Canon ImageFormula P-215 review

Businesses may be embracing paperless procedures as a way to cut down on the cost of consumables and waste disposal, but it'll still be some time before the average desktop is free from dead tree detritus.

There are more effective ways to deal with paperwork than letting it pile up though, and scanning it for safe-keeping before sending the original for recycling is one of the most effective which is where the Canon ImageFormula P-215 comes in.

The Canon ImageFormula P-215 is a compact sheet-fed scanner designed for mobile use, although it's a touch on the heavy side at 1kg.

Its size makes it suitable for desktops, too not everyone wants to walk across the office to make use of a network-attached multi-function device or colour photocopier's scanning option, after all.

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When not in use, the ImageFormula P-215 is a neat rectangular box that takes up little desk space, but it does require a few seconds' set-up before it's ready to scan. The two-part hinged cover lifts up and folds flat at the back of the scanner to form the paper input tray, two arms fold out from its top end to create paper supports and two panels lift up from the front of the paper tray to act as guides for different paper sizes.

The paper input tray can hold up to 20 sheets and the paper-path is relatively flat, but there's no output tray and scanned sheets are deposited onto the tabletop or straight into the recycling bin The ImageFormula P-215 does have a dedicated business card scanner though, and individual cards are fed into, then ejected from, a slot on its front edge.