TechnoLawyer: Copiers/Scanners/Printers

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new portable duplex scanner (see article below), a project and task manager for Mac users based on the book "Getting Things Done," and a relational database for non-techies who want to create their own applications. Don't miss the next issue.

Lose Your Paper Glut
By Taeho Lim & Neil J. Squillante

You know, this New Year's resolution of yours will take immense diligence to pull off. If you slack off for a few days on a business trip, you'll find yourself right back where you started. Do you have what it takes to slim down and lose your ... paper glut? Ah yes, the elusive paperless office. One thing's for sure — it all starts with a scanner.

With Fujitsu's new ScanSnap S300 Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner, you might have a fighting chance. Billed as the world's smallest duplex scanner with automatic document feeder (ADF), ScanSnap S300 measures 11.18x3.74x3.03 inches and weighs 3.1 pounds. The small footprint makes it ideal not only for road warriors, but desk jockeys who don't want to sacrifice their precious desk space.

ScanSnap S300 scans up to 8 pages per minute in color; its ADF can hold 10 sheets of paper. It connects via USB, and can handle a range of paper sizes from business cards to legal.

Fujitsu's bundled ScanSnap Manager and ScanSnap Organizer software combine to provide the functionality lawyers expect and need from a scanner. For example, the software straightens crooked documents and automatically rights documents mistakenly scanned upside-down. The built-in OCR engine enables you to create searchable PDF files. You can also scan to email or to contact managers such as Outlook. Also bundled is CardMinder for organizing scanned business cards.

ScanSnap S300 requires Windows 2000, XP, or Vista. It comes with a one year limited warranty. Given its portability, Fujitsu sells an optional carrying case. ScanSnap S300 lists for $295, but you can find it for less. The carrying case sells for about $25. Learn more about ScanSnap S300.

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Coming November 2, 2007 to Fat Friday: David O'Connell responds to a recent TechnoFeature about biglaw associate salaries, Kerry Hubick explains how to use Styles and insert Excel files in Microsoft Word, David McConnaughey reviews his experience using a Microsoft ergonomic keyboard and the Logitech Cordless Desktop S510, James Atkins reviews Roboform for password management, and Robert Price shares a tip for scanner paper jams as well as a review of his Xerox Documate 252. Don't miss this issue.

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Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming October 12, 2007 to Fat Friday: Wells Anderson provides a detailed disaster plan for the home and office, Lynn York reviews the Oce im7230 multifunction printer, Craig Humphrey discusses running Windows on a Mac (and we respond), Todd Richardson adds a tenth step to David Canton's instant classic Think Before Sending Nastygrams, and Jenny Jolinski shares her concerns about voicemail delivered by email. Don't miss this issue.

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Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

BlawgWorld enables you to explore and discover legal blogs (blawgs) without spinning your wheels. It features the best essays of the year from 77 of the most influential blawgs.

TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide uses a question/answer format to help you find solutions to problems commonly encountered by law firms. It contains 185 solutions organized into 58 topics.

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BlawgWorld 2007-08 with TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide is truly free — no registration hassles.

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Coming October 4, 2007 to Answers to Questions: Paul Purdue compares PracticeMaster, Time Matters, and Amicus Attorney, Brian Garves reviews RoboForm for password management, Pamela Coleman provides four helpful tips for printing temperamental documents, Anthony Vrsecky shares his firm's approach to trust accounting with QuickBooks, and Matt Baker sends in an update on his firm's clean install of Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 and its impact on PCLaw's performance. Don't miss this issue.

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Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new network scanner (see below), robust e-discovery software, and search engine technology for your Web site. Don't miss the next issue.

Smaller, Faster Network Scanner
By Taeho Lim

The copy machine revolutionized legal practice, enabling lawyers to share documents. Nowadays, digital copiers enable lawyers to convert paper documents into digital files over their network. But several problems remain — the price and size of these machines limit their deployment throughout a law firm, and they tend to have inscrutable user interfaces.

Canon's just-released ScanFront 220 and 220P network scanners address these shortcomings. Measuring just 12.2x9.21x6.22 inches, you can place these compact scanners just about anywhere. And with an MSRP of $1,995 and $2,195 respectively (and lower street prices), you can place them in more locations, including your office if you scan a lot of documents.

As for the interface, can you say touchscreen? A large 8.5 inch screen consumes most of the ScanFront 220's face. The screen displays four main buttons that enable you to scan to email, shared folders, an FTP server, or a USB flash drive that you've inserted. Simple and straightforward.

You can store email addresses and other scanning destinations in the ScanFront 220 or access any shared LDAP address book. The ScanFront 220 also supports groups for distributions to multiple recipients. Using a Web browser, you and your colleagues can set up your own private address books and groups. That's also how your network administrator sets up user accounts, adjusts scanner settings, etc.

The ScanFront 220 can scan up to 26 pages per minute.  Resolution ranges from 100 to 600 dpi. The scanner has an automatic document feeder as well as a manual feed. It can scan in black and white, grayscale, or color, and features built-in duplexing. The ScanFront 220 has a daily duty cycle of 1,000 scans.

You can save scanned files in PDF format and encrypt them with a password if you wish. For added security, you can set the ScanFront 220 to securely wipe its memory after each scan.

The ScanFront 220P differs from the 220 in two respects. It features biometric fingerprint authentication for convenient login (both models also feature more traditional password login). Also the ScanFront 220P has an "Ultrasonic Double Feed Detector," which means it can handle a stack of different paper weights and sizes without any misfeeds.  Learn more about ScanFront 220 and 220P.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming September 21, 2007 to Fat Friday: Mark Klarich shares his thoughts on the current state of CLE and how to improve it, Philip Franckel provides some Yellow Pages adverting tips, Andrew Weltchek reviews several Outlook add-ins and general productivity-boosting utilities, Harold Goldner reviews Qipit for mobile scanning, and John Winkelman recounts his first experience with Dell's laptop repair services. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming September 13, 2007 to Answers to Questions: Carlton Barnes reviews Copernic Desktop Search 1.7 and 2.0, Adam Drennen reviews StartStop dictation software with the Olympus DS-2300 digital recorder, Edward Poll reviews his Lenovo ThinkPad X60 and shares his thoughts on PDAs, Kermit Lowery, VP & Lead Customer Solutions Counsel at LexisNexis, responds to a recent Post about LexisNexis' terms of service, and Jill McLean provides a quick workaround for PDF printing problems. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming August 16, 2007 to Answers to Questions: Corey Rich reviews Acrobat 8 Professional's annotation capabilities, Rob Howard reviews the Start-Stop Universal Transcription System and how it works with his Olympus DS-4000 digital recorder while Andrea Cannavina reviews the transcription software Express Scribe and discusses the the pros and cons of Olympus and Sanyo digital recorders, Caren Schwartz provides some tips for those having trouble printing a large PDF file, and Alex Carey charges headlong into the Mac OS versus Windows holy war. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming August 10, 2007 to Fat Friday: Jerry Nicholson explains the difference between e-discovery and digital forensics, Jerry Sullenberger reviews handwriting recognition software for the Treo and the Treo Bluetooth headset, Scott Bassett explains how you can access you PC from a Palm OS device, David Abell reviews Timeslips' bill reprint feature (and what happens when you miss a patch), and Diane Sherman reviews the Fujitsu ScanSnap. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.