Reports, the result of months of hands-on evaluation in its US and UK labs. The services, also available via mobile devices, include a comprehensive library of BLI’s test reports, an image gallery, hard to find manufacturers’ literature and valuable tools for configuring products, calculating total cost of ownership (TCO) and annual power usage. BLI also offers consulting and private, for-hire testing services that help manufacturers develop and market better products and consumables. For more information, visit www.buyerslab.com.