How to select a document scanner
Best overall
Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W
Best 8 Scanners for Mac When it comes to scanners for your Mac, it can prove to be tricky. If you end up buying the wrong scanner, you will have to deal with a lot of problems, like compatibility issues for instance.
First, for some photos with dark backgrounds or sections, the photo scanners' auto-image-cropping algorithms chopped off large portions of the picture (see the image below). Best Document Scanners for 2018 Scanners come in a few different formats from flatbed to portable to sheetfed. For people who will be primarily scanning paper documents in bulk, buying a document scanner is a wise choice. The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i is a Mac- and PC-compatible duplex color scanner with an automatic document feeder. Lifehacker named it one of the best document scanners on the market in 2013. Can't scan negatives with Mac El Cap.the scanner is able to handle four slides at a time and after using a preview feature, adjustments can be made regarding brightness, contrast, etc. The speed of scanner seems reasonable.
A heavy duty document scanner that connects to the cloud in many ways
Reasons to Buy
Top speed of 30 pages per minute at 300 dpi
Reasons to Avoid
Heavy for a desktop scanner
While many of the other scanners we tested have similar specifications in scan quality and design, the Brother ImageCenter has far more connectivity options to send documents to the cloud.
Best free scanner software for windows 10. This heavy-duty machine does everything you need from a standalone scanner with extra durability and precision. It’s a big device weighing 10 pounds and taking up a lot of desk space. With dimensions of 10.2 x12.1 x 9.8, it’s the largest scanner we tested. But, this heft seems to give it certain advantages over the competition; you can scan at a speed of 30 pages per minute at a resolution of 300 dots per inch, which is faster than other scanners.
It’s also nice that you can customize the speed to get the quality that you want on the 3.7 color display. At slower page per minute speeds, you can get the resolution up to 1200 dots per inch, which means the quality of your scan will be sharper and cleaner.
You can scan differently sized documents as well as many different textures and materials, like IDs or business cards. While the document feeder is a standard 50-page tray, the Brother ImageCenter has a nifty feature that lets you scan up to 96 inches long in case you’ve got long receipts or other lengthy documents.
When we tested this machine, we noticed an overall better build quality with this device. We also liked all the connectivity options that let you email scans directly to different operating systems and cloud support. This machine’s quality, speed and connectivity make it our best overall document scanner.
Read the full review of the Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W.
Best Value
NeatConnect
A small sleek document scanner that is great value
Reasons to Buy
Plenty of connectivity options
Reasons to Avoid
Missing scan straightening features
Smaller than a sheet of paper without the feeder, the NeatConnect doesn’t take up much space on a desktop and features a lot of connectivity options and specifications of larger scanners.
Without its paper trays, the NeatConnect scanner is smaller than an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. There’s a lot of value in having a stand-alone scanner take up less desk space because it only performs a single function. It’s also five pounds lighter than our best overall pick, which makes moving it around much easier.
Even though it's smaller, it doesn’t lose a lot of functionality. It can still hold the standard 50 pages in its tray, and it offers double-sided scanning and text identification software. It can also process receipts up to 30 inches long if you’re trying to keep spending records. And with an average scan speed of 24 pages per minute, it keeps up with many other heavy-duty scanners.
One concern with the NeatConnect is that, rather than fixing slanted pages digitally, which is the best way to solve document feeder problems, it uses several slots in the paper tray to keep differently sized materials straight as they go through the machine. This design may mean you’ll have to be more careful when putting your document through the device than you would with other scanners.
NeatConnect comes with a cloud subscription service – you get a free 90-day trial when you buy the scanner—as well as other wireless connectivity options. The scanner’s smaller size makes it a great option for a tight office space.
Read the full review of the NeatConnect scanner.
Kodak ScanMate i1150
Best High-Speed
Kodak ScanMate i1150
A high speed document scanner ideal for large files
Reasons to Buy
Text software detects business-related info
Reasons to Avoid
No wi-fi connectivity
The first ten pages of every document move along at 40 pages per minute. After that, the scanner slows to 30 pages which is still one of the highest speeds available.
If you’ve got a lot of scanning to do, you might want to look at the Kodak ScanMate i1150. It has the same speed as our best overall pick, but the first part of your document whips through the machine at a speed of 40 pages a minutemaking it the fastest scanner we reviewed.
Like other scanners, the ScanMate can create multiple file types for you to send to your cloud as well as the create PDF files with searchable text. It offers some additional settings that make it useful in business settings, like a way to detect barcodes or spreadsheet information. You can also feed cards, with different textures, through a smaller, separate slot.
The Kodak ScanMate also comes with a larger 75-page, paper tray making it easier to scan long documents. It can digitally fix documents so that they appear straight even if move around a bit or tilt during scanning.
This scanner doesn’t feature mobile, Ethernet or wi-fi connectivity, so a USB cable is needed to export documents, and it means this scanner lacks some of the most up-to-date features available. We’d recommend this device to those who are looking for a workhorse that can handle lengthy documents and those who don’t need many connectivity options.
Read the full review of the Kodak ScanMate i1150.
Best Photo Scanners For Iphone
Why trust us on document scanners?
We’ve paid attention to what’s going on in dedicated scanner tech over the last five years. We used hands-on testing to find the best standalone document scanner available. We regularly update this site to make sure we offer timely information. We read customer reviews, sift through manufacturers specifications to find important information, and learn what there is to know about current scanning tech available. After we find what we think represents the best of the best of these devices through intensive, multi-day research, we’re able to compare these devices side-by-side in the lab. We test their speed, accuracy and evaluate their connectivity options, all while looking at their quality of the materials used to make them.
How we tested document scanners
After hours of research reading through manufacturer’s pages, specifications, and reading forums and looking at our competition, we narrowed down our search to the best stand-alone scanners on the market.
After determining which scanners to evaluate in the lab, we run them through a series of standardized tests to be able to compare them objectively. We used the scanners to save files to our desktops and used all their connectivity options.
To compare these machines, we ran speed tests to see how quickly they could process documents. We ran some standard paper type documents of different lengths through each scanner and averaged times.
After testing their speed, we looked for errors in their ability to reproduce our original documents by checking them to see if they keep pages straight or if they had any printing errors.
We also used the text function in the files we saved to make sure they were searchable. We loaded the scanners with different types of documents, including a few greasy receipts, to see how well they did with feeding different paper types through the machine.
Key features to look for when buying a document scanner
When we test document scanners, we look for speed, accuracy and connectivity. We’re able to run tests on each device to see which performs the best over time. If you’re looking for a dedicated scanner, there are some specifications you can look for to make your own comparison.
Accuracy
First, consider scan resolution. All the scanners we reviewed can at least do 600 dots per inch, but some of them -- if you’re willing to lower the overall speed -- can capture images at an even higher resolution for those times that precision is more critical.
We also think it's important to look for digital straightening programming that can fix a slight misfeed of your document to ensure professional results. It's also helpful to have optical text recognition to detect the content of whatever you’re scanning so that it’s searchable in the future.
Speed
As we get closer to going completely paperless, it can be helpful to get lengthy documents scanned to the cloud as quickly as possible. It's also something that we can look at to determine the very best in scanner tech. Manufacturers usually provide an estimate that’s not far from the actual speed of the scanner.
Connectivity
It’s not the journey; it’s the destination. Being able to decide where your document ends up can be useful especially as technology changes. Scanners that connect easily in a variety of ways, like ethernet, wi-fi, over a mobile device or directly to the cloud are more versatile and useful. You’ll just want to make sure that the scanner lets you connect the way you prefer.
Related Product Reviews
Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
The Rundown
- Most Popular:Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 at Amazon, “Scans everyday documents like business cards, receipts, and handwritten notes.”
- Best All-Around: Epson Perfection V550 at Amazon, “With rapid scanning and no warm-up time, the flatbed device pays heed to your busy schedule.”
- Best Budget:Canon’s CanoScan LiDE220 at Amazon, “At just under $100, it scans documents and photos and sends them automatically to the cloud.”
- Best for Film:Epson’s Perfection V370 at Amazon, “Use bundled adapters to scan film or slides, or scan regular photos up to 13 x 19 inches.”
- Best for Mobility:Visioneer RoadWarrior 4D Mobile Scanner at Amazon, “OneTouch software can send the scanned document in various formats to multiple locations.”
- Best for Business Cards: Ambir DP667 Card Scanner at Amazon, “The size of a stapler, it can efficiently scan documents ranging from business cards to those measuring up to 4 x 10 inches — all at 600 dpi.”
- Runner-Up, Mobile: IRISCan Book 5 Wi-Fi Mobile Scanner at Amazon, “Scan your documents into JPEG, PDF, and multipage PDF formats and send them to your mobile devices or PC.”
Our Top Picks
Most Popular: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Document Scanner
5
The FujitsuScanSnap iX500 Document Scanner scans everyday documents like business cards, A4 and A3 paper sizes, receipts, and handwritten notes. It comes with a slew of productivity software for optical character recognition, or OCR, and it exports documents quickly to virtually any modern device or cloud service you can think of. And like one or two other scanners on this list, it includes Wi-Fi connectivity.
It comes with its own application software designed to store and categorize every document that you scan. The scanner’s software is ScanSnap, a program with an intuitive menu for easy access to files, quick cloud service exporting, receipt extraction that transfers to CSV files for easy tax filing, as well as a business card database compatible with Excel, Outlook, and Salesforce.
Curious about how these products function? Learn all about how scanners work.
Best All-Around: Epson Perfection V550
Whether you work in an office or are looking for something for personal organization use, the Epson Perfection V550 is versatile and reliable, capable of scanning both high-quality images and documents. With rapid scanning and no warm-up time, the flatbed device pays heed to your busy schedule. ABBYY FineReader Spring Plus OCR turns your documents into editable text and also allows you to send the scan to your printer, email it, or save it in the image format of your choice. However, keep in mind that if you’re looking to scan a large number of documents, it does lack an automatic document feeder.
As a photo scanner, the V550 offers a strong performance, able to scan 35mm slides, negatives, and film, with digital ICE technology automatically removing any dust or scratches, and Easy Photo Fix helping restore the look of faded images. Multiple photos can be scanned at once thanks to auto-edge detection that will crop and individually save each file. Expect dynamic, high-quality images with 6400 dpi optical resolution that supports enlargements up to 17 x 22 inches.
Looking for something that can print documents? Check out our roundup of the best all-in-one printers. Best 5k monitor for mac.
Best Budget: Canon CanoScan LiDE220
At just under $100 at Amazon, Canon’s CanoScan LiDE220 Photo and Document Scanner is affordable. It scans your documents and photos and sends them automatically to your cloud-based services, such as Evernote and Dropbox. An Auto Scan Mode feature detects the sizing and adjusts settings automatically while scanning, saving you time from having to setup each scan manually.
The CanoScan LiDE220's maximum dpi is 4800 x 4800 with a 48-bit color depth with over 281 trillion possible colors. That's relatively high, but high-end photo scanners, such as Epson's $1,000 Perfection V850 Pro Photo Scanner, can go much higher, as high as 6,400dpi and beyond. Its impressive speed allows a letter-sized document to be scanned in 10 seconds. Accessible buttons on the device make for quick activation for scans, copies, exporting to cloud services or saving as a PDF on your computer’s hard drive.
It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems and it comes with a one-year warranty, as well as one-year of toll-free technical phone support.
You may also like to read the reviews for our picks of the best photo, business, and laser printers for under $100.
Best for Film: Epson's Perfection V370 Photo Scanner
There are many things to consider when buying a scanner for digitizing 35mm film and slides. You can buy a dedicated film and slide scanner or a high-resolution photo scanner with the ability to also scan film and slides, typically with some kind of adapter for use with a flatbed platen. Oh yes, and we should add there's also the inexpensive and the high-end.
We've chosen the Perfection V370 because not only can you use the bundled adapters to scan film or slides, but you can also scan any regular photo up to 13 x 19 inches, as well as documents, as long as you don't mind scanning them one page at a time, without the aid of an automatic document feeder.
Best Photo Scanners For Macbook Pro
Best for Mobility: Visioneer RoadWarrior 4D Duplex Mobile Color Scanner
The Visioneer RoadWarrior 4D Duplex Mobile Color Scanner is 11.5 inches long, 2.6 inches wide, 1.6 inches tall, and it weighs a slight 1.1 pounds. Compared to most laptops most of us carry around with us, it's quite small and light.
It's smart enough to recognize what you're scanning and capable of capturing color, grayscale and monochrome scans. A OneTouch software feature can send the scanned document in various formats to multiple locations, such as your hard drive, an email, the cloud. If the page is double-sided, the single-pass scanner scans both sides simultaneously. At the press of a button, the scanner will take your data and format it into a searchable PDF file.
Scanned documents are set to your choice of cloud-based storage applications like Evernote, SugarSync, Google Docs, Salesforce Chatter and Dropbox, among others. It also comes with some of the best OCR and document management software from Nuance, including Nuance OmniPage Pro and Nuance PaperPort, respectively.
Best for Business Cards: Ambir DP667 Card Scanner
Lightweight and easy to transport, the Ambir DP667 is a business’ new best friend. The size of a stapler, it can efficiently scan documents ranging from business cards to those measuring up to 4 x 10 inches — all at 600 dpi. It can accommodate other items including driver’s licenses, embossed cards, photos, and insurance cards, and it can convert receipts into PDFs, making it an efficient option for professionals ranging from hospital administrators to security experts to service organizations. Fully powered by USB, the scanner does not require additional batteries or an AC power adapter, making it convenient for those working on the go.
Runner-Up, Mobile: IRISCan Book 5 Wi-Fi Mobile Scanner
This tiny scanner is packed with power, allowing you to take care of business on the go. With the IRIScan Book 5 Wi-Fi, you’re able to scan your documents into JPEG, PDF, and multipage PDF formats and send them to your mobile devices or PC. Need to make changes? The IRIScan Book 5 can make text editable. Unlike other mobile scanners, this one is dragged over what you’re scanning, rather than having pages fed through it, making it optimal for copying something from a magazine or book. It comes with a 4GB microSD card and has mini USB ports for charging and transferring data. While the battery only lasts about 100 scans, it can be charged while it’s scanning a document. According to the company, it can scan a black-and-white document in one second, and a color document in two. A 1.5-inch color screen lets you immediately preview your scans, and you can customize your resolution up to from 300 up to 1200 DPI.
Also check out our list of the best photo scanner apps for mobile devices.
Tested by
How We Tested
Our reviewers spent five hours testing a popular document scanner. We asked them to consider the most important features when using this scanner — from its speed to its footprint — and we've outlined them here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping.
What to Look for in a Document and Photo Scanner
Best Photo Scanners For Old Photos
Media type - Think about how you plan to use your scanner. Some are great at scanning photos, while others excel at creating pristine copies of letters and other documents. Higher-end units include adjustable sliders or even separate bays to handle more difficult documents like laminated identification cards.
Scan speed - If you scan a lot of documents — or if you have boxes of old photos you need to digitize — then scan speed is a huge concern. Look at how many pages a scanner can handle per minute, but also keep in mind that scanners with automatic document feeders help speed up the process and free you from the necessity of manually placing each item in the scanner.
Cloud support - Some document and photo scanners are capable of scanning and uploading directly to the cloud. If you want easy access to your scanned files, look for a scanner that supports Google Drive, Dropbox, or whatever cloud service you use.
Test Results: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Document Scanner (Most Popular)
5
What We Don't Like
Best Photo Scanners For Mac
- Complex accompanying software
This scanner earned rave reviews from our testers for its fast speed and convenience. “You can scan to your computer and phone wirelessly,” one reviewer noted, “and it comes with useful software to sort your documents.” The only thing our testers didn’t love was the complexity of the accompanying software: “Maybe I just need to spend more time with it to be familiar with the features,” one tester said, “but it can be a bit of a handful.”