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The landscape of work has undergone a profound transformation owing to technological advancements, profoundly influencing how we manage and transmit crucial documents. As we increasingly embrace the flexibility of working from home or any location that fosters productivity, the demand for portable equipment becomes paramount. In this context, the advent of the Best Portable Scanners has proven to be a game-changer. While conventional desktop scanners were initially designed for household and office use, their utility diminishes for those constantly on the move.
To do this, you need a portable scanner that you can easily take with you anywhere. To be as portable as possible, the scanner should be small and not too heavy. At the same time, it should have the most up-to-date features so that scanning works well.
Best Portable Scanners
Brother DSmobile DS-940DW
Specifications
Product Dimensions | 12.6 x 2.5 x 1.8 inches |
Item Weight | 1.5 pounds |
Manufacturer | BROTHER |
Sheet Size | 8.50 x 71.97, 3.37 x 2.13, 8.27 x 11.69, 2.91 x 3.13 |
Wattage | 2 watts |
For what it is, the DS-940DW is fast and accurate. It has wireless connectivity, a full set of software, and a battery that is already built in. Because it has a battery and can scan to microSD flash memory cards, it can be used without a computer or cable.
Along with Wi-Fi, you also get USB 3.0, which lets you connect to a single computer 10 times faster than USB 2.0. It’s thin, light, small, and packed with features, so it’s great for scanning low volumes of documents at home or on the go.
Pros
- Small and light
- Fast scanning and processing
Cons
- MicroSD card not included.
Epson WorkForce ES-50 Portable
Specifications
Brand | Epson |
Dimensions | 1.8 x 10.7 x 1.3 inches |
Resolution | 1200 |
Item Weight | 0.59 Pounds |
Wattage | 220 watts |
If you like to take your scanner with you when you travel, you should look for one that is not too heavy. In this case, the best choice is the Epson WorkForce ES-50 Portable Sheet-Fed Document Scanner. It gets its power from USB, so you can just plug it into your laptop and go.
It can handle different types of media, like credit cards, business cards, and paper up to 270 GSM. This scanner’s best feature is that it can scan quickly (in 5.5 seconds) and give you the best results. You can make it even easier to use by getting the SmartScan software from Epson.
Pros
- Has robust software
- t’s pretty light and portable
Cons
- Has no internal battery
Canon ImageFORMULA R10
Specifications
Connectivity | USB |
Size | 9.5 x 28.5 x 4 cm |
Weight | 998g |
Maximum scanning speed | 12ppm |
If you’re looking for the best portable scanner, you might find that they don’t have built-in document feeders because they’re so small. This means that you’ll have to feed your documents through page by page.
The Canon imageFORMULA R10 can scan on both sides of a page, making your life even easier. It can handle a wide range of media, but Canon warns against using it with photos. It also comes with software that’s ready to go as soon as you plug it into your computer.
Pros
- 20-page document feeder
- Pretty quick
Cons
- No good for photos
Doxie Go SE
Specifications
Manufacturer | Doxie & Co. |
Item Weight | 1.98 pounds |
Dimensions | 12.25 x 2.25 x 1.75 inches |
Connectivity Technology | Wi-Fi, USB |
Scanner Type | Photo, Document |
With the Doxie Go SE, you can scan anywhere without a computer because it is truly wireless. Scan full-color documents, photos, and receipts quickly and easily in just eight seconds per page at 300 dpi.
This 12.2 x 2.3 x 1.75-inch portable scanner is about the size of a rolled-up magazine. It has a rechargeable battery that lets you scan up to 400 pages per charge. 4 Even better, the scanner comes with a memory that can hold up to 8,000 pages.
Pros
- Light in weight and portable
- Offers crisp and clean scans
Cons
- Doesn’t come with a document feeder
Epson DS-80W
Specifications
Product Dimensions | 1.8 x 10.7 x 1.3 inches |
Item Weight | 10.6 ounces |
Manufacturer | Epson |
Connectivity Technology | Wi-Fi, USB |
Model Name | DS-80W |
The Epson DS-80W is our top pick’s smaller and more portable brother, the ES-300W. This very small and light scanner is only 1.8 by 10.7 by 1.3 inches and weighs less than 11 ounces. It isn’t much wider than the sheets of paper it scans.
As expected, because it is small, it can only scan one sheet at a time. This makes it hard to scan a lot of documents at once. Its main purpose is to help you scan important short documents while you’re on the go and don’t have a desktop scanner with a feeder.
Pros
- Very lightweight and portable
- OCR support
Cons
- No automatic document feeder
Brother DS-740D
Specifications
Weight | 1.43 lbs |
Dimmension | 11.9 x 2.5 x 1.8 inches |
scanning area | 3.40 x 72 inches |
scanning speed | 4 sec/page |
scanning resolution | 300 dpi |
If you don’t want to, you don’t have to connect this scanner to a computer. Instead, you can scan directly to cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox at speeds of up to 40 pages per minute (ppm). But it’s also great for people who want a home scanner.
At least 744 Strategist readers bought it for themselves or their office, making it our fourth-most-sold scanner. It can quickly scan single-sided or double-sided documents of any size, and it has features like hole-punch removal, edge cleanup, background removal.
Pros
- 300 dpi scanning resolution
- 3.40 x 72 inches sanning area
Cons
- internal battery
FAQs
Can you use portable scanners?
Portable scanners are innovative tools that make it easy and quick to scan documents from anywhere. Portable scanners can make copies of documents, books, and images in different formats. The price of a portable scanner is fair when you consider how well it works.
What are 3 types of scanners?
Cost and how it’s used will be part of the information. There are four main kinds of scanners: flatbed, sheet-fed, handheld, and drum. Flatbed scanners are some of the most popular types of scanners because they can be used at home or in the office.
What is the easiest scanner to use?
- Canon imageFORMULA R40.
- Epson WorkForce ES-500.
- Epson FastFoto FF-680W
- Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II
- Epson Perfection V850 Pro
- Epson Perfection V600
- Canon DR-F120