Canon ImageFormula R40 Review | Latest scanner of 2019

Canon ImageFormula R40 Datasheet Explained

The Canon ImageFormula R40 is an A4 desktop document scanner, with a maximum scanning size of 8.5 by 14 inches.

The device comes with a CIS scanning sensor that allows the device to reach a maximum optical resolution of 600dpi. 

With the scan speed rated at 30 sheets every minute in simple and nearly 60 images in duplex when scanning in color, this equipment ranks well in its market.

To keep pace with the scanning speed, Canon has fitted this scanner with a USB 2.0 connection. USB 3.0 might have been better, wireless would have been great, but considering that the scanning speed is low, it will keep up. 

Although Canon rates this scanner as a 4,000 pages per day device, you will not achieve that very often.

I love the fact that the driver will connect through TWAIN, as that leaves a lot of margin for a developer to connect the scanner to custom scanning applications. 

Roller and consumable replacement will most likely occur around 200,000 scanned sheets. 

Specs for paper handling

Canon has thought about this, and has fitted this low-cost scanner with an Ultrasonic sensor to detect any multi feeds going through the device. 

The automatic document feeder can accommodate around 60 sheets of standard bond paper. Not a big quantity, but it’s enough for most scanning scenarios with this scanner. 

With a sheet thickness ranging from 7 lb to 56 lb, you can expect this device to be versatile enough for most of your scanning needs. 

One of the first things I check in a scanner is the long document scanning mode. With this scanner, this value is around 118 inches in length, more than enough from my experience.

Canon ImageFormula R40 accessories unboxing

If one has worries about the dimensions, they are 9.6 X 11.4 X 9.9 inches.

When out of the box, the scanner is 9.6 by 11.5 by 10 inches, which is a relatively small size, even for your average A4 document scanner. 

The scanner weight is also low, being a very comfortable scanner to more around the office or even out of the office. It weighs just over 6 lbs.

Besides the driver, in the package, you will also find the Canon Capture on Touch scanning software. This is a proprietary scanning software from Canon but is also supported by other third parties: Readiris PDF Software and Cardiris Business Card software.

Features for Productivity

This Canon device has just about any productivity feature you might expect from a modern document scanner. 

The Auto Crop will let you use the largest scanning size, and detect the size of your document automatically. It might slow scanning speed by 5-10%, but you will gain it back easily once you go through the pages.

Automatic Rotation of pages can be enabled from the driver, and it uses a smart algorithm to calculate the correct orientation of any sheet.

When scanning a mixed batch of color and black and white documents, turning on the auto color detection will make the software and the scanner determine how each document should be scanned. 

There is another way to solve this in some cases, using the Multi Stream feature. This let’s you create 2 copies at the same time, one in color and the other in black and white for example. 

Last but not least, it’s one of my favourite features. The blank page detection and deletion should be used in most scanning jobs, as it improves productivity significantly.

Quality of images

Background cleaning is a standard feature on this scanner and so it should be. Could not imagine scanning documents without it these days. 

Also, the edge cleanup works very well, especially when you have documents that are not cut straight on the edges. The software will most often fill the margin with the background color. 

If your document does not travel straight through the scanner, then make sure you leave the deskew option turned on. This will straighten it automatically.

The hole punch removal takes each document and searches for a punch hole pattern on the side. When it detects them, it just fills those patterns with the background color or a different color that you can choose ( usually white ).

Being a CIS sensor, it is tricky to install an automatic streak filtering algorithm. Canon has not done it, so you will have to stop the scanner, clean the glass and rescan the document.

Extra Features

With the Imageformula R40, you should enable the manual feed mode when you scan deteriorated documents. It’s precautionary mostly, but you don’t want to risk damaging them even more. 

Although the Bar Code Discovery isn’t the only separation method, I recommend you get it.

Canon usually sells the Barcode option on its scanners. In general, I would recommend you get this option, as it’s also a good document separation solution.

Another solution to automatically separate the documents is to use white pages. The software will detect two consecutive blank sides, and separate the document at that point.

With the IRIS software bundled with the R40, you can create OCR files from your scans. Either PDF, Word files or even the classical RTF. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use ZONAL OCR as the scanner does not offer this function. 

Canon ImageFormula R40 driver, manual & brochure

If you’re searching for drivers for Windows/Mac for the device, it’s on this site.

Already have one and you can’t figure out how to use it? Here’s the manual on the following page.

If you need to find some more specific info, try downloading the product brochure at this link.

Canon ImageFormula R40 vs Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500

	Canon ImageFormula R40	Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500
Scanning area	8.5 in x 14 in	8.27 in x 11.69 in
Long Document	118 in.	118.11 in
Connectivity	USB 2.0	USB 3.1, WiFi
ADF Size	60 sheets	50 sheets
Document Thickness	7 to 56 lb	5.4 to 56 lb
Daily Duty Cycle	4000 sheets	400 sheets
Feed Roller Replacement	200.000 sheets	200.000 sheets
Dimensions	9.6 X 11.4 X 9.9 inches	11 x 6 x 6 inches
Weight	6.2 lbs	1.4 lbs
MultiStream	Yes	No
Hole Punch Removal	Yes	No
Document Separation	Yes	No
Barcode Recognition	Yes	No
Price	Check price on Amazon	Check price on Amazon

Canon ImageFormula R40 vs Kodak Alaris E1035

	Canon ImageFormula R40	Kodak Alaris E1035
Optical Resolution	600	1200 dpi
Scanning area	8.5 in x 14 in	8.27 in x 11.69 in
Sheets per minute	30	35
Images per minute	60	70
ADF Size	60 sheets	80 sheets
Document Thickness	7 to 56 lb	7 to 160 lb.
Feed Roller Replacement	200.000 sheets	100.000 sheets
Interface	TWAIN	Twain and ISIS, WIA
Dimensions	9.6 X 11.4 X 9.9 inches	12 x 7 x 7 inches
Weight	6.2 lbs	7.2 lbs
Document Separation	Yes	No
Price	Check price on Amazon	Check price on Amazon