Automatic Document Feeder Meaning
Dot Liljenquist
In multifunction or all-in-one printers, fax machines, photocopiers and scanners, an automatic document feeder or ADF is a feature which takes several pages and feeds the paper one page at a time into a scanner or copier,[1] allowing the user to scan, and thereby copy, print, or fax, multiple-page documents without having to manually replace each page.
Most copiers allow scanning on the flatbed or platen (the "glass") or through a document feeder. The vast majority of fax machines have an ADF, allowing the unattended sending of multi-page faxes. ADF is so ubiquitous in fax machines that some fax machine owners use the machine as a scanner, faxing multi-page documents to themselves. Document feeders are described by speed, in pages per minute or ppm, and capacity, usually in a range from 10 sheets to 200.
There are two kinds of document feeders capable of two-sided (duplex) scanning: a reversing automatic document feeder or RADF scans one side of a page, then flips it and scans the other side. A duplexing automatic document feeder or DADF scans both sides in one pass. The advantage of the DADF is faster speed for two-sided originals. RADFs and DADFs are rated in images per minute (IPM), the number of sides they can scan each minute; this may depend upon the resolution being used (rather than the maximum resolution supported).
Business.com aims to help business owners make informed decisions to support and grow their companies. We research and recommend products and services suitable for various business types, investing thousands of hours each year in this process.
As a business, we need to generate revenue to sustain our content. We have financial relationships with some companies we cover, earning commissions when readers purchase from our partners or share information about their needs. These relationships do not dictate our advice and recommendations. Our editorial team independently evaluates and recommends products and services based on their research and expertise. Learn more about our process and partners here.
When you have one- or two-page documents to copy or scan, handling the task manually is simple and quick. However, if you have longer documents with 10, 50 or even hundreds of pages, standing at the copy machine or scanner and manually inserting each page one by one is quite time-consuming. To streamline the process, the best copiers, scanners and multifunction printers include automatic document feeders that do the work for you.
An automatic document feeder (ADF) is a mechanism found on devices like printers, fax machines, scanners and photocopiers. ADFs are handy when you have multiple sheets of paper to deal with and can be a crucial element of document management.
An ADF is a standard feature on most multifunction or all-in-one printers; it takes the burden off employees who otherwise would have to monitor a printing job and ensure every page is handled correctly.
Mechanically, an ADF operates by guiding a sheet of paper through a series of rollers and into an exit tray. For example, on a scanner, rollers guide a sheet over the scanner flatbed or platen to capture the image and send it to your PC. On a printer, an ADF guides paper to the printing heads to produce a physical document.
If your company conducts business that involves high volumes of physical document handling, an automatic document feeder (ADF) might be for you. An automatic document feeder refers to a capability in scanners, fax machines, or printers that allows the device to process a stack of paper automatically.
Rather than having to put each page into the machine manually, automatic document feeders allow a user to program the machine, insert a large number of paper documents, and walk away. The ADF will take care of the rest.
Many companies that manufacture all-in-one devices, copiers, scanners, and fax machines add an automatic document feeder into the design of their devices or sell an extension that allows users to add an ADF later.
All in all, ADFs save a great deal of time in the office, and every office can benefit from having one installed on their devices. If your organization scans many or large documents, you may also want to consider upgrading your ADF to a single pass document feeder, you may be surprised just how much time is saved, and productivity is improved.
Since 1991, Office Interiors has been providing Atlantic Canada with modern office furniture and equipment. With 5 locations and nearly 100 workplace professionals on staff, the Office Interiors team is dedicated to helping you Love the way you Work!
Using the Automatic Document FeederUnpacking the Automatic Document Feeder
Installing the Automatic Document Feeder
Loading documents in the Automatic Document Feeder
Loading documents manually
Scanning from the Automatic Document Feeder
Fixing paper jams in the Automatic Document Feeder
Document specifications
The Automatic Document Feeder (B81321) allows you to automatically load multi-page documents into your scanner. This is useful for OCR (optical character recognition) scanning, or for creating an image database or PDF files.
Unpacking the Automatic Document FeederWhen you unpack your Automatic Document Feeder, make sure you have all the parts shown below and that none is damaged. If you find any missing or damaged items, contact your Epson dealer immediately.
- The Automatic Document Feeder is heavy, so you may need to have someone help you lift it.
- The Automatic Document Feeder is large, so you should clear sufficient space around the scanner.
Warning:Before removing the document cover, raise it to the upright position to prevent the hinges from snapping back on the springs. Attach the two smaller feet with a groove on the side as shown below.
Slide the right edge guide all the way to the right. Insert the document stack face up in the Automatic Document Feeder until it meets resistance, then move the right edge guide so it is flush with the right edge of your documents.
Note:
- Opening the Automatic Document Feeder while scanning is in progress will result in an option error and may result in a paper feeding error.
- Always close the Automatic Document Feeder and the middle cover before scanning or using the feeder.
[Top]
Scanning from the Automatic Document FeederThe scanning instructions are divided into two sections; see Scanning a complete document to scan an entire document or image, or see Scanning part of a document to scan only a certain part of an image or document.
Scanning a complete documentYou do not need to use the preview feature when scanning the full document or image. The scanner automatically finds and scans the whole image. Follow the steps below to scan an image or document.
Click Scan. The pages are fed into the scanner and scanned. After the whole document has been scanned, the pages are ejected and you see the folder where the pages are stored.Scanning part of a documentTo scan only a part of a document, follow these steps:
Click Preview. The pages are fed into the scanner and ejected after previewing.Note:The second page will be fed immediately after the first page is scanned and ejected without being scanned. Draw a marquee (a frame) to define the part of the image you want to scan by dragging the mouse pointer over that area. Set document(s) to be scanned in the Automatic Document Feeder, including the ejected pages. Choose your settings and click the Scan button.
[Top]
Fixing paper jams in the Automatic Document FeederIf a paper jam occurs, first open the Automatic Document Feeder's cover, remove any paper from the document table, then determine where the paper jam occurred.
The technical term automatic document feeder (ADF) describes an part of an device which allows it to automatically pick up several paper sheets and feed them one page at a time into the device. This means the user can scan, copy, print or fax multiple-page documents without having to manually feed each page into the device. The practical function is used with printers, scanners, copiers and multifunction printers. An automatic document feeder works with either laser or LED technology and automatically scans one or more documents. Thanks to the automatic document feeder, printers can be used more versatile and printing becomes more time-saving.
For all of our information on how many consumables you will consume, we take into account the
relevant ISO standards
.These ISO standards and therefore our calculations assume that you have an A4 page with the
standard coverage of 5% with black-white or 20% coverage for color-printers.
Research has shown that the average coverage for black-and-white pages is around 5%.
The average page coverage for color prints is usually higher and is 20% (5% for black and one color and for the three colors - cyan, magenta and yellow).
You are interested in a black-and-white printer, and state your monthly printing of 300 black-and-white pages over thethe period of 36 months. The printer is a new device and already has a
toner cartridge, suitable for 2,000 pages. The replacment toner, to be reordered, is for 5,000 pages as per thespecifications.