Author Topic: Document Scanner  (Read 2004 times)

BrooklineBiker

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Document Scanner
« on: July 04, 2020, 12:40:47 PM »
Hi folks,
I'm in the market for a desktop document scanner for my home office for receipts and paperwork I can't get in PDF form. Can anyone recommend a model? Also is this something I can buy used and expect to get in good working order?

hops

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2020, 12:50:33 PM »
Will this be for frequent, high-volume scanning or more occasional work?

We scan a lot, in both color and B&W, and use a Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1500. It was pricey but has been reliable so far.

seattlecyclone

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2020, 04:35:09 PM »
I have one of these Epson scanners. It's also a bit on the pricey side, but it's so worth it if you want to scan things at all frequently. I also have one of those all-in-one printer/scanner devices and I never could bear to scan something unless it was absolutely necessary, because it was sooooo sloooooooow. With the document scanner I've been able to clear a bunch of paper clutter out of our lives. It can scan short documents about as quickly as you can feed it paper and give the output a reasonable file name.

the_fixer

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2020, 05:10:22 PM »
I recommend genius scan (a phone app) to people in my organization that travel and have tons of receipts to scan and use it myself at home.

It is nice to be able to scan right at the point you get the receipt and not have another device around the house.

You really should give it a try, everyone that I have recommended it to loves it and has made their life easier and I am talking old school workers that think every form needs to be filled out on paper in triplicate


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mspym

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2020, 05:16:17 PM »
Another vote for an app on your phone that converts the photo you take into a pdf. I've used a couple of different apps and they have all worked fine.

FiveSigmas

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2020, 05:46:21 PM »
Will this be for frequent, high-volume scanning or more occasional work?

We scan a lot, in both color and B&W, and use a Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1500. It was pricey but has been reliable so far.

I have access to a ScanSnap, and agree that it’s fantastic for high volume scanning. Both the hardware and software are top-notch. Definitely not cheap, though (new ones are ~$400 retail).

If I had a big backlog that I wanted to get caught up on and didn’t have access to one, I would even consider buying one, doing the job, and then passing along on CL.

Kris

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2020, 06:56:45 AM »
I recommend genius scan (a phone app) to people in my organization that travel and have tons of receipts to scan and use it myself at home.

It is nice to be able to scan right at the point you get the receipt and not have another device around the house.

You really should give it a try, everyone that I have recommended it to loves it and has made their life easier and I am talking old school workers that think every form needs to be filled out on paper in triplicate


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I use Genius Scan, as well. It has made life so much easier.

ctuser1

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2020, 09:06:09 AM »
I scan, maybe, 10 pages a week. These are mostly documents, i.e. legal sized paper and usually not small receipts.

I have been a happy camper with Brother all-in-one monochrome laser printer/scanner/copiers for 14 years now (since 2006). I am on my third such machine. My current model is MFC-L5900DW, running strong for 7 years now.

I look for auto-document-feeder, duplex scanning and printing, network print server. The "close to top" end Brother machines usually give me all that for ~$300-$400.


BrooklineBiker

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2020, 03:28:40 PM »
I have one of these Epson scanners. It's also a bit on the pricey side, but it's so worth it if you want to scan things at all frequently. I also have one of those all-in-one printer/scanner devices and I never could bear to scan something unless it was absolutely necessary, because it was sooooo sloooooooow. With the document scanner I've been able to clear a bunch of paper clutter out of our lives. It can scan short documents about as quickly as you can feed it paper and give the output a reasonable file name.

Hi,
I would likely do 4-5 small receipts a week but would occasionally scan larger stuff like 8x11" legal documents I can't get in PDF form.

jeninco

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2020, 01:41:49 PM »
Doc Scan (also a phone app) is one we've used for both letter-sized and legal-sized documents. It seems to work fairly well -- my college student uses it to send in documents to professors sometimes.

SimpleCycle

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2020, 01:43:47 PM »
I have one of these Epson scanners. It's also a bit on the pricey side, but it's so worth it if you want to scan things at all frequently. I also have one of those all-in-one printer/scanner devices and I never could bear to scan something unless it was absolutely necessary, because it was sooooo sloooooooow. With the document scanner I've been able to clear a bunch of paper clutter out of our lives. It can scan short documents about as quickly as you can feed it paper and give the output a reasonable file name.

Hi,
I would likely do 4-5 small receipts a week but would occasionally scan larger stuff like 8x11" legal documents I can't get in PDF form.

At that level of scanning, I think GeniusScan is more than sufficient.  It's a great app.

Christof

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2020, 02:07:19 PM »
We have a ScanSnap from the time when we ran our business from home. New it is too pricey for occasional scans. I also use the TurboScan app when I‘m away which like most phone based apps is sufficient for the occasional scan.

NextTime

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2020, 07:46:56 AM »
I have one of these Epson scanners. It's also a bit on the pricey side, but it's so worth it if you want to scan things at all frequently. I also have one of those all-in-one printer/scanner devices and I never could bear to scan something unless it was absolutely necessary, because it was sooooo sloooooooow. With the document scanner I've been able to clear a bunch of paper clutter out of our lives. It can scan short documents about as quickly as you can feed it paper and give the output a reasonable file name.

Hi,
I would likely do 4-5 small receipts a week but would occasionally scan larger stuff like 8x11" legal documents I can't get in PDF form.

At that level of scanning, I think GeniusScan is more than sufficient.  It's a great app.


I use the Scanner Pro app on my phone. I recommend you use an app for that level of scanning. I don't do a lot of scanning, but I've scanned both receipts and documents and it has been more than sufficient. To me the quality looks even better than a cheap flatbed scanner. And it's so much easier.

Like @ctuser1  I also have a Brother monochrome laser printer/scanner/copier that I bought new a few years ago. They often go on sale for less than $100. I can't remember if I ever used the scanner, but the laser printer is solid.

ToTheMoon

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2020, 09:15:02 AM »
I am a bookkeeper, and I recently picked up one of these guys and it has been life changing: https://epson.ca/For-Home/Scanners/Document-Scanners/WorkForce-ES-60W-Wireless-Portable-Document-Scanner/p/B11B253201

I grab it from under my desk, quickly scan the documents (about 4 seconds/page) and tuck it away again.

I will also second any recommendations for Brother laser printers/multi-function machines. They are inexpensive and last FOREVER!

However, for your particular scanning situation, it does sound like using an app on your phone is your best bet for price & convenience.

Kl285528

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2020, 09:37:43 AM »
My iphone has the Notes app, which does a great job of scanning.

NextTime

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2020, 10:18:07 AM »
My iphone has the Notes app, which does a great job of scanning.

Interesting.  I didn't realize the Notes app had a scanner built in.

the_fixer

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #16 on: July 09, 2020, 10:59:25 AM »
My iphone has the Notes app, which does a great job of scanning.
What the....

I have been using an iPhone since the 4 came out and had no idea the notes could scan. And I use the notes all of the time.

I will add that to my list of accomplishments at work today.


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Christof

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2020, 12:01:16 PM »
I have been using an iPhone since the 4 came out and had no idea the notes could scan. And I use the notes all of the time.

That has only been added a few years ago, maybe less.

FiveSigmas

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #18 on: July 09, 2020, 12:15:46 PM »
Like @ctuser1  I also have a Brother monochrome laser printer/scanner/copier that I bought new a few years ago. They often go on sale for less than $100. I can't remember if I ever used the scanner, but the laser printer is solid.

I agree that Brother lasers are great, and I’ve actually been tempted to get one of their multifunctions. Unfortunately, everyone and their mother has apparently had the same idea during the lock-down. While supply-chains have recently gotten a bit better stocked, I haven’t found the same sub-$100 deals that used to be relatively common.

FLBiker

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #19 on: July 09, 2020, 01:05:09 PM »
+1 on phone app (I use Adobe Scan) but I'll check out genius scan.  I did a big backlog of scanning using a scanner at work, and I like the idea of buying one, using it, and then selling it if I had a bunch.  For 10-20 scans a week, I think a phone would be fine.

+1, too, on the refurb <$100 Brother B/W laser printer.  The one downside is that ours is single sided, but it's been great.

ctuser1

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Re: Document Scanner
« Reply #20 on: July 09, 2020, 01:07:28 PM »
Like @ctuser1  I also have a Brother monochrome laser printer/scanner/copier that I bought new a few years ago. They often go on sale for less than $100. I can't remember if I ever used the scanner, but the laser printer is solid.

I agree that Brother lasers are great, and I’ve actually been tempted to get one of their multifunctions. Unfortunately, everyone and their mother has apparently had the same idea during the lock-down. While supply-chains have recently gotten a bit better stocked, I haven’t found the same sub-$100 deals that used to be relatively common.

My first brother MFC was one of those sub-100 deals. After that one died, I switched to using the higher end models.

e.g. the MFC-L2710DW is $200 regular priced, and will go < $100 on smoking hot deals.
https://www.staples.com/brother-mfc-l2710dw-compact-monochrome-laser-all-in-one-printer-with-duplex-printing-and-wireless-networking/product_2764646


The next leg up is L5700: https://www.staples.com/Brother-MFC-L5700DW-Mono-Laser-All-in-One-Printer/product_2072517, regular priced @$320, and generally much harder to find deals on. You can, maybe, get it for $250ish.

For the extra money, you get the ability to use a much higher capacity toner with lower per page cost (TN-850 with 8000 pages, vs TN820 with 3000 pages) and duplex scanning/copying. I also found printing large pdf's were frustratingly slow on the lower end models (memory issue).

So, last time I had my printer die, I got the MFC-L5900DW and added additional memory (very easy and at that time memory prices were cheap @$30 or so). This was a $400 model that I got for a little below $300 on sale + coupons. Total setup was around $325 or so.

Now, I can throw massive pdf's at it and it runs pretty fast to churn that out. Yes, it cost me $250'ish extra. I justify that by thinking it has already served me for 7 years and will likely go on for another 7, fingers crossed. Of course, there also was the "I deserve it because I am a geek who deserves his toys" thing going on :-D...

tl,dr; I wrote all these to basically say that the higher end models (better built, lower per page cost, more features like duplex scanning on my MFC L5900DW) may make sense if you print a lot, and plan to use these features. :-D