Do you have piles of old documents tucked away in your home, or precious photo albums with pictures that are fading away with time?
It might be time to invest in a scanner that will digitise all your important printed materials and keep them safe and accessible, no matter where you are.
These devices are incredibly useful for daily record-keeping. Apart from reducing physical storage space by converting your files to electronic versions, many modern scanners also have useful features, like password protection for sensitive documents. Some even have the ability to give you access to text-level content – so you can copy certain paragraphs, or search for a word within a large document.
But today’s scanners come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are often fine-tuned for different purposes, like photo, document, film and receipt scanning.
We scoured Amazon for the best scanners, based on user reviews and ratings, and curated the list below. Pick your favourite with Amazon Prime and get it as early as tomorrow.
1. Best Overall: Canon imageFORMULA R40 Office Document Scanner
Pros
- Fast speed
- Large capacity
- Excellent quality
- Works with heavy paper
Cons
- Must be connected by wire to a Windows PC or Mac
Canon imageFORMULA R40 is hands down, one of the best scanners in the market right now. It checks all the boxes of quality reproduction, speed, and versatility. The device rapidly scans up to 60 pages at a time, and even works with thick paper, like cardstock. Reviewers say the scanner reproduces images with colours that are true to life, with no blurring or misalignments. The scanner is packed with useful features, such as auto deskew – a tool that automatically straightens images that are crooked, when scanning – and adjustment settings for resolution or double-sided scanning. While it lacks wireless connectivity, this isn’t a dealbreaker by any means, especially for people who need a reliable, speedy scanner for daily use.
Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh150 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh103, and two-year extended warranty for Dh169.
2. Best Wireless: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600
Pros
- Connects with Wi-Fi Fast, high-quality scans
- Multi-user functionality
- Optical character recognition
- Easy to use
Cons
- Limited feeder capacity
Another great option, Fujitsu’s ScanSnap iX1600 is ideal for homes and small offices, and offers rapid scanning over Wi-Fi. So, whether you want the document to appear in your smartphone, on the cloud, or on your PC, it gives you the flexibility to connect from a number of devices. The scanner’s 4.3-inch touchscreen panel is easy to use, and reviewers love that it supports up to 30 customisable profiles. With it, you can customise scanning tasks, icons, letters or colours. The iX1600 also has the ability to automatically recognise and sort documents, receipts and business cards into organised batches. Its optical character recognition (OCR) technology converts images with text into a machine-readable text format, allowing you to copy, edit or search for words in the file. But while the device can rapidly scan up to 40 double-sided sheets per minute, its feeder only manages an intake of 50 pages at a time, so you’ll have to keep refilling when the pages run out.
Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh137.14 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh97, and two-year extended warranty for Dh160.
3. Best Portable: Epson WorkForce DS-80W
Pros
- Compact, light device
- Wireless
- Handles all kinds of paper
- Reliable OCR technology
- Customisable pre-sets
Cons
- No input tray
A scanner that you can easily slip into a drawer, or take with you in your backpack, Epson’s WorkForce DS-80W is portable, lightweight, and compact. The wireless device can scan up to 300 pages between battery charges, at 8.5 pages per minute. It also allows different sizes of paper, and can handle a thickness of between 35 and 270 grams per square metre, which means plastic cards, cardstock, receipts and business cards get the green light. Reviewers say its OCR technology is reliable and accurate, and they love the fact that they can create customised pre-sets for faster workflow. These one-touch pre-sets remember when you scan with specific settings (with colour or double-sided, for instance), or save to a specific folder on a laptop, smartphone, or cloud account, making it easier for you the next time you use the device. With Wi-Fi Direct, you can save content right onto your smartphone, tablet, or cloud account, no cables required. Do note that while it does have an Automatic Feed mode, you’ll have to insert the pages one by one, since there’s no input tray attached.
Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh153.08 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh40, and two-year extended warranty for Dh66.
4. Best Flatbed: HP ScanJet Pro 3600 f1
Pros
- Fast scanning
- 60-page automatic document feeder
- Features five shortcut keys
- Reliable OCR technology
Cons
- USB connectivity, no Wi-Fi support
A winning hybrid with both a flatbed and sheetfed design, HP’s ScanJet Pro 3600 f1 can digitise all sorts of content, like pictures, magazine pages, ID cards and receipts. However, its biggest advantage as a flatbed, is that it can handle the most fragile documents or photographs, since you won’t have to feed it through a sheet feeder. The scanner supports double-sided scanning, and has a 60-page auto document feeder, with the ability to scan up to 30 pages per minute. You can set up profiles here, and workflows, so repetitive scanning tasks become easier. Reviewers find the OCR technology to be relatively fast and accurate, but wish the device had Wi-Fi support, since it only connects via USB.
Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh121.33 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh86, and two-year extended warranty for Dh141.
5. Best Value: Brother ADS-1700W Wireless Document Scanner
Pros
- Compact device
- Easy set-up
- Auto start scan feature is useful
- ID card scanning slot included
Cons
- Slower than other scanners
A sleek scanner that’s affordable and practical, Brother’s ADS-1700W is an all-rounder that’s well-suited to most people’s needs. It has an intuitive touchscreen interface, and connects wirelessly across a range of devices. While it’s slower than our other picks, at 25 pages per minute, it still has the ability to scan double-sided documents in a single pass, in both colour and black and white. There are lots of time-saving shortcuts in this device. For instance, when it detects paper in its tray, its auto start scan feature allows it to scan immediately, no prompt required. It even has a dedicated plastic ID card slot, so you can scan important cards seamlessly.
Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh70.31 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh52, and two-year extended warranty for Dh85.
Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
