Scan to folder for Macs is dead, or nearly so, thanks to Apple’s macOS High Sierra release.
Mac users accustomed to scanning documents on their office copiers and document scanners and sending them to their PCs were surprised when after updating their machines to Apple’s new OS they found they no longer could scan to folder using FTP.
Why? Because with the release of macOS High Sierra, Apple officially discontinued its support for FTP scanning making the ability to “scan to folder” from the copier no longer an option.
While the omission dealt death to the functionality, borrowing the line from great 80s classic “Princess Bride,” take heart — scan to folder is only MOSTLY dead.
As Billy Crystal remarked then that “mostly dead is slightly alive,” so we say about FTP scanning and Macs. The relationship is still slightly alive thanks to some alternative products now available, depending on your equipment.
Here are some of those solutions:
Kyocera: KYOCERA’s PinPoint Scan Application makes scanning from you PC or Mac from a networked KYOCERA MFP (with HyPAS) easy, fast and versatile. Despite “Scan-megaddon”, this technology still works. Any of our clients who have this app will be unaffected by the change. We have several clients out there with this already, and it’s a relatively modestly priced.
Sharp: Sharp’s AIP Connect platform has connectors for Microsoft’s Exchange, OneDrive and Sharepoint, Network Folders, OnBase and Blackboard from many Sharp MFP devices. While it’s more expensive than PinPoint, it works, and it will bypass the Mac vs. FTP problem.
Ricoh: At this time Ricoh does not have a direct answer to this problem; however, the best answer solution Ricoh provides is the I.C.E. Suite, which allows direct scanning into all cloud-based repositories, such as Dropbox, email (Office 365 or Google Apps), and Google Drive.
Canon: Like Ricoh, Canon offers no direct solution. That said, they have their own version of I.C.E (Cloud Scanning Support), and they also have a mobile scanning solution available.
Apple: Another solution your IT solutions team may look at is Apple’s own FTP App downloadable for $3.99 from the Mac App store. According to the product description, the app allows the exchange of files between your computers and other devices, via a TCP-based network. Here are the details, but make sure to talk with your IT professional before making any changes.
So why did Apple make this change and bring on the Mac/FTP-pocalypse? One theory is that as historically people used scan-to-folder as files were too big to attach to emails, the advent of cloud document solutions such as Google Drive and Drop Box have rendered the technology obselete as now you can upload a document to the cloud and then send a link.
Due to this, Apple may have reasoned scan-to-folder was no longer necessarily and therefor destined to die. That’s why the company, with its fall 2017 OS release, played the Six-Fingered Man and subjected scan-to-folder to The Machine and drained the life from it, at least on the Apple platform.
If you need a Miracle Max to bring your Mac-FTP capability back to life for your business, reach out to your IT/ network support team. They should be able to least help hook you up with a solution that will work with Google Drive or DropBox which should meet your scanning needs for large and small files and work the various with copier and scanner manufacturers.
Hopefully, this has been helpful to you.
WARNING: shameless plug here: You can always reach out to us and our managed IT support team. We've been in the office technology business since 1952, so we know copiers, scanners, networks and, well, pretty much anything (or if not, are always up to learn) when it comes to document and office technology ... so if you need a hand, let us know.
About R.K. Black, Inc.
R.K. Black, Inc. is an Oklahoma City-based, family-owned leading provider of office technology solutions to small and medium-sized businesses in Oklahoma and Kansas. We specialize in everything business technology from copier, fax, printer and scanner technology to document management, onsite paper shredding services, VoIP phone systems and managed IT support to video surveillance solutions.
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