Scanner for sheets of paper of different sizes

Question

Is there any equipment that can scan a stack of papers that are of different size(some are recepies from restaurants, others bills for electricity, other parking fines, etc)? They are not aligned consistently.

I am looking for a machine that can take this paper stack and scan each sheet, one by one.

Do you know if something like this exists? Where can I get something like this?

Answer 1

The NeatDesk scanner is designed specifically for this type of scanning:

http://www.neat.com/products/neatdesk

They have a less expensive version called NeatReceipts, that may also work:

http://store.neatco.com/index/page/product/product_id/104/product_name/NeatReceipts

Both are available for Mac and Windows

Answer 2

you mean your looking for a feeder type?

With A Flatbed Items can be laid out with multiple items at a time that will fit on the flatbed. Flatbeds are cheap, work well and still can have software that attempts to locate the images. The images can be hand selected cropped rotated or adjusted automatically or manually.

Because a flatbed can easily 2 pass the documents (static) you can preview (fast), and adjust for different document types. You can easily make alignment corrections before scanning, print multiples on a single sheet of paper, and correct for extreeme fading or low contrast situations (per set not per item usually). If the Auto settings in it, trying to figure out what you have put up there, don't work, with most of the scanner software you can turn it to manuel/advanced and finish the job.

A flatbed is mostly internally sealed, no rollers (like a printer) so the rollers dont age and get dried and fail, the scan optics dont get fogged from enviromental influences, which just leaves putting a nice cover over it when your done to keep it in good shape. they should last decades, so a good one for me, has always been a good investment. (I got the pricey one)

Many flatbeds have one touch buttons for copying direct to a printer, but for ME I make a few manuel adjustments perfecting each prior to printing, so I have Never actually assumed that the software could see better than I could.

With irregulars, crookeds and folded, a feeder type is likely to get jammed, if not at first, later as the papers tear and get jammed into roller places and such. Been there done that. A hand scanner adds a lot of Squew , while they do the best they can to help and fix and keep things straight it just doesnt happen.

My recommendation would be hand scanner for portability , flatbed for work, Auto feeders for a stack of papers that align like a new reem , and depending on how many your going to do, the autofeeders at the local copy store can be cheaper than buying wet inks.