Document Scanners
If you want to keep the files digitally organized, a document scanner might be what you need. This guide will help you find the right one that will be based on your personal needs. We will discuss some of the common features along with a list of considerations that you will need to follow.
In the age where many businesses want to go paperless, the demand for document scanners is quite solid. Needless to say, we can’t blame anyone for wanting to save space and keep clutter to a minimum in their office. Plus, it makes creating and transferring digital copies of important documents a lot easier.
With that, let’s dive right in and go over the common features of a document scanner.
Common features of document scanners
Connection type
To begin, we discuss the connection type. There are wired and wireless connections. A wired connection will be connected to a USB cable. It will be connected to your computer so you can be able to scan hard copies and be able to save them there.
Wireless document scanners will have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities. They will have the ability to produce digital copies of the documents and have them saved to both a computer and a wireless device of your choice like smartphones or tablets.
Speed
Of course, speed can matter in terms of a document scanner’s performance. You want a copy of something that is produced digitally fast. Deadlines need to be met and you might not be able to get to a computer with a wired document scanner.
Thus, a wireless document scanner with excellent speeds will be sufficient. If you are at a desk and need to create and send something fast, you want to make sure that you have a document scanner that is fast enough to get the job done.
Speed should be a feature that you should never compromise on. Especially if you are looking for a document scanner within a specific price range. Faster document scanners will command a higher price point.
Size and weight
The size and weight of a scanner may be more of a preference than addressing a need. Or it may be because you don’t have a lot of space to contend with. You’ll want to find a document scanner that will take up enough space.
Of course, the last thing you want to do is create clutter. Measure out the amount of space you have in order to fit a document scanner in your workspace or office.
What to consider when purchasing a document scanner?
Shifting gears, we’ll be taking a look now at the considerations to mull over when purchasing a document scanner. You now know some of the key features of the product. Now, it’s time to use these considerations to help find the right one based on your needs and preferences.
Your critical needs should always be a priority. Which is why you’ll want to choose a document scanner regardless of brand. Let’s take a look at the following considerations below:
How fast do I want it?
The speed of a document scanner is measured in pages per minute (or ppm). The higher the ppm, the better. You may be working in a fast-paced office environment where digital documents need to be produced and transferred in a moment’s notice.
It’s important to consider whether or not this is the case. Having a high speed document scanner process the whole thing can be nice to have. You can create the document and save it in a file in a matter of seconds.
This will make clutter and paper piles a thing of the past. One thing to be aware of is that disasters can happen. To the point where you may lose everything due to hacks, natural disasters, fire, and more.
We highly recommend that you save your digital documents on the cloud. You can access it from anywhere and you’ll have backup files in case something happens to your computer system.
How good of a resolution should I get?
The resolution of your digital documents should be enough to where you can read everything clearly. The higher the resolution, the better. If it can produce at least 300 dpi, then that should be good enough for almost all digital documents.
If higher resolution is something you care about, get a scanner with a higher dpi. This may be more of a preference than a pressing need. However, it can be a pressing need if you are upgrading from a document scanner that has a lower resolution.
Digital documents can be read clearly so a person receives accurate information. Especially when they need to read it back to someone when they are speaking to each other over the phone.
What size is the best option?
If size is something you’re concerned about, take a look at the available space you have. Then decide if there is a scanner that is large enough to fit. Some scanner sizes can handle a single document.
Larger ones can scan multiple documents at the same time. If you are in a busy environment and multiple documents are often produced and transferred, you’ll need to find a larger size. Especially if you have enough space to scan multiple documents all at once and save them to a single file (if and when possible).
Or you can scan the documents individually if the scanner is smaller in size.
Final Thoughts
If you are considering a document scanner, make sure you use this guide to your advantage. While we don’t recommend any specific models, this should help you decide which one will be better. You can choose one based on the speed you desire, the size, and whether it fits your price range.
It’s important to go for the best performance and quality affordable. As we stress in many of our guides, your critical needs trump all. Choose the document scanner that meets those needs and more (especially if it fits your budget).
