Scanning Devices > Portable Scanners

The portable line scanner is not a reconfigured desktop scanner; it uses the scanning pen approach instead. Inside the tip of the scanning pen is a highly sophisticated electronic eye that helps simplify your life. This eye enables you to scan different types of information from the printed page into your scanning pen. The scanning pen processes this information via Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and performs other subsequent tasks so you can use that information more easily.

Some models work with both Windows and Mac.

Being able to scan now can provide many advantages. For example, the customer hands you a contract. You scan it and send the document to your legal department. If you ask the customer to send it there instead, that looks weak. This way, you are in control and the customer sees you have your act together. You also avoid giving the customer a hassle and second thoughts about doing business with you.

Do you lose business cards? And even if you don't lose them, do you ever do anything with them? One reason those cards are a waste is when we get back from a meeting, convention, or other place where important contacts are made, we need to tend to many things before getting around to those cards. So scan the cards and e-mail the scans to yourself. Then, they'll be with your other notes and correspondence.

• Eliminate rekeying; just scan the text and let the scanner type for you. This assumes you have your laptop with you or are on a workstation at your destination site.
• You want to share an important research find with a colleague, right now. No problem. Scan it, then e-mail the file from your laptop.
• Pull source material directly into your project as you need it, rather than making research and writing the paper two very time-separate tasks (reduces errors and lost information).
• Immediately save important documents in electronic format and store them on your networks server via remote access; no worries about losing them on the trip back home.
• If a customer asks you for a copy of a document, you can scan the original and give that to the customer. You can also e-mail the customer the electronic version. All with no waiting while someone finds an available scanner or arm-wrestles that big tatooed dude in the art department for a few minutes on the production scanner.

• Lightweight and compact.
• Easy setup and use.
• Handsome styling (not the old bulky plastic-looking gizmos of yesteryear).
• USB connectivity (pretty standard today).

1. If a paper starts to curl, roll it up in the direction opposite the curl then unroll it. You can also try dragging it gently across the edge of a desktop (just don't crease it).
2. If it's an important document, pull up the scanned file on your laptop (or location workstation) before you leave. If it needs to be rescanned, that won't take long.
3. When saving the scan, remember that you are saving a file. This is not any different from saving a paper file in a folder, except you're saving it electronically. So save to a smartly named folder and give it a meaningful filename. For example, Finance/BankStatements/2012/Statement2012-01-28. Don't use spaces in folder or filenames.
4. Keep your scanner away from smoke and dust. These can get on the lens.