Best Portable Document Scanners and Buying Guide

The 10 Best Portable Document Scanners and Buying Guide

A portable document scanner is a great tool for business or personal use. They are small, lightweight, and easy to use. You can take them with you wherever you go! In this article, we will cover the ten best portable scanners. We will also provide a buying guide to help you choose the suitable portable document scanner for your needs. Finally, we will answer some common questions about handheld document scanners.

Things to Consider for Buying Best Portable Document Scanner

When looking for the best portable document scanner, you should consider a few things.

1. Features

What features do you need? Some scanners come with simple features, while others have more advanced features such as duplex scanning and wireless connectivity.

2. Type of Documents

What type of documents are you scanning? If you are scanning photos or artwork, you will need a high dpi (dots per inch) scanner.

3. Durability

How often will you be using your scanner? If you plan to use it daily, you will need a durable scanner to handle heavy use.

4. Budget

Portable scanners can range in price from around $60 to over $500. You need to select the one that is within your budget.

By keeping these factors in mind, you can be sure to find the best portable scanner for your needs. And with so many great options on the market, you’re sure to find one that fits your budget and meets your scanning needs. So don’t wait any longer; start shopping for your perfect portable scanner today!

Now that you know what to look for let’s take a look at the best portable document scanners on the market!

The 10 Best Portable Scanners

The article covers portable scanner reviews, including information about product prices, website URLs, ratings, pros, and cons. The 10 top portable scanners that will be described are listed below.

1. Overall Best Portable Scanner

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i

Rating: 4.3/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“Wow. The Ultimate Tax Receipt Solution . . .”

“Very happy indeed.”

Price: $259.99
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i is another compact scanner that performs all the expected functions of a typical portable document scanner. In addition, it is the best duplex scanner because it can scan as many as a dozen double-sided documents (colored or black and white) within a minute.

Apart from the above, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i can be connected to various cloud services. Users can also set it to convert documents into PDF automatically. Furthermore, this compact scanner has an auto-feeder and can be powered by a USB or AC adapter. Lastly, it can sense the color and size of each document.

Pros

  • Fast double-sided scans
  • Automatic color correction
  • It has a very high accuracy

Cons

  • It is weightier than most products in the industry
  • Costly

2. Best-Rated Portable Scanner

Canon imageFORMULA R10

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“Works great . . .”

“Scanner works well.”

Price: $194
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

Canon imageFORMULA R10 is the best portable document scanner with a high rating because of its remarkable score on Amazon. Buyers will love this handheld portable scanner’s exquisite design and two-sided document scanning. One of the things that place it among the top portable scanners on our list is the price which gives users value for their dollars.

This product can process 12 pages every second. Its automatic document feeder can hold about 20 pages. You can digitize documents and export scans with ease. Canon imageFORMULA R10 can be easily set up for the office or home.

Pros

  • Professional results
  • Wide range of export options
  • Speedy scanning and processing

Cons

  • It isn’t compatible with newer Apple products
  • It can only work with the included software

3. Best Handheld Scanner

VuPoint Magic Wand

Rating: 3.8/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“Love our scanner!”

“This scanner is amazing.”

Price: $53.99
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

This handheld document scanner gives a precise meaning to the word “portable.” It has a measurement of 12.5 × 5.6 × 2.1 inches! The VuPoint Magic Wand handheld scanner is small, but it presents its users with many benefits. For example, you can choose to hold it when scanning a document or connect it to its auto-feed docking station. It also comes with an LCD screen for viewing scan results.

Anyone who visits the library regularly will find this device very useful. For example, it can help students wishing to scan pages of books in the library.

Although the VuPoint Magic Wand is a small handheld document scanner, it still has all the essential software for scanning. It can scan documents 10.5 inches long and has a scanning power of up to 1,200 dots per inch (DPI).

What is more? It uses a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. With the many functionalities enjoyed when using this handheld scanner, you get value for your money.

Pros

  • It is very portable
  • It produces resolutions of up to 1,200 DPI
  • It can be used to scan books, especially in a library.
  • Cheap
  • Long battery life
  • It powers off automatically after a long time frame of no activity
  • A preview of the scan be seen on the color LCD
  • Built-in 3GB memory
  • WiFi

Cons

  • It is not a portable duplex scanner.
  • White balance calibration is needed for color scans.

4. Best Portable Photo Scanner

Plustek ePhoto Z300

Rating: 4.6/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“. . . so easy!”

“Great for Digitizing Old Prints!”

Price: $199
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

Plustek ePhoto Z300 flatbed scanner is on our list of top portable scanners because of its fantastic photo scanning features such as 600dpi of high-quality scanning and size compatibility of up to 8 × 10 inches, unique soft roller to protect old photos, and so on.

This small portable document scanner is a great compact scanner that can scan in just 2 seconds. In addition, it comes with software to aid scanning with image enhancement and restoration. These features are in addition to a high-quality internal CCD sensor.

Pros

  • It is a compact scanner with an ergonomic design
  • Auto crop and deskew
  • Very fast

Cons

  • This small portable document scanner can only work with Mac and PC
  • It is not a portable duplex scanner

5. Best Portable Scanner for Ease of Use

Canon CanoScan LIDE 300

Rating: 4.3/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“Works fine.”

“Works like a charm.”

Price: $133.81
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

Canon CanoScan LIDE 300 is a wireless 2,400-dpi resolution scanner that offers so much as the best portable document scanner for ease of use. It is on our list because of its lightweight, compact build, ease of storage, one-touch scanning enabled by 4 “EZ” buttons, etc. In addition, you can scan bulky materials like books and bound documents and elevate the Z-lid parallel up to 21mm from the platen surface.

The USB connection lets you supply power to the device and transfer files to your PC. Scan speed? 10 seconds!

Pros

  • A very easy to use a small portable document scanner

Cons

  • It may not be compatible with one of the recent operating systems
  • No duplex scanning.

6. Best Standalone scanner

Doxie Go SE

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“Really very good.”

“Great concept . . .”

Price: $179
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

The Doxie Go SE should be considered if you are looking for the best mobile scanner for you in terms of standalone advantages. It can scan into your iPhone or iPad. It is also an ideal handheld document scanner that comes with a rechargeable battery that has the power to handle 400 pages of documents.

For what reasons could the Doxie Go SE be the best mobile scanner for you? Users can perform colored scans in less than 10 seconds. If that is not enough to convince you, then imagine being able to carry a scanner that is as tiny as 12.2 × 2.2 × 1.8 inches!

The Doxie Go SE’s memory can store up to 4,000 pages of scanned documents. The device’s app synchronizes scans and sends them to apps on your smart devices. In addition, the files can be converted into PDFs. Talk about a handheld scanner that is well-suited for the traveling business person.

Pros

  • Very portable
  • You do not need a PC
  • Features WiFi
  • A fully charged battery can scan up to 400 pages
  • It can be used to scan books easily

Cons

  • No duplex scanning
  • Costly

7. Best Portable Scanner for Speed

Epson WorkForce ES-300W

Rating: 4.2/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“Fast and great quality scanning . . .”

“Good . . .”

Price: $279.99
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

You may find the Epson WorkForce ES-300W to be bigger than many other products in the industry. However, a compact scanner performs most functions that a typical portable document scanner should be capable of. This includes duplex scanning.

The Epson WorkForce ES-300W enables wireless connectivity with your devices—be it a tablet, PC, or smartphone. In addition, it is compatible with most office software. Better still, it can access cloud services.

Do not be surprised if it is as fast as a regular desktop scanner. Think about auto-feed handling as many as 20 pages at once, and then imagine a work rate of 25 pages every minute. So, if you are all about speed, this portable document scanner is for you. It is the best mobile scanner for fast scanning.

Pros

  • Very portable
  • Speedy processing
  • Document and business card management software is installed
  • Integrated WiFi
  • Using a USB power source will not slow it down
  • Battery included

Cons

  • It may be choosy when scanning documents with ripped edges
  • Expensive

8. Best Portable Scanner for Budget

IRIScan Book 5

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“Customer service is great . . .”

“Best for Tech People.”

Price: $129.00
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

This product is a handheld portable document scanner, and it is on our list of small portable scanners because of its low price when the value it offers users is considered. You have to slide it across the page, and it scans. Easy peasy and fast (one-second) scanning with an expected 1,200-dpi resolution. Users can listen to scanned content being read to them by checking audio files! You can also scan to JPG, PDF, e-Book, and Microsoft Office File.

IRIScan Book 5 has an SD card slot, USB slot, WiFi, button, 1.5-inch color screen, and long-lasting lithium rechargeable battery. You can be sure that this is one of the smallest small portable scanners on the market, so it’s a great contender for the best product for portability.

Pros

  • Speedy scanning
  • Great for personal use in a library

Cons

  • It may not scan large pages completely
  • It can’t be used for duplex scanning

9. Best Combo of Portable Scanner & Printer

HP Officejet 250

Rating: 4.6/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“Quiet to print . . .”

“Great little printer.”

Price: $420
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

This small portable scanner is good for the traveling business person who wants a printer and scanner on the go. HP Officejet 250 has wireless functionality (Bluetooth and WiFi), can print up to 8 × 10 documents, and has a 10-page automatic document feeder.

Users will benefit from this printer’s 2.65-inch color touchscreen, printing from smartphones and tablets, 50-sheet input capacity, etc.

Pros

  • A great combo of printing and scanning specs

Cons

  • It is costly
  • Manual duplex scanning

10. Best Portable Scanner for Features

Brother ADS-1250W

Rating: 3.9/5

Summary of Customer Reviews

“BEST SCANNER!”

“Print well . . .”

Price: $229.99
Check the latest price on Amazon

Review

The Brother ADS-1250W can be the regular traveling businessperson’s trusty companion with ease of carriage and use when moving from one place to another. This portable document scanner has an auto-feed capacity of 20 pages and can scan 34-inches long receipts.

Scanning to USB gives you access to vast storage support—allowing you to fetch scanned files when you open the drive on a connected computer. Therefore, no software is needed for scanning. You can feed your files into your PC with a Micro USB 3.0 connection. Orderliness is ensured when recording business transactions because documents can be scanned to specific destinations. Lastly, it has double-sided document scanning.

Pros

  • Speedy processing
  • Document and contact management software is installed
  • iPrint&Scan app is up-to-date and very versatile
  • Documents can be scanned to USB drives
  • Lightweight
  • Small in size

Cons

  • It does not use batteries
  • Web connectivity is limited
  • The Control panel is scanty

FAQs

You may need more information than what you read in the portable scanner reviews above. However, some of the frequently asked questions about portable document scanners have been answered here.

What is a portable scanner?

A portable document scanner is designed for easy carriage by an individual on the move, unlike its normal-sized types that can only be placed in a stationary position. You can pack it in a briefcase, handbag, or backpack. The device performs most of the functions of the desktop models.

What is the best portable scanner?

Based on the portable scanner reviews given earlier, it is not far-fetched to say that the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i is the best mobile scanner.

Can you scan without a scanner?

Yes, you can scan without a portable document scanner. However, it is possible with the use of a smartphone or tablet. Simply use the device’s built-in camera to take a snapshot of the document.
Better still, scanner apps on smart devices can perform this function (with the device’s camera). The scan results will be converted into PDF or other file types. There are also scanner apps that use optical character recognition (OCR) technology to digitize printed characters. You can use a word processing program to edit the scan results.

How does a portable scanner work?

You may be wondering how such small devices can still perform the functions of their desktop versions. They have sophisticated mini electronics that make this possible. The detector array (a set of tiny light sensors) is one of the essential components of the device. It occupies most of the scanner’s length.
So, how does this device work? A handheld scanner, for instance, moves over the document to illuminate it. This enables the detector array to record the characters or images on the paper. In addition, rollers in a scanner measure the lengths of documents to ensure accurate scaling.
A handheld scanner may have software for choosing from various scan modes, organizing memory, and processing the scan results into a file format. In addition, a portable scanner can perform quality checks to ensure the document is well-scanned. If not, you will be prompted to rescan.

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Conclusion

So there you have it, the ten best portable scanners for travel. We hope that this article has helped you narrow down your choices and that you now understand better what to look for when purchasing a portable scanner.

You can see how valuable a device as small as a handheld document scanner can be. It helps to make business processes more straightforward, just like other resources.

Give your daily productivity a boost by obtaining one of such devices today. But, of course, you will also be doing it for convenience.

Thanks for reading, and happy travels!