Panasonic KV-S1026C

The Panasonic KV-S1026C, a color duplexing document scanner, is similar to the Panasonic KV-S1015C, with two main differences: a higher rated speed, and the lack of a full bundled software suite. Both of these things peg it as a scanner that already has document management software (and presumably other scanners) and is looking for a faster model.

The KV-S1026C, a color duplexing scanner, is a fairly typical desktop document scanner in features and appearance. It measures 5.4 by 11.9 by 7 inches (HWD), so it's easy to share a desk with, and weighs 5.9 pounds. It looks identical to the KV-S1015C, though it adds a skip button, which lets you ignore a double-feed error and keep scanning, and is has a gray top rather than the latter's black. Paper is loaded through a 50-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF), and the paper path is straight-through. Down the righthand edge are six buttons: Power; Skip; three customizable scan profile buttons; and Start/Stop.

Scanning Speed
I did all testing of the KV-S1026C, which is rated at 30 pages per minute (ppm) for simplex scanning and 60 ppm for duplex, with Panasonic's Image Capture Plus utility. I scanned to image PDF using the program's 300 ppi black-and-white default setting, where it turned in average speeds of 20.8 ppm for simplex and 28.2 ipm in duplex. However, when scanning to image PDF at 200 ppi, the KV-S1026C slightly exceeded its rated speed in simplex, turning in a speed of 31 ppm. With duplex, it was a more sedate 41.6 ppm, essentially tied with the Panasonic KV-S1015C (41.4 ppm) at that resolution, despite the latter's lower rated speed.

Scanning with Image Capture Plus is a two-step process; when the scan is complete, you initiate the output, in which it converts the scan into the desired format. It output 200-ppi searchable PDFs in an average time of 2 minutes 44 seconds. It would not consistently scan to searchable PDF in duplex, and not at all at 300 ppi simplex, requiring that I output in image PDF instead.

The Kodak i2400 has the same 30 ppm/ 60 ipm speed ratings as the KV-S1026C, which it fell just short of, testing at 28.6 ppm and 56.3 ipm for 200 ppi image PDFs. However, it zipped through a 200-ppi searchable PDF in just 1:34, while the Editors' Choice Canon imageFormula DR-C125, rated at a slightly lower 25 ppm simplex/50 ipm duplex, took only a minute to scan to searchable PDF.

You Supply the Software
The absence of any software other than Image Capture Plus and the drivers pegs the KV-S1026C as a scanner for businesses that already have a document management suite and want to add a fast but reasonably priced document scanner to their repertoire. It's fast in simplex mode in scanning to image PDF, but was slower in duplex scanning as well as scanning to searchable PDFs.

Companies buying the Panasonic KV-S1026C will get a fast scanner, but it's definitely for people who already have document management software. Although you can scan with the included Image Capture Plus, I can't recommend it; for one thing, it was inconsistent in outputting to searchable PDFs. The Canon DR-C125 gives you a better?if somewhat basic?software selection, and provides good speed for both image and searchable PDF. The Kodak i2400 has a good software suite, and good speed as well.

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