Epson DS-970 document scanner | An honest review.

What’s good? The Epson DS-970 can scan at 170 images / minute. It has a daily capacity of 9000 sheets, can hold 100 pages in it’s ADF tray and features an LCD display. What’s bad? We couldn’t find anything particularly wrong with it

Should I buy it? How much does it cost?
Epson DS-970 document scanner | An honest review.

ProductFormatScanning areaConnectivitySheets per minuteImages per minuteADF SizeDaily Duty CyclePrice

Epson DS-970

Epson DS-970
A48.27 in x 11.69 inSuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional)85170100 sheets9,000 sheetsCheck price on Amazon

Epson DS-770

Epson DS-770
A48.27 in x 11.69 inSuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional)4590100 sheets5,000 sheetsCheck price on Amazon

Epson DS-860

Epson DS-860
A48.27 in x 11.69 inUSB 2.0 Type B, Ethernet (optional)6513080 sheets6,000 sheetsCheck price on Amazon

Epson DS-870

Epson DS-870
A48.27 in x 11.69 inSuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional)65130100 sheets7,000 sheetsCheck price on Amazon

Epson DS-970 Specifications

Sheets per minute85
ADF Size100 sheets
Daily Duty Cycle9,000 sheets
FormatA4
Optical Resolution600 dpi
Long Document240 in
ConnectivitySuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional)
InterfaceTwain, Wia, Sane and Isis
Dimensions11.6 x 8.3 x 8.5 inches
Weight7.9 lbs
Bundled SoftwareEpson Document Capture Pro 2.0, Epson Device Admin, Epson Scan 2
Images per minute170
Scanning area8.27 in x 11.69 in
Sensor typeCCD
Document Thickness11 lb. to 57 lb.
Multifeed DetectionOverlap detection (Ultrasonic sensor)
Feed Roller Replacement100.000 sheets
DriverDownload Driver
ManualDownload Manual
BrochureDownload Brochure
FeaturesAutomatic color detection, Automatic rotation, Blank Page Detection, MultiStream, Automatic Cropping, Edge Correction, Streaks Correction, Background Cleaning, Deskew, Hole Punch Removal, Manual Feed Mode, Document Separation, Barcode Recognition, OCR, Zonal OCR

Epson DS-970 Datasheet Explained

You can digitize a sheet with an aproximate area of 8.27 in x 11.69 in.

The Epson DS-970 will reach an optical resolution 600.

Such a machine operates with a CCD sensor to achieve the scanning.

SuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional) is what this equipment connects with .

The maximum Documents every minute in simplex for this scanner, should be at 85 .

If you try the duplex scanning mode, 170 Images per minute in duplex mode should be possible in optimum conditions

If you check the official specs, the Estimated volume for each day, is around 9000 documents.

The Epson DS-970 works with Twain, Wia, Sane and Isis scanning interface.

You should assume the feeding tyres to be able to scan close to 600.000 office documents.


Specs for paper handling

Multifeed Detection is a standard feature, with a high quality Overlap detection (Ultrasonic sensor) to prevent any possible problems.

When considering this product, take into account that the Capacity of the ADF can accomodate up to 100.

When it comes to Document thickness the Epson DS-970 is capable of handling paper of 11 lb. to 57 lb..

With the Epson DS-970 you will scan 240 in long documents, with the special Long Document Scanning Mode .


Epson DS-970 accesories unboxing

The size the scanner ocupies on your desk is 11.6 x 8.3 x 8.5 inches.

The Epson DS-970 is weighing around 7.9 lbs. This mass doesn’t involve any optional that can be applied to the equipment.

When it comes to the delivered software, the Epson DS-970 comes with the Epson Document Capture Pro 2.0, Epson Device Admin, Epson Scan 2.


Features for Productivity

I love using the biggest scanning size and just enable the Auto Page Size, especially for mixed documents.

The driver of the the Epson DS-970 offers Automated Rotation of Documents, and it is easy to use it.

A nice setting to have is the Automatic Color Detection . It is enabled or disabled through the driver of the Epson DS-970.

You have probably heard of the White page detection setting. Well, it will be available with this scanner so we recommend you enable it.

The Epson DS-970 can proccess documents in different settings in a single job. This is done through the Dual stream scanning option.


Quality of images

Gone are the days when post processing of documents is required. With the Background Cleaning option, your documents will have a perfect background.

With the Image Edge Fill on the Epson DS-970 scanner, your scanned images will look better than your paper documents

Straightening documents automatically is possible with the Epson DS-970. Luckily, the Document Allignment feature will allign most images quite well.

Hole Punch Removal is interesting to use as it provides you with clean images on the perforated side.

The Vertical Streaks Reduction feature is often installed on higher end scanners . The Epson DS-970 we are reviewing here does not have Vertical Streaks Reduction .


Extra Features

When scanning fragile documents, this Feeding Paper by Hand setting will help you scan safely with the Epson DS-970.

Check if your scanner comes with free Bar Code Discovery . If not, buy this option or get another scanner who has it.

Always check if the Separate Documents Automatically is free on the scanner. I have seen some manufacturers selling the barcode option.

It’s safe to say that Optical Character Recognition is something no scanner should miss. Scanning is not possible without it today.

Have you worked with Field OCR ? Try it, especially for forms processing.


Epson DS-970 driver, manual & brochure

Download the driver on this page.

We told you what the document scanner can do, but if you are really interested in how you operate it, download the official manual here.

If you are searching for much more detailed info, check out the brochure here.



Epson DS-970 vs Epson DS-770


Epson DS-970

Epson DS-970

Epson DS-770

Epson DS-770
Sheets per minuteWINNER85LOSER45
Images per minuteWINNER170LOSER90
Document ThicknessMISC11 lb. to 57 lb.MISC12 lb. to 58 lb.
Daily Duty CycleWINNER9,000 sheetsLOSER5,000 sheets
InterfaceMISCTwain, Wia, Sane and IsisMISCTwain, Wia and Isis
DimensionsMISC11.6 x 8.3 x 8.5 inchesMISC11.7 x 7.7 x 12.5 inches
WeightWINNER7.9 lbsLOSER8.1 lbs
PriceCheck price on AmazonCheck price on Amazon


Both document scanners are equal in capture area, both being able to scan an area of 8.27 in x 11.69 in.

Let’s say you are comparing the sensors, you should understand both equipment are using CCD technology.

If processing long documents, you will observe that both the Epson DS-970 and the Epson DS-770, are equal at 240 in.

These document scanners will provide you the same connectivity ports with SuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional).

When it comes scanning speed the Epson DS-970 will get up to 85 PPM. At the same time the Epson DS-770 will reach 45 PPM.

Read the full review of the Epson DS-770


Epson DS-970 vs Epson DS-860


Epson DS-970

Epson DS-970

Epson DS-860

Epson DS-860
Long DocumentWINNER240 inLOSER120 in
ConnectivityMISCSuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional)MISCUSB 2.0 Type B, Ethernet (optional)
Sheets per minuteWINNER85LOSER65
Images per minuteWINNER170LOSER130
ADF SizeWINNER100 sheetsLOSER80 sheets
Document ThicknessMISC11 lb. to 57 lb.MISC11 lb. to 55 lb.
Daily Duty CycleWINNER9,000 sheetsLOSER6,000 sheets
InterfaceMISCTwain, Wia, Sane and IsisMISCTwain, Wia and Isis
DimensionsMISC11.6 x 8.3 x 8.5 inchesMISC11.8 x 8.7 x 8.1 inches
WeightWINNER7.9 lbsLOSER8.8 lbs
PriceCheck price on AmazonCheck price on Amazon


If we look at scanning area, these document scanners have the power to digitize the same area of Epson DS-860.

Both the Epson DS-970 and the Epson DS-860 function with CCD sensor.

For long sheets Epson DS-970 has an estimated value of 240 in, while Epson DS-860 will process sheets up to 120 in.

If we have a look at connectivity ports, we can find SuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional) on the Epson DS-970 and USB 2.0 Type B, Ethernet (optional) on Epson DS-860.

If we look at scanning speed, the Epson DS-970 can digitize at 85 PPM meanwhile the other device can only do 65 ppm.

Read the full review of the Epson DS-860


Epson DS-970 vs Epson DS-870


Epson DS-970

Epson DS-970

Epson DS-870

Epson DS-870
Sheets per minuteWINNER85LOSER65
Images per minuteWINNER170LOSER130
Document ThicknessMISC11 lb. to 57 lb.MISC10 lb. to 57 lb.
Daily Duty CycleWINNER9,000 sheetsLOSER7,000 sheets
InterfaceMISCTwain, Wia, Sane and IsisMISCTwain, Epson Scan2, Wia, Sane and Isis
PriceCheck price on AmazonCheck price on Amazon


Both document scanners have the same scanning area of 8.27 in x 11.69 in.

Both the Epson DS-970 and the Epson DS-870 function with CCD sensor.

When scanning long documents, you will observe that the Epson DS-970 and the Epson DS-870, are the same at 240 in.

These scanners have the same connectivity options with SuperSpeed USB 3.0, Ethernet (optional) included.

If we look at actual digitization speed the Epson DS-970 will do 85 pages every minute. On the other hand the Epson DS-870 can do 65 PPM.

Read the full review of the Epson DS-870


Epson DS-970
Our Score

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