Scan cards using the Fujitsu/Ricoh fi-8170 (raw, sleeves and toploaders)

If you have the Fujitsu fi-8170 you currently have the best auto-feeder scanner on the market for Kronocard.

Here is all of the information that will help you scan correctly and prevent issues.

Driver

First, you need to install the PaperStream driver to get it detected in Kronocard. Don't install anything else from Fujitsu, only that driver. If you already installed other app from Fujitsu we strongly recommend to uninstall them all first.

Here is the official Fujitsu driver for the fi-8170

Regular raw cards

To scan regular cards, there is nothing to do, the default settings for the scanner will work as expected. You need to insert your stack of cards with its front facing away and head first.

Cards in penny sleeves

You first need to take note that those kind of scanners are not made for scanning cards in sleeves. But, there are some settings that we can change and use the scanner in a way that will help you scan cards in sleeves.

The scanner by default tries to detect if there are multiple cards pulled inside at the same time, it therefore uses an ultrasonic device to prevent this to happen. In our case, when we have a card in a penny sleeve we need to disable that mechanism.

To do so we created a scanner profile that also fixes the colors and some other values to get better results.

Here are the steps to install the profiles.
Please take note that most of those steps are only required once, not each time you want to scan penny sleeves cards.

Step 1

Download the following profile on your computer : Kronozio fi-8170 profile

Step 2

In your programs list, start the program called Scanning Profile Importer (TWAIN) in the fi Series folder.

In the app, click Browse and select the downloaded profile file in your Download folder.

After the selection, click Import.

It will ask to overwrite your current profiles for the fi-8170.
If you already have a tuned profile that you want to keep DON'T CLICK OK

Step 3

Make sure to also download the second profile on your computer: Operational Profile

Step 4

The second app to open is the one just under the previous one in the list named Software Operation Panel.

In the app, click on Device Setting, or Device Setting 2 if you have multiple Fujitsu scanners.
Pick the one that shows and confirms that you have selected the 8170. Now click on Restore

Select the file previously downloaded on step 3.

Step 5

Open Kronocard and go to the scanning module using your fi-8170.

At the top right corner there is a gear icon, click on that icon and in the new box select the second option.
You can now hit OK and start scanning.

When you start scanning penny sleeves, make sure that in the interface the profile selected is the Kronocard one.
(The numbers at the beginning 005 may be different on your computer) 

You don't need to change anything in that profile. Just click scan.

If you have very high quality sleeves, it's possible that it will work right away without any issue. You just need to have the opening end of the sleeve pointing upwards.

If ever you are having trouble that the sleeves get crumpled, you have two extra steps that you can try.
This is also valid for the Fujitsu fi-7160.

Open the scanner by pulling the button on the right on the top.

When open, you need to remove the brake rollers. This works ONLY for sleeved cards.

Now that the scanner covers are closed, you can insert your cards sideways like this. The opening side on the left and the card facing down. You should see the back of the cards like this.

Toploaders (35pt or less)

Fujitsu as mentioned that there is no problem scanning toploaders in the fi-8170 but we do not really agree with that. It should work but in the long term we are not sure if there isn't a risk of damaging the sensor lens inside the scanner.

For anyone who wants to scan toploaders, with the brake rollers on and the opening facing up, in most cases it will work without too much problem.

If you're having problems, there is a way to slow down the scanner that can help pulling the toploader into the scanner.

On the scanner there is a display with buttons to change settings. Go to the menu and change the setting that says Low-speed feeding. Select that option, click the green button and change the value to Enable. 

With that option for toploaders, there are more chances that they get picked correctly.