Although we’re unabashed fans of the ScanSnap, it seemed only fair to try the NeatDesk Desktop Scanner. After all, you can hardly avoid the SkyMall spreads and daytime commercials. The verdict? After spending some time with one, the NeatDesk didn’t measure up to the ScanSnap.
Which is really no surprise, we suppose.
See our Law Technology Buyer's Guide for our top technology recommendations.
The NeatDesk document scanner is an attractive, consumer-grade document scanner that is up against stiff competition, including the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500, which has become incredibly popular with lawyers and includes a copy of Acrobat for a tough-to-beat value proposition. But the NeatDesk has its own software package and at least one feature the ScanSnap lacks: TWAIN.
So can the NeatDesk measure up to the ScanSnap? Read on to find out!
The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 is forget-you-have-it-in-your-bag tiny, a document scanner for lawyers on the go. But it is also—at just under $200—a great second scanner for the home office. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of its bigger siblings, the S1300 and S1500, but it retains a surprising number of features in a seriously portable package.
See our Law Technology Buyer's Guide for our top technology recommendations.
Let’s get this out of the way: I love Fujitsu ScanSnap scanners. At some point, Fujitsu got wind of this, and started sending me test units so I would continue gushing about their products online. Fine with me.
When I bought my first ScanSnap—an S500—it was clearly the easiest way to get into document scanning. All I had to do was drop my documents into the auto-feeder, hit the blue button, and decide where to save the resulting PDF. Cake.
So I was excited when I first got wind of the ScanSnap S1300. The concept is the same of the larger ScanSnap S1500, just in a much smaller package. It is a nice second scanner if you have a specific need for scanning on the go. But it will not replace a desktop document scanner like the S1500.
Keep Reading ⇒
Using the Fujitsu ScanSnap s1500M with a Mac is a beautiful thing in my paperless law office.
Arguably, like everything else, the scanner works better on a Mac than a PC (Mac fanboy joke). Favoritism aside, the S1500M works great with a Mac.
The S1500M is visually more appealing than the ScanSnap S1500 scanner. With a sleek pearl color and nifty blue light, the scanner would fit in seamlessly on the bridge of the USS Enterprise of Star Trek fame. Whether you use a Mac or a PC, the scanner will look nice on your desk.
I have had a paperless law office since early 2006, when I bought my first Fujitsu ScanSnap s1500 document scanner and started scanning every page that crossed my desk.
That—and a bit of planning—is really all it takes to get started with a paperless office.
There seems to be a tendency to think of digital files as fundamentally different than paper files. In some ways, they are different. Digital files are better. You can encrypt them or back up your paperless files in different places, and do many other nifty things. But from an organizational perspective, paperless office digital files are basically the same as paper files.
See our Law Technology Buyer's Guide for our top technology recommendations.
The main competitor to our favorite document scanner, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500, is probably the NeatDesk Desktop Scanner. Last week, Joel Johnson of BoingBoing Gadgets got his hands on one, and spent a few hours putting it through its paces.
His verdict: While he didn’t have any major complaints about the NeatDesk desktop scanner, it’s probably not worth it. Consider the ScanSnap s1500 instead.
See our Law Technology Buyer's Guide for our top technology recommendations.
Fujitsu just sent me the brand-new ScanSnap S1500, a major revision its popular line of document scanners. I bought my old Fujitsu ScanSnap S510 in early 2006, when I made the switch to a paperless law office. Since then, I have been recommending it to everyone.
The new S1500 is better-looking, faster, comes with updated software, and sticks to the ScanSnap formula: efficient and easy to use. For solo practitioners or small offices, a ScanSnap (or a few of them) is still the best option.
Here is what I think of the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 after spending an afternoon playing with it.
The S1500 has been replaced by the iX500, which is faster and better in every way, but also includes wi-fi scanning to your portable devices. Read our ScanSnap iX500 review.
The original content within this website is © 2007–2013 Lawyerist Media, LLC.
![Nominate the Best Law Firm Websites (2013 Edition) [UPDATED]](http://lawyerist.com/lawyerist/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-popular-posts/timthumb.php?src=http://lawyerist.com/lawyerist/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/best-law-firm-websites-nominations-2013.jpg&h=90&w=90)
