PFU Fujistu has just announced they are expanding the Paperstream software solutions with Clickscan. To start of this article, let’s take a minute first and see where we are at with the other Paperstream products, such as the IP and the Capture series.
Also, we will be looking at what features they have, what they offer new, and who are the target customers for these solutions. Just as a reminder, Fujitsu is probably the manufacturer that produces the highest quality document scanners currently available on the market.
What is Paperstream
Paperstream, as you may know or not, is a line of software solutions that Fujitsu introduced some years ago. It replaced on the one part the old drivers with a universal Paperstream IP driver and the old Scandall software with the Paperstream Capture solution. This has been a good step taken by Fujitsu, as it managed to offer a bundled solution with its scanners, allowing some users the freedom of not buying a dedicated scanning software.
In terms of the driver, that was night and day. It doesn’t really matter what FUjitsu device you buy, when you go through the driver you really can’t imagine all the features it offers. I would say that currently there is no other driver on the market that can compare. It can definitely go head to head with the VRS, and in terms of pure scanning quality, it is better than the Kofax product.
What is Paperstream Clickscan
Basically, the Paperstream Clickscan software is an express type of scanning softwares. Reducing scanning features to a bare minimum helps in increasing the overall task speed. No complex workflows, no sophisticated functions, just scan, save and sometimes even send the document to its recipient. Obviously you might think this is not something worth mentioning, every scanner should have this. Or maybe you are thinking that Paperstream capture already does this, and you would be right.
But trust me, there were a lot of moments when I thought why do I have to wait for Paperstream capture to scan and release a job. I would have wanted a simple solution that would just scan my document and send it directly. Just 200dpi color, with no fussy options. A simple scan of 10 invoices, that my colleague was waiting for. That is the moment where Clickscan will shine. And sometimes, you might also use it for more advanced task.
What is the future for Paperstream
I must say that Fujitsu is pushing on with the Paperstream Capture solution. Especially the Pro version, with added processing and indexing stations, it’s what will be driving this software forward in the future. But they must do more to integrate it with smarter workflows.
Kofax is not waiting for Fujitsu and also pushing on with Kofax Express. I would say that the Pro version of Paperstream is more or less like Kofax Express, but it can be integrated to be a smaller scale Kofax Capture.
Personally, I like the solution from Fujitsu. But would I invest in it? I guess it all depends on the application, and I sincerely recommend you put it head to head with the Kofax solution on the respective task. I have seen lately that some solutions just work better in some instances, and never got to fully understand why.