We focus on what characteristics are best suited to the job of scanning sports cards. These aspects should be taken into account by any buyer of scanners for this purpose
I always want to evaluate scanners with the user in mind, so I will focus on both new users and also regular users of scanners, and see what both will get.

Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Our choice Fujitsu fi-7160 ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | USB 3.0 | 60 | 120 | 80 sheets | 4,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Panasonic KV-S5055C ![]() | A3 | 11.69 in x 16.54 in | USB 3.0 | 80 | 160 | 200 seets | 300 sheets | Click for more info |
Fujitsu fi-7460 ![]() | A3 | 11.69 in x 16.54 in | USB 3.0 | 60 | 120 | 100 sheets | 9,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Alaris Kodak i2900 ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | USB 2.0 | 60 | 120 | 250 sheets | 10,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Let’s have a look at each product in particular.
Fujitsu fi-7160
Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fujitsu fi-7160 ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | USB 3.0 | 60 | 120 | 80 sheets | 4,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Using scanners day to day has lead us to believe that Fujitsu actually has the best scanning quality of them all. And this is even the case with the Fujitsu Fi 7160, which is a relatively small scanner, A4 to be more precise. Of course, especially for baseball cards or other sports cards, this is not an issue, as most of the time, they are smaller.
As you already know, the scanning quality on a CCD Fujitsu scanner is just superb. I would definitely say that it is the best in the industry and they have overtaken Kodak Alaris in this area. This is a critical factor, especially when scanning sport cards.
The image settings have various presets from Automatic, Normal, Bright or Sharp. Many more are available, but you can use the normal function and have just perfect scanning results.
The bright function can be used for other cards, especially those that are a bit dark or are higher in contrast. The bright function will make the image just that more readable, without affecting the overall quality of the scan.
Regarding speed, this Fujitsu is just as fast in practice as the Panasonic model above, even though it has a speed of around 60ppm. But its speed is related to portrait feeding, while the Panasonic is for landscape feeding.
Best of all, the straight paper path allows you to scan just about any document, that is reasonably thick. Also, this is the cheapest out of the lot, and you will find some good units under 1000 USD.
Panasonic KV-S5055C
Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panasonic KV-S5055C ![]() | A3 | 11.69 in x 16.54 in | USB 3.0 | 80 | 160 | 200 seets | 300 sheets | Click for more info |
I must say I’ve always enjoyed working on a Kv-S5055C Panasonic scanner. It’s a different device, compared to other Panasonic scanners, as it’s the only one with a CCD.
Why is this important, and we consider it an evolution over other Panasonic scanners? Well, CCD equals great scanning and color depth, which in turn means better overall quality. It is definitely an evolution over the old Panasonic scanners, and even some new ones, which work through a CIS sensor.
Especially for baseball cards or other sports cards, the scanner should have a CCD sensor. This allows you to capture that extra quality level which you’d expect on high-quality cards.
Most likely you will be using a very low compression and a high resolution. This increases the overall file size, which means you might see the scanner slowing down between scans.
Luckily though, this scanner has a USB 3.0 connection, which should allow for the file transfer to keep up with the speed of the scanner, which is around 80ppm in simplex mode.
While in most cases this would not be a problem, the U shaped paper path might prove a bit tricky when scanning thicker cards. I would get this scanner as a versatile machine, combining normal document scanning with sports card scanning.
But I would be wary of thicker baseball cards, as these might get jammed during the scanning process.
Fujitsu fi-7460
Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fujitsu fi-7460 ![]() | A3 | 11.69 in x 16.54 in | USB 3.0 | 60 | 120 | 100 sheets | 9,000 sheets | Click for more info |
The Fujitsu Fi 7460 model is more or less identical to the Fi 7160 but it will also scan A3 documents. This means again a superb scanning quality, given that it uses the standardized Paperstream IP driver. From what we tested, both models are pretty similar in functions, except of course for the scanning size.
The image settings can be changed from the preset ones to manual ones. For example, the automatic image setting will detect each image as it passes through the scanner and applies threshold values independently for each image.
The Paperstream Capture is the capture software that works on both the Fi 7160 and the 7460 model. It’s advanced scanning software that will allow you to better organize and index large volumes of baseball cards or sports cards.
Price-wise it’s quite expensive when compared to the Fi 7160, but it’s a bit cheaper than the Panasonic KV-S5055C. I would only get it though if other scanning projects would have to be done on it.
This device has been developed to be an FI7160 that will scan A3.Strictly for baseball or sports cards, the Fujitsu Fi 7160 makes much more sense, as it is cheaper and smaller. But if you are also scanning other things, yes, this is an improvement over the FI7160. test 2
Alaris Kodak i2900
Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alaris Kodak i2900 ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | USB 2.0 | 60 | 120 | 250 sheets | 10,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Another interesting proposition is the Alaris Kodak i2900. This is an A4 scanner with ADF, but it also features a flatbed scanning unit. I must say, you should not buy it strictly for its flatbed, rather see the unit as a great addition together with the ADF unit. As you probably know, we are great fans and have had good experience with versatile scanners that have both an ADF and a Flatbed.
The other features are pretty much what you’d expect. It scans at 60 pages per minute in simplex and 120 images when scanning in duplex. This won’t be very relevant when you are scanning thick stock cards, but it’s good to know that you can actually turn up the speed when needed.
One of the nice features of this scanner is the 250 sheet ADF. Especially for large scanning volumes, it’s nice to have a feature like this. But for sports cards or baseball cards, I don’t know if this would be of great help.
The other thing I don’t like is the U shape paper path. This instantly means that you will have to feed relatively thinner and more flexible sports cards to make sure they feed reliably. It’s competitors, both the FI 7160 and the FI7460 both have a straight paper path, which is better for scanning sports cards. test
Editors Opinion
You will now have to decide on which baseball card scanner you should buy. It’s not an easy decision, but it’s also not a very difficult one.
If your budget allows it, go for the Fujitsu FI 7460. It’s an entry level A3 scanner, but it has a good scanning speed and the image quality is superb.
I guess this is the perfect solution to have very high flexibility, as scanning baseball card, documents or other type of paper that would require such a scanner. It just does everything you need.
When your budget is smaller, go for the Fujitsu FI 7160. Again, the image quality is superb given the smart driver and high end CCD sesor unit that Fujitsu installs in its FI series scanners. The price is significantly lower when compared to the Fi 7460, but its scanning size is only up to A4.
Which is your favourite model and would you preffer another baseball card scanner?