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What are the best portable document scanners under $300?

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Epson WorkForce ES-300W vs Epson WorkForce ES-200 vs TaoTronics Handheld Portable scanner

Specs

Wi-Fi

Yes

Battery

Yes

Maximum Resolution

1200 dpi

Scanner Type

Sheet-fed, one-pass duplex color scanner

Paper Weight Range

51.8 – 230 g/m2

Minimum Document Size

2" x 2.75"

Maximum Document Size

8.5" x 44"

Scanning Speed

25 ppm/50 ipm

Light Source

3-color RGB LED

Optical Resolution

600 dpi

Color Bit Depth

48−bit input

Grayscale Bit Depth

24−bit output

Wi-Fi

No

Battery

No

Maximum Resolution

1200 dpi

Scanner Type

Sheet-fed, one-pass duplex color scanner

Paper Weight Range

51.8 – 230 g/m2

Minimum Document Size

2" x 2.75"

Maximum Document Size

8.5" x 44"

Scanning Speed

25 ppm/50 ipm

Light Source

3-color RGB LED

Optical Resolution

600 dpi

Color Bit Depth

48−bit input

Grayscale Bit Depth

24−bit output

Wi-Fi

No

Battery

Yes

Maximum Resolution

1050 dpi

Scanner Type

Handheld

Paper Weight Range

Any

Minimum Document Size

Any

Maximum Document Size

Any

Scanning Speed

Manual scanning

Light Source

-

Optical Resolution

-

Color Bit Depth

-

Grayscale Bit Depth

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Amazing battery life

You will manage to scan and save around 700 double-sided pages before the battery runs empty.
Comment

Pro
 Great for accurate text analysis

The ES-300W comes with ABBYY software, meant for turning your paper documents into editable text. Scanners don't always read the text correctly, some of them only get 3/4 of the words right. This model was tested and didn't make a single mistake - it read 100% of the words correctly (according to Wirecutter's tests). It's capable of reading fonts down to 4p in size, with a few mistakes when reading smaller fonts. If you scan documents with font sizes 6p and up, you will not have to make any manual corrections.
Comment

Pro
 Very portable

The ES-300W fits in a small bag and is easy to carry around. It measures only 11.3" x 3.5" x 2.6". However, it weighs 2.9 lbs, which is a bit heavier than some other models that don't come with a battery. You can choose to power it by AC, built-in battery or USB, so you can use it practically anywhere, without having to worry about the availability of a power supply.
Comment

Con
 Handles receipts poorly

Epson's scanning preset called "receipt" gives you a scan error when the receipt is longer than 11 inches. Also, the scanner does not come with receipt management software, unlike some other scanners, so if you need one, you will have to look for a third-party solution, like Expensify.
Comment

Pro
 Scan files to several computers over Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi support means that you don't have to save the files to a memory card or connect the scanner to a computer. You can scan the files to one or several computers over Wi-Fi.
Comment

Con
 Bends documents/photos when scanning them

You can't place the document flat, but have to roll it through the scanner. The Epson ES-300W can bend the paper and this not desirable when for example scanning originals of some valuable documents.
Comment

Con
 Expensive

This scanner is more expensive than it's brother, the Epson ES-200, because it comes with a battery and Wi-Fi support. If you know you will always connect the scanner via USB to your computer, then it might not be worth getting the more expensive ES-300W.
Comment

Con
 Complaints about setup and flaky software

Many comments on the wirecutter article for this product mention that setup requires two separate software to accomplish setup. That the software is flaky on Mac OS.
Comment

Pro
 Very fast scanning

At 200 PPI(pixels per inch) scan quality, the ES-300W can scan 23 pages per minute according to Wirecutter's tests. This is 3 times faster than the average portable scanner.
Comment

Pro
 Very portable due to its small size

Due to the lack of a battery, it's even smaller in size than it's bigger brother, the Epson ES-300W. The scanner fits in a small bag and can conveniently be taken anywhere, since it measures only 11.3" x 3.5" x 2.0" and weighs very little — just 2.4 lbs.
Comment

Pro
 Very fast scanning

When powered by AC, and with a 200 PPI(pixels per inch) scan quality, the ES-200 can scan 23 pages per minute, according to real-life tests by Wirecutter that were run on a scanner with identical parameters — the ES-300W. This scanner is 3 times faster than the average portable scanner.
Comment

Con
 Bends documents/photos when scanning them

You can't place your documents flat, but have to roll them through the scanner. Doing so, the Epson ES-200 can bend the paper - and this is not desirable when for example scanning originals of some valuable documents.
Comment

Pro
 Affordable

Since the ES-200 does not include a battery and it does not support Wi-Fi connections, it's much more affordable than many other portable scanners. If you know you will always be able to connect the scanner via USB to your computer, then this budget scanner might be a great option for you.
Comment

Pro
 Extremely accurate text analysis

The ES-200 comes with ABBYY software, meant for turning your paper documents into editable text. Scanners don't always read the text correctly, some of them only get 3/4 of the words right. This model is identical in parameters to the Epson ES-300W, which was tested and didn't make a single mistake — it read 100% of the words correctly. It's capable of reading fonts down to 4p in size, with a few mistakes when reading smaller fonts. If you scan documents with font sizes 6p and up, you will not have to make any manual corrections.
Comment

Con
 No battery

Though this scanner is portable, you have to have a power supply on the go. It can be powered via USB from your laptop.
Comment

Con
 Can't use Wi-Fi

This scanner doesn't support Wi-Fi and therefore you can only scan to one PC via USB.
Comment

Con
 Handles receipts poorly

Epson's scanning preset called "receipt" gives you a scan error when the receipt is longer than 11 inches. Also, the scanner does not come with receipt management software, unlike some other scanners, so if you need one, you will have to look for a third-party solution, like Expensify.
Comment

Con
 Scans slowly when powered via USB

The scanning process gets 3 times slower when you power the scanner just using USB. To achieve maximum scan speed, you need to plug in the AC adapter.
Comment

Pro
 Great for scanning difficult surfaces, such as books

Unlike most scanners, this TaoTronics can scan almost any surface, since it's handheld. For example it's easy to scan books, which would not fit into a sheet-fed or flatbed scanner, where the paper has to go through or into the scanner.
Comment

Con
 Each scan creates a new PDF

There is no option to scan several pages into one PDF file. This can be a headache when scanning documents longer than one page, since you will end up with a lot of PDF files. Luckily, there is free software available online that lets you merge several PDF files into one. Of course, this takes some extra effort.
Comment

Pro
 High quality scanning

It's capable of scanning at a 1050 DPI(dots per inch) resolution, which results in a sharp scanned image quality. This maximum resolution is similar to the one found in more expensive alternatives.
Comment

Pro
 Extremely portable

This is one of the smallest and lightest scanners available on the market. It weighs just 5.9 ounces and measures 10.5 x 1 x 1.2 inches.
Comment

Pro
 Lets you save scanned documents on an SD card

You can add an SD card up to 32 GB in size and the scanner automatically saves the documents on it.
Comment

Con
 Poor character recognition software

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software transforms a scanned picture into editable text. The OCR that this scanner comes with is not capable of consistently reading characters accurately. Also, this software is not Mac or Windows 10 compatible — it was made for older Windows operating systems. Of course, you can always get other OCR software that is compatible with your system.
Comment

Pro
 Color display for convenient settings adjustment

The scanner has a small color display, which makes it easier to do operations such as changing the scan settings or choosing the output format.
Comment

Pro
 Inexpensive

It's a great budget option if you know you'll just need to scan documents during one specific project and don't want to spend a fortune on a scanner. Portable scanners, especially the ones that are not handheld, often cost 5-10 times more than this one.
Comment

Con
 Requires some practice

Scanning with a handheld scanner requires some skill and practice. The first scans might not be perfect, due to improper speed or unstable movement of the scanner.
Comment
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