Hardware Specifications

VotingWorks equipment uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components whenever possible. The printers, scanners, and laptops onto which we install our software are usually items that anyone could buy online or at an electronics store. COTS equipment tends to be more reliable, affordable, and transparent than highly customized hardware. On this page, you'll find more information about the components we use and links to documentation about each component.

HP Printers

VxAdmin and VxMark print ballots with HP LaserJet Pro Printers. They are business printers that reliably and quickly print ballots with a low cost-per-ballot and low energy requirements. VxMark is paired with the HP m404n printer while VxAdmin is paired with the HP m404dn printer. The two are nearly identical black and white printers, the only difference being that the latter can print double-sided.

VxAdmin can also be used to print in color with the HP m454dn printer, but due to the increased cost of toner and its bulkier size we normally recommend using the HP m404dn.

Toner

New printers come with toner pre-installed, but in the future you may have to install a new toner cartridge. The rate at which you use toner will depend on how dense the ballots are, i.e. how many contests are on each ballot. Both the HP m404n and HP m404dn accept the same toner cartridges: HP 58a or HP 58x, the latter being the high-yield version. To install a new toner cartridge, follow HP's instructions.

Feeder Tray

The primary, bottom input tray (Tray 2) has a paper capacity of 150 to 250 pieces of paper, depending on the thickness of the paper you are using. If you find yourself reloading the input tray frequently for large ballot printing jobs, you can use one additional, larger HP feeder tray to load an additional 400 to 550 pieces of paper at once. Follow HP's instructions to install the feeder.

Scanners

Fujitsu Scanners

VxBatch comes with the Fujitsu fi-7160 business scanner, capable of scanning almost one ballot per second with VotingWorks software. We recommend using the scanner with the stacker (a.k.a output tray) down and fully extended, the stopper flipped up, and the detachable paper chute attached and fully extended:

For more detailed instructions on how to set up the scanner, consult the product Operator's Guide.

The fi-7160 should be cleaned before each election and after every 5,000 sheets scanned in order to maintain peak scanning accuracy. VotingWorks provides a Fujitsu ScanAid Kit alongside the fi-7160. The kit contains a copy of the cleaning instructions and the cleaning fluid, cloths, and swabs.

VxScan Kiosk Scanner

VxScan uses the Plustek VTM 300 kiosk scanner as its scanning unit. Unlike the Fujitsu scanners used for central scanning, the Plustek scanner is installed into VotingWorks equipment and should never be removed.

Laptops and Tablets

VotingWorks equipment uses standard laptops and tablets. Below is a list of devices currently in use in our products and links to documentation if you would like to learn more:

Hardware Dimensions