Fujitsu has dominated the scanning market in recent years, primarily with the introduction of its very popular ScanSnap model. The latest ScanSnap version is the S510 (for Windows users), or the S510m (for Mac users). The S510 models come bundled with Adobe Acrobat software valued at about $200. The S510 has a small footprint, is lightweight, and costs about $400.
However, it's not something that you are likely to toss in your backpack or briefcase. But, you say, why would I want to take my scanner with me? Good question.
You might want to take a scanner with you if you were going to a deposition and you knew that from time to time documents might be offered as exhibits. If you had a scanner you could quickly scan the documents instead of having to bring them back to your office to scan later. If you use PDFs a lot then you'd probably also appreciate having the ability to immediately start annotating deposition exhibits.
Another example of where you might want to use a mobile scanner is if you go to court to look at records. In the local state court where I often find myself it costs one dollar per page to copy records. More than that, though, it's a huge pain in the ass to have documents copied. It involves a lot of standing around in line and waiting. If I had a scanner I could quickly scan the documents I needed, without having to pay an exorbitant fee or wait an inordinate amount of time.
That's where the mobile scanner by Fujitsu would come in handy. The Fujitsu model S300 (available in a Mac version called the S300m) is available for $260 at Amazon. It has an automatic document feeder that holds 10 pages, and scans at a rate of about 10 pages per minute. Granted, this is not very fast, but certainly fast enough for any kind of mobile scanning that you're likely to do. The scanner will do duplex scanning, and will scan in color. The best thing about it, however, is that it does not need a separate power supply. It takes up its power from the USB port of your computer, which can be a laptop.
If you have this notion that scanners are hard to configure and use then you might be thinking about the wrong kind of scanner. The Fujitsu models are dead-simple to set up and operate. Check them out if you want to lessen your frustrating reliance on paper. I'm going to order one of the mobile models (already have two S510s) so that next time I have to go to court I won't waste money. If I scan 260 pages of records the scanner will have paid for itself. And, I'm sure it will take me less than half the time it takes the court employees to make copies (which of course I only need so that I can take them back to my office to scan them!).
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