Plustek SmartOffice PL2546 User manual

 Installation
 Usage & Maintenance

Trademarks
© 2011Plustek Inc. All rights are reserved. No portion of this document may be
reproduced without permission.
All trademarks and brand names mentioned in this publication are property of their
respective owners.
Liability
While all efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of all contents in this manual,
we assume no liability for errors or omissions or by statements of any kind in this manual,
whether such errors are omissions or statements resulting from negligence, accidents, or
any other cause. The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice. We
will not shoulder any legal liability, if users failed to follow the operation instructions in this
manual.
Copyright
The scanning of certain documents, for example checks, bank notes, I.D. cards,
government bonds, or public documents, may be prohibited by law and/or subject to
criminal prosecution. We recommend you to be responsible and respectful of the
copyrights laws when you are scanning books, magazines, journals and other materials.
Environmental Information
Recycle or disposal at end-of-life information, please ask local distributors or suppliers for
recycle and disposal information. The product is designed and produced to achieve
sustainable environmental improvement. We strive to produce products in compliance
with global environmental standards. Please consult your local authorities for proper
disposal.
The product packaging is recyclable.
Attention for recycling (For EU country only)
Protect your environment! This product should not be thrown into the household waste
container. Please give it to the free collecting center in your community.
Screen Examples in This Manual
The screen shots in this guide were made with Windows XP. If you are using Windows
2000/ Vista/ 7, your screen will look somewhat different but functions the same.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
How to Use This Guide...............................................................................................1
Conventions of This Guide .........................................................................................2
A Note about Icons...............................................................................................................2
Safety Precautions......................................................................................................2
Minimum System Requirements.................................................................................3
Box Contents ..............................................................................................................4
The Scanner Features................................................................................................5
CHAPTER I. INSTALLING THE SCANNER....................................................................8
Software Installation Requirements............................................................................8
Hardware Requirements.............................................................................................8
Installing and Setting up the Scanner.........................................................................9
Step 1. Connecting the Scanner to Your Computer............................................................9
Step 2. Installing the Software...........................................................................................10
Step 3. Install the Extended Paper Width Slider ...............................................................12
Step 4. Testing the Scanner..............................................................................................13
Installing Additional Software....................................................................................14
CHAPTER II. SCANNING..................................................................................... 15
Preparing Documents...............................................................................................15
Checking Document Conditions.........................................................................................16
Loosening Documents (for ADF Scan)...............................................................................17
Placing Documents...................................................................................................17
Using the Flatbed ...............................................................................................................17
Using the ADF ....................................................................................................................18
Placing Business Cards............................................................................................19
Placing Plastic Cards................................................................................................20
Placing Documents with the Protection Sheet..........................................................21
Scanning Documents................................................................................................22
Scanning via TWAIN Interface ...........................................................................................23
Scanning from Plustek DI Capture Program......................................................................27
Scanning from the Scanner’s Front Panel..........................................................................28
Scanning from the On-screen DocAction’s Execute Menu................................................30
CHAPTER III. CARE AND MAINTENANCE ............................................................... 31
Cleaning the Scanner...............................................................................................31
Cleaning Materials..............................................................................................................31
Cleaning the Flatbed ..........................................................................................................31
Cleaning the ADF ...............................................................................................................32
Replacing Consumables...........................................................................................34
Replacing the Pad Module .................................................................................................34
Calibrating the Scanner............................................................................................35
Standby Mode...........................................................................................................36
CHAPTER IV. TROUBLESHOOTING........................................................................ 38
Scanner Connection.................................................................................................38
Clearing Paper Jams ................................................................................................38
APPENDIX A: SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................ 40

APPENDIX B: CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WARRANTY................................................ 44
Service & Support Information (For EU country only)...............................................44
Statement of Limited Warranty .................................................................................45
FCC Radio Frequency Statement.............................................................................46
CONTACTING PLUSTEK ....................................................................................... 47

INTRODUCTION
Thank you for choosing us as your scanner supplier. Your new scanner will
improve the professionalism of your day-to-day computing tasks by allowing you to
input images and electronic text into your computer system. You can easily scan
single-sided or double-sided documents with your scanner.
Like all of our products, your new scanner is thoroughly tested and backed by our
reputation for unsurpassed dependability and customer satisfaction. We hope you will
continue to turn to us for additional quality products as your computing needs and
interests grow.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
This User’s Guide provides instructions and illustrations on how to install and
operate your scanner. This guide assumes the user is familiar with Microsoft Windows
2000 Professional / XP / Vista / 7. If this is not the case, we suggest you learn more
about Microsoft Windows by referring to your Microsoft Windows manual before using
your scanner.
The Introduction section of this manual describes the box contents and minimum
computer requirements to use this scanner. Before you start installing your scanner,
check the box contents to make sure all parts are included. If any items are damaged
or missing, please contact the vendor where you purchased your scanner or our
customer service directly.
Chapter I describes how to install scanner’s software and connect the scanner to
your computer. Note: The scanner connects to your computer through the Universal
Serial Bus (USB). If your computer does not support USB technology, you will need to
purchase a USB interface card to add USB capabilities to your computer, or buy and
install USB connectors if your motherboard has USB capabilities. This guide assumes
that your computer is USB-ready and has a free USB port.
Chapter II describes how to use your scanner.
Chapter III describes how to maintain and clean your scanner.
Chapter IV contains technical support information that can help you solve simple
problems.
Appendix A contains the specifications of the scanner you purchased.
Appendix B contains our customer service, the limited warranty agreement and
FCC statement concerning the product.
1

CONVENTIONS OF THIS GUIDE
Bold — Represents commands or contents on your computer screen.
ALL CAPS — Important note or first use of an important term in a chapter.
Italic — Represents buttons on your scanner OR important notes.
A
A N No ot te e a ab bo ou ut t I Ic co on ns s
This guide uses the following icons to point out information that deserves special
attention.
Warning
A procedure that must be followed carefully to prevent
injury, or accidents.
Attention
Instructions that are important to remember and may
prevent mistakes.
Information Optional tips for your reference.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Warning
Before using this device, please read the
following important information to eliminate or
reduce any possibility of causing damage and
personal injury.
1. Usage, the product is for indoor use in dry locations. Moisture condensation may
occur inside this device and cause malfunction at these conditions:
 when this device is moved directly from a cold to a warm location;
 after a cold room is heated;
 when this device is placed in a damp room.
To avoid the moisture condensation, you are recommended to follow the procedure:
i. Seal this device in a plastic bag for it to adapt to room conditions.
ii. Wait for 1-2 hours before removing this device from the bag.
2. Do use the AC adapter and USB cable provided with the scanner. Use of other AC
adapter and cables may lead to malfunction.
2

3. Keep the space around the AC adapter clear in case you need to quickly unplug
the AC adapter during emergencies.
4. Damaged wire could cause fire or electrical shock. Keep the power cord straight
and without being twisted, bended, or scraped.
5. Unplug this device if you don’t need to use for a certain period of time, such as,
during night or long weekend, to avoid any risks of causing fire.
6. Do not attempt to disassemble the scanner. There is danger of an electrical shock
and opening your scanner will void your warranty.
7. Be sure not to bump or knock the scanner glass as it is fragile and could break.
8. Do not subject the scanner to excessive vibration. It may damage the internal
components.
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS1
 PC with Intel Pentium®III 1G processor or compatible
 256 MB RAM
 Available USB 2.0 port
 CD-ROM Drive or DVD-ROM Drive
 800 MB Free Hard Disk Space
 Video card that supports 16-bit color or greater
 Operating System: Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows XP
Professional, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Information
Systems with Pentium®4 1.8G or higher
processor (or its compatible), 512 MB RAM and
1GB free hard disk space are recommended for
optimal performance.
1Higher requirements may be needed when scanning or editing large quantities of images. The
system requirements stated are only a guideline, generally the better the computer
(motherboard, processor, hard disk, RAM, video graphic card), the better the results.
3

BOX CONTENTS2
1. Scanner
2. USB Cable
3. AC Adapter
4. Scanner User’s Guide
5. Quick Guide
6. Setup/Application CD-ROM
7. Calibration Sheet
8. Memo Label
9. Extended Paper Width Slider (2 pieces)
10. Protection Sheet
11. Cleansing Cloth
12. Pad Module
2Save the box and packing materials in case you need to transport this scanner in the future.
4

THE SCANNER FEATURES
1. PAPER CHUTE COVER—Helps keep the paper in place. Open paper chute cover
when using the scanner.
2. PAPER WIDTH SLIDER—Adjusts the paper width slider for the paper size you are
using.
Information
Extended Paper Width Slider (accessory in the
box content) —Hold the paper uprightly so as to
avoid the paper feeding to be askew.
3. COVER OPEN LEVER—Opens the ADF cover. Pull it to open the ADF cover
when you need to clear paper jam or clean the scanner.
4. PAPER STOP— Holds paper in place when it is ejected from the ADF. Extend it in
case of longer paper.
5. POWER LED—Indicates the scanner status.
Light Status
Blue The scanner is turned on, ready to scan images.
Orange3 The scanner is in standby mode (sleep mode) if it is idle for 10
minutes.
Off The scanner is off, either because the power is not turned on, or
because the AC adapter is not properly plugged into an AC power
outlet.
3This function may or may not be available depending on the scanner model you purchase.
5

6. ADF (AUTOMATIC DOCUMENT FEEDER)—Automatically feeds a stack of
documents for scanning.
7. SIDE GUIDE—Holds the paper in place to be scanned through the ADF. Pull side
guides out to hold the paper.
8. PAPER CHUTE EXTENSION—Extends to hold longer paper.
9. FUNCTION NUMBER DISPLAY—Indicates the number of the predefined scanning
task selected by the up or down button.
10. UP BUTTON—Press to move forward the scanning task number indicated in the
function number display.
11. DOWN BUTTON—Press to move backward the scanning task number indicated in
the function number display.
12. SCAN BUTTON—Press to perform a predefined scanning task selected by the up
or down button.
13. POWER RECEPTOR—Connects the scanner to a standard AC power outlet by the
included AC adapter.
14. USB PORT—Connects the scanner to a USB port on your computer by the
included USB cable.
15. POWER SWITCH—Use this to turn the scanner ON or OFF.
6

16. DOCUMENT COVER— Helps keep the paper in place and protects the scanner
glass.
17. DOCUMENT PAD— Keeps the paper in place and improves accuracy of image
quality.
18. SCANNER GLASS— Where you put items for flatbed scanning.
19. REFERENCE MARK— Align your paper with this reference mark in case of flatbed
scanning.
7

CHAPTER I. INSTALLING THE SCANNER
Before installing your scanner, please verify that you have all of the proper
components. A list of the package contents is provided in the “Box Contents” section
of this guide.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS
Your scanner comes with the image-editing software (NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio),
OCR software (ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus), Business card Recognition Software
(HotCard BizCard Finder), document management software (NewSoft Presto!
PageManager), the scanner’s driver, DocAction, and the image capture software
(Plustek DI Capture). All of these software applications use approximately 800
megabytes of hard disk space after they are installed into your computer. To ensure
ample room for the installation, as well as for scanning and saving images, a minimum
of 1 GB of hard disk space is recommended.
This USB scanner can only operate under the Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional, XP, Vista or 7 operating system.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
This scanner connects to your computer through the Universal Serial Bus (USB),
which supports HOT PLUG AND PLAY. To determine whether your computer is USB-
capable, you must check the rear of your PC to locate a USB jack that looks like the
picture below. If you are having trouble in locating the USB port on your computer,
please refer to the hardware manual that came with your computer.
Upon examination, you should find one or two rectangular USB ports, which usually
appear as shown below.
USB Connector(s)
If you don’t find such USB ports on your computer, then you need to purchase a
certified USB interface card to add USB capabilities to your computer.
8

INSTALLING AND SETTING UP THE SCANNER
Please follow the step-by-step procedures described below to install the Plustek
scanner.
Attention
Choose a Proper Site First!
 Always place your scanner on a level,
smooth and strong surface before
proceeding the scanner setup or any
scanning task. Tilted or uneven surface
may cause paper-feeding errors, scanner
damage or personal injury.
 Avoid using the scanner in a dusty
environment. Dust particles and other
foreign objects may damage the unit.
S
St te ep p 1 1. . C Co on nn ne ec ct ti in ng g t th he e S Sc ca an nn ne er r t to o Y Yo ou ur r C Co om mp pu ut te er r
Attention
Please make sure the scanner is turned OFF
before you plug or unplug the scanner power
adapter.
9

1. Plug the AC adapter into the scanner’s power receptor .
2. Plug the other end of the AC adapter into a standard AC power outlet.
3. Plug the square end of the included USB cable to the USB port at the rear of
the scanner.
4. Plug the rectangular end of the USB cable to an available USB port on your
computer.
5. If you plan to connect your scanner to a USB hub4, make sure that the hub is
connected to the USB port in your computer. Next, connect the scanner to the
USB hub.
S
St te ep p 2 2. . I In ns st ta al ll li in ng g t th he e S So of ft tw wa ar re e
1. Switch on the scanner power from the rear of the scanner.
2. If the USB components on your computer are functioning correctly, they will
automatically detect the scanner causing the Add New Hardware Wizard or
Found New Hardware Wizard to be launched.
Information
If your computer is off when the scanner is
connected, the “Add New Hardware Wizard”
message will not be displayed until the
computer is on and Windows starts.
3. For Windows 2000:
a. Click the Next button when the “Add New Hardware Wizard” window is
displayed.
b. Select Search for the Best Driver for Your Device [Recommended] and
click the Next button.
c. The next window will ask you where to search to find the drive. Select CD-
ROM drive, and deselect Floppy disk drives if it is checked.
d. Insert the Setup/Application CD-ROM, included with your scanner, into your
CD-ROM drive and then click the Next button.
e. Click the Next button in the window that appears.
f. During the process of the installation, a message “Digital Signature required”
might be prompted. Please ignore it, and click the Yes button to continue the
installation without any misgiving at your scanner functioning. Afterwards,
please skip to procedure 8.
4. For Windows XP:
a. Insert the Setup/Application CD-ROM, included with your scanner, into your
CD-ROM drive.
4The USB hub is not included with the scanner.
10

b. Select Install the software automatically recommended and click the Next
button.
c. Click the Next button in the window that appears. Afterwards, please skip to
procedure 7.
5. For Windows Vista:
a. Select “Locate and install driver software (recommended)” when the “Found
New Hardware” window is displayed.
b. Click on the Continue button when the “User Account Control” dialog pops up.
c. Insert the Setup/Application CD-ROM, included with your scanner, into your
CD-ROM drive when the system prompts you “Insert the disc that came with
your USB Scanner“, and click on the Next button. Afterwards, please skip to
procedure 8.
6. For Windows 7:
When the Setup/Application CD is for several scanner models
a. Insert the Setup/Application CD-ROM, included with your scanner, into your
CD-ROM drive. Click Run install.exe in the AutoPlay window.
b. Click on the Yes button if the User Account Control dialog pops up. Follow the
instructions in the pop-up installation message.
c. In the Device Manager window, right-click on this scanner under Other
devices and select Update Driver Software from the pop-up menu. Click
Browse my computer for driver software in the window that appears, and
click the Browse button.
d. In the Browse For Folder window, select the folder or the CD-ROM drive that
contains this scanner’s driver and click the OK button to return to the previous
screen. Click the Next button and click Install this driver software anyway if
the Windows Security window appears. Afterwards, please skip to procedure
9.
When the Setup/Application CD is for one scanner model
a. Insert the Setup/Application CD-ROM, included with your scanner, into your
CD-ROM drive. Click Run install.exe in the AutoPlay window.
b. Click on the Yes button if the User Account Control dialog pops up. If the pop-
up wizard window appears click Next,and click Install this driver software
anyway in the Windows Security window then click Finish in the wizard
window. Afterwards, please skip to procedure 9.
7. During the process of the installation, a message “Windows can’t verify the
publisher of this driver software” might be prompted. Please ignore it, and click on
Install this driver software anyway to continue the installation without any
misgiving at your scanner functioning.
8. When the system completes the installation, click the Finish button.
9. Follow the on-screen instructions to install all software that your new scanner
requires.
10. After the software is installed, close all open applications and click the Finish
button to restart your computer.
11. After the computer is restarted, you will be prompted to perform the scanner
calibration.
12. Insert the special calibration sheet into the ADF of the scanner, with arrows toward
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the scanner buttons.
13. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the scanner calibration.
After the calibration is complete, click OK and then click Finish.
Information
If the scanner installation is not started and
displayed automatically on the screen, click
Start, select Run and type in D:\Install (where
D: is the drive letter assigned to the CD-ROM
drive of your computer.)
S
St te ep p 3 3. . I In ns st ta al ll l t th he e E Ex xt te en nd de ed d P Pa ap pe er r W Wi id dt th h S Sl li id de er r
1. Open the ADF cover by pulling the lever, and get the right and left extended paper
width sliders ready.
2. Align and Insert the left extended paper width slider onto the paper width slider on
the left. Position and Insert the right extended paper width slider onto the paper
width slider on the right.
3. Close the ADF cover by pushing it back down until it snaps back into place.
12

S
St te ep p 4 4. . T Te es st ti in ng g t th he e S Sc ca an nn ne er r
The following describes how you can check if the scanner is properly functioning
with your computer and the scanning software by performing your first scan with our
bundled image-editing application NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio. Before testing your
scanner, double check to make sure that all connections are securely fastened.
To test the flatbed scanning:
1. Open the scanner's document cover. Place a document face down onto the
scanner glass and align the document top with the reference mark.
2. Gently close the document cover.
3. Click the Windows Start button to launch NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio.
4. (If you have only one scanner connected with your computer, please skip to
Step 5.)
If you have more than one scanner or other imaging device installed on your
computer: Click Select Source from the File menu of Presto! ImageFolio and
then choose this scanner as the default scanning source.
5. Within Presto! ImageFolio, click File > Acquire > Acquire.
6. In the TWAIN window that opens, select Flatbed Reflective as the Scan Type.
7. Click the Scan button.
8. If an image appears on your screen, your scanner is working properly.
To test the ADF scanning:
1. Load a document headfirst and face down into the ADF with the text side facing
the paper chute. (For detailed instructions on loading paper into the ADF,
please refer to the “Placing Documents” section of this guide.)
13

2. Click the Windows Start button to launch NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio.
3. (If you have only one scanner connected with your computer, please skip to
Step 4.)
If you have more than one scanner or other imaging device installed on your
computer: Click Select Source from the File menu of Presto! ImageFolio and
then choose this scanner as the default scanning source.
4. Within Presto! ImageFolio, click File > Acquire > Acquire.
5. Select ADF (Front Side) as the Scan Type within the TWAIN window.
6. Click the Scan button.
7. The document in the ADF paper chute should be now loaded into the ADF and
scanned. After this process, you should see a scanned image of the document
on your screen.
8. Click Exit to exit the TWAIN window.
INSTALLING ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE
Your scanner is TWAIN compliant and functions with virtually all available TWAIN
compatible software. If you purchase additional software to be used with your scanner,
please make sure that it conforms to the TWAIN standard.
14

CHAPTER II. SCANNING
Your scanner needs to be driven by certain type of software program. Since all
documents or images (whether text or pictures) that are acquired from the scanner are
treated by your computer as images, most scanning will probably be done from an
image-editing program where you can view, edit, save and output the scanned images.
An image-editing program has been bundled for your scanner on the included
Setup/Application CD-ROM. It will allow you to alter and correct any scanned images
by using a variety of filters, tools and effects.
What about scanning text documents and editing them in a word processor? This is
the role of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. OCR software converts the
image files that are created from scanning text documents into text files that can be
viewed, edited and saved by word processors. An OCR program has also been
bundled on the included Setup/Application CD-ROM, and if you wish to use the
scanner in this way you should install the OCR software that is included.
DI Capture, as its name suggests, is a specialized document image capture
program that allows you to conveniently digitize your paper documents and
automatically save their electronic files in the designated folder. If you are not familiar
with scanning, no problem: the Scan Wizard will guide you through to complete each
scanning task.
The DocAction program, seamlessly integrating the operation of your scanner with
your computer and other peripherals, provides a quick and convenient way to perform
various scanning functions. With DocAction, you don't need to adjust settings every
time you scan. Simply press any button on the scanner's front panel or click any
scanning menu item of DocAction on the screen. The scanner starts to scan your paper
documents and transfer them to your assigned destination. The destination can be a
printer, your E-mail program, files on your disk drives, an image-editing program, etc.
Please refer to the online help of each program to guide you through any questions
you may have while scanning within that program.
This chapter describes three important steps of scanner operations. Read them
thoroughly and follow the instructions to ensure correct use and optimal scanner
performance.
Step 1. Preparing Documents
Step 2. Placing Documents, Placing Business Cards, Placing Plastic Cards,
Placing Documents with the Protection Sheet
Step 3. Scanning Documents
PREPARING DOCUMENTS
15

Proper document preparation prior to the scan can prevent paper feed errors and
damages to the scanner.
 Checking Document Conditions
 Loosening Documents
C
Ch he ec ck ki in ng g D Do oc cu um me en nt t C Co on nd di it ti io on ns s
Make sure the size and ream weight of your documents are acceptable by the
scanner. Refer to “Appendix A: Specifications” of this guide for more information.
To scan multiple documents in a batch from the ADF can increase your work
efficiency and make large scanning tasks easier. The ADF of this scanner accepts a
variety of paper and stationery you may use in your daily work or personal life, such as:
 Normal paper whose size and ream weight meet the requirements stated in
“Appendix A: Specifications” of this guide.
 Notched paper
 Coated paper (e.g., brochure)
Attention
To prevent paper feeding errors and damages to the ADF
unit, strictly follow the instructions below:
 Remove all small objects e.g., paper clips, pins, staples
or any other fasteners attached, before loading the
paper into the ADF.
 Make sure the paper is completely flat with no creased
or curled corners.
 Avoid scanning documents with pencil lead and
newspaper clippings as they will make the ADF
exposure glass and the inner ADF dirty. If you have to
scan such paper, clean the scanner frequently (refer to
“Chapter III. Care and Maintenance” of this guide for
more information).
 The paper for each batch scanned by ADF can be of
the same or different weights. However, make sure the
length of each scan batch is the same.
However, use the flatbed to manually scan documents if they meet any of the
following conditions:
 Paper lighter than 50 g/m2(14 lb.) or heavier than 105 g/m2(28 lb.)
 Paper with clips or staples attached
 Paper with inconsistent thickness, e.g., envelops
 Paper with wrinkles, curls, folds, or tears
 Paper with an odd (non-rectangular) shape
 Tracing paper
 Carbon paper, pressure sensitive paper, carbonless paper
16