February 11, 2009, 7:30 AM
Why Every Modern Digital Man Needs a Scanner
Our director road-tests four travel-size scanners to keep connected to his gang of screenwriters
By Barry Sonnenfeld
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When I'm testing equipment for Esquire, or even while I am, I work with writers on scripts. We're rarely in the same place, or even the same state, which makes it hard for me to get my many insightful comments back to them. My method of working is to scribble thoughts on the pages of all these various scripts and then send them back to the writers. The note they dread the most is a circled joke or a scratch through lines of dialogue with a huge "DB," which means "do better." I used to send these notes via fax, but thanks to the latest in digital technology, I no longer need a fax machine to do so (and just as important, the writers don't have to be at a fax machine to receive them). With scanned PDFs, I can efficiently harass writers from anywhere, at any time. Even if I didn't have scriptwriters to annoy, there are plenty of other uses for a scanner, like storing old photos or documents or scanning receipts, creating files for tax time.
Among the scanners I recently tested are the travel-sized Xerox Travel Scanner 100 and the slightly bigger Fujitsu ScanSnap S510. About the size of a toaster, the Fujitsu ($495) is shockingly fast at turning documents into editable PDF files. The first time I used it, the pages sped through the machine so quickly, I couldn't imagine it was actually copying anything. Drop 30 pages into the sheet feeder (to give them something to do while I read the next 30) and the ScanSnap automatically sends the PDF to a designated folder on your computer or straight to Outlook, from which you can easily e-mail it to a harried writer. The software is smart and easy, and setup took minutes. One thing I found strange was the need to buy either a PC- or Mac-specific version of the ScanSnap; it's a shame that one machine won't work on both operating systems.
Although the S510 is not necessarily designed for travel, you could easily put it in a box and ship it to your hotel. For a more portable alternative, however, I like the ScanSnap's smaller sibling, the S300 ($295). It weighs three pounds, can easily fit in your bag, and takes up to ten two-sided pages at a time.
The smallest scanner I tested was the Xerox Travel Scanner 100 ($200), which weighs less than 11 ounces. It does have limitations, though: You have to hand-feed each page, one at a time, and the scan process itself is slower than with the Fujitsu. But since it's barely the size of a paper-towel tube, it's the ultimate in portability. Just throw it in your computer bag and go. Plus, it's USB powered, so there's no need to find an AC outlet. On the road, it is perfect for scanning business cards, receipts, newspaper articles, and even pages of gadgets I tear from the SkyMall catalog. While it will work with script pages, too, I think it's worth the extra weight to lug around the much faster Fujitsu S300.
When it comes time for writers to fax me their new pages, I use eFax. It's a service that assigns you a telephone number and then converts any faxes sent to it into PDF files that it automatically e-mails to you. I can look at the faxed pages electronically or print them out and circle dialogue that deserves a "DB." With eFax you can get faxes anywhere you can check your e-mail. Plus, it's a good way to keep the front desk of your hotel from "accidentally" delivering your fax to Mr. Levinson's room.
Or You Could Just Do This:
The Epson Artisan 800 ($299) has a scanner, printer, high-resolution photo printer, and a fax machine. Plus, with built-in WiFi, every computer in your house can be connected to it.
Barry Sonnenfeld is a television producer and the director of Men in Black.
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