The Epson DS-70 is a compact and portable document scanner designed for personal or home office use. This scanner aims to provide high-quality scans with advanced image processing in a lightweight and user-friendly package.

The DS-70 features a fast scan rate of 25 pages per minute for both color and monochrome scans at resolutions up to 600 dpi. It can scan single sheets up to 8.5" x 240" as well as plastic ID cards, offering versatile document digitizing. The integrated TWAIN and ISIS drivers allow seamless integration with Windows and Mac computers.

Overall, the Epson DS-70 is an affordable and efficient scanner well-suited for individuals or small offices that need to digitize documents, photos, receipts, and more into searchable PDFs or image files. Its compact size takes up minimal desk space while providing robust scanning capabilities.

Design

The Epson DS-70 is a compact and lightweight desktop document scanner designed for home and small office use. Despite its small footprint, it packs in some impressive features and capabilities.

The scanner itself has dimensions of 11.7 x 3.9 x 2.8 inches and weighs just 5.3 pounds. This makes it easy to find a permanent spot on a desk or tabletop without taking up too much space. The scanner has a simple and understated design with a clean white exterior and minimal buttons on the front for power and scanning. While not the flashiest looking device, the DS-70's design focuses more on functionality over aesthetic flare.

Overall, the streamlined dimensions and lightweight build make the DS-70 easy to situate in any home office or workspace. The scanner doesn't take up much room on a desk, and it's light enough to move between locations or pack away in a drawer when not in use. While the physical design is simplistic, the DS-70's capabilities are anything but, making it a versatile scanner option for individual or shared office use.

Setup

Setting up the Epson DS-70 document scanner is quick and straightforward. Simply unbox the scanner and install the software on your computer.

Unboxing

The Epson DS-70 comes packaged in a compact box containing the scanner itself, power cable, USB cable, setup guide, and software/documentation CD. Make sure to remove all protective materials before using the scanner.

The scanner has a minimalist design with just the essential buttons and indicators on the front. It's lightweight and portable for easy transport between locations.

Software Installation

You'll need to install the software from the included CD before using the Epson DS-70. The CD contains Epson Scan 2 software, drivers, and manuals.

Follow the onscreen instructions to install Epson Scan 2. This allows you to configure scan settings, initiate scans, and save scanned documents.

The installation process is quick and hassle-free. Within minutes, you'll have the software set up and be ready to start scanning.

Scanning

The Epson DS-70 is designed for fast, high-quality scanning. It can scan documents at speeds up to 25 pages per minute (ppm) at 200 dpi. The scanner can handle stacks up to 50 pages in the auto document feeder for uninterrupted scanning.

Image quality is excellent thanks to Epson's advanced imaging technologies. The scanner can capture documents at resolutions up to 1200 dpi for crisp, detailed scans. It automatically detects color pages and can scan in color or black & white depending on the original document. The CCD optical array ensures accuracy and consistent image quality scan after scan.

Scans look great whether saving directly to searchable PDF, your favorite cloud service, network folder or even email. Background cleanup and color enhancements are applied automatically to improve legibility and readability. The scanning software allows you to easily adjust settings like resolution, file type, color mode and more after each scan.

Overall the DS-70 provides fast yet high-quality scans without compromise. The scanning speed and image quality make it suitable for individual or office use.

Software

The Epson DS-70 comes bundled with a robust software suite to maximize the scanner's capabilities. This includes Epson ScanSmart software, Epson Document Capture Pro scanning and organization software, ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR software, and NewSoft Presto! BizCard contact management software.

Epson ScanSmart provides an easy scanning interface to scan, edit, and upload documents and photos. It has built-in OCR to convert scans into searchable PDFs, editable Word and Excel files, and more. The automatic document feeder and scan-to-cloud features are also accessible through ScanSmart.

For advanced document management, Epson's Document Capture Pro software allows you to scan, edit, and organize files into searchable PDFs. It has neat functions like autocropping, deskew, and more. You can also integrate it with cloud storage services.

ABBYY FineReader Sprint is bundled for OCR and text recognition needs. It can convert scans into editable formats, retaining the original layout. This works for scans in English, Spanish, French and other languages.

NewSoft Presto! BizCard software allows you to easily scan and organize business cards. The built-in OCR extracts contact details automatically into a digital Rolodex. This is a handy extra feature for managing professional contacts.

Overall, the software bundle adds significant extra functionality, making the Epson DS-70 a versatile scanner well-equipped for document management, archiving, and OCR needs. The suite covers a wide range of use cases for home office, small business, and personal applications.

Connectivity

The Epson DS-70 offers both wired and wireless connectivity options for scanning on the go or at your desktop.

For wired connectivity, it has a fast USB 2.0 interface that provides data transfer speeds up to 480 Mbps when connected directly to your computer. The USB cable is built right into the scanner, making wired setup quick and convenient.

Wireless connectivity is provided by Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n standards, enabling cable-free scanning from your computer, smartphone or tablet. Connecting via Wi-Fi gives you flexibility to scan in different rooms or locations without having to be right next to your computer.

The DS-70 also supports Wi-Fi Direct, allowing you to establish a peer-to-peer wireless connection directly between the scanner and your mobile device without joining a network. This gives you even more wireless range and mobility.

For ultimate portability, the scanner's built-in rechargeable battery lets you scan on the go, then recharge via USB when you're back at your desk. The battery can scan up to 300 pages on a full charge, providing excellent mobility without having to plug in.

Overall, the versatile wired, wireless and mobile connectivity of the DS-70 makes it easy to scan in more locations and integrate into your existing setup.

Special Features

The Epson DS-70 document scanner has several handy special features that make it stand out:

• Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) - The ADF can hold up to 20 sheets and scans both sides of each page automatically, making digitizing multi-page documents fast and easy. No need to manually feed each page.

• Text Enhancement Technology - Improves the accuracy of OCR text recognition by sharpening character edges and correcting background bleed-through and show-through. Great for digitizing printed text more clearly.

• One-Touch Buttons - The scanner has customizable one-touch buttons that can be set up to send scanned files directly to cloud services like Dropbox or Evernote. Streamlines workflow.

• Scan to Email - Lets you scan documents directly into your email application for quick sharing and collaboration.

• Fast Speeds - At 25 ppm (pages per minute) or 50 ipm (images per minute) for duplex scanning, it can digitize stacks of papers very quickly.

• Compact Footprint - Measures just 11.7 x 6.7 x 6.6 inches, so it doesn't take up much desk space. An ideal choice if you're tight on room.

• USB Powered - No bulky power adapter required. Just plug it into your computer's USB port and you're ready to scan. Adds to the portability.

Pros

• Fast duplex scanning up to 25 pages per minute makes digitizing documents a breeze.

• The 50 page automatic document feeder allows quick scanning of multi-page documents without having to manually feed each page.

• It can scan documents up to 8.5 x 122 inches, accommodating everything from business cards to large blueprints.

• The included OCR software provides editable text of scanned documents, allowing you to search and copy text from scanned PDFs.

• USB 3.0 connectivity for a fast data transfer rate when scanning to your computer.

• High resolution 600 dpi optical scanning produces sharp, clear scans even for fine print and detailed images.

• Compact, space-saving design takes up minimal space on your desk.

• Scans directly to the cloud for easy document backup using Epson's Document Capture Pro software.

Cons

Epson DS-70 has a few drawbacks to consider:

• Small scan area of 8.5 x 11.7 inches. This is quite limited compared to larger sheetfed or flatbed scanners on the market. You won't be able to scan legal sized documents or large photos.

• No built-in document feeder. You have to manually insert each page which reduces efficiency for scanning multi-page documents. An auto document feeder would improve workflow.

• Lack of wireless connectivity. The scanner connects via USB cable only. Wireless would provide more placement flexibility.

• Mediocre scanning speed. At 25 pages per minute, it's not the fastest desktop scanner. Speeds up to 50 ppm can be found in this price range.

Conclusion

The Epson DS-70 is an excellent choice for anyone looking for an easy-to-use document scanner for home or small office use. Its compact size makes it convenient to set up even in tight spaces, while still providing the ability to scan letter and legal sized documents.

The included software provides everything you need to get started scanning and organizing documents right out of the box. Connectivity options like WiFi and the ability to scan to popular cloud services add flexibility and enable seamless digital workflows.

Image quality is superb, with crisp text and accurate color reproduction of photos and graphics. The automated document feeder allows batch scanning of multi-page documents with ease. And helpful features like auto cropping, deskew, and background removal require minimal prep work before scanning.

Overall, the DS-70 delivers intuitive operation, versatile document management, and outstanding scan quality at a very reasonable price point. For anyone seeking an easy-to-use scanner that can handle day-to-day document digitizing needs, the Epson DS-70 is highly recommended. Its excellent performance and thoughtful design make it a smart choice for home office and small business settings.