Although the suggestions in the previous chapter should help you to cut down on the volume of paper that comes into your life, they won’t stop it altogether—and they won’t eliminate all the paper you’ve already accumulated, either. So we move on to the next phase, which is scanning your documents so you have searchable digital copies, after which you can (at your discretion) recycle, shred, or file the originals. To accomplish this task, you’ll need a scanner—and not just any scanner. In this chapter I explain what makes an ideal scanner for this specific application, mention a few good candidates, and help you decide which one to buy.
I want to warn you up front that the type of scanner I recommend is not cheap—a $50 model probably won’t cut it. But if time is money, then you’ll recoup your investment many times over.
Around 2001, when I first realized that I wanted a paperless office, I bought a scanner that, according to my research at the time, should have been just the ticket. It was a high-resolution flatbed scanner (the kind typically used for scanning photographs) that came with an automatic document feeder (ADF) attachment, so I could lay a stack of papers in the tray, push the button, and—in theory—end up with scanned copies of them a few minutes later. But after trying this a few times, I got so frustrated that I gave up entirely. I want you to avoid making the same mistake, so let me explain the problems with my earlier setup:
So that experiment was a bust, but I learned a lesson: for document scanning, what you need is a document scanner—a device that’s designed expressly for that task. And most flatbeds—even newer, faster ones with duplex ADF capabilities—are not the best tool for the job. (I’m not knocking flatbeds, by the way. They’re fantastic for scanning photos, books, and large or irregular papers. But if you need to plow through thousands of letter/A4-sized sheets of mostly text, not so much.)
Typical desktop document scanners look somewhat like fax machines: you load the pages to be scanned in the top, and the scanner pulls them through quickly (often at a pace of 20 pages or more per minute), scanning both sides at once. (Compare this with duplex flatbed scanners and multifunction devices that require two passes to scan both sides of a page—even if the process is automated, it still takes twice as long.)
What’s the catch? Well, you trade off resolution, for one thing; document scanners usually max out at 600 dpi (dots per inch), whereas 4800 dpi is more common for flatbeds. But it turns out that for this type of scanning, lower resolution is exactly what you want—and as I explain ahead, in Resolution, there may be good reasons to go even lower than 600 dpi.
Another trade-off is that document scanners limit the dimensions of your documents. Letter- and legal-size pages are no problem, and most of them can handle smaller sizes, such as business cards and receipts, too. But larger pages, materials that are especially thick or stiff, and extremely delicate papers often pose problems for document scanners.
Even so, for the vast majority of office-type scanning, the benefits of document scanners far outweigh their limitations.
A subcategory of document scanners includes those designed for portability. In most cases, this means giving up an ADF, settling for slower speeds, or both. A few convertible models attempt to give you the best of both worlds by offering a detachable ADF, leaving you with a small, portable, manual-feed scanner.
Another subcategory, which I disparaged in the first edition of this book, is multifunction devices (which combine printer, scanner, copier, and sometimes fax into one box). I wasn’t enthusiastic about using such devices for document scanning because even those with ADFs often didn’t offer duplex scanning; when they did, it almost always required two passes; they were usually comparatively slow; and you were less likely to find them bundled with good OCR software. However, since then, a handful of more-advanced multifunction devices from reputable manufacturers such as Brother and Canon have appeared on the market, and it’s now possible to find models with relatively fast, single-pass duplex scanning and even decent OCR software. I’ve listed some examples in the online appendixes. Even so, remember that those examples are still the exception to the rule; most multifunction devices aren’t ideal for turning an office paperless, and I urge you to be circumspect when considering such a device, space and cost savings notwithstanding.
I’ve already mentioned a few features to look for in a document scanner, but let me expand on that list:
Be aware, though, that portable scanners are nearly always slower than desktop models, and among portables, those that rely on a single USB cable for bus power tend to be the slowest.
You’ll have to decide whether Wi-Fi is useful to you. Speaking for myself, I never want to scan directly to a mobile device, and if a scanner can connect to only one Mac at a time, I don’t care whether it uses Wi-Fi or USB. But it would be useful for my wife and me to share a single scanner over Wi-Fi, so next time I’m in the market for a scanner, I may look for one with that feature.
Such capabilities are handy, but it doesn’t ultimately matter much whether these tasks are performed during the initial scan or during post-processing by a third-party application. If the scanner’s own software doesn’t do everything you need, a bundled program—or an application you purchase separately—certainly can.
Before you decide which model to buy, you might want to read about some of this extra software in the next chapter (Choose OCR Software), because you may be able to save money by choosing a scanner that includes software you’re interested in. But with the sole exception of the original Doxie, every scanner I discuss here and in the online appendixes comes with software that can create searchable PDFs, and almost any combination can be made to work effectively for most people. Remember, though, that you can always add a third-party program later, so don’t sweat the decision too much. (For example, if you happen to like Fujitsu’s scanners but prefer Neat’s software, it’s no problem to mix and match them.)
In recent years the market for document scanners has blossomed, although a good many models ship with software only for Windows PCs. However, Mac users still have numerous options, which cover a considerable gamut of price, features, and size.
The first edition of this book included lists of Mac-compatible scanners in various categories, but because manufacturers add new models and discontinue old models regularly, those lists quickly went out of date. So, this time around, I’ve moved information about currently available models (including features, price, and bundled software) onto a Web site where I can keep it updated easily. Visit the online appendixes to review the hardware (and software) you can choose from.
However, whether you use my information or your own research to make a buying decision, you should be familiar with the broad categories of document scanners: Desktop Scanners for models meant to remain in one place; Convertible Scanners for models that work well enough on a desk, but let you separate the scanner from the document feeder so you can take it with you; and Portable Scanners that make more significant trade-offs in favor of mobility.
In an office, where speed and efficiency are primary concerns and you have a bit of spare desk space, a conventional desktop document scanner is the logical choice. The best-known brand in this category is Fujitsu’s ScanSnap series, but several other manufacturers—including Brother, Canon, Epson, iVina, and Neat—offer models with comparable features.
Although these scanners are all similar in overall design, they differ in numerous details, especially bundled software. Suggested retail prices range from about $400 to $800, although significant discounts are often available from vendors such as Amazon.com. You can read all the details in the online appendixes.
If you expect to do most of your scanning at your desk and you want the advantages of a desktop scanner (namely, faster performance and an ADF) but also need to scan on the go occasionally, consider a convertible scanner. On your desk it looks and acts much like any other desktop scanner, but when you detach the ADF, you get a stand-alone, manually fed scanner mechanism that can operate on USB bus power.
This category includes models by I.R.I.S., iVina, Visioneer, and Xerox. Apart from slower scanning speeds and lower-capacity ADFs, their features are roughly the same as desktop-only models. However, the bundled software tends to be less capable, so you may have to pay extra for a better OCR tool. And, even though the detachable units are smaller than the full product, they’re not small enough to toss in your computer bag and forget (as is the case with some of the models in the next category). So think carefully about how you intend to use your scanner before opting for a convertible model.
All the scanners in this last group are marketed as “portable,” though that word has a range of meanings. I’ll start with what they all have in common: They can run on USB bus power—no AC adapter required—which certainly does increase portability. (A few, including the Doxie Go, Doxie One, and IRIScan Anywhere 3, also run on batteries.) Beyond that, the differences become pronounced.
Several of these scanners (including all the Doxie models, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100, and NeatReceipts) are genuinely tiny, weighing well under a pound. The Visioneer Strobe 400 is a step up in size and weight (1.6 pounds), but it offers duplex scanning, which the smaller scanners lack.
Canon’s imageFORMULA P-150 slides farther along the scale, at about twice the size of the original Doxie and three times the weight (about 2.1 pounds), while the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i is larger and heavier still, at around 3.1 pounds—still portable, but only just, much like the convertible scanners. However, only the Canon and Fujitsu models (both also duplex-capable, by the way) include automatic document feeders, which significantly increase their usefulness. As always, you can find complete details in the online appendixes.
In my estimation, modern document scanners are more alike than different, and you can probably get acceptable results with just about any of them. I’d urge you to look for three main things:
You can get all that with any of the desktop or convertible models, and about half the portable models. If you spend a lot of time on the road, I’d have no hesitation recommending one of the tiny, ADF-less, simplex, portable scanners as a supplemental tool—but I wouldn’t suggest it as one’s only, or primary, scanner.
If pressed to recommend just one brand of scanner, I’d give the nod to Fujitsu’s ScanSnap line, as I’ve used five different ScanSnap models myself, and I like both their hardware and their software. Although my current go-to desktop scanner is Fujitsu’s desktop iX500, I’m also quite fond of the S1300i for both desktop and portable use. The S1300i is slower than the iX500 and bulkier than other compact scanners, but then, its price is about half that of the iX500.