Bowe Bell & Howell introduces Copiscan 8000 Spectrum Series

International Journal of Micrographics & Optical Technology, 2003

What are described as "the imaging industry's most cost-effective production scanners for colour, bitonal and grayscale scanning" .were introduced recently by Bowe Bell & Howell Scanners.

The new scanners, called the Copiscan 8000 Spectrum Series, are also the first production scanners to include Kofax's VirtualReScan (VRS) 3.0 image enhancement technology as a standard feature. The scanners are available in six basic models and are well-suited for common imaging applications including insurance, financial services, service bureaus, government and health care.

Available now from Bowe Bell & Howell imaging resellers, the Spectrum scanners are among the fastest on the market, capturing up to 125 pages per minute (ppm) in colour, bitonal and grayscale modes.

Colour models also scan in bitonal/grayscale, and all bitonal/grayscale models can be upgraded to colour versions at any time.

"Until now, colour scanning has not justifled a return on investment for many organizations because the scanners lacked quality or cost too much," said Russell Hunt, general manager of Bowe Bell & Howell Scanners. "With this new series, we've developed a robust scanner line that delivers effective colour scanning at a reasonable price.

"And with our bitonal/grayscale versions of Spectrum, users have the opportunity to upgrade to a colour solution when their application demands one."

Focus on Productivity

The new line shares many of the same advantages as the popular Copiscan 8000 Plus Series platform, with a number of enhancements:

Total cost of ownership. Spectrum scanners offer buyers the best total cost of ownership value when factoring in additional costs beyond the list price, such as connectivity, image enhancement, consumables, warranty coverage and imprinting. In the first year alone, users can save on average 20 percent over competitive models.

* Performance. Colour, grayscale and bitonal throughput is faster than competing models within the same price range. Grayscale throughput on Spectrum scanners is more than three times as fast as the Copiscan 8000 Plus Series.

* Image quality. State-of-the-art camera technology delivers unmatched image quality. VRS 3.0 reduces operating costs due to increased automated optical and intelligent character recognition accuracy, fewer rescans and reduced labour time.

* Reliability. Spectrum scanners feature the same rugged design of the Copiscan 8000 Plus Series, with a daily duty cycle of 60,000 pages per day. Each is backed by a one-year, onsite warranty with a 72-hour response time in the United States.

Bundled hardware and software. Resellers and integrators will appreciate that Spectrum scanners include most of the items needed for colour scanning, including the Kofax Adrenaline 650i PC interface board, cable, drivers and demo software. The scanner supports any application using ImageControls, ISIS or TWAIN drivers. The 650i includes sophisticated recognition and colour image processing software.

Paper handling. A reliable paper transport system lets users scan almost any kind of document -- from thin NCR paper to card stock. Like the Copiscan 8000 Plus, all Spectrum scanners include ultrasonic multifeed detection to ensure that each document in a batch is captured. A new enhancement allows users to program the scanner to ignore taped photographs, labels, sticky notes and other items that could be misinterpreted as double-feeds.

* Ease of use. Like the Copiscan 8000 Plus, Spectrum scanners are easy to use, and operators can clear jams quickly.

Bottom-line Results for Vertical Applications

ColoUr scanning is said to offer "compelling benefits for any user", according to Bowe Bell & Howell Product Manager Sean Parnell.

"With colour scanning, you capture everything on the document, so images aren't missing potentially critical business information like highlighting, different coloured inks used for annotation and to designate different department use, stampings and watermarks," Parnell said. "Also, colour scanning is the only way to capture photographs, and it can improve recognition rates."

Bowe Bell & Howell's new Copiscan 8000 Spectrum Series scanners can deliver cost savings and customer service improvements for common scanning applications, particularly for insurance companies and financial services organizations that require colour imaging to capture photos with documents such as insurance policies or loans. Other applications include scanning by governmental and intelligence agencies, the military, service bureaus and hospitals when capturing all the information on personal identification records, satellite images, maps, court documents, lab results and patient records.

The new Copiscan 8000 Spectrum Series ranges in price from $18,995 to $44,995. Duplex scanning is available on all models and simplex scanning is available on 8080 models. Front-page, pre-scan imprinting; back-page, post- scan imprinting; continuous feeder trays; extended exit trays; and dust covers are available as options.

Contact Bowe Bell & Howell