{"id":1515,"date":"2013-06-19T19:03:58","date_gmt":"2013-06-20T00:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/?p=1515"},"modified":"2013-06-19T15:49:30","modified_gmt":"2013-06-19T20:49:30","slug":"review-neatdesk-scanner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/2013\/06\/review-neatdesk-scanner\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: NeatDesk Scanner"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>4.5 out of 5 stars<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_1517\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatDesk.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1517\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1517 \" title=\"NeatDesk\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatDesk.jpg?resize=300%2C235\" alt=\"The Neat Company's Neat Desk Scanner\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatDesk.jpg?resize=300%2C235 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatDesk.jpg?resize=150%2C117 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatDesk.jpg?resize=400%2C313 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatDesk.jpg?w=610 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1517\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Neat Company&#8217;s NeatDesk Scanner &#8211; desktop scanner I&#8217;ve used<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Pros:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Eliminate paper<\/li>\n<li>OCR (character recognition)<\/li>\n<li>Searchable files (due to OCR)<\/li>\n<li>Ability to edit PDFs, including copying parts of it elsewhere<\/li>\n<li>Scans can live within program or not depending on your needs<\/li>\n<li>Multiple pages into 1 document<\/li>\n<li>Color or black and white<\/li>\n<li>Double-sided scanning option<\/li>\n<li>Scans papers, receipts, and business cards\n<ul>\n<li>Can add business cards into your contact program<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Create reports, including ones for taxes (from any or some of the receipts)<\/li>\n<li>Versions for both PC and Mac<\/li>\n<li>Desktop (NeatDesk) and portable (NeatReceipts) models<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Cons:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Limited ability to scan to other programs (i.e. Evernote)<\/li>\n<li>Occasional image problems<\/li>\n<li>Cost<\/li>\n<li>Document primarily \u2013 less suited for photos<\/li>\n<li>PC and Mac models are not interchangeable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Review:<\/h3>\n<p>Three yeas ago I talked about the temptation of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/2010\/06\/creating-a-digital-filing-cabinet-with-a-scanner\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cCreating a Digital Filing Cabinet with a Scanner\u201d<\/a> \u2013 and that all the tools around us have both pros and cons.\u00a0 Getting and using a scanner in order to reduce paper is the answer for only some of us.\u00a0 Just as I knew I would eventually, I picked up the NeatDesk scanner from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.neat.com\/home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">The Neat Company<\/a>.\u00a0 It was a little more than a year ago now.\u00a0 My husband and I both used it independently \u2013 scanning papers in so that we could then recycle the paper out of our space.<\/p>\n<p>I can be a bit of a control freak (about my own stuff) \u2013 I want to be able to make the decisions and to control where and how things are organized.\u00a0 NeatDesk allows me that freedom with one setting.\u00a0 Not everyone wants to make decision after decision about each scanned item \u2013 and they provide for that as well, containing everything you scan to the program \u2013 if you choose. \u00a0I have less experience with this, although I know that you can export any files from the program to somewhere else when\/if you need to.\u00a0 \u00a0They also offer the ability to export data into spreadsheets and create reports for various expenses, including for taxes (US and Canada).<\/p>\n<p>One of the most important considerations for me was the ability to copy part of a PDF into another program \u2013 the time saved by not having to type up a section of the paper.\u00a0 For instance, my mom sent me an article about the benefits of getting out into nature \u2013 I wanted to save the whole article, so I scanned it.\u00a0 Then I wanted to share just a paragraph in the bottom part of my newsletter, and I was able to open the scanned article and copy and paste just the part I wanted to share into the newsletter.<\/p>\n<p>The cost can be a large factor: the desktop NeatDesk scanner is about $400- and the portable NeatReceipts scanner is about $180- though they do have sales periodically.\u00a0 Since cost is something to consider \u2013 wait to buy a scanner until you are prepared to use it.\u00a0 Just like any new tool, it takes time to get familiar with it \u2013 the learning curve.\u00a0 I found the NeatDesk to be fairly easy to learn and use; even remembering with gaps between using it.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1518\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatReceipts.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1518\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1518\" title=\"NeatReceipts\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatReceipts.jpg?resize=300%2C235\" alt=\"The Neat Company's Neat Receipts scanner\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatReceipts.jpg?resize=300%2C235 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatReceipts.jpg?resize=150%2C117 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatReceipts.jpg?resize=400%2C313 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatReceipts.jpg?w=610 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1518\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Neat Company&#8217;s NeatReceipts scanner &#8211; their mobile scanner<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A regular challenge for me can be to obsess about using the new tools \u2013 the temptation to block out all other activities for doing it all.\u00a0 In this case, I knew part of me would want to sit down and scan everything in sight! I also know that this isn\u2019t the best way to handle things.\u00a0 First, it leads to a strong possibility that I would scan things that were unnecessary.\u00a0 Second, life doesn\u2019t stop simply because I have a new system.\u00a0 Third, like so much, it might never be done \u2013 I still get paper magazines with articles to save.\u00a0 These points mean that incorporating scanning into my life would be more helpful.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore I set up a file in my small desktop filing box called \u201cTo Scan\u201d and as I came across papers that I\u2019d want to scan I put them in the file.\u00a0 Then about once a month I sit down and scan all the papers in that file \u2013 a focused time for only this purpose which also means I\u2019m also saving time and energy from scanning one paper here and another there.\u00a0 This also gives me time and space to be clear about the decisions I\u2019m making about what I\u2019m scanning and then how and where to organize the scanned papers.<\/p>\n<p>The versatility of the settings makes it valuable as well \u2013 being able to scan both sides, multiple pages into one document, color or black and white means that we as the consumer have less work \u2013 the scanner can more easily benefit us.\u00a0 As with any tool we use, one of the most important considerations is how it can assist us with our priorities and limit additional effort on our part \u2013 the NeatDesk scanner succeeds well in keeping things simplified.<\/p>\n<p>In some ways The Neat Company products are designed for organization within their program.\u00a0 The ability of where you can direct your scanned documents to go is more limited than I would like.\u00a0 Since I continue to discover how helpful <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/2011\/04\/note-taking-for-virtually-everything\/\" target=\"_blank\">Evernote<\/a> is, I\u2019m a bit disappointed that I cannot scan directly into my Evernote account.\u00a0 On the other hand, I use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/drop-files-you-use-here\/\" target=\"_blank\">Dropbox<\/a> a lot as well and NeatDesk scans my papers there quite easily.\u00a0 Despite the Evernote limitation, I would not give up my NeatDesk scanner \u2013 the functionality of it meets my needs (and it\u2019s not hard to add the documents to Evernote, it\u2019s simply another step).<\/p>\n<p>Some of the documents I scanned came out blurry, though it does seem to be a rare occurrence.\u00a0 This year I scanned many of the tax related documents for my husband \u2013 when there was grayed or colored areas those were barely legible.\u00a0 Except that when I repeated the scanning of them with a different setting, they scanned in beautifully.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t always the case \u2013 I have a black and white printout from a presentation with the PowerPoint slides and its appearance leaves something to be desired \u2013 though part of that could easily be that the printout itself is less than ideal.<\/p>\n<p>Since I waited until I was ready to get the NeatDesk and have used it regularly for over a year I can share with you that it\u2019s a tool that I truly value.\u00a0 It offers me important options for getting papers into a digital format and makes it easy to do so.\u00a0 Being mindful of my own tendencies, I knew going in that I would need to establish systems with it that would benefit me.\u00a0 Just because I have found it to be a wonderful tool doesn\u2019t mean you need to create a digital filing cabinet with your papers.\u00a0 What are your needs?\u00a0 What are you comfortable with?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1519\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatCo-Paper-Monster.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1519\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1519\" title=\"NeatCo Paper Monster\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatCo-Paper-Monster.jpg?resize=300%2C184\" alt=\"The Neat Company's Paper Monster\" width=\"300\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatCo-Paper-Monster.jpg?resize=300%2C184 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatCo-Paper-Monster.jpg?resize=150%2C92 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatCo-Paper-Monster.jpg?resize=400%2C246 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/NeatCo-Paper-Monster.jpg?w=902 902w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1519\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Neat Company&#8217;s Paper Monster<br \/>Isn&#8217;t it cute? \ud83d\ude09<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the vast improvements in scanning papers with writing on them, the character recognition, we can create digital versions of our papers.  And in turn, reduce the papers physically in our life.  As with every tool, there are considerations about whether this is something for your life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,27],"tags":[10,8,18,5,20,22,15],"class_list":["post-1515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","category-technology","tag-behavior","tag-discipline","tag-goals","tag-household","tag-paperwork","tag-productivity","tag-resources"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7p82c-or","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1515"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1523,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1515\/revisions\/1523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}