Pros & Cons
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- Relatively fast, with accurate OCR
- Supports USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi connectivity
- 60-sheet ADF
- 2.4-inch color touch screen
- Dedicated USB port for saving scans to a thumb drive
- Can automatically scan multiple objects into separate files or individual pages
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- Somewhat expensive
Epson DS-1760WN Specs
| Automatic Document Feeder | |
| Ethernet Interface | |
| Flatbed | |
| Maximum Optical Resolution | 1200 pixels |
| Maximum Scan Area | 8.5 by 220 inches |
| Mechanical Resolution | 1200 |
The Epson DS-1760WN ($599) is a hybrid product that combines a flatbed scanner and a sheetfed scanner. A regular flatbed scanner is limited to loading essentially one document or group of objects at a time. Meanwhile, a traditional sheetfed document scanner can't handle thicker or fragile documents, such as old photographs, birth certificates, diplomas, or books. However, a scanner that can do both isn't worth considering unless it competes in speed, features, or capacity with its flatbed and its sheetfed counterparts.
That's where the DS-1760WN comes in. It’s relatively fast, due in part to its single-pass duplex scanning. It has a large 60-sheet ADF that’s paired with accurate OCR. And it offers a good choice of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi. Add this all together, and the DS-1760WN is our new Editors' Choice winner for best flatbed/sheetfed combo scanner.
Design: Form Follows Function
If you’ve never seen a combo scanner before, you might have one of two reactions to it. You may think of it as an AIO printer that somehow lost its bottom printer section. Or you may think of it as a flatbed scanner with an added ADF on top. Both reactions point to the specific features that are supported (or not supported) by this category of scanners. This is a classic case of form following function: The size and shape of the Epson DS-1760WN is largely dictated by what it has to offer.
(Credit: David English)At 5.6 by 16.7 by 13.8 inches (HWD), the DS-1760WN is as wide and deep as a typical AIO printer. However, it’s only about a third as high. If you have a work environment that doesn’t need a printer, or you would have difficulty placing an AIO printer due to its imposing height, you may be a good candidate for the DS-1760WN.
(Credit: David English)Compared with similar combo scanners, the DS-1760WN is fairly standard in size. That’s because a flatbed scanner for letter-sized documents can only be so small, especially when it’s attached to a letter-sized ADF. Epson’s older DS-1630 is slightly shorter and less deep, at 4.8 by 17.7 by 12.5 inches. HP's ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 is a little wider, at 5.2 by 19.4 by 12.8 inches. And the Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner is a little smaller in all three dimensions, at 5.5 by 15.8 by 13 inches.
As suggested earlier, the DS-1760WN’s 10.9-pound weight would make it much easier to move around locations than a similarly equipped AIO printer. And that’s true for the whole category. The DS-1630 is somewhat lighter, at 9 pounds. The ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 is a bit heavier, at 12 pounds. And the Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner is significantly lighter, at just 5.9 pounds.
The DS-1760WN is especially well-suited for mobility because it supports Wi-Fi as well as USB and Ethernet connections. If your department needs to occasionally scan documents or photographs, but doesn’t need to keep a scanner on hand permanently, this kind of versatility could make the DS-1760WN especially valuable. By contrast, the DS-1630 supports USB, but not Wi-Fi, though you can add Ethernet support to the DS-1630 through an optional (and expensive) network adapter. The ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 and Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner are USB-only. You can't add Ethernet or Wi-Fi modules to either of those two models.
(Credit: David English)By definition, all four of these combo scanners let you input documents via a built-in ADF, in addition to a traditional flatbed glass platen. The DS-1760WN has a 60-sheet ADF with a peak daily duty-cycle rating of 3,000 sheets. That’s a significant step up from the DS-1630, which has a 50-sheet ADF with a 1,500-sheet rating. It’s an even match with the ScanJet Pro 3600 f1, which also has a 60-sheet ADF with a 3,000-sheet rating. And it’s a big improvement over the less-expensive Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner, which is equipped with a 35-sheet ADF with a 1,500-sheet rating.
Both the ADF and flatbed sections have an output resolution of 1,200dpi, but that’s somewhat misleading. According to the product specifications, the ADF has an optical resolution of 600dpi, while the flatbed has an optical resolution of 1,200dpi. For everyday text documents, you might not see a difference. However, with photographic materials or objects with very small print, you may want to favor the flatbed whenever it’s practical to do so. That difference in optical resolutions between the ADF and flatbed sections isn’t unusual. The DS-1630 and ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 have that same 600dpi/1,200dpi optical split between the two input modes. The Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner is rated for 600dpi for both ADF and flatbed.
Another improvement that the DS-1760WN has over the DS-1630 is its 2.4-inch color touch screen. On this feature, the DS-1760WN really does stand out from similar combo models. Both the DS-1630 and Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner have only a small array of buttons that let you access basic functions, such as turning the unit on or off, starting a scan, stopping a scan, and scrolling through options. The HP ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 also lacks a color touch screen, though it has a more generous array of buttons and indicator lights that provide for more onboard control.
(Credit: David English)To operate truly as a standalone unit, a combo scanner should let you scan directly to an attached USB thumb drive. On the DS-1760WN, that dedicated USB port is located on the left side of the unit, which could be an issue if you plan to place the unit into a tight horizontal space. The HP ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 is similarly equipped for saving its scans to an attached USB thumb drive. The Epson DS-1630 and Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner do not have that capability.
Setup and Software: Keeping Scanning Simple
The setup process for the DS-1760WN is fairly straightforward. You plug it in, turn on the unit, and select the language, date, and time. Then you can download and install the software from the Epson website. After the installation is complete, you’ll have a main app (Document Capture Pro), two utility apps (Epson Scan 2 Utility and Epson Software Updater), and an Epson DS-1760WN User’s Guide.
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(Credit: Epson)Document Capture Pro is the app that you’ll use on your PC to initiate and customize the scans. You’ll be able to create and save job profiles that determine the source (single-sided ADF, double-sided ADF, or scanner glass), resolution (200dpi to 1,200dpi), document size, image type (color or black and white), rotation, destination, and file type. Because the software can automatically choose the source, document size, image type, and rotation, you’ll likely need to set up profiles for resolution, destination, and file type.
Destinations can include specific file folders, email addresses, FTP sites, or printers. You can also route your scans to a Microsoft SharePoint Server, Evernote, Google Drive, or SugarSync. This app supports a wide range of file types, including PDF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX. And you can embed a time stamp and page-counter number into the file name, which could be useful in situations where scans need to be closely tracked.
(Credit: Epson)To get you started, Document Capture Pro’s home page has a prominent Simple Scan option that’s set to automatically detect the source, document size, image type, and rotation. It’s also configured for PDF output and will prompt you to select whether you want to initiate a single-sided or double-sided scan. For many users, this might be the best fit, as it makes the process very easy and less technical. By default, Simple Scan is set to scan at 200dpi, though you can change that to a higher resolution.
This model has an automated feature that can simplify the process of scanning small or irregularly sized materials. When scanning from the flatbed glass, you can scan multiple originals at once without having to scan them one at a time. They’ll be automatically cropped into separate images and saved as separate files. Alternately, they can be saved to a single document that gives each image its own page. This feature supports both standard-size and irregular-shaped items, such as receipts, invoices, or photos of various sizes. Those items can be as thick as 1.18 inches (30mm), because the upper portion of the unit is connected by an expandable hinge that allows it to rise up to accept thicker originals.
If you prefer to initiate a scan from the unit itself, you’ll find the control panel to be more than sufficient. It features a 2.4-inch color touch screen surrounded by dedicated buttons for Power, Home, and Help. The screen is bright and detailed enough, although the subdued use of color can make it a little tricky to differentiate between tasks and settings on the small screen. The DS-1760WN’s 2.4-inch screen can’t compete size-wise with the larger screens on many AIO printers. On the other hand, a combo scanner doesn’t have to include an AIO’s print, copy, or fax-related features.
(Credit: David English)Epson keeps it simple by placing almost everything relevant on the LCD’s home screen. The top-level icons are Computer, Network Folder/FTP, Email, Cloud, USB Drive, WSD, Scanner Maintenance, and Settings. To the company’s credit, all are self-explanatory, except for WSD. That’s the Web Services on Devices (WSD) standard that lets you manage network scanning from within Windows. The home screen also has a small star in the lower left-hand corner that lets you display a list of your presets. From there, you can load a preset or create new ones. In the upper right-hand portion of the screen, an icon shows if you have an active Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection. If it’s a Wi-Fi connection, the Wi-Fi icon will also serve as a signal strength indicator. Maintenance icons may also appear from time to time to indicate that a firmware update is available, it’s time to clean inside the ADF, or it’s time to clean the glass platen.
You can use the DS-1760WN independently of your computer. This model can save its scans to an email address, an FTP site, a file folder, or an attached USB drive. And with its Wi-Fi connectivity, you can place the unit almost anywhere it’s needed. Assuming that your Wi-Fi coverage is pervasive throughout your workspace or facility, you could move it around to different locations with no need to do anything more than just plug it in. The Wi-Fi signal strength indicator could make it especially easy to place the unit in the ideal position each time.
Speed and Performance: Closely Matched Ratings and Test Results
Epson gives the DS-1760WN a speed rating of 30 simplex (one-sided) pages per minute (ppm) or 60 two-sided (duplex) images per minute (ipm, where each page side is counted as an image). Because it supports one-pass duplex scanning, as opposed to the DS-1630's slower two-pass duplex scanning, this model represents a significant upgrade from that model’s rated 25ppm/10ipm speeds. That low duplex scan speed has been a major drawback for the DS-1630. The HP ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 has rated speeds of 30ppm/60ipm, just like the DS-1760WN. And the Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner is rated at a slightly slower 25ppm/50ipm.
(Credit: David English)To see if the DS-1760WN could match or even surpass its manufacturer’s ratings, I used Document Capture Pro to initiate scans over an Ethernet connection to our Intel Core i5 testbed PC.
The DS-1760WN performed slightly better than its official 30ppm/60ipm rating. It scanned our standard 25-page single-sided document at 31.7ppm and our 25-page (50-image) duplex document at 63.0ipm. Those scores easily beat the DS-1630's lopsided results of 25ppm and 12ipm. They also surpassed the Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner’s results of 28.3ppm and 56.7ipm.
However, the HP ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 edged out the DS-1760WN with its slightly faster test results of 33.7ppm and 63.8ipm. Given the potential margin for error, you would have a difficult time noticing any speed differences between the DS-1760WN and ScanJet Pro 3600 f1, especially when scanning double-sided documents.
At its default setting of 200dpi, the DS-1760WN converted our Arial (sans serif) font test page to editable text down to 6 points without any errors, and our Times New Roman (serif) page down to 8 points without any errors. When I increased the resolution setting to 300dpi, it was able to convert both the Arial and Times New Roman fonts down to 6 points. That’s the same accuracy that we saw with the DS-1630 and HP ScanJet Pro 3600 f1. And it’s a little better than with the Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner, which tested successfully down to 6 points with Arial and 8 points with Times New Roman. Keep in mind that you’re unlikely to encounter type in sizes smaller than 10 points with real-world business documents.