Epson WorkForce DS-870 review: Top output quality and solid scan management apps

If your business has a need for speedy scanning, Epson's WorkForce DS-870 is a worthy contender, with this compact desktop model claiming a fast performance of 65ppm. It can do this for greyscale and color scans at 300dpi, while the 7,000-page daily duty cycle and 100-page ADF are geared up for high-volume scanning. 

It only has a USB 3 connection so you'll need a Windows PC to host it. Networking isn't entirely off the agenda, though: you can connect Epson's optional network interface unit to the USB port, although this will set you back over £200.

The scanner can handle paper weights from 27gsm to 413gsm so embossed cards won't be a problem, and its long paper mode can scan documents over six meters in length in a single pass. If you forgo the network unit, you can extend its capabilities further with Epson's flatbed scanner conversion kit, which enables it to handle documents that can't be put through the ADF.

Epson WorkForce DS-870 reviews: Setup

Installation on a modestly specified Windows 11 desktop took 15 minutes, with a single utility handling the entire process. This included device discovery, driver downloads, installation of Epson's Scan 2 plus Document Capture Pro utilities, and checking for firmware updates.

Epson's Scan 2 utility can be used for quick scans to local or network folder destinations and swings into action whenever you acquire scans from other apps using the TWAIN driver. It provides plenty of scan controls, allowing you to select a resolution, color, greyscale or mono scans, document and contents skew correction, simplex or duplex operations, and blank page skipping.

From its advanced settings tab, you apply text enhancements, brightness and contrast controls, punch-hole removal, and watermark addition, and can send the scan to two destinations simultaneously. You can pick from BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PDF, and searchable PDF (sPDF) output formats and, when you've finalized your choices, save them as quick-access profiles.

Document Capture Pro provides more sophisticated scan automation services, such as creating multiple jobs for different types of scans and saving them for one-click access from its main interface. Along with defining the scan settings, resolution, output format, and destination, you can apply job separation indexes using features such as custom barcode and OCR detection areas. 

It offers far more destinations than the Scan 2 tool, with support for email to an SMTP server, direct printing, FTP servers, SharePoint Online, and web servers over WebDAV, and it provides cloud connectors for Dropbox, Evernote, OneNote, Google Drive, OneDrive and SugarSync. When saving your jobs, you can also make them available for direct access in the scanner's control panel.

Epson WorkForce DS-870 reviews: Performance

Performance is impressive, with our test sheaf of 50 bank statements scanned at 68ppm at both 200dpi and 300dpi resolutions in greyscale and color. Upping the resolution to 600dpi saw speeds fall to 17ppm, and we noted the subsequent conversion phase for color scans increased from 101 seconds at 300dpi to a lengthy 277 seconds.

That shouldn't be an issue, though, as quality at 200dpi will keep your inner archivist happy while the OCR service correctly converted every word on our statements down to 6pt fonts. Paper handling is another winner, with the DS-870 deftly handling our test mix of statements, still receipts, and waybills without a single jam occurring. 

For a 65ppm desktop scanner, the WorkForce DS-870 is good value and offers top output quality and solid scan management apps. SMBs requiring network support may need to look elsewhere as Epson's add-on unit is expensive, but for those that don't, this scanner has what it takes to handle heavy archival workloads.

Epson WorkForce DS-870 specifications