What a document feeder does
The feeder is the tray on top of the copier. You drop in a stack, press Start, and it pulls each page across the scanner. Without one, every page has to be placed on the glass by hand.
Reversing feeder vs single-pass dual scan
- Reversing feeder (RADF): scans the front, flips the page, then scans the back. It works, but each two-sided page passes through twice.
- Single-pass dual scan (DADF): has a scanner on each side of the paper path and reads both sides at once. Faster, and gentler on the originals.
What the numbers mean
Feeder speed is quoted in images per minute (ipm), where each side counts as one image. Capacity is the number of sheets you can load at once.
- D7500 Series: single-pass duplex feeder, up to 240 sides per minute, holds up to 300 pages.
- D5000 Series: single-pass duplex feeder, 200 sides per minute, holds up to 200 pages.
- N600 Series: 90-sheet feeder, up to 70 images per minute in mono.
Who benefits most
- Accounting and legal offices that scan bundles of invoices, statements or contracts.
- HR and admin teams digitising files.
- Schools copying double-sided worksheets and exam papers.
- Any office moving from paper to scan-to-email or scan-to-folder.
If you only scan a page or two a day, feeder speed matters less than print speed and running cost.
Tips for trouble-free feeding
- Remove staples and paper clips first.
- Fan the stack and square the edges.
- Don’t load past the fill line.
- Feed torn, creased or very thin originals on the glass instead.
If scans go to the wrong place, see scan to email not working.