IT Pro Verdict

Kodak’s i2620 combines top scanning speeds and output quality at a competitive price. Its ease of use, good build quality, duplex support and generous software bundle make this our small-business desktop scanner of choice.

Pros

+
Excellent cloud integration; Fast scan speeds; Good output quality

Cons

-
No overt Dropbox support; Slight problems with windows 10 identification;

If you work in a small office with big scanning demands, Kodak's i2620 could be the answer. It's a compact desktop scanner witha top speed of 60ppm, full duplex capabilities and an impressive daily duty cycle of 7,000 pages. When not in use, the main body can be swivelled upright to save space.

The i2620 is very well built,and the reassuringly solid swivel mechanism protects the output tray by tucking it underneath as you bring the body upright. The input tray flips up from the front andhas a big appetite, holding up to100 sheets of 80gsm paper.

Three buttons are provided on the front two for selecting a scan profileand a third for starting scans. The LCD panel helpfully shows what the selected profile does, although the lack of backlight means it isn't as legible as it could be.

Setup wasn't completely hitch- free: when we tried connecting the scanner to a Windows 10 desktop, Kodak's bundled Smart Touch software couldn't identify it. However, it was simply a problem with old drivers, so downloading the latest software from the Kodak site quickly got us up and running.

Smart Touch neatly streamlines scanning operations: we were able to assign nine different profiles to the scanner, each offering a wide range of settings. These include simplex or duplex scans, resolution, anti-skew, hole-fill and blank page skipping. Scan destinations can be a file; searchable PDF; application; local, network or fax printer; email; or SharePoint Online.

Kodak has also improved its cloud destinations, with Google Drive support finally included. We had no problems using this: it was quick and easy to register Smart Touch with our Google account and select the cloud folder we wanted scans sent to.

Options are provided for Box and Evernote and,for the latter, we had no difficulty logging in to our account from Smart Touchand scanning documents as notes. Sadly, Dropbox isn't explicitly supported, but you can always scan directly to your local sync folder.

There's a barcode-detection mode too Smart Touch creates separate files whenever one is scanned. But, for more advanced scan automation and barcode management, you'll need to buy Kodak's Capture Pro software.

A limited version is included, which has enhanced batch-scanning functions, but only the full version can use barcodes and other marks, such as ticks, for document processing and sorting. You can't run it alongside Smart Touch either, as it commandeers the scanner with its own settings.

If your needs are more modest, the bundled Nuance PaperPort might be the right choice, providing solid document and image management, while OmniPage delivers accurate OCR. Kodak also includes WIA, TWAIN and ISIS drivers, and we found its entire software package worked fine with Windows 10.

The 60ppm top speed can be achieved in both mono or colour, but only at 200dpi. Colour scans at 300dpi dropped to 42ppm, and fell to 10ppm at 600dpi. However, scan quality is excellent, so 200dpi should be perfectly adequate for document archiving text at this resolution was very clear, and searchablePDFs were impressively accurate.

Paper handling was impeccable too, with the i2620 taking wads of statements and receipts in its stride.We also fed in multiple embossed credit and identity cards, whichthe scanner handled with aplomb, as long as they were placed correctly in the feeder. For a high-speed scanner, the i2620 is quiet, confirming its suitability for a space-limited office.

Kodak's i2620 combines top scanning speeds and output quality at a competitive price. Its ease of use, good build quality, duplex support and generous software bundle make this our small-business desktop scanner of choice.

Verdict

Desktop A4 colour scanner

600dpi optical resolution

60ppm @ 200dpimono/colour

Simplex/duplex

100-page feeder

7,000 sheets per day

USB2

External PSU

TWAIN, ISIS and WIA drivers

Nuance PaperPort 14, OmniPage 18, Kodak Smart Touch and Capture Pro LE software

5.5kg

336 x 162 x 246mm (WDH, closed)

3yr limited warranty

Dave is an IT consultant and freelance journalist specialising in hands-on reviews of computer networking products covering all market sectors from small businesses to enterprises. Founder of Binary Testing Ltd – the UK’s premier independent network testing laboratory - Dave has over 45 years of experience in the IT industry.

Dave has produced many thousands of in-depth business networking product reviews from his lab which have been reproduced globally. Writing for ITPro and its sister title, PC Pro, he covers all areas of business IT infrastructure, including servers, storage, network security, data protection, cloud, infrastructure and services.