Create Organized Digital Files With These Editor-Approved Document Scanners

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Scanners are useful for digitizing loose papers, creating records of receipts and bills, and preserving other printed materials, like old photos. Along with the physical storage space you save with electronic files, scanners also make it easy to access and share content across all of your devices. And luckily, you don’t need to spend extra if you want password protection on sensitive documents or the ability to make text copyable and searchable, as scanners typically come with software to enable these types of features.

As you might guess, there’s a lot to consider before purchasing. Document scanners come in several styles for a variety of uses, from large and powerful office scanners to portable models ideal for remote work or travel. We chose the best document scanners worth considering based on extensive research to feature in this guide—plus our tech test editor spent a full month evaluating the scanners’ speed, accuracy, and overall value.

The Best Document Scanners

• Best Overall Performance: Canon imageFORMULA R40 Document Scanner

• Best Value: Brother ADS-1700W Wireless Document Scanner

• Best Portable: Epson RapidReceipt RR-60 Mobile Receipt and Document Scanner

• Best Features: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 Document Scanner

• Best High-Capacity: Epson RapidReceipt RR-600W Document Scanner
  

How We Selected and Tested

We combed through tons of user reviews, tests, and product specifications, identifying nine options that we think cater to a broad set of needs and interests, while taking into account price to performance ratio. Most of our picks are office scanners, ideal for just about any professional environment. There’s also a number of portable models for people who occasionally scan documents or digitize photos on the go.

We spent a month using the most promising options, which make up the top three picks below—the Canon imageFORMULA R40, the Brother 1700W, and the Epson RR-60—with image and text comparisons used during our testing.

To benchmark performance, we created digital copies of three physical documents: a 10-page text report on standard printer paper, a Popular Mechanics magazine cover page on a thicker cardstock, and a W-2 form. We calculated each scanner’s speed by timing how long it took to complete a ten page job from the instant we pressed the start button. Then, we divided the result by 10 to get a reading of how many seconds it took to scan each page.

Next, we compared each scanner’s clarity by scanning both the text report and photo at a 600 DPI resolution and placing the PDF files side by side to evaluate sharpness on a MacBook Pro display. Lastly, we tested models featuring duplex scanning with double-sided test pages and looked for hang ups or visual imperfections.

Here are our recommendations for our best-performing document scanners we tested (along with a few models we haven’t but meet our standards based specs and features) followed by expert advice on what to consider while you shop.

A Sample of Document Scanner Test Results

Above: Test photo scan results using a recent issue of Popular Mechanics. In the center, the Canon imageFormula R40—our top pick for overall performance; pictured left, the Brother 1700W, which we recommend for best value; and to the right, the Epson RR 600W, a high-capacity scanner covered in the “More Document Scanners We Recommend” section.
Below: Test image scan results of text from the Brother 1700W (top) and the Canon imageFORMULA R40 (bottom). When you fully zoom in, you can see that the 1700W’s dark and crisp text is fuller and more readable than the R40's.

imageFORMULA R40 Office Document Scanner

Canon’s imageFORMULA R40 performed better than all the office scanners we tested. It has the rest beat in terms of speed, capacity and overall digitization quality. It’s a powerhouse that quickly rips through up to 60 pages at a time and doesn’t choke on heavier paper, like our cardstock magazine cover photo. It also has the best-looking images of any of the models we tested, with colors that are truest to life.

The scans of our Popular Mechanics images above speak to the imageFORMULA R40’s strengths. Right off the bat, the document scanner’s reproduction of the magazine cover came out looking like it was a natively digital photo file. Look closely and you can see the sharp edges around the Lego bricks and text. As you zoom in, there’s no blurring of textures and the pages consistently come out perfectly aligned.

While it lacks a touchscreen and wireless connectivity, Canon’s CaptureOne software is both feature-packed and the easiest to use in the pool. You can see the most important customization at a glance then adjust settings like resolution or double-sided scanning with a single click. It also has strong auto deskew to straighten images.

If you frequently scan more than a dozen pages in a day or want the cleanest copies, this is the scanner for you. However, text quality on the R40 trails just behind the more affordable Brother 1700W below, as it tends to come in a bit lighter.

ADS-1700W Wireless Document Scanner

The Brother ADS 1700W is the best scanner for most people. Its touchscreen interface and wireless connectivity make it the easiest model to use and it works across a majority of devices. On top of that, it’s both affordable and more compact than most home office scanners.

Sure, its load capacity and speeds aren’t as high as our top performer. And as you can see above in the three Popular Mechanics cover images, the sky takes on darker hues with slight loss in detail.

We also found that its auto-straightening features isn't always reliable. However, the 1700W is perfectly suitable for everyday jobs like business reports or medical forms. Plus, its clean scan quality is on par with pricier options.

Out of the box, this scanner is effortless to set up. Just plug it into a wall outlet and connect it to your Wi-Fi network using the onscreen instructions. You don’t have to search for drivers or scanner-specific software—we simply downloaded the Brother iPrint & Scan directly from the App Store on both a work MacBook and personal iPhone.

Later on, it connected wirelessly in seconds from Windows laptop gadgets to an Android tablet, all without needing to worry about a wired USB connection. This versatility gives the 1700W a huge advantage over the competition, which needs to be tethered to a Mac or Windows computer.

Its 20-page ADF is convenient and can scan up to an 8.5 x 34-inch poster directly to your phone or laptop.

RapidReceipt RR-60 Mobile Receipt and Document Scanner

Don’t let the stapler-sized Epson RR-60 fool you—this tiny scanner can fit documents up to 8.5 x 72 inches. It’s the smallest and most affordable portable model we tested.

Despite its convenience, it doesn’t skimp on resolution, with the ability to reach up to 1200 DPI like the full-sized scanners above. It lacks the capacity and ADF capabilities to replace a home office scanner, but overall, its speed and software make it the most capable mobile option we tested.

At a scan rate of 5 seconds per page, the RR60 rips through reports and receipts at home and on the move. Its lightweight 0.6-pound body is durably built, yet takes up minimal space so you can throw it in a bag or backpack—perfect for anyone with limited space who don’t want to lose desk real estate to a full office scanner.

More Document Scanners We Recommend

ScanSnap iX1600

The Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 checks a lot of boxes: It’s fast and easy to use, which are among the most important qualities you could ask for in a scanner. With Wi-Fi functionality, you can easily connect to mobile devices or the cloud.

User profiles and preferences allow you to customize scanning tasks, icons, letters, or colors. That multi-user functionality makes it ideal for office use, although the reduced feeder capacity of only 50 pages may be a drawback for some.

RapidReceipt RR-600W

For a general-purpose home office document scanner, we recommend the Epson RapidReceipt RR-600W. It's affordably priced and ideal for quickly scanning things like receipts and invoices, with an automatic document feeder that can handle up to 100 sheets.

The included learning software makes accounting tasks quicker and easier, and the mobile and thumb-drive support allows for different ways to save or share your files. The caveat is that it doesn't perform as well with color scans. As shown above at right in in our Popular Mechanics cover test scan results, the Epson RR-600W brightens the image and turns the sky a greenish blue hue.

For extreme circumstances, the RR-600W can scan documents up to 240 inches long. User reviews are solid, save for the occasional lemons, which is to be expected with any scanner or printer.

XD-COMBO Duplex Combo Flatbed Document Scanner

The Xerox XD-COMBO Duplex Scanner has a lot going for it. It’s ideal if your scanning needs range from bulk document scans to one-off photo scans.

With both an automatic sheet feeder and a flatbed scanner, the XD-COMBO can handle it all. It even features duplex scanning for double-sided pages.

Other highlights include automatic image-enhancing software, cloud-sharing, and document-creation software that results in editable, searchable text for PDF and other formats. And it’s surprisingly compact, fast, and affordable for what it offers. We wish it had wireless and mobile connectivity, but that minor blemish is far from a dealbreaker.

CanoScan Lide 300

If it’s a flatbed scanner you’re after, we recommend the Canon CanoScan Lide 300. With a large bed, the Lide 300 is ideal for enlarging film prints, scanning slides or negatives, copying book pages to digital formats, and more. Not only does it do the job each time, but it's well under $100 to boot.

This scanner is easy to use, with four one-touch buttons to create editable PDFs or other formats, and auto-scan mode, which can detect what type of item you’re scanning. The included software allows you to convert documents to editable text, restore faded colors, and remove lines and scratches. It's pretty good at photo scanning too.

There’s no mobile or wireless support, and some reviews cite the occasional inaccuracies, but for a scanner this cheap there’s not much room to complain.

What to Consider When Shopping for a Document Scanner

There are two types of document scanners: office and portable. A home office document scanner is your best bet for processing a high volume of large documents daily. If you need to scan a few documents each week and would benefit from having a relatively lightweight scanner in your backpack, a portable scanner is the way to go. Beyond that, no matter which type of document scanner you choose, there are a few key functions to keep in mind.

Type

Office scanners are larger and require a wall outlet, meaning they aren't designed for schlepping around to scan on the go. Most have an auto document feeder (ADF) to process documents in bulk. If you often scan longer multi-page documents, you’ll want a scanner with a higher capacity to match your workload.Portable scanners, on the other hand, are smaller and run off a single USB connection or battery. They're typically more affordable, but processing documents and other media is more time consuming, as they feature a manual single-page feed or flatbed, on top of which you place an individual item to scan. (These days, some of the best photo scanners on the market are flatbed.)

Scan Speed

Speaking of time, you'll want to a model with a high page-per-minute (PPM) rating if you have to make several scans throughout the day. A larger number here is indicative of a faster scanner, so prioritize a model with a PPM in the double digits for quicker scans. When looking at specs, you'll typically see two PPM ratings — one for black, and one for color. You can maximize your speeds at the cost of quality by adjusting to a lower resolution, which is measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI).

Resolution

The resolution determines how sharp an image appears. Look for a scanner with a resolution of at least 300 DPI, which is the best balance between prioritizing speed (usually 150 DPI, which is the lowest we recommend) and clarity (over 500 DPI). For the highest quality image you should be scanning at the highest option possible, which is usually 600 DPI.

Duplex Scanning

Scanners that support duplex scanning capture both sides of a sheet of paper at the same time in a single passthrough without requiring you to flip it over. This is an essential feature to look for if you often deal with double-sided documents, as it saves you time and effort.

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