Canon imageFORMULA DR-C125 Office Document Scanner

This little gem has archived hundreds of documents and allowed me to shred or blue-bin thousands of sheets of paper. Don’t know if they’re still making them but it’s earned its purchase price several times over.

I have been using this scanner for the better part of a day now and I already love the item. It is allowing me to scan in tons of paperwork - effortlessly thus clear away clutter. I have filled up two large garbage bags of paper work which will be disposed. Already my office is looking roomier and less cluttered. Best of all, the various documents are easy to find on my hard disk versus wondering about in what box or file they have been stored into when I need something. It is fast - efficient and makes converting paper copies into electronic files a snap. The scanner is fast and easy to use. Set up was a bit of a problem but not an insurmountable one. The scanner does not ship with drivers for Win 7 - 64 bit. This issue means you have to go out to the Cannon site, find them and then install them onto your machine after you have installed the software which comes on the DVD disk supplied with the machine. The 64 bit file takes quite a while to download but once it is in place on your hard disk, it does install without much further ado. The interface for the scanner is fairly easy to use. You might have to play around with it a bit to locate all of the features as the printed manual which comes with the devise does not instruct you as to how to use it. There is a manual on the DVD provided and I am assuming that it instructs one as to how to operate the scanner. I did not read it because my husband helped me with the installation and the operation thereafter was apparently intuitive enough to him that he figured it out immediately.. He then explained to me how to operate the devise. Absent that help, I probably would have had to read the manual. It was not that intuitive to me although once shown how to operate the scanner, it is very simple to do so.This scanner functions in either simplex (single side) mode or duplex (double side) mode - it is easy to go back and forth between the two. It can also scan in black and white, shades of grey or color - per your preference. For most of what I am scanning in, the black and white is fine. The paper feed hold about 25 sheets but no problem if you have documents which have more pages to scan in. After you scan in the first batch of papers, it simply waits for you thus you can scan any number of pages until you are ready to save the file. You need not save the file after the first batch of sheets goes through - rather you can scan in subsequent batches until all of any particular document is scanned in and thus ready to be saved. If you have a 50 page document which needs to be scanned, you can do so in batches of 15-25 pages (depending on the thickness of the paper) then save the file once all of the pages have been scanned. Any paper jams are easy enough to clear. Simply open the scanner - which opens like a clam shell - and remove it. There is not any place for the paper to get stuck or trapped as is the case with so many printers, these days. It may misfeed every now and again but it does not jam up like a printer does. Misfeeds can be avoided by taking care to line up the paper properly before pressing the scan button.The unit has a very small footprint - great for crowded desks - owing to the fact that it has a unique U-feed mechanism. The papers make a U-turn at the bottom of the scanner and come up the front where they collect in a dedicated slot-like structure until you are ready to remove them. Very ingenious for whoever thought of this idea. The whole process is very fast and the papers fly through the machine completing large scans in less than one minute. It is really fast. If you want to scan something - like a credit card or business card - which is too thick to make a U-turn, there is an option for a bottom feed which shoots the document out of the bottom of the machine without having it make a u-turn. You could use this option for something which is too thick to make a u-turn. There is a setting which toggles between the two collecting mechanisms for the scanned papers thus it is simple to go from one to the other depending on your needs. I am advised - via the manual - that this devise can scan larger documents e.g. legal contracts- but I have not yet experimented with that feature. Supposedly it can also handle folded paper and then piece the image together as one document such as for a map. I have not tried that feature either.Overall, I love this scanner and wish I had purchased it much sooner. Could have shed a whole lot more paperwork from my office and file cabinets much sooner. Soon to be gone are various file boxes of paperwork. Here-to-fore I have been using a small single sheet feed scanner put out by Brother for all of my scanning work . Scanning in stuff was quite a labor-intensive task and documents accumulated faster than I had the time to scan them in. This devise is light years ahead of that scanner.All in all, I can sum up my feelings for this scanner - even on my first day of using it - by saying it is my next favorite thing after indoor plumbing. I HIHGLY recommend it to anyone interested to eliminating clutter while still preserving important documents for future use. One additional recommendation I would make is that one should be sure to have a good backup system in place before discarding the original documents. Hard drives are prone to crash. I have backup drive attached to my computer and I back up frequently. I also purchase online back up via Crash Plan which backs up on the fly. Crashplan is inexpensive and well worth the investment.

compact, fast, easy to use, quick shipping, if you have a LOT of invoices to scan then this is the geek toy for you!!

I bought this scanner "used' through Warehouse Deals. It arrived without the AC adapter and usb cord. However, Amazon.com handled the situation very quickly and to my satisfaction (I got a partial refund and kept the product and got an AC adapter on my own).After getting the scanner working about a week later than planned, I found the set up and software installation to be of moderate difficulty. I consider myself technically savvy and I had to go to pick up the manual on a few occsasions to get the one touch button to work. Although, it wasn't difficult it may take a novice bit to get it going.The scanning performance is good. I like the u-turn paper output. It saves space. (I currently have the scanner attached to my laptop next to my chair so I can mass scan files while I watch tv). I was unalbe to scan long thin receipts. I had to go to my MFP to scan it on a flatbed. Overall I'm very happy with the hardware.The Paperport software performance was awful when I had my files on a network attached drive. It would take 30-60 seconds to move a file from one folder to another. After moving my files to a USB attached drive, the performance is at least tolerable (5-8 seconds for a move). The PDF reader is tolerable, but not good as it takes a few seconds to load everytime you open a PDF file. The PDF manipulation is ok, but I find myself waiting when I think I shouldn't. The software performance issues may be related to my old laptop.I'm also not a fan of the Paperport program. I had downloaded several DMS programs including Paperport 14 prior to receiving the scanner. I liked the Filecenter the best. But I deleted all of them since Paperport 11 is bundled with the scanner. I'm working with the Paperport 11, but may end up buying the Filecenter software.Overall I'm happy with the scanner, but may end up buying additional document management software.

Let me start with what I consider the most important point: I HAVE YET TO EXPERIENCE ONE JAM OR MULTIPLE FEED. For years I've been putting off scanning the contents of binders I have collected. They are old. The stacks of binders are 5 feet tall, I'd guess several thousand pages. And the paper was not in good shape. I received the Canon DR-C125 yesterday afternoon and began scanning. It scanned this giant pile of paper with no jams or misfeeds! That, to me, is astonishing. It is also the most important attribute of a scanner from my perspective.I replaced a Fujitsu S-510 with the Canon. Admittedly the Fujitsu is a generation older than the current model, but I could never get it to run 25 pages without a multiple page feed, even when it was brand new. I had to hand feed the paper into the Fujitsu document feed, which is faster than the scanner on my multi-function printer, but it was unbelievably frustrating. I felt like I was babysitting my scanner. The Canon was an amazing improvement because I could put the doc in, press the button, and get on with other work while it was scanning. Maybe the new Fujitsu is just as good, but I don't know how you get better than perfect. Canon has been perfect so far.That's important based on my use of a scanner. Let me explain my use so you can judge the relevance of my comments for your decision. I am a former CEO of a document management software company so I'm a bit more picky than most. Although I'm not a techie, I am comfortable with the technology and could maybe play the part of a techie on TV. I only use my scanner to archive (i.e., go paperless) and email hard copies of docs. Sometimes I scan a page or two, but sometimes I'll scan 100 pages. (My pile of documents I cited earlier is highly unusual.) All of my docs go to PDF format. I rarely scan photos. (Commercial photo scanning services are inexpensive and the images are better than the original photos, no kidding. I like scanmyphotos.com.)Because of my application, I place little value on the software that comes with the Fujitsu or Cannon. I think other reviewers who suggest not installing the optional software are correct: That is not because the software sucks but because it adds little value. Take my use for example. All I'm doing is scanning, naming the doc, and putting the PDF into folders I organize for such purposes. So I don't need the filing and indexing of a document management solution (PaperPort). I also have Adobe Acrobat Pro and use it to compress files and occasionally OCR them (translate from pixels to characters so I can search within them or edit them in Word). Thus, I have not tried the eCopy PDF Pro Office and doubt I will. Also, OmniPage's workflow is something I never expect to use. My workflow is way too simple to be automated. I just scan, name, and file. I have not tried BizCard, so I reserve judgment on that. I expect most if virtually not all buyers, small business or homes, will place minimal value on the software as I do. But you could be an exception.I place value on Canon's having a TWAIN driver, but maybe not as much as some other people. There seems to be some confusion on drivers based on other reviews, so allow me to explain. Drivers handle the interface between your computer hardware, computer software, and the scanner hardware. Through the driver you set the parameters for your scans (e.g., paper size, duplex or simplex scan, resolution, color, scan blank pages). All scanners must have some kind of driver. TWAIN and ISIS are the two industry standards and have been for more than 20 years. Canon has a TWAIN driver, which is the most popular by far. On the other hand, Fujitsu drivers are proprietary to them, or closed. I'm sure Fujitsu has its reasons for a proprietary driver, but I simply cannot imagine any legitimate reason for having a proprietary driver in this day and age.So, why does it matter that Fujitsu is closed and Canon has TWAIN? With Canon's TWAIN I can drive the scanner from inside other software. For example, from Word I can scan and import a picture or diagram and insert it into a Word document without ever leaving Word. I can scan from within Adobe Acrobat to create a PDF. This integration is automatic with essentially any software (e.g., document management, workflow, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office, etc.). On the other hand, with Fujitsu's closed system you have to go solely with the software they provide. Fujitsu's decision for closed drivers is nonsense to me, but it is an annoyance and not a deal killer. My scanning is infrequent, so it is not a major issue to create PDFs in separate steps.I hope I didn't tell you more than you're interested in about drivers, but the value of TWAIN is not obvious to many people. TWAIN is nice and a preferred solution, but I think it is not a deciding feature for any but the most sophisticated users. If you like the user interface of Fujitsu's driver, you'll be fine with it. If not, you should return the scanner right away because you'll be locked in.To sum it up, I think of scanners as being in three classes for the home or small office. There is the $200 range, the $500 range, and the $1,000 range. The $500 range is the place to be for my use, archiving a reasonable amount of paper files to get to and remain paperless. I place the highest value on the document feed mechanism, meaning a device that avoids jams and multi-page feeds. Software and drivers are of secondary importance. For my use, the Canon is an unbelievable product and a great value. I highly recommend it based on my initial experience and I'll update you if it disappoints in the future.8/9/14 Update, one year later. I just received a 100-page insurance policy in the mail. The staples were only slightly smaller than horse shoes. (Staples damage paper and are a big cause of jams.) The post office apparently ran over the envelope with WW II surplus tanks. I pulled the horse shoes out, put the 100 pager in the Canon, started it, and did not have a single jam. As a matter of fact, I do not recall a single jam in the year I've had this scanner. Wow. For me, putting a big document in a scanner and turning to other work without having to watch for jams is terrific.Several of you have thanked me for the TWAIN explanation. My pleasure and it makes me feel good that it helped you.8/3/17 Update. Here it is more than four years later and this baby works as well as the day I bought it. Yea Cannon.5/23/21 Update: This scanner is still working GREAT.