Does anyone use ScanSnap Home software?

This new software is awful, I changed Macs and downloaded it. Not at all intuitive. Does anyone know of an alternative ? I am also having trouble locating and installing the original Scanmanager.

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Here is a link to the “old” ScanSnap Manager:
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/products/computing/peripheral/scanners/scansnap/faq/hsierra004.html
There is no telling how long this will be available. It would be wise to download the appropriate files right away, then keep backups.
Follow the instructions in the “Workaround” section. Short version: download and install the .dmg file for V6.3L50. Then same for the update V6.3L61, then update for V6.3L70. You can ignore the language files if you don’t need them.
You did not specify which version of ScanSnap you have. It is my understanding that this version will work for several models, including the “obsolete” S1500M and other non-obsolete and obsolete models.
If you are using macOS Mojave, you might see a warning about incompatible software since the software is 32-bit. Ignore the warning, just plow on through. Apple has declared that future versions of macOS will not support 32-bit software.

Re: alternative software, VueScan and Exact Scan have been mentioned in this forum. There have been so many Fujitsu-related threads that I can’t remember where these were mentioned - just do a search. Both appear to be quality software.

Hope this helps. We Fujitsu orphans - oops, owners need a support group.


Edited: Just found the link to Vue Scan: https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/fujitsu.html
And Exact Scan: http://exactscan.com

I have now updated to ScanSnap Home and have to say that all seems OK. There are a couple of niggles:

  1. the function to scan directly to Evernote is gone - this is a pain for me as I am a heavy user of Evernote
  2. the profiles do not migrate over, they have to be set up again from scratch

Apart from the above point, all seems OK at the moment.

Greetings. Came across this thread as I was researching the warnings popped up on Mojave by SS Manager.

Just archived all the latest installers/updates just in case. Human nature hates change even if it is potentially good change. That said, it does often feel like software/product teams really do a terrible job of major forced upgrades…so I am wary to try the new software until I am forced to. At some point I will test this for myself…but questions for those of you who have gone through the process…

  • If you use the offline installer for Fujitsu home…does it force you to sign-in or create any type of account?
  • If you don’t have to create and account or sign-in…do you still have any issue using the scanner with multiple computers? ie…is scansnap sending your scanner serial number to their servers in the background in order to validate/“license” your install of ScanSnap Home?

I am hoping that they don’t require an account or sign-in. I hate how every company wants to have a cloud service even when it isn’t necessary, helpful or appropriate for their product. My personal data is abused enough as is.

So hoping the account/sign-in is optional and not messing with it avoids having any of these problems with the new software.

If they are doing something more nefarious (like using your serial number in the background)…then I imagine they will run into issues pretty quickly due to the recent EU privacy legislation. Changing the terms of use of the product…ie you must send personally identifiable data like a serial number to their servers in order to continue to use the product seems like a pretty big deal.

Hoping that it really just comes down to stupid user experience with their new software…avoid creating and account or signing in. Then we just have to deal with whether the same feature set is available and whether the user experience for our personal workflows is different or more painful. Hopefully not.

I’ll post a review of my new Brother scanner, bought to replace my aging S510M, as soon as it arrives on Tuesday and I get it installed and tested.

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The license can be activated without setting up an account (or sign in) but you provide the serial number for the printer – the software verifies the printer matches the serial number and it “phones home” to make sure the serial number is not already in use.

There is a revised (12/2018) EULA that attempts to clarify the license issue. I quote:

  1. Until You register a Scan Snap account, You may install and use the Software on any one (1) computer, tablet or other mobile device at a time. Installing, copying or sharing (or permitting the installation, copying or sharing) of the Software on more than one computer or other device is strictly prohibited and a material breach of this EULA. Once You register a Scan Snap account, You may install and use the Software on up to five (5) computers or devices in total. Details for Scan Snap account registration will be shown after You installed the Software.
  2. If the Product which You purchased is “ScanSnap iX1500” model, You may share and use the Product with up to four (4) users including You. If the Product which You purchased is any model other than “ScanSnap iX1500”, You may use the Product by yourself only, and shall not share the Product with any other person.

However the mention of 5 computers seems to be in error, I think that only applies to the iX1500. The documentation has plenty of confusing statements about the license, mostly a matter of being in fractured English.

Here’s the Account page in ScanSnap Home Preferences:


It shows that I’m licensed without an account. But the note at the bottom says that if I log in I can use it on multiple computers, which I’ve found (and a call to Fujitsu confirmed) is not the case.

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@tomalmy - Thank you for your post; it adds useful information to the Fujitsu licensing issue.

There is simply no good reason to require internet access to “phone home” to Fujitsu’s website or to limit the number of computers allowed to use a high-cost scanner.

Over the past 6 years my ScanSnap S1500M has been used on at least 6 iMac and MacBook computers. Even this simple non-business use exceeded the meager allowance in the new Fujitsu license.

One of my use cases involved taking the scanner and a MacBook computer on frequent 10-hour car trips when visiting my elderly mother. I scanned her pertinent documents (bills, bank/credit card statements, trust documents, tax documents, contacts info, etc.) to PDF files stored in Dropbox. This enabled me to completely handle her financial and legal affairs during her lifetime and after her death in late 2017.

It would have been difficult or impossible to do this if Fujitsu’s restrictive policy had been in place. There was no internet access in my mother’s home to access Fujitsu’s website to “activate” or “transfer” a license. In the last 2 or 3 years my iPhone could be used as a hotspot for the MacBook, but that would have been an unnecessary hassle. For the first few years that I owned the ScanSnap I used an Android phone. At that time Verizon would not allow use of the phone as a wifi hotspot without an additional charge or a higher-cost cellular plan.

If Fujitsu continues use of its current software license policy, my days using ScanSnap scanners are over. Prospective ScanSnap purchasers should be warned of the use limitations imposed by Fujitsu and of the ambiguities kindly pointed out by @tomalmy.

Are they trying to create a world where you don’t even own your own hardware, just license it? Dick move if you ask me.

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Want to report my recent experience with Fujitsu and my Scansnap Scanner.

I installed Mojave and using the ScanSnap Receipt Software my S1100i stopped exporting receipts, doing backups and the “edit” button stopped working (but the edit tab at the top still worked)

Export and backup are critical because last year I accidentally deleted a whole year of receipts and discovered that the Scansnap Receipt Software does not back-up the data automatically, there is no “undelete” for a folder, and TimeMachine doesn’t back it up either - so my workflow involves manually exporting and backing up.

I spent hours with tech support - elevated three levels.

I did not want to go to the new “home” software because, among other things, it no longer allows receipts to be combined.

I uninstalled the existing software and reinstalled it (the tech made sure I had access to the older version). This did not solve the problem. The tech ran me through other checks, but at the end announced that there was no way to fix the problem and that in any event within 1 year (or sooner depending on the next Apple Mojave update) it would stop working period, the end.

The tech confirmed the limitations in the new software.

So I have a useless Fujitsu scanner which is both a cost, and a bummer because the ScanSnap receipt software suited my needs.

As others have posted, I won’t ever buy another Fujitsu scanner.

Now I have to find another scanner and replacement receipt management software.

One other thing you folks need to know…

Aside from the fact that the ScanSnap Home software is puerile garbage, quite a few people have been having issues getting the ScanSnap to work wirelessly once they bite the bullet and upgrade.

I had this issue. Went round and round with very helpful but not well-informed tech support folks. Ultimately, we figured out that I had an old version of the firmware. The garbage Mac app doesn’t give us the option to upgrade or check for upgrades. They sent me a link to the most recent version (0T00).

After updating the firmware, I went through the Wireless setup wizard and Wi-Fi is now working.

dk

SO, how do we get firmware updates?

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Hi Lars,

Here is the link:
http://origin.pfultd.com/downloads/ss/sshinst/m-tool/PfuSsFirmwareUpdate.zip

dk

Great help, thank you! Whenever I try to share the scanned documents to Dropbox, I get a message saying the file can’t be opened. I can open it with preview and save but that is an annoying extra step. Now I just changed the Autoscan setting to Verify and Save.

This Scansnap home software is truly appalling. Can anyone tell me where to find the option to set a profile to either scan all pages to one file or each page to a separate file?

Edit: found it --> Scan button - select profile - edit profile - documents(detailed settings) - file format - select PDF - options

thanks

@Swordfish805 You can set up additional Profiles as required. I have found that the standard ones are not doing what I want so have had created various ones of my own. Best to delete the default ones or they take up space at the beginning of the bar.

Yes - I’ve just deleted or renamed/edited them.

Have to drive past Fujitsu to get to work this morning - very tempted to take a brick along and throw it through their office window!

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I have yet to actually try the Home software version. From the videos I have watched, it looks okay, although I am not a fan of being forced to use ScanSnap Cloud if I want to scan to any of my cloud accounts.

I have read many posts discussing the limitation in licensing the new version if upgrading from ScanSnap Manager/Organizer. One post seemed to say there is only a single license for upgrades vs five licenses for those who acquire the software with a new iX1500.

Has anyone tried to contact ScanSnap tech or customer support to see if they have accommodations for upgrades? I just upgraded my still working S1500 to an iX500 less than six months ago. Now, I am getting the feeling Samsung is going to retire the iX500 in favor of the new iX1500 in the product lineup.

If you try shopping for an iX500 at any online retailer, my experience was the scanner was either more expensive than the iX1500 or was simply out-of-stock.

On the (somewhat) good new side, for anyone who might want to upgrade to an iX1500, B&H Photo is currently selling it for $419 with no sales tax outside of NY/NJ. (Check state use tax laws for your state.)

Additionally, right now Fujitsu is offering a $50 rebate on new iX1500 purchases. This could make your cost as low as $369.

I still haven’t decided what I am doing yet. I really love ScanSnap, but this pattern of upgrades leaving existing customers out in the cold has got to stop.

There is no reason at all why the Home software should not support the S1500/S1500M. I actually liked the wireless upgrade of the iX500 for my iPad and iPhone, so that was a voluntary purchase on my part…but these purchases should NOT be forced on those who do not wish to purchase a new scanner.

I also would have like to sell my S1500, but this policy has seriously deflated the value of that device on the secondary market.

Below is a link to the rebate form for anyone who may be considering a new iX1500.

https://www.scansnaprebates.com

I’m using ScanSnap Home with an iX1500, which replaced my trusted S1500. Home is mostly OK and sends to Evernote as I need it to, however, I cannot get Home to merge multiple pages of a scan. I have tried switching the preset options between Continuous and Normal and the result is the same: separate PDFs sent to Evernote (in reverse order). Anyone encountered this, or have I overlooked an obvious-to-everyone-else setting? Thanks!

You might need this setting or it sounds like the alternate setting:

If they think that’s what they’re doing, they should take a cue from Lexmark’s spectacular failure a couple years ago. Angry that a small-time business offered to refill empty Lexmark ink cartridges (rather than sell brand-new Lexmark ink cartridges in line with the racket that is ink-cartridge sales), Lexmark sued the competitor claiming that the product — the physical ink cartridge itself — was licensed to the purchaser and that the business’ repair of the cartridge violated Lexmark’s license for the purchaser’s use of the cartridge. I’ll cut to the chase for you: The US Supreme Court flatly rejected this licensed-product argument. Fujitsu wouldn’t fare any better!