12 Days Of Paperless Gifts – Personal Document Scanners

12 Days Of Paperless Gifts – Personal Document Scanners

12 Days Of Paperless GiftsThis is Day 2 in a 12 Post series: 12 Days Of Paperless Gifts. If you know someone who could use some help going paperless, or if you’d like to drop some hints, this series is for you. Don’t worry, the regular DocumentSnap tips will still be flowing.

Day 1 of the 12 Days series was a desktop document scanner. I’m a big fan of them (they’re what I use), but they might be overkill for someone who has a bit less paper, or wants to save on space.

If your recipient wants something a bit more compact (and you want to save some money), take a look at a (for lack of better description) personal document scanner.

A “personal document scanner” is a scanner that is smaller than a full desktop scanner, but larger and more powerful than a fully mobile scanner. You can still take them around with you, and you can put them away in a drawer when you aren’t using them, but they have document feeders and scan double-sided. A great compromise in the best sense of the word.

So, whether your criteria is size, portability, or cost, here are a few options:

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i

ScanSnap S1300i

  • Who is it for?: Windows or Mac users who want ease of use and high quality scans.
  • How fast is it?: 12 pages per minute, double sided.
  • How much paper can it hold?: 10 pages.
  • How big is it?: 11.2“ x 3.9” x 3".
  • How much does it weigh?: 3.1 pounds.
  • What software does it come with?:
    ScanSnap Organizer (Windows),
    ABBYY FineReader For ScanSnap (Both),
    CardMinder (Both)
  • My review: Read my review here.
  • Where can I buy it?: Amazon

Canon imageFORMULA P–215II

Canon imageFORMULA P-215

  • Who is it for?: Mac or Windows users who need TWAIN compatibility or the ability to scan cards.
  • How fast is it?: 15 pages per minute B&W, 10 pages per minute Color, double sided.
  • How much paper can it hold?: 20 pages.
  • How big is it?: 11.2“ x 3.7” x 1.6".
  • How much does it weigh?: 2.2 pounds.
  • What software does it come with?:
    Canon CaptureOnTouch
    Canon CaptureOnTouch Lite
    Nuance PaperPort (Windows)
    NewSoft Presto! PageManager (Mac)
    NewSoft Presto! BizCard
  • My review: Read my review of the previous version here.
  • Where can I buy it?
    Amazon US, Amazon UK

About the Author

Brooks Duncan helps individuals and small businesses go paperless. He's been an accountant, a software developer, a manager in a very large corporation, and has run DocumentSnap since 2008. You can find Brooks on Twitter at @documentsnap or @brooksduncan. Thanks for stopping by.

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