Xerox Duplex Combo Review
Our Verdict
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Xerox Duplex Combo | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Scanner For Most People |  Best Wireless Portable Scanner |  Best Budget Portable Scanner | Best Budget Flatbed for Books & Photos | |
| Price | $310 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $348 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $200 List Check Price at Amazon | $135 List Check Price at Amazon | $76 List Check Price at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A flatbed scanner with auto-feed and does an average job all-around | A compact, portable scanner that is both fast and produces high-quality results, but won't crowd your desk | Great performance from a portable scanner that isn't too bad on the wallet | While not the fastest, it excels in every aspect at a relatively low price | This flatbed scanner is ideal for archival-quality photos and the occasional simple document, but impractical for everyday home office use |
| Rating Categories | Xerox Duplex Combo | Ricoh ScanSnap iX1300 | Epson WorkForce ES-60W | Brother DS-640 | Canon CanoScan LiDE 300 |
| Scan Quality (35%) | |||||
| Speed (35%) | |||||
| File Management (20%) | |||||
| Photo Scanning (10%) | |||||
| Specifications | Xerox Duplex Combo | Ricoh ScanSnap iX1300 | Epson WorkForce ES-60W | Brother DS-640 | Canon CanoScan LiDE 300 |
| Two-sided Scanning? | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Automatic Document Feeder capacity | 35 sheets | 20 sheets | No | No | No |
| Measured Pages Per Minute | 7.4 | 26.1 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Connectivity | USB | USB, Wifi | USB, Wifi | Micro USB | USB |
| Multi-feed Detection | No | Length detection | No | No | No |
| Power Source | AC | AC | USB / Battery | USB | USB |
| Paper Sizes | Max: 8.5" x 118" Min: 3" x 5.9" |
Max: 8.5" x 14" Min: 2" x 2" |
Max: 8.5" x 72" / Min: 2" x 2" | Max: 8.5" x 72" Min: 2" x 3.4" |
8.5" x 11.7" |
| Optical Resolution | 600 DPI | 600 DPI | 600 DPI | 600 DPI | 2400 DPI |
| Suggested Daily Volume | 1,500 scans | not specified | 300 scans | 100 scans | not specified |
| Scanner Type | Hybrid | Sheet-fed | Sheet-fed | Sheet-fed | Flatbed |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Xerox Duplex Combo is a flatbed style scanner with average to above-average performance. It incorporates an auto-feed to perform more like non-flatbed style scanners. Everything about this model is about what you would expect to get when you purchase a scanner, performing better than most scanners I've tested overall, but nowhere near as great as the best devices I've tested.
Scan Quality
Because an illegible scan is useless, we weighted scan quality heavily to account for the overall score of the Xerox Duplex Combo. In order to measure scan quality, our testers focus on black-and-white scanning and color photo scanning separately, each with its own subset of tests.
When it comes to black and white scanning, I performed tests to determine receipt quality, text clarity, and handwriting quality. The Xerox Duplex Combo exhibited average to above-average quality in those tests. Its ability to scan blotchy receipt ink and printed text with high clarity and quality wasn't the best. It certainly wasn't horrible and will get the job done, but it did not exhibit the more impressive performance of the top models I tested.
Scan Speed
The Xerox Duplex Combo could not compete with top models in our speed test. It is very fast for single-page scanning on a 600 DPI duplex setting, but it only averages about 7.4 pages per minute in 10-page duplex and simplex tests. While that is fast enough for most tasks, it is all relative. The fastest model in our tests can turn out a task four times as large in the same amount of time. Overall, the performance of the Xerox Duplex Combo was average in speed tests.
File Management
The software included with the Duplex Combo includes optical character recognition, which works, but is not as accurate as the best performing models. This scanner automatically turns everything, including pictures, into a PDF. This function is less than desirable, as some users may want other options. However, changes in settings can be made to change output file types.
Setting up the Xerox Duplex Combo was a bit confusing at the start, and I ran into an error in the process. From start to completion, I was ready to start scanning in 15 minutes, much slower than the most setup-friendly models I tested.
The overall interface could also be better. The app is pretty simple and can do two types of scanning, which are one-sided and two-sided. An auto-feed and an output tray make larger jobs easier than devices without one. Unfortunately, there is no one-button scanning on the Mac operating system. Overall, this model is very average in terms of user-friendliness.
Photo Scanning
The Xerox Duplex Combo performed even better in our color and photo scanning tests than it did on black and white tests. This model excels when it comes to color accuracy. The brightness and sharpness accuracy were also above average, although not as good as the best devices. Scans looked very similar to the originals, but the brightness of white areas increased during scanning.
Should You Buy the Xerox Duplex Combo?
The Xerox Duplex Combo is fairly run-of-the-mill. It does okay when it comes to scanning speed, especially at lower DPI, but that's really about it. It also takes up a large footprint and is only slightly cheaper than faster, more capable scanners.
What Other Scanners Should You Consider?
We would recommend taking a look at a scanner like the Ricoh ScanSnap iX1300, over the Xerox Duplex Combo. It is similarly priced, but its performance makes it one of the best models on the market today. To get the absolute best all-around performance, take a look at the Epson FastFoto FF-680W, but you'll have to increase your budget quite a bit.
—Benjamin Hickok
