The only setting you can change is for resolution, and the only button on the scanner is the power button, which you can also press repeatedly to cycle through the resolution settings. All scans are in color and are saved in JPG file format. Scanning with the S8X1100 is as simple as setting it up. You can then copy the files to your hard drive to use them with any programs you like. The scanning is all done by the S8X1100 itself, with the scans sent to memory, not to programs. Installing each program is easy enough you don’t actually have to install any software. If you explore the disc, you’ll find the document management program NewSoft Presto! PageManager 9, the photo editor Magix Photo Designer 7, and Magix Video Easy SE, which lets you convert scans into a video. It actually takes a touch more work than with most scanners, because you have to find each program on the disc and install it separately, instead of relying on an automatic installation program. Installing the software that comes with the scanner is only a little harder. Just connect the scanner by the supplied USB cable to a USB port or to the supplied power block plugged into a power outlet. There’s basically no physical setup needed.

The S8X1100 is small enough to fit easily in your laptop bag, at 1.4 by 11.4 by 2 inches (HWD) and it weighs only about 13 ounces. All you have to do is go to the folder with the scans, using Windows Explorer or another program, and open the file to see the scan. Your computer will see the memory in the scanner as a USB drive. One advantage the S8X1100 offers over most computer-free scanners is that if you’re plugged into a USB port for power, you can also easily check the scan quality anytime during a session. The scanner itself offers a 128MB internal memory, but you can also plug in an SD card to increase the memory to as much as 32GB. Like other computer-free scanners, including the Editors’ Choice Visioneer Mobility and the Apparent Doxie One, the S8X1100 scans to memory, where it stores the files so you can copy them to your computer’s hard drive later. (You can also plug it into a wall socket, but the three-foot cable it comes with is a little short for that.) The good news is that however confused the design may be, if you need a scanner to take with you on the go, the S8X1100 is still a reasonable choice. On the other hand, it doesn’t use batteries, and the best way to power it is to plug it into a USB port, which means you need a computer.

On the one hand, it’s a portable manual-feed scanner that can scan without a computer. The Pandigital Personal Scanner (S8X1100) offers a somewhat self-contradictory design.

Driver for pandigital scanner