SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

PFU EMEA has launched ScanSnap Camera in its ScanSnap Home mobile app. Free to download, the feature arrives as the ScanSnap brand marks its 25th year.

The addition extends the ScanSnap line beyond dedicated scanners to smartphones. Users can capture documents, receipts, business cards and photos with a phone camera and convert them into digital files through the app.

PFU EMEA said the app uses the same image-processing technology as the ScanSnap scanner range. It includes automatic capture, image alignment and correction tools, and converts documents into searchable PDFs that can be reordered, rotated or adjusted before saving.

Files can be stored on the phone or in a cloud service. Registration is required, and the feature is available only in regions where ScanSnap Cloud is supported.

Broader reach

The move gives PFU a way to bring the ScanSnap brand to users who do not own one of its scanners. It also creates a lower-cost entry point to document digitisation for home users and small businesses that only need occasional scanning.

For channel partners, PFU is positioning the app as a way to open broader customer discussions around document capture. That links the free mobile feature to the wider ScanSnap hardware range, which includes portable, desktop and specialist scanners.

“The ScanSnap Camera app gives our partners a completely new way to engage customers. By making high-quality document capture freely available on a smartphone, we’re helping more people experience the value of digitisation, increasing the accessibility of scanning. Our reseller partners are then perfectly positioned to introduce the wider ScanSnap portfolio when users need greater speed, volume, reliability or functionality. It’s about creating more conversations, reaching more customers and growing the market together,” said Brian Fortune, GM Sales, PFU EMEA.

PFU said the current ScanSnap line-up covers different document workflows and work settings. The iX100 is aimed at mobile use, while the iX1300 is a compact desktop model. The iX2400 and iX2500 sit further up the range, and the SV600 is designed for bound documents, books and fragile materials.

Brand history

ScanSnap was first introduced in 2001 and built its reputation on simple document scanning for non-specialist users. PFU has long centred the range on straightforward setup and one-touch scanning, with an emphasis on turning paper records into organised digital files.

The release of a smartphone-based scanning tool reflects a shift in how PFU is framing that idea. Rather than requiring dedicated hardware from the outset, the ScanSnap experience can now start with a mobile device many users already own.

That may widen the brand’s audience at a time when small firms and households continue to manage a mix of physical and digital records. Receipts, forms, letters and identity documents often still begin on paper, even as storage and sharing increasingly move online.

PFU EMEA is the regional subsidiary of Japan-based PFU, which develops document imaging products and IT infrastructure services. PFU sits within the wider Ricoh group, whose business spans digital services, print and imaging operations in around 200 countries and regions.

The launch also coincides with a milestone for the ScanSnap name. PFU is using the 25-year mark to highlight the brand’s role in personal productivity, home administration and small business document management.

Yasunari Shimizu, President and CEO of PFU, outlined the company’s position on the new feature.

“ScanSnap has always been about removing complexity and making it easy for anyone to digitise their world. For 25 years, we have continued to evolve the ScanSnap experience while remaining true to the principles on which the brand was built. With ScanSnap Camera, we are extending that simplicity even further, bringing the trusted ScanSnap experience into every user’s pocket and enabling more people to experience its value, completely free,” said Shimizu.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

20i has warned online businesses to prepare for a surge in website traffic at half-time during England’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina. Similar patterns have already appeared during earlier England matches, the web hosting company said.

Data from its hosting platform showed traffic during the half-time break in England’s quarter-final win over Norway rose sharply, peaking at 27% above the average for the same period across the previous three days. Such sudden rebounds can strain websites that are not set up to absorb large numbers of visitors arriving within minutes.

Major sporting fixtures can create a distinct challenge for retailers and other online organisations. Visitor numbers often fall while a match is in progress, then return quickly when viewers check their phones during the interval or after the final whistle.

According to 20i, online activity during England’s earlier matches against Croatia and Ghana dropped by an average of 22.5% while fans watched the action. It estimated that decline equated to a potential £22 million slowdown in spending for UK retailers during those periods.

The issue, 20i argued, is less about steady growth in demand than the speed of the change. A rapid burst of traffic can affect page loading times, checkout processes and site stability, particularly for eCommerce operators handling purchases on mobile devices.

Traffic swings

For businesses with limited hosting resources or poorly tuned websites, the operational risk is immediate. Slower pages can prompt users to abandon baskets, while interruptions at payment stages can lead directly to lost sales and customer complaints.

The warning comes as football audiences reshape online behaviour throughout the day. Retailers, media groups and service providers can all see short-term shifts in visitor levels when large televised events draw attention away from digital activity and then release it in concentrated bursts.

20i urged organisations to review whether their hosting arrangements can scale quickly enough to cope with sudden increases in traffic. It also highlighted common technical steps such as caching, using a content delivery network and testing systems in advance to identify bottlenecks.

It also recommended monitoring site performance in real time and checking that image files and other page elements are optimised for mobile use. Businesses should also test key customer journeys, including checkout and payment flows, under heavier demand.

Those steps reflect a broader eCommerce concern that consumer attention now shifts rapidly between live events and shopping activity. A match break can compress browsing, purchasing and payment into a narrow window, leaving little margin for websites that respond slowly.

Lloyd Cobb, Director, 20i, described the pattern as unusually hard to predict and manage. “Major sporting events create some of the most unpredictable traffic patterns businesses will experience. It’s not just the volume of visitors that matters – it’s how quickly they arrive. During England’s match against Norway we saw traffic jump dramatically at half-time, and we expect to see similar patterns when millions of people watch England face Argentina. Businesses that aren’t prepared risk slower websites, interrupted customer journeys and lost sales at exactly the moment people are reaching for their phones,” Cobb said.

20i hosts more than 1 million websites, giving it a broad view of short-term traffic shifts during nationally watched events. Its analysis suggests that for online businesses, the commercial impact of a major football match may depend as much on readiness for the break in play as on the event itself.

The Rising Sun & Pad Thai Cuisine on High Street in Thame was visited by South Oxfordshire enviromental health officers earlier this year.

One key problem on the day was the management of food safety, which was deemed to require “major improvement”.

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One category noted as being “generally satisfactory”, however, was the cleanliness and condition of both the facilities and building.

Meanwhile hygienic food handling was deemed as “improvement necessary”.

The website invites customers to enjoy the delights of a traditional British pub – oak beams, stone floors, great beers – and the flavours of fantastic Thai cuisine.

They also participated in this years Thame Pride with open mic nights and professional singers coming on later in the night to perform for punters.