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A document scanner is often dismissed as outdated technology, a relic of '90s corporate offices. But as our lives become increasingly paperless, the need to bridge the gap between physical and digital information has never been more crucial. That's why a document scanner can be such a game changer for productivity and organization. These devices quickly digitize loose papers, create records of receipts and bills, and preserve other printed materials like old photos.
Additionally, scanners make it easy to access and share content on your laptop and smartphone . They also allow you to create searchable and editable PDFs, making it simple to find specific information within scanned documents. If it's been a while since you've considered adding a scanner to your setup, you might be surprised by how far they've come. Today's scanners are faster and more compact than their 20-year-old counterparts, and they offer higher quality scans than ever before. If you're tired of paper clutter or just want to better organize your life, a quality document scanner remains a relevant and powerful tool.
The Best Document Scanners
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Best Overall Performance: Canon imageFORMULA R40 Document Scanner
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Best Value: Brother ADS-1700W Wireless Document Scanner
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Best Portable: Epson RapidReceipt RR-60 Mobile Receipt and Document Scanner
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Best Features: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 Document Scanner
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Best Flatbed: Canon CanoScan Lide 400 Slim Scanner
What to Consider
Even though many of our receipts, communications, and daily transactions are digital, we still haven't fully moved on from paper. Bills, contracts, handwritten notes, and important documents often come in physical form. A quality document scanner can be a useful addition to your setup by allowing you to easily digitize your collection of physical documents. If you're considering buying a document scanner, here are some factors to keep in mind.
Type
There are several types of document scanners available, including flatbed, sheet-fed, and portable models. Some scanners even offer both flatbed and sheet-fed capabilities. Flatbed scanners are great for scanning individual pages from books, receipts, and delicate documents. Sheet-fed scanners, on the other hand, can quickly process stacks of papers, making them ideal for high-volume scanning. Portable scanners are perfect for those who need to scan on the go, like capturing contracts at a client's office. Ultimately, the type of scanner you choose depends on your specific needs.
Scan Speed
Nobody has time to wait around for a document to scan. That's why, when it comes to scanning documents, speed is everything. Each scanner features a page-per-minute (PPM) rating, which indicates how quickly it can process documents. A larger number here is indicative of a faster scanner, so prioritize a model with a PPM in the double digits for faster scans.
When looking at specs, you'll typically see two PPM ratings—one for black and one for color. You can maximize your speeds at the expense of some clarity by adjusting to a lower resolution, which is measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI).
Resolution
The resolution determines how sharp an image appears, measured in dots per inch (DPI). When choosing a scanner, aim for a resolution of at least 300 DPI, which offers a good balance between image quality and scanning speed. This resolution is suitable for most documents and general use. If you need quick scans and image quality isn't a priority, 150 DPI is the lowest recommended resolution. For the highest quality images, especially when scanning photos , use the maximum resolution available, typically 600 DPI.
One thing to keep in mind when scanning is that high resolutions result in larger file sizes and slower scanning speeds. If your goal is to simply scan documents and archive receipts, 300 DPI should be more than sufficient.
Duplex Scanning
Duplex scanning is a feature that allows scanners to capture both sides of a document in a single pass without requiring you to manually flip the page. This capability is essential if you frequently work with double-sided documents, such as contracts, financial statements, or academic papers.
If you primarily scan single-sided materials like receipts or photos, a duplex scanning feature isn't necessary. Duplex scanners tend to be more expensive, so consider your needs before picking up a scanner. For occasional double-sided scanning, manually flipping pages might be a reasonable trade-off for a more affordable device.
Automatic Document Feeder
An automatic document feeder (ADF) is a convenient feature that allows you to scan multiple pages without manual intervention. It works by automatically feeding each page from a stack into the scanner, eliminating the need to insert pages one by one. The feature is particularly useful for office environments, giving you the ability to simply place a stack of paper into a slot and walk away to do something else.
It's worth noting that flatbed scanners don't offer this feature, since they require you to manually place each document on the glass surface. If you frequently scan multiple pages or large documents, a scanner with an ADF can save you significant time and effort compared to a standard flatbed model.
OCR
Optical character recognition, or OCR, is a technology that converts scanned documents into machine-readable, editable, and searchable content. This feature makes documents much more accessible, especially when dealing with large volumes of text. Imagine being able to search for a specific word or phrase in a financial document, rather than having to read it line by line. If you frequently work with text-heavy documents, a scanner with OCR capabilities can streamline your workflow and improve document management.
How We Selected and Tested
We put in weeks of research and testing when curating this list of the best document scanners. There are a surprising amount of document scanners available—even more if you count all-in-one printers —so to narrow down our list, we researched models from the industry's leading brands, including Canon, Epson, and Brother. We vetted each product based on the criteria above, while consulting prior insights from Popular Mechanics experts.
We spent a month testing several models, including the Canon imageFormula R40 , Brother 1700W , and Epson RR-60 . To benchmark performance, we created digital copies of three physical documents and compared each scanner's features, clarity, and speed. Beyond the models we tested, our list includes additional recommendations that fit various needs and budgets.
A Sample of Document Scanner Test Results
Above
: Test photo scan results using a recent issue of Popular Mechanics. In the center, the Canon imageFormula R40—our top pick for overall performance; pictured left, the Brother 1700W, which we recommend for best value; and to the right, the Epson RR 600W, a high-capacity scanner covered in the "More Document Scanners We Recommend" section.
Below
: Test image scan results of text from the Brother 1700W (top) and the Canon imageFORMULA R40 (bottom). When you fully zoom in, you can see that the 1700W's dark and crisp text is fuller and more readable than the R40's.
Courtesy Hunter Fenollol
Courtesy Hunter Fenollol
imageFORMULA R40 Office Document Scanner
Canon's imageFormula R40 performed better than any other office scanner we tested. It has the rest beat in terms of speed, capacity, and overall digitization quality. It's a powerhouse that quickly rips through up to 60 pages at a time and doesn't choke on heavier paper, like our cardstock magazine cover photo. It also has the best-looking images of any of the models we tested, with colors that are truest to life.
The scans of our Popular Mechanics images above speak to the imageFormula R40's strengths. Right off the bat, the document scanner's reproduction of the magazine cover came out looking like it was a natively digital photo file. Look closely and you can see the sharp edges around the Lego bricks and text. As you zoom in, there's no blurring of textures, and the pages consistently come out perfectly aligned.
While it lacks a touchscreen and wireless connectivity, Canon's CaptureOne software is both feature-packed and the easiest to use of the bunch. You can see the most important customization at a glance then adjust settings like resolution or double-sided scanning with a single click. It also has strong auto deskew to straighten images.
If you frequently scan more than a dozen pages in a day or want the cleanest copies, this is the scanner for you. However, text quality on the R40 trails just behind the more affordable Brother 1700W below, as it tends to come in a bit lighter.
Trevor Raab
ADS-1700W Wireless Document Scanner
The Brother ADS 1700W is the best scanner for most people. Its touchscreen interface and wireless connectivity make it the easiest model to use, and it works across a majority of devices. On top of that, it's both affordable and more compact than most home office scanners.
Sure, its load capacity and speeds aren't as high as our top performer. And as you can see above in the three Popular Mechanics cover images, the sky takes on darker hues with slight loss in detail.
We also found that its auto-straightening feature isn't always reliable. However, the 1700W is perfectly suitable for everyday jobs like business reports or medical forms. Plus, its clean scan quality is on par with pricier options.
Out of the box, this scanner is effortless to set up. Just plug it into a wall outlet, and connect it to your Wi-Fi network using the onscreen instructions. You don't have to search for drivers or scanner-specific software—we simply downloaded the Brother iPrint & Scan directly from the App Store on both a work MacBook and personal iPhone.
Later on, it connected wirelessly in seconds from Windows laptop gadgets to an Android tablet, all without needing to worry about a wired USB connection. This versatility gives the 1700W a huge advantage over the competition, which needs to be tethered to a Mac or Windows computer.
Its 20-page ADF can scan up to an 8.5 by 34-inch poster directly to your phone or laptop.
Trevor Raab
RapidReceipt RR-60 Mobile Receipt and Document Scanner
Don't let the stapler-sized Epson RR-60 fool you—this tiny scanner can fit documents up to 8.5 by 72 inches. It's the smallest and most affordable portable model we tested.
Despite its convenience, it doesn't skimp on resolution, with the ability to reach up to 1200 DPI like the full-sized scanners above. It lacks the capacity and ADF capabilities to replace a home office scanner, but overall, its speed and software make it the most capable mobile option we tested.
At a scan rate of 5 seconds per page, the RR-60 rips through reports and receipts at home and on the move. Its lightweight 0.6-pound body is durably built, yet it takes up minimal space so you can throw it in a bag or backpack—perfect for anyone with limited space who doesn't want to lose desk real estate to a full office scanner.
More Document Scanners We Recommend
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ScanSnap iX1600
The Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 checks a lot of boxes: It's fast and easy to use, which are among the most important qualities you could ask for in a scanner. With Wi-Fi functionality, you can easily connect to mobile devices or the cloud.
User profiles and preferences allow you to customize scanning tasks, icons, letters, or colors. That multi-user functionality makes it ideal for office use, although the reduced feeder capacity of only 50 pages may be a drawback for some.
CanoScan Lide 400 Slim Scanner
A flatbed scanner is ideal if you plan to scan single sheets, book pages, or film negatives. The Canon CanoScan Lide 400 is an affordable, easy-to-use option that supports robust software and a high scanning resolution of up to 4,800 DPI.
The scanner features five buttons on the front, including an auto scan function that automatically detects the content on the glass, scans it, and saves it in the appropriate format (PDG, JPEG, TIFF, or PNG). Like more expensive models, Canon's flatbed scanner can convert scanned text into an editable PDF. Conveniently, the Lide 400 can be positioned horizontally or vertically thanks to a kickstand, saving space on your desk.
At under $100, the Lide 400 is a solid flatbed scanner for occasional use throughout the week. While it lacks mobile or wireless support, the scanner's powerful software and high-resolution scanning capabilities make it an excellent choice for home users. Plus, its compact design, combined with the ability to draw power directly from a USB port, adds to its versatility and ease of use.
FastFoto FF-680W Document and Photo Scanner
The Epson FastFoto FF-680W is a powerful document scanner with a special emphasis on scanning photos. The versatile device can handle various media types, including documents, receipts, and business cards.
Its standout feature is its ability to process large volumes of photographs quickly, with Epson rating the scanner at 80 ppm for 4 x 6-inch photos. The FF-680W can process up to 36 prints in a single batch, making it easy to digitize large batches of family photos. Additionally, the scanner offers powerful image editing features, including auto enhancement, color restoration, and red-eye reduction.
While the FF-690W excels at photo scanning, it also scans documents well. It accommodates a variety of paper types and sizes, from standard documents to panoramic photos. The scanner's automatic feeder and double-sided scanning capabilities also make it easy to process multi-page documents.
Epson's scanner supports wireless connectivity, allowing you to scan directly to your computer or smartphone. Additionally, you can scan directly to cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive.
DSMobile DS-940DW Portable Scanner
The Brother DSMobile DS-940W is a more advanced portable scanner that stands out with its duplex scanning capability, allowing you to scan both sides of a document in a single pass. The feature is perfect for processing financial documents or legal papers. Despite its compact size, the DS-940W boasts a scanning speed of 15 ppm and the ability to handle various document types and sizes.
The DS-940W supports both USB and Wi-Fi connections, the latter of which allows for scanning to mobile devices and popular cloud services. Brother's scanner also features OCR to convert scans into editable and searchable text. With its combination of portability, speed, and advanced features, the DS-940W is an easy choice for portable scanning.
What to Consider When Shopping for a Document Scanner
There are two types of document scanners: office and portable. A home office document scanner is your best bet for processing a high volume of large documents daily.
If you need to scan a few documents each week and would benefit from having a relatively lightweight scanner in your backpack, a portable scanner is the way to go. Beyond that, no matter which type of document scanner you choose, there are a few key functions to keep in mind.
Type
Office scanners are larger and require a wall outlet, meaning they aren't designed for schlepping around to scan on the go. Most have an auto document feeder (ADF) to process documents in bulk. If you often scan longer multi-page documents, you'll want a scanner with a higher capacity to match your workload.
Portable scanners, on the other hand, are smaller and run off a single USB connection or battery. They're typically more affordable, but processing documents and other media is more time consuming, as they feature a manual single-page feed or flatbed, on top of which you place an individual item to scan. (These days, some of the best photo scanners on the market are flatbed.)
Scan Speed
Speaking of time, you'll want to a model with a high page-per-minute (PPM) rating if you have to make several scans throughout the day. A larger number here is indicative of a faster scanner, so prioritize a model with a PPM in the double digits for quicker scans.
When looking at specs, you'll typically see two PPM ratings—one for black, and one for color. You can maximize your speeds at the cost of quality by adjusting to a lower resolution, which is measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI).
Resolution
The resolution determines how sharp an image appears. Look for a scanner with a resolution of at least 300 DPI, which is the best balance between prioritizing speed (usually 150 DPI, which is the lowest we recommend) and clarity (over 500 DPI).
For the highest quality image you should be scanning at the highest option possible, which is usually 600 DPI.
Duplex Scanning
Scanners that support duplex scanning capture both sides of a sheet of paper at the same time in a single passthrough without requiring you to flip it over. This is an essential feature to look for if you often deal with double-sided documents, as it saves you time and effort.
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