Modifying the Ricoh 8170 Before Scanning Sports Cards and Trading Cards

Before scanning penny-sleeved or top-loaded cards in the Ricoh 8170, there are two minor modifications needed to ensure they feed in smoothly.

1. Remove the Roller
This takes less than a minute and it is easy to re-insert this part into the scanner in the future.

Here's how:

2. Add a small piece of tape around the feeder arms

Some dealers report seeing two parallel indents in some cards after they are fed through the scanner. The best source of guidance on this topic is adding a small piece of tape around the arms, as detailed in this YouTube video. This takes about five minutes.

The Ricoh 8170 as a Long Term Solution

Once these two modifications are complete, the Ricoh 8170 has proven to be a time-tested reliable solution for card dealers. If scanning cards in penny sleeves, you can typically expect to scan hundreds of thousands of cards before needing to repair or replace the scanner.