Scan Papers Fast & Easy

By: Lori Thayer

Have you been trying to go paperless just like me? It is an ongoing effort and sometimes it seems impossible to scan papers in your home because of the time needed. Businesses are working towards going paperless too. Recently at a hospital as soon as some papers were signed I saw them scan them and save digital copies in minutes. Impressive, the same scanning technology this large hospital is using to go paperless can be used in our homes as well.

I learned of the Fujitsu ScanSnap a few years ago when they integrated with Evernote. Evernote is where all of my papers are saved after I scan them. The ScanSnap was touted as really fast, able to scan papers quickly, even a whole stack of them. 

I was interested but not willing to invest the money in this device. I continued with my tried and true method of scanning with my all in one printer/copier/fax/scanner.  

That method worked well but scanning was slow as I put one page on the scanner at a time, front and back.  Then once the document or photo was scanned I had to edit it (usually trimming it) and save it to Evernote. I still have folders of images on my computer that I need to move into Evernote from my desktop.

At the beginning of this year I decided to stop putting it off and get a faster scanner. If I was serious about going paperless I needed to put my money where my mouth was. I looked around for options and the Fujitsu ScanSnap had the best reviews and the features I wanted. There are several models but I chose the S1300 as it is compatible with PCs and Macs and less costly than the other options. 

The scansnap arrived, took only a few minutes to set up, then a couple more to direct the software to save the scanned documents right into Evernote. I couldn't resist starting to scan right away. I quickly went through several folders of documents, totally amazed at how easy it was.

The scansnap allows you to scan both sides of a document extremely quickly. It handles stacks of papers as well, probably about 20 (I don't bother to count them). I've been able to make serious inroads in the piles of papers we have filed away.

I've scanned legal documents, regular papers and even receipts and odd sized documents with few issues. Sometimes when scanning a thin paper such as a magazine page it will need extra guidance (assuming you didn't tear evenly).

This tool has allowed me to scan hundreds of documents in a short amount of time and saves them directly to the application where I want them and can search to find them later.

I haven't had any problems with the device and really haven't found a downside unless you count the higher cost for this device. To me the price was worth it. It took a while until I was ready to spend the money but the saved time and progress I've been able to make is well worth it.

Need help getting your scansnap set up? Watch my video tutorial on setting up your scansnap to scan into Evernote.

Not sure if you're ready to start going paperless? Read our recent article for ideas on why to go paperless and what to keep when you start scanning.

Interested in more ways to optimize your life? Learn the 7 Secrets To A Chaos Free Morning. Lori Thayer is passionate about finding ways to optimize your life, save time and enjoy life more. Become chaos free today.