Where can I scan a couple hundred pages in Chicago?

December 8, 2008 3:50 PM

Is there a print or copy shop in Chicago with a scanner with an automatic document feeder?

I have a couple hundred pages to scan, and may end up having to scan similar volumes on a somewhat regular basis. Somewhat to my surprise, while both my neighborhood print shop and Kinkos have sheet-fed copiers, these apparently cannot be used to scan, nor are any of their scanners capable of handling more than a page at a time. I would rather not scan each page individually on a flatbed scanner. Is there anywhere in Chicago I can use an ADF-equipped scanner for a reasonable price? These are letter-sized, single-sided photocopies I'm looking to scan, so I don't need anything fancy.

Alternately, if buying equipment is my only option, can anyone recommend a scanner or multifunction device with a decent ADF for less than several hundred dollars?

posted by enn to technology (7 comments total)

Just a thought, and I've no idea if they'd be willing to do it or what they'd charge, but you might call around to local litigation support firms. Most of them have imaging departments that are set up to do this. Their clients are typically law firms, though.
posted by trip and a half at 3:59 PM on December 8, 2008

A lot of copiers can scan to e-mail/PDF from the copier ADF tray. Are you sure that the copiers at Kinko's can't do it? The 3 places I've worked in the past 5 years all have had these type of copiers.

The Fuji ScanSnap is on Tiger Direct with a $50 rebate currently. With some Live Cashback tricks, you can get it for $309.

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/882348?highlight_key=y&keyword1=scansnap
posted by wongcorgi at 4:39 PM on December 8, 2008

Are you sure that the copiers at Kinko's can't do it?

I'm not sure — that's what I was told when I called but it's possible the employee was misinformed. Scanning to email would be perfect, and maybe it's worth a trip to check.
posted by enn at 4:58 PM on December 8, 2008

I checked with Kinko's here in San Francisco and they quoted me $4 per page (!), single sided. At that price, it quickly becomes cheaper to buy the Fuji ScanSnap. Which rocks.
posted by CruiseSavvy at 5:35 PM on December 8, 2008

I worked at the kinko's near southport and addison and we did indeed have a machine that would scan multiple pages through the adf. It was pretty expensive, though, if I recall correctly. Also, this was about 3 years ago now so it's possible they have different equipment. Or, more likely, the person you talked to was a complete idiot.
posted by kpmcguire at 12:15 AM on December 9, 2008

kpmcguire: that's the one I called, so I'd guess the person I spoke to was mistaken — thanks.
posted by enn at 12:13 PM on December 9, 2008

Late update for Google: the self-service copiers at Kinkos do have a "scan to network" feature (to email? not sure what it does), but since they lack network connectivity you can't use it. The staff will scan things for $1/page. At that price it's worth babysitting the flimsy ADF on a cheap all-in-one device.
posted by enn at 1:02 PM on December 13, 2008