2019 best desktop scanners for small business. I think that one of the most wonderful invention for the small business is the desktop scanner that can clear away paper clutter, chase away the paper monster and turn the office into a paperless place.
While today’s computer can generate electronic documents that are passed around via email, hard copy receipts for purchases are paper documents that come in all kinds of inconvenient sizes, particularly for small business owners and business travellers. The CRA recommends keeping your tax records for at least six years. Six years can translate to a mountain of paper.
As office space become a costly item, more and more businesses are scanning their receipts and storing them in the cloud. One of the ways of switching to paperless office (or paper-free office); is to convert documents and other papers into digital form, a process known as digitization.
Most offices today have multi-function printers, and while they offer scanning capabilities, they are not built for volume, speed or ease of use.
Here are some of the features for a good desktop scanner.
1. Document sheet feeder – this allows automatic feeding of multiple page documents. Otherwise, you will be standing in front of the scanner feeding it one page at a time.
2. Duplex scanning – double-side scanning for those who have the need. This is an advance feature that is not necessary for many users.
3. Size of originals – Good scanners can take all sizes, business card size, small cashier receipts….
4. Robust software- dedicated desktop scanner has the software to auto-name the files, searchable pdfs, OCR optical character recognition, store in the cloud, etc.
5. Speed – a dedicated scanner can scan multiple pages fast without skipping pages due to a good roller mechanism for handling pages.
7. Price that suit your budget>
Here are my favorites:
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- Snapscan IX500
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2. HP Scanjet Pro 3000
3. Fijitsu Snapscan ix1500
I chose the above 3 scanners because they are within the price range of a small business. One can get plenty of mileage without breaking the piggybank. When you count the number of labor and hours in terms of savings, these scanners can be good investments that provides good returns.