Epson WorkForce ES-50 A4 Portable Document Scanner, Black
Epson WorkForce ES-50 A4 Portable Document Scanner, Black
Scan quickly, anytime and anywhere
The ES-50 is a durable ultra-compact mobile scanner weighing only 270g with a slimline design including a length of only 27.2cm. It’s ideal for making document scans where space is limited, or where the scanner needs to be stored away when not in use, or you can even take it on the road when needed. To reduce the clutter and to decrease set-up time, the supplied USB cable carries both data and power – meaning ES-50 powers directly from the USB port of a laptop or computer.
Easy to use
Epson’s ScanSmart software makes it easy for anyone to scan. It offers a step-by-step process for saving files to laptops, computers, email or cloud accounts. Users can save and send files in common formats like PDF, JPEG, TIFF and many more. This includes using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). to create searchable PDF files and editable Office documents.
Versatile
With the ES-50 you can capture high resolution documents in colour and monochrome with absolute ease. When it comes to media it’s highly versatile with the ability to handle card and paper between 35 and 270 gsm. That includes A4 pages, invoices, receipts, business cards and plastic cards. You can even scan long paper up to 1.8 metres.
 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed (300dpi) | 5.5 secs/page | 4 secs/page | 5.5 secs/page | 4 secs/page | 25ppm/50ipm |
| ADF capacity (sheets) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 Micro-B | Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB 2.0 Micro-B, | USB 2.0 Micro-B | Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB 2.0 Micro-B, | Micro USB3.0 |
| Duplex scanning | No | No | No | No | Yes (1-pass) |
| Daily duty cycle (sheets) | 300 | 300 | 300 | 300 | 500 |
| Included software | ScanSmart | ScanSmart | ‘Document Capture Pro, Epson Scan 2 | Document Capture Pro, Epson Scan 2 | Document Capture Pro, Epson Scan 2 |
| Internal battery | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Compatibility | Windows / Mac | Windows / Mac | Windows / Mac | Windows / Mac | Windows / Mac |
| Weight | 0.27kg | 0.3kg | 0.27kg | 0.3kg | 1.1kg |
| Dimensions mm (wxdxh) | 272x47x34 | 272x47x34 | 272x47x34 | 272x47x34 | 288x89x51 |
| Weight: | 270 g |
| Dimensions: | 27.2 x 4.7 x 3.4 cm; 270 Grams |
| Brand: | Epson |
| Model: | B11B252401 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | Epson |
| Dimensions: | 27.2 x 4.7 x 3.4 cm; 270 Grams |
Just put a document in the slot and hey-presto it’s a pdf on your PC.
I don’t file invoices, petrol receipts etc. any more. I put them through the slot.
Doesn’t do double sided or multiple sheets but that’s not to be expected of a scanner about 2″ square and A4 wide.
I had it up and running within minutes and I was scanning to USB. I was a bit concerned at first because it started beeping every time I pressed a button on the screen and that would have done my head in but fortunately there’s an option to set the sound to zero. I’ve also figured out how to set my user settings — 600dpi, colour, PDF, single document, duplex. When I get any post now, all I need to do is turn it on, scan the letter to USB and shred it. It took about 10 minutes to scan a 30 page document and I think it is the saving to USB process that is slows it down. It’s not an issue though for someone who is used to scanning page by page. My mission now is to scan in everything stored in my three drawer metal filing cabinet.
My only niggle so far is that the touch screen is a bit sensitive and therefore, difficult to scroll. For example, when I try to scroll down the menu I often select an option by mistake. This is not a big issue though as I’ve now saved my settings.
I was a bit worried about other reviews claiming the feed was unreliable but in the end I found it to be okay. I found paper fed properly so long as it was inserted perpendicular to the scanner.
The software is really intuitive and has all the necessary features. Great for occasional scanning, get a higher end with auto feed if you’re doing lots of scanning.
Mostly this is a great scanner. It’s small, works well, runs off the USB port and the software is good at picking up a date if there is one printed on the document.
I have two gripes.
Firstly the power cable has to be plugged in on the right, which is annoying for me as I’m right-handed, want the scanner on my right to feed documents, and my PC is under my desk on my left., and it’s not really long enough to tuck out of the way.
Secondly I wish the software could be a bit more flexible about setting the default name – I’d like just the date it displays. It also is a little annoying it always opens a window on the folder it’s just saved the document into, and that the software window closes when I’ve saved a document. I’d like it to stay open ready to scan the next one, though I suspect that when I’ve caught up my scanning that will be less of an annoyance.
But if you want to scan documents this is a great bit of kit. Far better than using my old flat-bed printer/scanner/copier to take scans.
The scanner works well with both of my MacBooks, one of which uses an Intel chip and the other which uses Apple silicon. The scanner is supplied with a USB A cable so unless you want to buy another cable you’ll need to buy a USB C adapter of some sort. The software for this scanner is downloaded from the Epson website. I’ve had no issues using the software but it is best described as utilitarian rather than comprehensive. It does however allow you to save documents in a number of different document formats. The Epson ES-50 isn’t supplied with anything to carry it in. That’s not a problem for a home office setup but it isn’t ideal for someone who needs to use a scanner whilst traveling.
Compared to some alternative devices this one has a number of drawbacks that you really need to consider before purchase. If you need to regularly scan double sided documents then give this one a miss – it’s a simplex scanner! Feeding receipts or documents into this scanner without them becoming skewed is something you’ll need to master as it doesn’t have any document guides. Whilst the scanner can be set up to be used in a continuous feed mode there really isn’t any point as it increases the likelihood of a document getting damaged. This scanner isn’t suitable for high resolution scanning and scanning photographs with it is entirely pointless as the end result is awful. Whilst it will easily scan receipts you’ll always find that the scanner fails to capture a very small proportion of text on the left hand side of the receipt you are scanning. I initially thought that I could compensate for that problem by re-orientating the receipts as they were fed into the scanner. However, no matter what orientation you use the result is always the samego figure!
So, what after all this does the scanner do well? This scanner’s main selling point is its portability and the speed that it can be deployed. Quite literally, it’s ready to go as soon as you plug it into your PC or Mac. It’s reasonably quick, and for black & white or greyscale documents it will do a perfectly reasonable job of making a low resolution copy of whatever you’re scanning.
Problems? This type of scanner does need regular cleaning of the scanning plate to ensure your scans don’t suffer. Epson sell some cleaning sheets specifically for that purpose but please be aware that they are very expensive! Unfortunately, it’s been my experience that getting help from Epson after I’d bought this scanner was incredibly frustrating. Whilst they did reply to my website inquiry they effectively made zero effort to help me with the issue that I had. Was I unlucky, or was this the normal way they deal with customers? Who knowshowever I certainly won’t be buying another scanner from them!
The best scanner I’ve ever had, simple to set up, easy to use and unbelievably quick. Battery and portability are a must for me, as I live in a campervan full time, easily the best thing I’ve bought, to help keep that paperwork at bay! Now it’s scan and shred!
I had a little trouble installing the software, but once rebooted it worked a treat. There are options to save as a PDF with password protection and once setup, you can plug this in, press a button and then continue scanning by inserting new pages. Once you’re done, you press the button again and then the software asks you where to save your document.
Simple, great quality, totally portable and excellent. Worth getting a case for it but it’s superb!