KeyScan KS810-Plus Imaging Keyboard

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When it comes to scanners, at least the flatbed variety, there is one thing the all have in common; they take up a ton of desktop real estate. Couple the scanner with a printer and you might as well buy yourself another desk to go along with them. On the bright side, you do have the option of getting one of the many all-in-one devices that combine the functionality of a printer, scanner, copier, and fax into one unit. Convenience? Yes. Small? Not a chance. So what if you are just an occasional scanner with a small office who doesn’t really need a full-sized scanner? That’s where the KS810-Plus Imaging Keyboard from KeyScan comes in.

The picture really says it all. The KeyScan KS810-Plus is basically a standard keyboard with a built-in sheet-fed scanner. I have to admit, I haven’t seen one of these before, and it’s no wonder. It would appear that KeyScan is the first to combine the two. There are plenty of portable scanners out there, but they are basically lo-res, mini devices meant to scan receipts or business cards. You wouldn’t exactly use one to archive important documents or images now, would you?

The KS810-Plus has just about all that you’d expect from a typical scanner. According to the folks at KeyScan, the KS810-Plus will deliver a full A4 size grayscale page scan in 5 seconds with color documents and photos coming in at a respectable 15 seconds. It’s capable of scanning documents ranging in size from 2×3-in to 8.5×30-in including plastic cards and drivers licenses up to 1-mm thick.

The unit makes use of KeyScan’s proprietary NoTouch-AutoScan software that starts the scanning process automatically when you place a document into the document slot. It sports a 600-dpi high optical resolution along with a 50-dpi to 4800-dpi output resolution and features support for output to several common formats including PDF, MS-Word, HTML, JPG, TIFF, and BMP. As with most scanners, you can scan directly into an email program and use the device for both a copier and fax.

The new KeyScan KS810-Plus Imaging Keyboard has an integrated dual-port USB 2.0 hub and connects to a Windows-based PC (sorry Mac) via a single USB cable. The KeyScan KS810-Plus Imaging Keyboard retails for $139.99 and can be found at most major office supply stores and at www.keyscan.com.