Fujitsu recently came out with a new scanner…it’s handheld and portable and called the Fijitsu ScanSnap iX100. Now, I have used an all-in-one printer for 10+ years and I wondered, even though I love the portability of ScanSnap, would I really use it the ScanSnap scanner much? In using the ScanSnap scanner * this past month, I have been surprised how helpful it is to have a scanner this sits on my desk or computer one day, on the road with me the next, and still another day, I’m using it in a different room of my house…all untethered from my computer!
You see, the ScanSnap scanner is a handy scanner that links to your computer via Bluetooth, instead of a cord. And in fact, there is no cord at all! The ScanSnap scanner has a rechargeable battery that lasts a long time with little use. I rarely charge it. The most battery juice I used up was when I scanned in 150 business cards I had collected.
Since the ScanSnap is wireless, it means that I can take it anywhere…in any room…in any hotel and scan to my heart’s content. And it gets even better. If I don’t have my laptop turned on, I can still scan…though the app on my phone! The ScanSnap scanner offers flexibility and convenience that my All-in-One printer/scanner cannot offer.
What To Scan
It’s so handy to scan in my kids important papers now. The kids’ calendars and schedules I scan in I keep on my phone so I always have the original to look at if there’s a discrepancy on my calendar. It’s also easy to email the image to another parent who lost theirs. Love it!
There are a multitude of things you can scan. As a mom and blogger, these are the things I have found it most convenient to scan:
- report cards
- kids artwork
- school calendars
- sports and class schedules
- school test results (like STAR testing)
- school pictures and other hard copy pics
- product manuals so I can easily refer to them when something breaks down
- receipts
- recipes (can be made editable to add my own zest to it!)
- letters and encouraging notes from kids/friends/etc.
- lab results
- articles from a magazine or paper
- business cards (ScanSnap can make them editable!)
- contracts to sign and send back
But you can do even more…
If you attend a seminar and receive a PowerPoint deck, a printed Excel spreadsheet or Word-like document, you can scan it in and and have an editable document, using ScanSnap’s included productivity software.
ScanSnap Scanner Features
Features:
- It’s rechargeable with its Lithium battery
- It has a dual-core CPU processor that increases speed and image quality
- It has a free app ( iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire) that allows you to scan to your mobile device
- ScanSnap can scan up to 260 pages on its rechargeable battery
- Comes with built-in WiFi and Direct Connect to wirelessly connect and scan to your PC, phone, or the cloud
- Quickly creates searchable PDF or JPEG files
- Can scan up to 2 small receipts or business cards at a time
- Auto paper size detection
- Has continuous document feeding, so it will continue to scan as you feed it documents
- Can scan in monochrome, gray scale, and color
- Weighs just 14 ounces
- It takes 7.5 seconds (around 8 pages per minute) to scan in a color document at 300 dpi resolution
- Effortlessly scan business cards, in an editable format to Outlook, Excel, Address Book (Mac) or other contact management program
Pros:
- No wires! It’s completely rechargeable and connects wirelessly to your PC, printer, mobile device, or cloud
- No more lost papers – scan them in and you can keep them on your phone or in the cloud so they are always with you
- Press one button to start, that’s all!
- Easy to scan in business cards and receipts when traveling
- The scan for a little receipt up to a letter looks beautiful, better than most tabletop scanners
- Integrates with Evernote, Dropbox, Google Docs, SugarSync, SalesForce Chatter, and more
- Straightens crooked documents and helps rotate ones that are upside down
- Is compatible with PC or Mac
- No power adapter needed, charges with a USB port
- Helpful productivity software included
- The optical resolution can go up to 600 dpi (dots per inch)
- Once you’ve scanned, a Quick Menu appears to help you transition your scan to the next step (emailing, saving to a file, editing the scan, etc.)
- No need for faxing anymore – you can share documents over email
- Use ScanSnap to print copies of your scans
Cons:
- It does not scan double-sided, but you can patch two sides together using the software
- Does not come with a travel case to help protect it when moving
- You need to feed each page, it does not come with an auto feeder
- Is a little pricey
The ScanReceipt software turns your receipts into editable fields so you can keep track of your spending…for home or for business.
This is the pop-up box that appears on my computer after I begin scanning a document on the wireless ScanSnap scanner.
Every year, I go to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and come home with 100 business cards…most of them with notes on them I scribbled on them to remind me of the person behind the card. I have a thousand of them lying around the house, but none of them in my contacts list. With ScanSnap, I can scan in the business cards after each night during the Show and categorize them by their importance for follow-up. And with the included ScanSnap software, called CardMinder, the business cards show as well as editable fields to make changes as needed.The FujitsuScanSnap Scanner iX100 sells for $199.99 plus $4.96 for shipping at Amazon.
A Mom’s Perspective
The Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanner iX100 has really made scanning easier…and fun. I love how Fujitsu came up with a mobile solution…that doesn’t even need a printer! If you’re traveling, just scan things to your phone and email it to whoever you need. To be honest, this concept is so out-of-the-box, it’s going to take me a while to grasp all the ways I can use this fantastic feature.
Two ways I’ve used the scan to phone scan are:
1.) I scanned in a contract I signed and emailing it off to a client.
2.) I had a couple phone meetings where I scribbled my notes on a small piece of paper. I scanned in the paper and pasted it right into my Microsoft One Note program so I could keep all my notes together. Sweet.
Having a portable scanner like ScanSnap will change the way you think about scanning. What used to be a chore is now as simple as turning on the scanner and feeding the documents through. I don’t have to look for the software on my PC first to scan and I don’t have to lift the lid on my All-in-One printer to scan anymore either.
If you’re looking for away to clean up the paper on your desk and get more organized so you can have all your relevant data at your fingertips, the ScanSnap scanner is the way to go.
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