BIOS: Technology Means Business

Eastman Kodak Company has announced a feeder attachment for its i40 Scanner that is designed to scan and capture information on documents, thick cards, identification cards, insurance cards, credit cards, driver's licenses and other documents of this type.

According to the company, the special document feeder increases the number of ways that companies can image-enable their business processes. For instance, a car dealer might scan driver's licenses and ID cards for a test drive or sales documentation. A receptionist in a doctor's office could capture an image of a health insurance plan card. A government agency or bank might use it to document a client's utility bills. The i40 Scanner delivers images in bitonal, greyscale and colour.

'The straight paper path and the new special document feeder on the i40 Scanner allows the operator to hand feed documents and cards by accepting and returning them at the front of the scanner providing greater ease of use, productivity and space savings', said Hauke Fast, product manager. 'It's a method of scanning special documents that is unique at the desktop level.'

Kodak's PerfectPage and iThresholding technology automatically enhances the contrast and readability of documents, and de-skews and auto-crops images. According to the company, PerfectPage and iThresholding also virtually eliminate the need to change settings or rescan documents. The i40 Scanner supports simplex and duplex scanning with an optical resolution of 600dpi, and features a plug and play USB 2.0 interface.

Additionally, Kodak has announced firmware upgrades for the i30 and i40 desktop scanners the company launched a year ago to help small and medium businesses and government offices better capture, manage, archive, and deliver business information. These scanners have three additional firmware and driver features, which are available via download to current owners and will be included in all newly shipped scanners.

The new features include a Button Manager that allows the configuration of up to nine different applications, any of which can be launched using the scanner's "Start" button, increased document length up to 863mm, and image edge fill which reduces jagged edges for a crisper image edge.

The firmware upgrades are available immediately on the i30 and i40 Scanners and the special document feeder is available only on newly shipped i40 Scanners. Current scanner owners may download the firmware for free by clicking on 'Drivers' at www.kodak.com/go/disupport.