Fujitsu Scansnap ix1600 Review | Upgraded scanner in 2021

Fujitsu ScanSnap IX1600 Datasheet Explained

This scanner comes in an A4 scanning size. At 8.5 and 14.2 inches, it can scan documents that are slightly larger than your standard A4. This is good to know, especially when you are scanning narrow but longer documents.

The optics of the Fujitsu scansnap ix1600 document scanner are nothing spectacular. A CIS sensor will not provide the best quality, as a CCD is definitely an improvement on that side. But I guess for such a small scanner, this will do. The optical resolution is 600dpi, so what more can you require from such a small document scanner.

As mentioned previously, connectivity is what we love in this scanner. The 5 GHZ wi-fi connection makes this device the perfect digital sender. Just pop up, insert an office document, hit scan and send just about wherever you want.

A new feature is the USB 3.2, which in the scanning world is something relatively new. There aren’t many manufacturers that have already introduced it. You can separate your settings by creating individual scanning profiles.

The scanning speed has been increased over the IX1500. It’s now at 40 pages per minute in simplex mode. What I love about this scanner is that it also has an excellent scanning mode. While this is slow, this is no issue, as you won’t be having to use it that often. I recommend you create scanning profiles for normal scanning, low size and high quality. It’s much easier than to change settings everytime you scan.

Specs for paper handling

Paper handling in an ADF document scanner is critical. Luckily the Fujitsu Scansnap ix1600 does not dissapoint. It offers an ADF which can hold 50 sheets. In this price range, I would say that this is not bad.

The range of thickness is also good. From 40 gsm to 209 gsm is at least expected, even with an entry level document scanner. I guess you can go a bit higher than that, with the document carrier, but don’t do it that often.

The Scansnap ix1600 also offers multifeed detection. This means that when a double feed is detected, the scanner will stop immediately. Also, you can set it to notice you about the multifeed, but continue with the scanning process.

Long document scanning mode is standard. It works up to 300cm, but for A4 scanners, you don’t often get that narrow very long documents.

Fujitsu ScanSnap IX1600 accesories unboxing

Let’s get to the unboxing part. First of all you’ll have to take out a decent sized scanner. It’s a bit on the low end in terms of size, which I really appreciate. You don’t really want a bulky scanner, unless you are running very large projects.

Then it’s the weight of the scanner. I love it that it’s only 7.5 lbs. This means just about anyone can move it around. You don’t have to always call the your muscular colleague to do the moving for you.

Regarding the bundled software, I immediately check for the OCR. Abbyy Finereader for Scansnap is bundled with the scanner. This is really a great piece of software, especially considering the low price of this device.

Also, with the new model, they have included Kofax Power PDF. This let’s you manipulate PDF’s easier and much faster, and it’s a new addition to the Scansnap series. As you can imagine, this is the rebranded Nuance Power PDF standard, which used to be in the ix1500 model.

Regarding this software, I would recommend connecting the scanner via USB and using it as a desktop document scanner. Yes, you might think that you have bought a wireless document scanner, but this app is more powerfull when using the device as a dedicated desktop document scanner.

Features for Productivity

Let’s get to the productivity features. Autocrop and automatic rotation is included as standard. I guess this is expected with even the cheapest scanners on the market.

What it does have and we really love is the automatic color detection. In terms of overall scanning productivity this is one of the best features. You don’t always want to be compressing and manually adding colored pages in your batch. This option does it automatically and you always get the lowest size of the files, without compromising on color.

Another feature which I really recommend using is the blank page detection. This means that during scanning, the software will automatically detect which page is blank and mark it. You can either delete them automatically during scanning or do it manually after the scanning process.

Multistream has not been included with this scanner, but I guess it doesn’t really make sense with this kind of scanners.

Quality of images

Scanning quality is not bad but it’s not a CCD scanner either. Expect to have good scans, but don’t use it for scanning artwork either. It’s been designed to scan documents and it actually works quite well for this.

So you can be sure that it offers quite some interesting features in this sense. For example, background cleaning is included. People forget the times scanners would just output images with a background. Some models still do. But not this one, as long as you keep the option active.

Then we get to the Edge correction. To be realistic, I think this feature has only recently been introduced as standard on most scanners. It’s a nice one to have, and combined with the deskew, also included with the scanner, you scans will look really well.

Hole punch removal is not present though. I don’t know what to say really, I know this is standard on most scanners. But at the same time, those scanners cost 5 times more.

A nice update to this scanner, has been the introduction of the streaks correction feature. Really nice one, and this was totally unexpected. It will reduce the cleaning frequency significantly, letting you focus on scanning more and doing maintenance less.

Extra Features

Now, regarding the extra features. First of all I will mention the OCR. As I’ve told you, Abbyy Finereader is standard, even though the version has been developed specifically for the Scansnap. It’s a lite version, a bit like the express, but again, this is a really cheap scanner.

What it doesn’t have though is smart document separation and barcode recognition. This feature is not common on small scanners and is not available with this scanner as well.

What the scanner does have is the manual feed mode. This is standard with most scanners on the market, but it’s a very useful feature. In the case of the IX1600, especially when scanning a folded in two A3, this will be of real help.

But remember to try the carrier sheet that Fujitsu offers for such requirements. You can also scan receipts that are attached to documents using this carrier sheet, without having to remove them first. You should remember to first turn the multifeed off from the color touchscreen display.

Still, the best scanning results should be when scanning standard printer paper. You can also convert books if you cut them, so in need, this could turn into a book scanner. In some cases, you can use it as a photo scanner, but results will not be optimal, given the CIS sensor. Office products like this are not really suited for fine art reproduction.

Fujitsu ScanSnap IX1600 driver, manual & brochure

If you are looking for the driver of the Fujitsu Scansnap, you can follow this link and downloadall the software you need for this device.

Also, if you need more data about the scanner, follow this link and check the datasheet for both the IX1400 and the IX1600.

You will find in the official download links the drivers for direct connect mode, and some applications to use for scanning and document management.

Also, in the software you should be able to find apps to convert receipts and business cards to digitally structured data. But this feature can be used for just about any document size and scan data.

The optical character recognition ocr software is not always integrated in the driver. For the FI series it can be run directly through the scanning software, but fujitsus scansnap series won’t always have this feature integrated. Scansnap Manager though is always integrated into the bundle so don’t worry about that.

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Fujitsu ScanSnap IX1600 vs Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500

Here are the key differences between these two scanners:

The old Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500 duplex document scanner was already a very good device, that required little to no changing. Both machines have a color touch screen and the similarities don’t end there.

But Fujitsu did not hang around, and brought discreet but important changes to the IX 1600. Mainly this is around productivity aspects, so it’s features that you won’t see, rather you will feel the improvements.

Starting with the scanning speed of the new scanner. This has been upgraded to 40 pages per minute in simplex and around 80 images per minute when you are scanning in duplex. This is almost a 30% increase over the old model.

Then we come to the transfer speed. Wifi and USB have both been kept as transfer options. But an improved Wifi now allows for even quicker file transfer. The same can be said about the USB 3.2, which is a small upgrade over the already fast USB 3.1 on the IX1500. With the wifi, this device turns into a great team sharing tool, that everyone in the office can use. With the direct connection of the USB, this device turns into a really good desktop document scanner.

Last but not least we have a feature that you can’t find very often on cheap scanners. The streak removal and correction option is great when you are scanning loads of documents and you don’t want to stop every minute to clean the scanning glass. Up to a point, this option will help you save time and effort, which would be impossible to save under different circumstances.

All in all, considering that the price is more or less identical, the improvements are welcome and we recommend buying the ix1600 over the previous model.

Read the full review of the Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500