Epson America Inc. has supplemented its line of portable document scanners with a new model optimized for speed, compactness, and interoperability with third-party document management solutions.
Named the DS-320, the new unit is closely comparable to the ES-200 scanner that Long Beach, Calif.-based Epson introduced two weeks ago. Though the latter product ships via retailers, however, the DS-320 is aimed at the commercial channel, and will be available beginning later this month through distributors and select Epson resellers.
The other significant difference between the two products is that while both can integrate with leading document management systems via an included TWAIN application programming interface, the DS-320 also comes with an ISIS API driver. Together, those drivers make the new product compatible with more than 75 solutions from third-party independent software vendors.
“[That] makes it easier to choose the document management software of your choice,” says Mark Pickard, senior product manager for scanners at Epson.
Unlike comparable offerings from other manufacturers, Pickard continues, the DS-320 is backed by an advance exchange program that reduces downtime when maintenance issues arise.
“Instead of waiting for a scanner to arrive while you submit the other one, we send you one right away,” Pickard says. Epson also offers an optional extended service plan that provides replacement units overnight for up to 5 years.
Both the ES-200 and DS-320 weigh less than 3 pounds, scan up to 25 duplex pages per minute, draw power from either an AC or USB 3.0 connection, and can save images directly to Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and other cloud-based file storage solutions. The DS-320 also features the same 20-page document feeder as the ES-320, and the same specialized slot for scanning business cards.
The two products share a common $299 MSRP as well.
Like not only the ES-200 but the WorkForce ES-400 and WorkForce ES-500W desktop scanners that Epson announced in December, the DS-320 comes with a software package including Epson’s Document Capture Pro application, FineReader from Milpitas, Calif.-based ABBYY USA, and NewSoft Presto! BizCard from Pleasanton, Calif.-based Visioneer Inc.
