The Alaris S2080w Scanner ($1,795) is the flagship model in Kodak Alaris's line of S2000-series desktop document scanners. It's essentially the same as the Editors' Choice Alaris S2060w, which is just a bit slower and has a reduced daily duty cycle, but lists for $500 less. If you're looking for a fast, accurate, networkable desktop document scanner designed as a mid- to high-volume data-capture point for large enterprises, the Alaris S2080w will do the job well. But if your business can sacrifice a bit on speed and duty cycle, the S2060w is a better value.
One of the Family
As could be expected, the S-2000-series models graduate in features, capacity, speed, and price, and the Alaris S2080w is positioned at the top. The also series includes two non-networkable machines, the S2050 and the S2070, and another networkable model, the S2060w.
Measuring 9.1 by 12.3 by 10.6 inches (HWD) with its trays closed and weighing 7.2 pounds, the Alaris S2080w is about average in size and weight compared with many of its competitors. Those dimensions and girth are identical to the other models in the S2000 series, and within an inch or pound or two than competing models, including the Brother ADS-3600W and the HP ScanJet Enterprise Flow 7000 c3 Sheet-Feed Scanner. Also competitive in size (as well as capacity, features, and price) are the Visioneer Patriot H60 and H80.
Similar Products
Like the Alaris S2060w, the S2080w comes with an 80-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF), and its maximum daily duty cycle is 8,000 scans, which is 1,000 more than the S2060w. That's also 500 scans more than the ScanJet 7000. The Visioneer Patriot H60 and H80, on the other hand, both have ADFs with a 40-sheet higher capacity and a 2,000-sheet higher daily duty cycle.
Also like its sibling, the S2080w comes with a 3.5-inch touch screen that provides extensive control over the scanner, user workflow profiles, and configuration options, as well as a built-in HTTPS (SSL) secure Web server for operating the scanner over your network or the Internet. While web servers on networkable scanners are fairly common, few have content on the scanner itself that actually mirrors the user interface utility (in this case, Alaris Capture Pro), thereby making the scanner and scanning system easier to learn.
Making Connections
Many of the Alaris S2080w's duties are handled via an onboard processor, rather than relying on the CPU of the PC you're connected to. This, according to Kodak Alaris, provides a higher level of speed and accuracy when handling tasks such as image enhancement and correction in the Company's Perfect Page software, as well as optical character recognition (OCR) and page straightening.
The S2080w is loaded with connectivity features, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 (a 2.0 cable comes in the box). Wi-Fi Direct is a peer-to-peer wireless network that allows you to connect your mobile devices to the scanner without either them or it being on a standard network. Unfortunately, it can't run Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct at the same time.
Many recent scanners, such as the Brother ADS-3600W, come with the ability to scan to USB thumb drives and other USB storage devices. Unfortunately, the Alaris S2080w does not. There is a USB 2.0 interface on the back of the scanner, but that's for connecting accessories.
Comprehensive Software Bundle, Accessories
The standard operating system is one of the more sophisticated scanner interfaces I've seen. In addition to the standard drivers and interface utilities, Kodak Alaris has included a comprehensive set of programs for getting the most from the scanner and for indexing and managing documents.
Most of the bundled software is downloadable after you install the scanner. It includes Alaris Capture Pro Software (mentioned earlier), a highly updated version of Kodak Capture Pro, a powerful scanning, indexing, and document management program capable of creating indexing and other database fields during the initial scan and process session; Kodak Asset Management Software, which allows you to select and maintain your fleet of Alaris scanners via a client dashboard; and Alaris Info Input Express, a web-based scanning interface, document-indexing, and archiving program.
There are also several (expensive) accessories available, including Alaris Passport Utility ($495) for scanning passports and other small or fragile documents, the A3-Size Flatbed Accessory ($1,400) for oversize media, and the Alaris A4/Legal Flatbed Accessory ($494).
Respectable Speed
Kodak Alaris rates the S2080w at 80 one-sided (simplex) pages per minute (ppm) and 160 images per minute (or ipm, where each image, or side, is a page), compared with the S2060w's 60ppm and 120ipm. (I tested the S2080w over USB 2.0 at 200dpi on our standard Intel Core i5-equipped testbed PC running Windows 10 Professional.) During our two-sided 25-page (50 sides) document test, without the lag time (the time it takes from when the last page in the scan job hits the output tray and the scan is subsequently saved to a file), I clocked the Alaris S2080w at 84.5ppm and 167.6ipm, just faster than its ratings.
But then those scores demonstrate only the physical scanning time, before the scanned pages are saved to a useable file format, such as image or searchable PDF. When scanning the same one-sided 25-page document to image PDF, the Alaris S2080w churned at the rate of 74.4ppm and 152.3ipm, or just under its ratings. Compared with most of its siblings and competitors, those scores are quite good. The S2060w, for instance, managed about 20ppm and 45ipm slower than its more-expensive sibling. The HP ScanJet 7000 and the Brother ADS-3600W were both significantly slower.
The real test is, though, when scanning to the more useable format, searchable PDF. Here, when scanning our two-sided, 25-sheet document to searchable PDF, the Alaris S2080w scanned them all in about 44 seconds, which is the same as the HP ScanJet 7000, and 4 seconds ahead of the Brother ADS-3600W.
Admirable Accuracy
To test the Alaris S2080w's accuracy, I scanned several pages of different fonts ranging in point sizes from 4 to 72 points, and then checked them for errors. Like its less-expensive siblings (except, for some reason, the S2050), the S2080w scanned both our Arial and Times New Roman pages without errors down to 6 points, which is just above average between all the scanners we've recently tested. The S2050 managed 8 points for both the Arial and Times New Roman fonts, which is closer to average in our database of test results.
HP's ScanJet 7000 managed 6 points Arial and 8 points Times New Roman, as did the Brother ADS-3600W and the Canon ScanFront 400, while Visioneer's Patriot H60 and H80 both managed 6 points error-free.
Worth the Premium Price?
There's a lot to like about the Kodak Alaris S2080w—excellent scanning speeds, terrific accuracy, innovative and integrated onboard processing, mobile OS programs, and high duty cycle, to name a few. The problem here, though, is that Kodak Alaris also offers a slightly less-endowed sibling for a lot less money, essentially making the S2080w impractical for many. The only sensible reason I can see for buying it over the less-expensive S2060w is that you desperately need the Alaris S2080w's additional speed and daily duty cycle—an additional 1,000 scans a day is significant, after all. Under these highly refined circumstances, you can't go wrong with the Alaris S2080w.
The top-of-the-line Alaris S2080w Scanner is fast, accurate, and feature-packed, but its high price makes it tough to recommend over its less-expensive, also-capable sibling.
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Sign up for other newslettersAbout William Harrel
Former Contributing Editor
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