Brother DS-740D Scanner: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

The Brother DS-740D is an affordable desktop document scanner aimed at home and small office use. This compact scanner can handle up to 20 pages per minute at resolutions up to 600 dpi.

Key features of the Brother DS-740D include:

• 600 x 600 dpi optical scan resolution
• 20 ppm/40 ipm scan speed
• 50-page ADF capacity
• Scans plastic cards, receipts, photos
• Connects via USB 2.0
• Includes document management software

With its fast performance, robust connectivity, and ability to scan various document types, the DS-740D is a versatile choice for digitizing paperwork and managing scans on your computer. Its compact footprint takes up minimal space making it easy to set up in any environment.

Design

The Brother DS-740D is compact and lightweight, making it easy to set up in tight spaces or take with you on the go. It measures 11.8 x 3.7 x 3.2 inches and weighs just 2.2 lbs. Despite its small footprint, it can scan documents up to 8.5" x 34" in size. The scan bed is A4/legal-size at 8.5" x 11.78".

The scanner has a basic plastic casing that feels a bit flimsy but is lightly textured and easy to keep clean. There is no automatic document feeder. The scan lid lifts up easily to place pages on the scan bed. One minor downside is there are no dedicated buttons on the scanner itself, so it must be controlled via the computer software.

Overall, the streamlined design is functional while keeping the scanner highly portable. The small size saves desk space yet still accommodates standard paper formats. While the build quality could be improved, the compact plastic body helps keep the scanner affordable and lightweight.

Setup

Setting up the Brother DS-740D is very straightforward. The scanner comes neatly packed and protected in the box. Inside you'll find the scanner itself, a USB cable, setup guides, and a calibration sheet.

Installing the software is easy and quick. Just head to Brother's website, download the latest drivers and TWAIN software for your operating system, and run through the installation wizard. Within minutes the scanner will be detected and ready to go.

Some key steps for setting up the DS-740D:

• Unpack everything carefully from the box to avoid damage.
• Lay the scanner flat and remove any protective tape or coverings.
• Connect the scanner via the included USB cable.
• Download the scanner software from Brother and follow prompts to install.
• The software will automatically detect the scanner.
• Follow any on-screen instructions to configure the scanner settings.
• Calibrate the scanner using the included calibration sheet for optimal scan quality.

The entire process from unboxing to completing the software installation takes 10-15 minutes. Brother includes clear instructions in the box to help guide you through each step. With the intuitive software installation, you'll be up and scanning in no time.

Scanning Speed

The Brother DS-740D offers fast scanning speeds, which is important for digitizing large amounts of documents quickly.

It can scan color pages at up to 25 pages per minute (ppm) and black and white pages at up to 30 ppm. This speed remains the same whether scanning single-sided or double-sided pages.

The duplex scanning allows you to scan both sides of a document in one pass. This saves significant time compared to having to manually scan each page twice to capture both sides.

Overall, the fast scanning speeds and duplex scanning capabilities make the DS-740D well-suited for high volume scanning jobs. You'll be able to digitize stacks of files, receipts, business cards, and more without having to wait long for each batch to finish scanning.

Image Quality

The Brother DS-740D scanner produces high quality scans with its CIS (contact image sensor) technology. It has an optical resolution of 600 x 600 dpi, allowing it to capture fine details accurately.

The color reproduction is also excellent thanks to the 48-bit color depth. It can scan documents in full color, grayscale or black & white while retaining the original hues and tones. This is useful when scanning magazines, photos and other documents with colors and images that need to be preserved accurately.

The scanner enhances images automatically to improve clarity and remove artifacts. You can further adjust the brightness, contrast, gamma and other settings manually in the scanning software for optimal results. Overall, the image quality is very good for a compact desktop scanner in this price range.

File Format Support

The Brother DS-740D scanner supports scanning to a variety of common file formats, allowing you to seamlessly integrate scanned documents into your workflow.

For input, the DS-740D can scan from single or multi-page documents up to legal size. It can handle a variety of paper types including plain paper, business cards, plastic ID cards, and other rigid items.

For output, the scanner is capable of saving files directly to JPEG, TIFF, PDF, searchable PDF, and Microsoft Office file formats like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The default scanning resolution is up to 600 x 600 dpi for crisp and legible scans, but can be increased up to 1,200 dpi for even finer detail.

Scanning to searchable PDF is a particularly useful feature, as it runs optical character recognition (OCR) to identify text elements in the scanned pages. This makes the contents of the PDF fully searchable, selectable, and able to be copied or edited in other applications.

The array of supported file types makes the Brother DS-740D versatile for managing digital documents and integrating paper records into digital workflows. Whether you need to archive scans, extract text for editing, or directly import files into common business programs, the file format capabilities provide a flexible scanning solution.

Connectivity

The Brother DS-740D offers both wired and wireless connectivity options for scanning to your computer or mobile device.

For a wired connection, the scanner connects via a high-speed USB 2.0 interface. Simply plug one end of the included USB cable into the scanner and the other into your computer. This allows for fast and reliable document scanning directly to your PC.

For wireless scanning, the DS-740D supports Wi-Fi connectivity. After installing the Brother software on your computer, you can connect the scanner to your local Wi-Fi network. This allows you to scan documents and have them transferred wirelessly to your computer from anywhere in your home or office.

The scanner also supports wireless scanning to mobile devices using the Brother iPrint&Scan app. You can connect the scanner to your home Wi-Fi network and then use the app on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet to wirelessly scan documents and photos to your mobile device. This provides a convenient way to digitize paperwork when you're on the go.

Overall, the versatile connectivity options on the Brother DS-740D allow you to scan and share documents easily between your computer, mobile devices and the cloud.

Paper Handling

The Brother DS-740D has an automatic document feeder that can hold up to 20 sheets of paper. This allows you to scan multiple pages in a batch without having to feed each page individually.

The scanner has a straight paper path, which helps reduce the risk of documents jamming or skewing while being pulled through the scanner. Straight paper paths are great for scanning a variety of document types and sizes without running into issues.

The ADF can handle paper sizes ranging from business card sized up to legal sized documents. You'll have no problem scanning receipts, letters, invoices and more.

Overall the paper handling capabilities of the DS-740D make it easy to digitize stacks of documents quickly and efficiently. Being able to load up to 20 pages and let the ADF scan them one after another is a nice productivity booster.

Software

The Brother DS-740D comes with Brother Control Center scanning software for both Windows and Mac operating systems. This allows you to configure scan settings, create scan shortcuts, and scan directly to file, email, printers, and other applications.

Some key features of the software include:

• Document scanning at up to 25 pages per minute in fast mode
• Automatic document feeding for scanning multi-page documents
• Auto image rotation to correct orientation
• Auto deskew to straighten crooked pages
• Background processing so you can scan while the software saves files in the background
• Optical character recognition (OCR) to convert scanned documents to searchable PDFs, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other formats
• Ability to scan to cloud storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote and more
• Preconfigured scan-to profiles for common tasks like scanning to a file folder, email, Microsoft Office and other applications
• Customizable scan profiles to set resolution, color mode, file type, and other settings

The software provides a streamlined scanning experience and integration with various document management workflows.

Pros and Cons

The Brother DS-740D compact document scanner has several pros and cons to consider:

Pros

• Fast duplex scanning up to 35 pages per minute
• Ability to scan ID cards and documents up to 8.5” x 32”
• Intuitive touchscreen interface
• Small footprint saves desk space
• Built-in SD card slot for saving scans
• Can scan directly to cloud services like Dropbox
• Good image quality with optical 600 dpi sensor
• Supports common file types like JPG, PDF, DOC, etc
• Comes with document capture software
• 1 year limited warranty

Cons

• No built-in rechargeable battery
• Not compatible with Linux or Mac
• Lacks wireless connectivity
• Plastic construction feels a bit flimsy
• Higher price than some competing models
• Lackluster technical support

So in summary, the DS-740D offers fast duplex scanning and an intuitive interface in a compact size. But the lack of wireless, Mac/Linux support, and mediocre build quality may be drawbacks for some users. It's a good option for Windows users needing occasional high-volume scanning to the cloud or SD card.