Design: So Many Documents to Scan, So Little Space
The Epson ES-C320W is almost identical in size and shape to the Epson DS-C480W. They share the same compact design that reduces the required desk space by about 60% compared with Epson’s previous models. In its closed position, the ES-C320W is a very petite 4.9 by 11.7 by 4.1 inches (HWD). And when you scan standard-size papers or receipts with the ES-C320W, the scanner is able to keep those same dimensions. After being scanned, the documents are routed back to the top of the unit, in parallel with the input tray, thus eliminating the need for an output tray.
Epson calls this the vertical scanning position, where no physical adjustment is required. When you scan longer or thicker documents, including passports and plastic cards, you’ll need to slide a release lever on the back of the unit. This will recline the scanner slightly to better accommodate these less-typical types of documents. Epson calls this the straight scanning position, where the unit’s dimensions shift marginally to 4.7 by 11.7 by 5.0 inches (HWD).
That may not sound impressive, until you consider that most document scanners have to increase their desk footprint by as much as two or three times in order to handle the documents entering and exiting the unit. When the available space on your desk is especially tight, you don’t have a lot of options.
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At 3.3 by 11.7 by 4.1 inches (HWD), the fi-800R is even smaller and uses a similar U-turn mechanism to eliminate the need for an output tray. It’s also considerably more expensive and doesn’t have wireless connectivity. For comparison, the Epson DS-C480W does have wireless capabilities and has essentially the same dimensions as the ES-C320W. It’s less expensive than the fi-800R, but more expensive than the ES-C320W. All three are worth considering for situations where space is at a premium, and their weights are similar, too. The ES-C320W comes in at 3.85 pounds, versus 4.2 pounds for the DS-C480W and 4.4 pounds for the fi-800R. All three also have a 20-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF), whose capacity is limited by the U-turn paper routing that stacks outgoing documents on top of the input tray, which makes it difficult to enlarge the ADF beyond 20 sheets.
The rated scan speeds for these compact scanners are similarly restrained. Both the ES-C320W and DS-C480W have speed ratings of 30 simplex (one-sided) pages per minute (ppm) and 60 two-sided (duplex) images per minute (ipm, where each page side is counted as an image). The fi-800R is noticeably faster, with its speed rating of 40ppm/80ipm (duplex). And while both Epson models have a peak daily duty cycle of 3,500 sheets, the Ricoh ups the ante with its peak daily duty cycle of 4,500 sheets.
Another difference among these three compact scanners is their control panels. The ES-C320W and fi-800R use buttons only for their onboard controls and functions, while the DS-C480W has a 2.4-inch color touch screen. Both Epson models have Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as USB ports. And both Epson models are compatible with the Epson Smart Panel mobile app. The fi-800R has only USB connectivity, so it will need to have a computer nearby. None of the three has an Ethernet port.
Using the WorkForce ES-C320W: What's Your Angle?
As with the DS-C480W, you physically tilt the ES-C320W to switch it between two document scan modes. If you scan only standard-thickness papers up to letter or A4 size, regular business cards, or receipts less than 15.5 inches, you can just leave the scanner in its default vertical position. For longer paper documents (up to 120 inches in length), receipts longer than 15.5 inches, plastic or laminated cards, envelopes, passports, or picture postcards, you’ll need to tilt the unit to its straight path position. When placed in its straight path position, any scanned documents will spill out onto your desk; no output tray captures those documents after they pass through the unit. You’ll need to allow extra desk space for that, if you do scan those types of documents.
In addition to the scanner position-release lever on the back of the unit, you’ll find a simplified control panel on the front of the unit. The control panel consists of five buttons: one button to power the unit on and off, two buttons to set up and configure the Wi-Fi connectivity, one button to start the scan process, and one button to stop the scan process.
Even though you can initiate a scan from the unit itself, the ES-C320W isn’t designed to be a standalone scanner. There’s no dedicated USB port for saving the scans locally. You can’t have it independently route the scans to a specific email address or network file folder, as you can with the Brother ADS-2700W, the Epson DS-C480W, and the Ricoh fi-8040. And you'll find no onboard support for creating configuration profiles. Those kinds of tasks can be handled using a computer running the installed software bundle or a mobile device via a Wi-Fi connection.
The installed software bundle includes the main Epson ScanSmart application, as well as the Epson Scan 2 Utility, the Epson Software Updater, the NewSoft Presto BizCard 6 application, and an Epson user’s guide. You can use the Epson SmartScan application to initiate either a double-sided or single-sided scan. You can have the completed scan sent to a printer or email attachment, or you could send it to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Evernote, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. You can have the date and time embedded into the name of the saved file, and you can adjust some of the scanner’s internal settings, including the scan resolution, type of skew correction, and power-off time. Other options include brightness and contrast control, automatic document-size detection, text enhancement, edge correction, background removal, and embedded watermarks.
A more direct way to change some of the device settings is with the Epson Scan 2 Utility. It offers some of the same options that are found in Epson ScanSmart, but it eliminates two layers of menus that you would otherwise have to pass through to get there. It’s an easier way to make those changes, though it’s not set up to initiate a scan.
Finally, Epson Software Updater lets you quickly check for and download the most recent versions of the bundled software, and NewSoft Presto BizCard 6 helps you manage the data from the business cards that you scan. You can synchronize that data with ACT, Lotus Notes, or Microsoft Outlook. You can also export it to a vCard or CSV format.
WorkForce ES-C320W Scan Speeds: A Capable Reader
As previously mentioned, Epson rates the ES-C320W’s scan speeds at 30ppm simplex and 60ipm duplex. It did about 10% better than that in our tests, in which I timed its performance using Epson ScanSmart over a USB connection to our Intel Core i5 PC testbed running Windows 10 Pro. The ES-C320W scanned our standard 20-page single-sided document at 33.5ppm and our 20-page (40-image) duplex document at 66.7ipm.
These days, most document scanners can convert printed pages to error-free, editable text down to 6 points in both our Arial (sans-serif) and Times New Roman (serif) font tests. The ES-C320W easily surpassed that when it saved its scanned text documents as searchable PDFs. It was accurate down to 4 points with the Arial font and 5 points with the Times New Roman font. That’s the same result that we saw with the Epson DS-530 II. While that's impressive, in most real-world business settings you're unlikely to encounter text smaller than 10 points.
Even though the ES-C320W offers only minimal physical support for incoming and outgoing documents, we experienced no skewed results or issues with crumpled paper as the documents moved through the scan mechanism. No pages were missed or stuck together, and all the scans were clean, with no stray dots or unexpected shadows. Scanned photos had accurate colors, with an appropriate amount of contrast and brightness.
Verdict: Compact Scanning for a Compact Price
Despite its compact size, the Epson WorkForce ES-C320W's feature set isn’t overly compromised. The modest 20-sheet ADF is almost a given for such a small scanner, so it’s hardly a deal-breaker. It’s the same situation with the scan speeds and peak daily duty cycle. The compact size almost guarantees a more muted performance, especially at this very competitive price.
While the Fujitsu/Ricoh fi-800R is faster and still the champ in terms of freeing up desk space, its much higher price and lack of wireless connectivity make it a harder sell. The ES-C320W is close behind it and a potentially better choice if your budget is limited. And if OCR accuracy is important, and your desk has a little wiggle room for the two scan modes, the ES-C320W may be the better option, period.
The Epson WorkForce ES-C320W is an entry-level sheet-fed scanner that brings the company’s new compact design to a budget-priced model. It’s a good choice for tight spaces and tight budgets.
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About David English
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