If you’ve been following my blog over the past few months, you know I have had an interest in portable document scanners. The first one that I took a look at was the Fujitsu ScanSnap S510M. I’m still using it and VERY HAPPY with it. Then I wanted something smaller and more portable for scanning receipts. So I took a look at the latest one from Neat Receipts. It fit the bill for the size that I was looking for and has a great app that drives it (especially for scanning receipts), but the hardware pales by comparison to the ScanSnap S510M. So that brings me to the Fujitsu ScanSnap S300M. This scanner is smaller than the S510M, but larger than the Neat Receipts scanner. It’s not as fast as the S510M, but much faster than the Neat Receipts model. So it clearly fits right in the middle of the two in just about every way.
| Â |
Neat Receipts |
ScanSnap S300M |
ScanSnap S510M |
| Speed | 4 rpm-receipts per minute (single sided) | 8 ppm (double sided) | 18 ppm (double sided) |
| Two Sided Scanning | No | Yes | Yes |
| Color & B&W Scanning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Size | 10.8″Wx1.6″Dx1.3″H | 11.18″Wx3.74″Dx3.03″H | 11.2″Wx6.2″Dx6.2″H |
| USB Powered | Yes | Yes (either USB or AC) | No |
| Scan to PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OCR Capability/Searchable PDF | Yes | No | Yes |
| Auto Document Feader | None | 10 sheets | 50 sheets |
| Comes with full Acrobat | No | No | Yes |
| Price | $161.85 | $266.79 | $433.89 |
How fast is the ScanSnap 300M?
I decided to put all 3 scanners to the test and record it so that you can see for yourself. I took the same 3 documents and scanned them on each scanner. See for yourself in this video:
I like all 3 models
Of course each one has its pluses and minuses. When it comes to eliminating paper on my desk, nothing beats the ScanSnap S510M. I’m still blown away by how FAST this scanner works. I’ve never seen anything like it. I also like its “baby brother” the S300M because it takes up less space and costs less. Also since I already own Acrobat 9 Professional, I don’t need the added expense of having that bundled in (like it is on the S510M). When It comes to scanning on the go and especially scanning receipts, the NeatReceipts scanner is my choice. But what if you only could buy one?
As you can see, the S300M is at least twice the size of the NeatReceipts
Which one is right for you?
Chances are you only need one of these. So it really depends on what you need to scan most and how cost conscious you are. Clearly the NeatReceipts scanner is the smallest and costs less, but it’s also by far the slowest and only handles single-sided documents one page at a time. If you plan to scan a lot of stuff, often, then the S510M would be the way to go. Like I said above, this thing devours stacks of paper without blinking an eye. If you want a happy medium, then I would say go with the S300M. It’s a nice balance between the two. You get double-sided scanning. You get a smaller form factor than the S510M. It can be USB powered for portability and you don’t end up paying for Acrobat if you already have it. The only two downsides to the scanner is that you don’t get OCR (searchable PDF capability built-in), but again if you already own Acrobat, you can do the OCR in Acrobat instead. It’s also a bit bulkier. So you won’t be sliding this one into your laptop bag as easily as the NeatReceipts scanner.
The S300M: Although the S300M doesn’t come with Acrobat or the AbbyFine Reader software like it’s big brother the S510M, it does come with Cardiris for scanning business cards and automatically adding them to your contact manager (such as Address Book on the Mac). The S300M can be USB powered from your computer or powered with the supplied AC adapter. However, I should note that powering it over USB requires TWO USB ports: one for data and one for power. It comes with the necessary cables to either run via USB or AC power.
The Bottom Line
You really can’t go wrong with either one of these 3 scanners. Like I said, I like them all. I do find myself using the NeatReceipts scanner when it comes time to do expense reports at work and the S510M for home/office clean-up and archiving. The NeatReceipts app just can’t be beat for filing receipts and its even improved in a few ways since my initial review. Â All of these scanners are available for Mac or Windows PCs. The S510M and S300M are specifically for Mac (that’s what the “M” stands for), but like I said, you can get the Windows version too (the one without the “M”). These 3 scanners are truly a “Good”, “Better”, “Best” scenario. If I could only have ONE of these, it would probably be the S300M. It’s the right balance between performance and features. See the S300M specs here. You can get the Fujitsu ScanSnap S300M for $266.79 here at Amazon.com.
Hi Terry! I use the PC version of this at work (the S300) and it works FLAWLESSLY! I use it on a daily basis to scan in signed contracts, invoices, etc. I honestly cannot imagine a workplace without one.
That’s it. I’m finally going to pull the trigger on that S510 Now. I’ve found that Fuji now offers a $50 rebate when purchasing this scanner new. You can find it at: http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/computing/peripherals/scanners/rebates.html
Also, I’m really trying hard to find out if there is any intergration with Quicken Software. NOT Quickbooks but the Personal Quicken s/w. Anyone have any idea.
Thanks Terry.
As far as I can tell, you cannot run the scan snap software and quicken at the same time. If quicken is running while you run scansnap, you cannot enter the folder and file name into scansnap for document storage (I’m not trying to store a document in quicken – just a folder). It is the strangest thing – you can actually enter the file name, but for some reason scan snap interprets it as being full of special characters and rejects it. Kill quicken and it works fine.
Terry,
You should also throw in a review for Receipt Wallet http://www.receiptwallet.com/
it works with many scanners including ScanSnap. It’s a great program and for only $39.95.
I’ve been using it for about seven or eight months now and have scanned hundreds of receipts and documents with no problems.
Tom,
What were you looking to do with Quicken? Have it send scanned PDFs right into Quicken?
Hi Terry, thank you for this video and review, I was looking for a good scanner which is fast and easy to use. I had already picked the S510M but I now just ordered the S300M after reading your review. The S510M was to big for me and also to expensive, so I really look out to get my hands on the S300M.
I have (like you) a lot of paperwork on my desk, and want to scan away some history (files from last 10 years). So this baby is going to be my new hobby for the next weeks!
Love your Blog!
Bye, Bas
Brooks, I was hoping that it could OCR a Receipt and import into quicken, much like the “CardScan” product always knows how to put specific data in the correct fields.
Thanks
Terry, I also thank you for the review, and the video was particularly helpful and enlightening. Unlike Bas, I decided to order the S510M, mostly because Adobe 8 is included, and I like deluxe models anyway. It’s not here yet, but I’ve already got a stack of hard copy to scan, and here I was, wondering what I was going to do with it!
Can u use the neatreceipts software with the Scansnap scanner?
Terry,
Thanks for your most excellent information, on your site in general and this post in particular.
I just ordered a 300 and can’t wait to get rid of the papers in at least 3 filing cabinets!
Hello Terry,
Thank you so much for such an informative and well thought out posting and video! I have been itching to buy the S510M for a while now, but am hesitant b/c I am not sure how well the OCR will be on my documents. I hope to be able to research notes via keyword. How accurate have you found ReadIris to be? I already Acrobat 7 Pro (so the 300 is an option), but have been a bit underwhelmed by the OCR. Your input would be appreciated!! Thanks!
Excellent video!
Thanks for putting this together.
I have been using the ScanSnap S510M for over a year and it still works as good now as it did on day 1.
@Showing
I don’t think they package it with ReadIris anymore. Mine came with Abbyy FineReader and Acrobat 8 Pro. Though the FineReader product is very limited in its configuration, it does its one task very well and beats Acrobat hands down in OCR.
I usually don’t scan direct to FineReader since once FineReader is running, you have to wait until it is done before you can scan another document (wish it would queue them).
I just scan a ton of stuff and then drag the whole lot onto FineReader and go watch TV.
Just discovered your blog … great video review! Thanks for talking the time time to put it together and post it. Question …. how well does the ScanSnap handle handwritten documents like meeting notes, class notes, etc.? I’ve been scanning these types of docs into .tif files using Microsoft Document Imaging in MS Office 2003 and I’d like to complete the switch to Mac by moving to editable .pdf. The ScanSnap may allow me to do this if if handles handwritten docs as well as MSDI does.
Question 2 … how often do you find yourself having to clean the rollers etc. on the Fujitsu scanners?
Question 3 … have you tried to scan docs like articles cut from newspapers etc? I’m assuming the scanners would balk at irregular shapes (you’d have to tape the article to a standard sheet of paper … so then how well would they handle this sort of doc?)
Thanks again for the great review!
Dave,
Handwritten documents will be scanned fine like any other document, just minus the OCR. So it will be a PDF image.
2. Never cleaned them or thought about it. No problems to date.
3. I’ve tried all different sizes of documents from as small as a business card all the way up and again, no issues. Sometimes it will complain if it thinks the document is too long.
Great review Terry! I’m looking at getting a document scanner for DevonThinkPro Office and you sold me on the S300M. That speed is just fine for my small businesses volume of paperwork I’d import. The video cinched it, to read “It’s not as fast as the S510M” is one thing, so see the speed in a real world is another. That speed is not an issue for me with the S300M, it’s clearly leaps and bounds faster than my current workflow with a flat bed scanner.
Terry and others…
Just a heads up you can get the neat receipts software by itself (mac or PC) and it works with the Fujitsu scanners.
http://www.neatco.com/support/downloads/mac-hardware/
I actually came here trying to decide on the S300M or the neatco scanner. The latter has the size I want, but not the speed. grrrrrrrrr.
Hopefully I can get the end results to evernote!
Thanks for the information. If I’m going to scan all my docs I want to be able to index them with spotlight to find them easily. The 510 seems to do it all in one button push. Fujitsu is offering a free copy of ReadIris with the S300M now. Will that give the scanner the ability to create searchable pdf’s just like the 510?
@Danny
Yes, as far as I can tell, Read Iris will do OCR for you. Looks like a great deal if you don’t have OCR software. I’m getting the free case they are offering since I have DTPO which will do OCR for me. I’ve started using my S300M and it’s speed is perfect for my needs. Again, it was Terry’s review that sold me on it. I love it’s small footprint.
I have several Canon multifunction all-in-ones that I use in OSX and XP. They are multi-sheet-feed scanners that scan slowly. When I save the PDF file, the Canon OCR is lightning-fast and seems to happen as the document is being saved, wether it is single page PDF or multipage PDF. I always run the OCR portion because it makes typed documents so easy to find in OS X (and probably Vista and Win7) because OS X will scan inside each document for the text you’re trying to find.
I got the ScanSnap S1500M (no clue why they make Mac vs. PC versions of the same hardware) and it scans really fast but has a few glaring flaws. 1) The OCR is HORRIBLY slow. It is so slow that I’m pretty sure that if I timed the slow-scanning, fast OCRing Canon vs. the fast-scanning, slow OCRing Fujitsu, it would probably be a draw. I’ve tried this on slow and fast machines with gobs of RAM. 2) The rubber rollers on the Fujitsu bend the page ever so slightly so that when you look at your resultant scanned PDF page, you notice 2 rows of little bends on your documents. It’s especially noticeable when there are squares in the documents. We considered running the OCR after hours but it’s not reliable and doesn’t fit into our workflow.
In all instances, we’re using the default software with optimised settings. 200DPI, black&white. We are a medical office and we scan and shred completed documents that are signed. Our requirements are 1)that the document be searchable and 2) when printing the document (i.e. to send to insurance, etc) that it is nearly as legible as the original.
On the Fujitsu we are not using the included Acrobat 8 (weird since 9 has been out) because we want as few steps as possible for the staff.
Anyway, we’re dissapointed in the overall speed of the Fujitsu because the end result is it takes the same amount of time from start to finish for a particular document. It would be fine if we didn’t run OCR and just saved the PDF as essentially a file of multi-page images. It’s amazing that a $100 (free with rebate) Canon MFP can OCR so fast.
Moderator can you please add to the above comment:
Please note that we haven’t tried the S1500M on XP/Vista/Win7 because the M version supposedly doesn’t work on that platform although I’ve read about people downloading the Japanese drivers off Fujitsu’s site to make it work on XP. AFAIK the only real difference between the Mac and PC version is that the Mac version of the S1500 is white and the PC version is white. We haven’t tried popping in the CD into a Windows machine to see if the drivers for Windows Xp/Vista are included. They just might be. Just wanted to include that for completeness sake. I hope you people OCR’ing on the XP side are experiencing faster performance. I’ve read about law offices using this scanner for their thousand page files that are happy with it but I seriously doubt they’re OCRing their PDF’s to make them text-searchable.
Any impressions of the NeatDesk product?
I’ve been using NeatDesk with my S300M for a month now and it’s brilliant. One-step scan and OCR with an iTunes-like interface for organizing all your searchable pdf’s. My only complaint with the program is that your pdf is saved as a Neatdesk document. It’s still a pdf but it’s saved within the architecture of the program. If you want to export as a standalone pdf you can do it, but it’s an extra step I don’t want to take. I was able to download the program for a sizable discount by googling Neatdesk Promo Code!
@SlowFuji
I tried connecting the S300M to an XP and it won’t work. Fuji’s tech support says it’s not possible to use the “M” on a Windows machine. Have you had any luck with the other driver?
I bought a Fuji S1500, and it works with scansnap for both mac and pc. However, it does not seem to work with neatworks for pc (I do not own neatworks for mac so I couldn’t test it).
Unfortunately, I don’t think the s1500 will work with neatworks for pc since they want you to buy their scanner 🙁
btw… what’s with trying to prevent people from using hardware they paid for? Let us buy the machine once and use it for whatever computers we have!!!
Terry,
Thank you for your review and recommendation of the ScanSnap S300M, I just got mine!! I am going to be using it for a large document scanning process and I wanted to know if you could share with me your best practices with scanning and Acrobat. Here are some questions I have:
1) What compression setting would you use for text documents? I used 4 out of 5 on compression.
2) After scanning, Acrobat opens. What then? Run OCR? Optimize PDF? Reduce File Size?
Love some tips on how you keep file sizes down, and quality up, as well as having all the goodies like OCR.
Continually thankful for you!
Bodie
I’m traveling so I can’t check my settings. Typically I have used the ABBY Reader software that’s available for the snapscan to do the OCR during the scanning process. However, I don’t think that it’s included with the S300 model (can’t remember). So in that case yes, I would use Acrobat to run OCR and Reduce File Size at the end.
Terry,
Thanks for the reply. If you don’t mind an extension to my question, I could use your help on something.
My eventual goal in all this is to get everything on the iPad, which means ePub, of course.
The S300M doesn’t come with OCR software, so I have been doing the OCR in Acrobat. When I scan a text document into Acrobat on the highest compression setting in the ScanSnap software, a 50pg document comes in to Acrobat and it is about 3-4mb. However, when I run OCR on it, that document is not 20-25mb! When I run the Reduce File Size command, it shaves off only 1-2mb. Why are these so large?
Since I am not going to keep these anyways, I wanted to see if you would recommend copy/pasting the OCR’d text into InDesign and doing an ePub output (something I now know what to do thanks to you) or use Calibre to just convert the pdf to ePub.
Thanks again for all your help
Bodie
sorry “not 20-25mb” should read “now 20-25mb”. I need to learn to proofread.
Hi,
Please find out if theScanSnap S300M keeps copies of items that I’ve copied via it, and, if so, how I can access them. For example, if I’ve used it to copy & then print a page (and did not save it on my computer), can I later go back and re-print it?