- "Plug-and-Scan" capability (CaptureOnTouch Lite scanning software launches upon connection for immediate scanning without installing drivers or imaging applications)
- Can handle scanning thick and thin documents, plastic ID cards, embossed cards, driver licenses
- Powered by USB
Those boxes of documents, love letters, photographs from both my wife's family and mine have weighed on my mind for almost 20 years. In fact, 15 years ago I ordered a Visioneer portable scanner with the intention of getting a load off my mind (and out of the attic). The device proved buggy, partially effective and extremely time-consuming, leading to my aborting the project and selling the scanner. But in the past several months, the regular television commercials for Neato portable scanners renewed my interest.
After reading some of the reviews for Neato portables, I questioned whether the technology had advanced far since my first Visioneer. But before abandoning the project a second time I investigated other possibilities, with the following findings: You can spend several dollars on one of many scan "apps," designed to work with the camera of an iPhone or iPod (good for a couple of documents, maybe). In the 50-100 dollar price range you might pick up a Magic Wand (make sure your hands are steady and your patience long) VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDS-ST410-VP). In the 150 dollar price range there's a decent Brother personal scanner (looks good for occasional use and when on the go) Brother DSMobile Scanner (DS-600) and a wireless device called the Doxie (be sure to read consumer reviews as well as the maker's claims) Doxie, the amazing scanner for documents.
Getting to devices for the more "serious" user, there are several reputable scanners in the two hundred dollar range, above all the Fujitsu Scansnap S1100 Fujitsu SCANSNAP S1100 CLR 600DPI USB Mobile Scanner (PA03610-B005) and the HP Scanjet 1000 HP Scanjet Professional 1000 Mobile Scanner (L2722A#BGJ). These deserve consideration from users who plan to move about and travel, taking the scanner with them on business trips, etc. But besides size and weight, be sure to to note the presence or absence of features like duplex printing, drivers, automatic feed.
Once you're at the $200 mark, it's difficult not to notice what's available for an extra fifty to eighty dollars. The two scanners in this range that stand out--combining the convenience of a portable, USB-powered scanner with the features of a professional office machine--are the Fujitsu S1300 (Fujitsu is clearly the champ with Amazon purchasers) Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Mobile Scanner (PA03603-B005) and the Canon P150 Canon imageFORMULA P-150 Portable Document Scanner(Scan-tini).
But wait! There's also the pictured machine, the Canon P215, the newest offering and one which, though slow to be discovered by consumers, is gradually rising in Amazon's sales rankings (it's moved ahead of the Canon P150 in just the past week). Admittedly, the feature differences between the two Canons are almost as small as the price difference. Size and performance of the two machines are practically identical. The P215 is .2" wider and 2 oz. heavier. The P215 comes with "Advanced Text Enhancement," "Character Emphasis," and several user-adjustable color settings not advertised with the P150; it has a "dedicated" card reader (which accepts thick, laminated cards as well as paper biz cards); its high-speed interface includes USB 3.0 along with USB 2.0; finally, Mac users can be assured that it's "Lion-ready." In short, the P215 seems slightly more "future-proofed" than the P150.
On to the showdown: Canon or Fujitsu? The Fujitsu S1300 accepts 10 sheets in auto-feed mode; the Canon P150 and P215 both accept up to 20 sheets ; the Canons have built-in Twain drivers for guaranteed out-of-the box plug-and-scan convenience; the Fujitsu does not. The Fujitsu includes an AC adapter; the Canons list it as an option. In sum, if I had any hesitation between the two brands, it was because of the Fujitsu's bundled OCR software program: the well-regarded ABBYY FineReader. But once I considered the two brands from a broader perspective, noting my satisfaction with my printer (Canon MP640) and camera (Canon SD780), the final decision became inevitable. ("PC Magazine," for one, seems to agree, rating it "best of breed.")
Buy Canon imageFORMULA P-215 Scan-tini Personal Document Scanner Now
I wanted to have a scanner to archive documents, reports, bills, etc. and eliminate paper storage for my home. I didn't need a super fancy business scanner, but I did want an ADF and duplex scanning.
The obvious choices are the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Mobile Scanner (PA03603-B005) and these new Canon Scan-tini products (Canon imageFORMULA P-150 Portable Document Scanner(Scan-tini) and Canon imageFORMULA P-215 Portable Document Scanner (Scan-tini)). I read a lot of reviews for the various scanners from these two companies. The Fujitsu scanners are very well regarded in terms of hardware but their software is a little antiquated. The Canon software is supposedly a little better. I don't have the Fujitsu and only played with my new Canon P-215 briefly, so I don't know this for sure.
I decided to go with the Canon P-215 instead of the Fujitsu S1300 because:
* USB 3.0 (only P-215, not P-150), so can work optimally with just one cable connection
* Comes with software for both Windows and Mac (again, only P-215 apparently)
* Supports TWAIN driver compatibility
* Better default app software (Windows)
* Slightly larger ADF capacity (but quality is unclear based on reviews, thought it worked fine for my 2 tests so far)
* Scan-tini products minic a flash drive when connected via USB, containing a mini version of their default app software, so you don't need to install any software at all -Nice if you're using it on other computers while traveling
* P-215 also has a cute card-size scanning slot, nice touch
The USB 3.0 feature implies to me newer (better?) hardware design. The TWAIN driver compatibility
allows other programs to scan directly into them. And I like the option of using it with both Windows and Macs (we use both at home). Those are the biggest advantages for me.
But the Canon scanners have these disadvantages:
* They don't include other third-party software, i.e. ABBYY FineReader for ScanSnap 4.1 which sounds like it does some OCR of the scanned images. I found that the PDFs generated from Canon's default CaptureOnTouch app could search for some words but cut-and-paste of the text from a financial report was very garbled. I found the ABBYY FineReader 11 Professional Edition from a different retailer for a bit less and with a rebate, so I ordered it to perform proper OCR. I don't have it yet but tried the free trial, and its PDF was much smaller and had all the proper OCR recognition performed so cut-and-paste worked very well.
* Fujitsu scanning hardware sounds like it may be the best
* Scan-tini scanners don't come with the AC adapter (optional accessory)
Read Best Reviews of Canon imageFORMULA P-215 Scan-tini Personal Document Scanner Here
This scanner will scan documents/receipts up to 39.4 inches in length in long document mode. (See Page 32 of the manual on how to set this up.) This is the longest out of any scanner I researched. When scanning register receipts of a long length one does have to guide it by hand. Since I have not tried any other non-flatbed scanners, I cannot give a comparison to the Neat Receipts, Visoneer Road Warrior, etc. The duplex feature is great for documents and when scanning checks for e-deposit. The built in utility on the scanner is great for when scanning checks. My wife had no problem using this to scan checks on her laptop and deposit. I use PaperPort 14 for scanning and filling my other documents with the built in utility turned off. Note: The scanner comes with PaperPort 11. I went ahead and purchased PaperPort 14 due to the great deal that Nuance was offering for it. The size is great as it does not take up much space and when not in use I can close it up and place on a shelf.
By the way you do not need an AC Adapter to utilize the high speed scan feature if your computer has a USB 3.0 port that is marked SS for SuperSpeed and you plug it directly into the computers USB 3.0 port. This will provide sufficient power for the high speed scan. Note: This is explained in the manual. If you only have USB 2.0 ports on your computer in order to utilize high speed scan you will need to do one of two things: Utilize the included USB to power adapter cable thus using two of your computers USB 2.0 ports or purchase the AC Adapter if you only want to use one of your USB 2.0 ports.
Want Canon imageFORMULA P-215 Scan-tini Personal Document Scanner Discount?
If you're looking at the Canon P-215, there's a good chance you're also looking at the Fujitsu S1300. There's also a good chance you've read many glowing reviews of both. So which do you choose?
I own both the P-215 and the S1300, and I can vouch that both are excellent products. I'd go so far as to say they've changed my life because I work with a ton of paper and don't have a ton of space. Here are my recommendations. If only one of these statements applies to you, or all the statements that apply to you point toward the same scanner, then your choice is easy. If more than one statement applies to you and points you toward different scanners, then it's a bit trickier.
1a. You don't have a program that will organize and modify PDFs. WINNER: Fujitsu. The software that comes with the Canon is horrible, whereas the Fujitsu provides a nice file manager program.
1b. You want to do OCR but don't have a good OCR program such as Adobe Acrobat. WINNER: Fujitsu. As mentioned above, the software that comes with the Canon is horrible, whereas the Fujitsu provides a nice OCR program. More on the horrible Canon software later.
2a. You scan a lot of business cards and don't need/want OCR for those cards. WINNER: Canon. It has a great little slot just for business cards.
2b. You scan a lot of business cards and need/want OCR for those cards. WINNER: Fujitsu. See 1b.
3a. You have a USB 3.0 port that is free for you to plug your scanner into. WINNER: Canon. If you have a USB 3.0 port, then just plug one of the USB cords into the scanner, and you can do high-speed scanning.
3b. You have a free outlet on your power strip/wall and only one free USB port (2.0) on your computer. WINNER: Fujitsu. The Canon doesn't come with a power adapter. You have to buy that separately. You can scan with just one free USB 2.0 port with the Canon, but it's slow.
3c. You have two free USB ports (2.0) on your computer and no free outlets on your power strip/wall. WINNER: Canon. You can do high-speed scanning by plugging into both USB 2.0 ports. You don't need a power adapter and don't have one unless you buy it separately.
3d. You have one free USB (2.0) port on your computer and no free outlets on your power strip/wall. WINNER: Canon. The scanning will be slow, but you still can scan with just one USB 2.0 port. If you don't have a free outlet, you can't scan at all with the Fujitsu.
3e. You're in a situation in which you're on a laptop but don't have the laptop charger, but you do have an extra outlet. WINNER: Fujitsu. The Canon will eat up all your laptop battery because it's not getting power from anywhere else.
4. You want to scan a stack of legal-size paper or heavier paper. WINNER: Fujitsu. The pull-out easel--I don't know if that's the term--on the Canon is way flimsy, and legal paper doesn't go in as straight as it does with the Fujitsu.
5. You want to travel a lot with this scanner. WINNER: Canon. The Canon is smaller and more portable. Note, however, that when the easel is pulled out, the footprint on the desk is about the same because the easel stands up straighter on the Fujitsu.
6. You want a scanner that will last. WINNER: Fujitsu at least ties with Canon and may be better. I haven't used the Canon enough to test its durability, but I've scanned well over 15,000 pages on the Fujitsu, and it's still going strong. It's not like I've been particularly careful with the Fujitsu; many times I've accidentally forgotten to pull out staples, have yanked the paper halfway through a scan after realizing that I wasn't supposed to scan it, etc. Perhaps the Canon is just as durable, but if you don't want to take that risk, then I recommend the Fujitsu.
So that's a decision guide. Since this review is of the Canon scanner, here are some additional comments about it. I have Windows 7.
First, I strongly recommend reading both the User's Manual printed in the box and the Reference Guide on the Canon website. I find it odd that they give you a printed copy of one but not the other, considering that the Reference Guide is just as important, if not more so, than the User's Manual. I don't find either manual particularly clearly written, though.
As I mentioned above, the Canon software is horrible. If you want to install the software, do a System Restore first because you may regret the software installation; I did. I ended up removing all the software because it was such a pain in the butt. The Caputure OnTouch software didn't detect when I plugged in the scanner, nor when I pressed the button. The PaperPort program is not only confusing but annoying. You're bugged to register with the software company every single time. There's no option for it to stop bugging you. The software sets itself to Auto Start. It tried to auto-update but failed.
Instead, use the software that's stored in the scanner itself. It's described confusingly in the manual; it's actually much simpler. When you plug in the scanner and turn it on, it'll show up as a drive called ONTOUCHLITE. Open the folder in that drive, and click on the file called ONTOUCHL.exe. Set "Enable continuous scanning" to On and "Full auto mode" to Off. In the Scanner Settings, set Use Advanced Options to On and click the star next to the option. This gives you the ability to do most scanning functions without the nuisance of the software. If you want to modify the pdfs, use another software program such as Adobe Acrobat or the other PDF editing programs I mention in my review of Adobe Acrobat X Professional
I should mention that the ONTOUCHLITE software is annoying if you're scanning documents to different folders. You can choose your destination folder, but the "Save in folder" box is too short and doesn't show file trees. Unless you save everything to the desktop or to the main Documents folder, you almost always have to click Browse. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but trust me, it gets very annoying.
While I've ended the review on a negative note, I really think this is a great product. In fact, I bought another one as a gift for an accountant friend. I'm merely trying to point out the one big downside to the Canon that you should be aware of.
Full disclosure: I received a test model for review but was not otherwise compensated. As mentioned above, I liked this product enough to buy another one for a friend, so my 5-star rating reflects my true opinion. Because I have a test model, it's possible that the software problems described do not apply to non-test models.
Save 21% Off
After testing out the P-215 Portable Document Scanner in a variety of settings, here are my comments, in no particular order:
INSIDE THE BOX ARE:
Scanner P-215
USB cable
USB power supply cable
Installation DVD
Reference Guide and other paperwork
PROs:
Easy, straight-forward installation; just make sure to install the software before connecting the scanner.
Small footprint and light weight: This scanner is small and light-weight enough to fit into a briefcase or even a large women's purse.
Build quality is good, and the scanner feels solid.
TWAIN compatibility.
Fast: After playing around with the software settings, I found that the automatic setting (where the software automatically picks the dpi setting) is extremely fast and puts my big flatbed Canon scanner to shame. I almost could not believe my eyes how fast a regular sheet of paper (text only) went through. The speed slows considerably when scanning at higher resolutions (up to 600 dpi is possible) but a regular document scan takes no time at all. And even at the high dpi settings it is still not slow-slow, just slow-er...
Paper Sizes: The scanner, for all its small size, accommodates quite a wide range of paper widths, up to letter size width. I especially liked the fact that it had no problem with small sheets of paper. I was able to scan a paper ticket which was only 3 1/2 x 2 1/2".
Scan quality is quite good but note that no software is included to fine-tune scanned images afterwards. But since most people use Photoshop or similar software anyway, this is not a huge problem if any.
Multiple sheet capacity, up to 20 sheets can be put into the feeder, a significant time saver compared to scanners that allow only one or a few sheets at a time.
Duplex scanning ability: Easily my favorite feature of this scanner. This allows me to scan the two sides of a sheet of paper in one step, no need to turn the sheet around and scan a second time. There is even a software setting that helps to prevent or at least weaken the "see-through" effect one occasionally encounters when writing bleeds through and can be seen from the backside. Very clever.
CONs:
Versatility: I installed the software on a 2009 Dell desktop computer and a 2008 Dell XPS M1330 and everything worked fine. However, installing it onto a 2010 ASUS Netbook 1015PEB got me nowhere. The netbook simply did not supply enough power to operate the scanner and I got a consistent "Device Not Found" error. Which brings me to my second point:
Separate A/C Adapter: I really dislike the fact that Canon did not include an A/C adapter. The price of this scanner is not bargain basement and forcing the consumer to buy an A/C adapter separately looks certainly a bit cheap, especially in light of the portability factor. I regularly travel overseas and intend to take this scanner with me on the road. To keep my load as light as possible, I usually travel with my netbook rather than the bigger laptop. But the scanner does not work with the netbook out of the box and requires the A/C adapter which I now need to buy separately unless I want to lug the much bigger and heavier laptop around with me. Not to mention that this adapter is not exactly cheap and runs at around $30 at the time of this review.
Slightly uneven paper feed: The paper was pulled through the feeder slightly unevenly, with a stronger pull on the right. This held true for both large sheets of paper (letter size) as well as card size paper (using the separate slot on the right). This is a rather minor point because the paper guides do help, even though I found it a bit difficult to adjust them perfectly to counteract this behavior.
SUMMARY:
I would love this scanner if it weren't for the A/C adapter issue. I suppose Canon figures that it would work out of the box with most computers/notebooks and so they decided to not include the adapter. Nonetheless, it doesn't work for me and my preferred road gear... This is where my one-star deduction comes from. Call me nit-picky.
Finally, just to mention it: This scanner will not work with books or, let's say old 19th century carte de visite photographs which are too thick and stiff to go through the device. This is rather self-evident from the type of scanner this is, but I wanted to mention it anyway. I do genealogy as a hobby and while this will be great to scan letters and other documents, books and said photographs will either have to go on a flatbed scanner or need a wand-type scanner such as the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDS ST415 WM).
Overall I do like the P-215 a lot, and once I will have forgotten that I had to buy the A/C adapter separately, I am sure I will love it. :-)
