Epson Workforce ES-500W2 guide for PC

Epson WorkForce ES-500W Wireless Duplex Document Scanner Review


THE BOTTOM LINE
The Wi-Fi networkable Epson ES-500W scans and saves to searchable PDF faster than several of its entry-level competitors, but mediocre OCR accuracy diminishes its overall value.

We're seeing an increasing number of network-capable sheet-feed document scanners lately, including the $399.99 Epson WorkForce ES-500W Wireless Duplex Document Scanner ($379.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) we're reviewing here. But the ES-500W is somewhat different in that it's not often that we see network functionality on an entry-level scanner like this one. (Epson does offer a non-Wi-Fi version of the ES-500W, the ES-400, for $50 less.) The ES-500W is fast for its class, and it saves to image and searchable PDF at a good clip for the price. Optical character recognition (OCR) accuracy is a bit below average, though, but it comes with a well-rounded software bundle that includes document and business card archiving software.

Overall, we found the ES-500W impressive, but its mediocre OCR accuracy dinged it just enough to cause it to come up short in dethroning the Editor's Choice Canon imageFormula DR-C225 ($420.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) as our go-to low-to mid-volume document scanner for a small or micro office. We also like it as a personal document scanner, though in that capacity its OCR accuracy falls short of the Editors' Choice HP ScanJet Pro 3000 s3 Sheet-Feed Scanner.

Epson Workforce ES-500W II Wireless Color Duplex Desktop Document Scanner for PC and Mac, with Auto Document Feeder (ADF) and Scan from Smartphone or Tablet



Media Type Paper
Scanner Type Document
Brand Epson
Connectivity Technology Wi-Fi
Item Dimensions LxWxH 6.6 x 11.6 x 6.9 inches
Resolution 300
Item Weight 8.1 Pounds
Wattage 11 watts
Sheet Size Letter
Standard Sheet Capacity 50
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About this item
Easy wireless scanning — scan to smartphones, tablets, computers and online cloud storage accounts (1) from your desktop, smartphone or tablet using the Epson Smart Panel mobile app (3)
Get organized in a snap — scan up to 35 ppm/70 ipm (1); Single-Step Technology captures both sides in one pass
Quickly scan stacks of paper — robust 50-sheet Auto Document Feeder easily accommodates multiple paper types and sizes in one batch
Powerful software included — easy scanning with intuitive Epson ScanSmart Software (2); preview, email, upload to the cloud and more; automatic file naming saves time
Seamless integration with most software solutions — the included TWAIN driver allows you to easily incorporate your data into most document management software
Easy sharing and collaboration — email or upload to popular cloud storage services (2) such as Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive and OneDrive
Simplified file management — create searchable PDFs with included Optical Character Recognition (OCR); convert scanned documents to editable Word and Excel files
Intelligent color and image adjustments — auto crop, blank page skip, background removal, dirt detection and paper-skew correction with Epson Image Processing Technology
Reliable paper feeding system — Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection prevents missing pages; also prevents damage from staples
Versatile scanning of everyday documents — scan extra long pages up to 240", business/ID cards, contracts and more

Epson - WorkForce ES-500W II Wireless Duplex Desktop Document Scanner