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When you conduct business at home, in the office, or a hotel room, you’ll at some point encounter the need to scan a crucial document. In the age where remote workers are everywhere, we require scanners that are portable and as flexible as our work schedules. As well-established as scanners are, advancements that allow them to put the similar capabilities of a desktop machine in tiny portable devices are quite remarkable. We’ve looked into the top choices to suit a wide range of uses.
This is where you can find the most efficient portable scanner that can help you with your professional endeavors.
Best Overall: Canon ImageFormula R10
It’s difficult to beat Canon in the field of imaging equipment. Their name is synonymous with professional printing and photography and it comes with no surprise to expect the same standard of high quality from the scanners they offer. Canon imageformula R10 Canon Imageformula R10 offers professional scans in a compact package at an extremely affordable price level. It lets you scan everything starting from receipts to legally-enforceable papers or business cards and offers a variety of options for exporting the scans.
Imageformular R10 Imageformular R10 is fast, as it can process up to 12 pages every second that is fed by its automatic feeder and is designed to be able to store up to 20 sheets at once. In addition, it has an elegant, contemporary style that gives you a professional-looking image and you’ve got yourself a great portable scanner.
Best Handheld: IRIScan Book 5 Wi-Fi
A handheld scanner can be the most convenient scanner for carrying around on the go and also one of the most flexible. Its IRIscan Book 5 Wi-Fi is battery-powered and simple to use to scan documents up to 1,200 dpi by sliding the scanner across them. It’s great for casually scanning documents such as magazines and books. It connects via Wi-Fi with your Android and IOS device or keeps the scanned files on the supplied MicroSD card. Book 5 Wi-Fi Book 5 Wi-Fi is particularly perfect for research in libraries, or for recording information at the moment from any kind of document.
Best for Photos: Plustek ePhoto Z300
If you want to scan photos printed at the convenience of your mobile The Plustek ePhoto Z300 offers as high as 600 dots per inch and high-quality scans of photographs of up to 8 x 10 inches. It’s a fantastic option to scan important photos for work as well as to save old family photos. It’s compact and small, which makes it perfect for traveling, and can take less than two minutes to scan a single image. Its software lets you easily improve and restore faded photos The scanner is very simple to use. Remember that it’s PC or Mac only, and it will not work on your mobile device.
Best for Ease of Use: Canon CanoScan LIDE 300
A wireless alternative that is truly wireless The Doxie Go SE lets you scan virtually anywhere, without the need for an internet connection. It can scan full-color paper receipts and photos in just eight seconds with up 600 dpi. It’s the size of an unrolled magazine and measuring 12.2 x 2.2 inches x 1.8-inch portable scanner and comes with rechargeable batteries that let users scan as many as 400 pages at a charge. In addition, you can save as many as 4,000 pages of documents in the memory of the scanner. The Doxie application also syncs scans, then sends them directly to your applications, and even converts them to searchable PDFs. The scanner’s compact size allows you to put the scanner into your bag to make it easy to travel.
Best Standalone: Doxie Go SE
One of the most efficient portable scanners on the market The Epson WorkForce ES-50 can scan one page in just 5.5 seconds. Even with its tiny size at 1.8 10 x 10.7 and 1.3 inches, this single-sheet fed scanner can handle documents up to 8.5 72 inches in size, along with receipts and ID cards. Utilize the Epson ScanSmart software to scan, view or save the documents you have. It is possible to combine scans from multiple pages into one document using its auto-feeding mode. It is compatible with Windows as well as Mac computers the USB-powered scanner will also scan cloud services like Dropbox as well as Google Drive.
Best for Speed: Epson ES-50
As with Canon, Epson is a known brand in the field of professional scanning and printing as their Epson ES-50 is not an exception. This scanner portable can scan massive documents 8.5 inches in width and up to 72 inches long using its single-sheet feed system. What’s more impressive is the ability to scan large files in just 5.5 seconds. This means you can take this small device with you on the go and scan documents across a vast size range without wasting a lot of time. It’s ideal for those traveling for work who have limited time for conducting business. The ES-50 can also be USB powered from your PC and can produce PDFs that can be searched, scanned, and transfer documents directly to cloud storage.
Best Scanner/Printer Combo: HP Officejet 250
If you’re at work, you could need two printers and a scanner. The HP OfficeJet 250 performs both the functions of a portable device. Its Officejet 250 is built tough and compact enough to be easily tucked away into a backpack or car It’s also powered by batteries, meaning you don’t have to think about whether you can find an electricity source.
The all-in-one device can print up to eight x 10 pages and is completely wireless, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. Its automatic document feeder of 10 pages can be used for scanning or printing several pages without having to feed them through separately. The only drawback is the cost, which is much higher than the smaller scanners that we’ve reviewed, however, it’s worth it if requires the capability to print and scan while traveling.
Best Mouse Scanner: IRIScan Executive Mouse 2
This is about as compact and lightweight as a scanner could get and, If you already carry your computer mouse on the road, this isn’t a burden or weight on your luggage. IRIScan Executive Mouse 2 IRIScan Executive Mouse combines an all-inclusive scanner that functions as a mouse, which means that even when you’re not scanning documents, you can control your laptop or desktop and laptop. It can scan documents to A4 in size, and is perfect for documents that are difficult to scan using the traditional scanner. Another benefit of this design is that it allows you to make use of it to capture only a small portion of the document, for instance, a single line from a book or a specific article from a paper.
Final Verdict
The most portable scanner to use for all needs is the Canon ImageFormula R10 ( see more on Canon). It’s a fantastically well-rounded product that can provide quality scans with a high-speed thanks to its automatic feeder. This scanner is portable and certainly matches Canon’s great image-enhancing products that are of the highest quality.
If you’re looking for portability, then you might prefer an unconventional device. Its Executive Mouse ( view at Amazon) is a compelling combination of a scanner and an actual mouse. Its compact dimensions and dual-functionality provide a significant advantage over bulkier, larger scanners that are portable. This is the type of scanner that you can carry with you when traveling for business even though there’s a possibility that you won’t require it, you’ll need to be able to scan important documents in case of need.
What to Look for in a Portable Scanner
Resolution
Resolution when printing and scanning are usually measured by the number of dots per inch (dots per inch). 300 dots per inch is considered to be the standard resolution that you can expect from any scanner however some scanners can be capable of up to 1,200 dpi. The higher the resolution, the more quality of the scan however, higher dpi can result in larger file sizes, and may mean longer scanning time.
Connectivity
When you are choosing a scanner it’s crucial to consider the devices you intend to join to the scanner, in the event of any. Some scanners are limited to USB connections and are typically limited to PC as well as Mac computers. Some scanners have Wi-Fi connectivity and are usually attached to devices on mobile, not computers. Some are made to operate without the need to connect to any other device and have onboard memory to store data.
Power
An outlet on the wall may not always be accessible or practical, particularly when you’re traveling. Find portable scanners that draw power through USB from your computer or run on rechargeable batteries.
FAQs
How fast can scanners scan?
The speed of scanning varies depending on the scanning quality and the dimensions of the document and the scanner type. If you have a larger 8x 10 document, 5 minutes is sufficient, but lower than that for documents smaller in size. If your printer comes with an automatic feeder, it’ll go faster since it will not be delayed due to the amount of time required for the manual feeding of papers.
Do I require a handheld and sheet-fed scanner?
Sheet-fed and handheld scanners serve a variety of tasks, however, they excel in various areas. Sheet-fed scanners are quick and automated, perfect to scan single-sheet documents, business cards, and various other media. They are slow and take greater effort, but they compensate for this by their capability to scan bulky and awkward objects that aren’t compatible with a sheet-fed printer.
How much do portable scanners cost?
You can expect to shell out between 60 and $200 for a scanner that is of high quality. If you’re interested in printing capabilities in addition be prepared for the price to rise considerably, particularly in the case of a portable device.
