What scanner do you use with Evernote?

[VegasVec 7]

I have two Fujitsu scanners - the original Evernote Edition and the Fujitsu ix500.  I ended up throwing away my ix500 because after a firmware upgrade, it wasn't recognized by any computer I put it on!  Its too bad because I had both scanners dialed in and I loved it. Very reliable.

I am now searching for a second scanner, since my Evernote edition is staying home.  I need one for work.  I am reading reviews on the new ix1500 but it seems like people don't like it compared to the ix500.  I want a scanner that integrates with Evernote quickly where I scan and it goes immediately into my inbox with the push of one button.  Apparently, the ix1500 requires a two button push (once to OK scan?).  Anyways, please let me know if you have purchased a scanner recently to work with Evernote. Thanks!

[PinkElephant 8,072]

Still with my ix500, and no plans to move on. Scanning only a few pages I do with my iPhone and the ScannerPro-app. It has the option to install workflows, which send the scan into a specified notebook, tagging it with a standard set of tags.

The ix500 is for the heavy lifting. If I would have to switch, it would probably be the ix1500. I have not tried it, but I like the option to switch scanning profiles right on the touch screen. I use several ones, depending on the scanning job (pdf, jpeg, low and high resolution), and have to move to the PC/Mac if I need to switch.

[CalS 5,280]

I've been using a ScanSnap S1300i for a while now.  Created some of my own profiles though.  I scan to an import folder so one button scanning.

[Monica Davis 0]

I have A4 Epson Perfection V19 and Fujitsu ScanSnap ix500, both are enough for my needs.

[jontyc 12]

My Canon P215 has been collecting dust for a few years now - finding the Android scanning facility in Evernote sufficient for the rare paper documents that don't already exist electronically as well.

Edited October 21, 2020 by jontyc
Wasn't clear what I meant upon rereading

[Leebo 2]

I'm thinking about buying a scanner specifically for use with Evernote. I have several hundred (possibly over a thousand) documents and receipts. I am currently using the Android version of Evernote, which is fine for two or three docs. I know the Fujitsu Scan Snap is discontinued. Evernote staff has not been helpful so far in giving me any ideas.

I assume the scanner will need to scan directly to PDF? I have a NEAT document scanner that works with my Windows 10 built in scanning software, but it does not scan directly to PDF. I can use the NEAT software to scan, but it scans to NEATs proprietary format. From there you can convert to PDF, but it's a S L O W process.

The ix1500 looks nice, but it's out of my budget. Thanks.

[DTLow 5,736]

I've merged your post with ongoing discussions of scanner use with Evernote

>>I assume the scanner will need to scan directly to PDF?

PDF format is a requirement for my use, and a standard feature on most scanners   
With your indicated volume, I'd also want a sheet feeder

[PinkElephant 8,072]

If you have the number of pages and documents, you need a reliable feeder, plus a fast software package.

The ix(1)500 should do, and maybe rethink your budget issue. You could try to buy a used one (just be aware of scratches, paint or glue on the internal scanning windows, because it will make the scans useless), or account it against the time saved from using a less reliable, slower scanner.

The ScanSnap software still exists, from Fujitsu. The only product that was abandoned is the special edition Evernote scanner. It was practically an ix500 with a special software. If you get one, and it does not work with a newer OS, you can flash it with a standard ix500-firmware. It will work as every ix500, only the specific Evernote scanner features will be gone.

[Ben S 0]

Hey everyone. I'm guessing this isn't the right place and I apologize! I'm new to this forum, and I have exhaustively searched for any thread related to my issue.  It seems I can't just post my issue as a new topic (for good reason I'm sure.)

Here's what's up -- I use the Evernote branded Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500.

Every now and then -- if I upgrade my computer system OS, or change my computer setup somehow -- it will ask me to reconnect the scanner using a USB cable.

The thing is -- it seems to ONLY work with the very USB cable that came with the unit.

I'm sure I still have that somewhere, but right now when I'm in a hurry and just have to get some tax documents scanned, it's so frustrating that other cables which look identical (it's square-ish with a little bump on the top) but no matter how many identical cables I try, it WILL NOT connect unless I can find the original cable it came with.

Does anybody know a workaround, or if I can buy some kind of replacement cable online?

[PinkElephant 8,072]

To me it looks like a standard „device to computer“ USB3 cable on my ix500 (non EN edition). But the cable is not exactly square at the device end, it is more like 2 squares on top of each other.

I do not know whether the setup works with an USB2-cable. I took a picture, the ix500-cable is the black one to the left, the USB2 from an old backup disk drive is the grey one to the right. The blue Inlay to the USB3-cable indicates it is USB3-compatible. So I think any USB3-cable of this type should work.

 

[Ben S 0]

Thank you so much for the quick and thorough response.

 

Yes this is the exact cable I am using (the one on the left). I have two just like it, in fact. But they just will not work.

Like I said, it seems that unless I use the original cable, it won't work. Im completely baffled.

[PinkElephant 8,072]

Maybe the issue is with the computer you try to connect to.

It is a known issue that the EN branded scanner will not connect to Macs running Catalina. This is due to the fact that Catalina only supports 64bit-apps.

To get around this, it is necessary to update the scanners firmware. It will take the firmware of the standard ix500, of course loosing the special features of the EN model. And there is no way back once it was updated with the new firmware.

I am running my ix500 with a Mac, and have created scan profiles in the ScanSnap Home software that will send scans directly into EN. Works fine, no need for the special edition to do that.

[Leebo 2]

On 7/15/2020 at 5:06 PM, PinkElephant said:

If you have the number of pages and documents, you need a reliable feeder, plus a fast software package.

The ix(1)500 should do, and maybe rethink your budget issue. You could try to buy a used one (just be aware of scratches, paint or glue on the internal scanning windows, because it will make the scans useless), or account it against the time saved from using a less reliable, slower scanner.

The ScanSnap software still exists, from Fujitsu. The only product that was abandoned is the special edition Evernote scanner. It was practically an ix500 with a special software. If you get one, and it does not work with a newer OS, you can flash it with a standard ix500-firmware. It will work as every ix500, only the specific Evernote scanner features will be gone.

Does the SnapScan software allow you to scan multiple doc into one PDF? Or does it create one PDF for each doc, and you use Evernote to combine pages?

Thanks.

[Ben S 0]

On 7/17/2020 at 8:11 AM, PinkElephant said:

It will take the firmware of the standard ix500, of course loosing the special features of the EN model. And there is no way back once it was updated with the new firmware.

Oh, dear! I think you're right. That must be the cause.

I'm really, really disappointed to hear that I'll lose the special features of the Evernote model.

Can you tell me which features that would be? In short, I LOVE that I can scan things directly into the Evernote through the cloud, without having to be connected via USB, and I don't need to scan it to my local drive first, I can just scan it, and BAM it's in my Evernote.

Is THAT a feature I'd still have???

UPDATE:  Disregard. Panic averted. I just googled it for myself and I think I can see the pros/cons pretty clearly. I'm gonna go ahead and upgrade the firmware. Thanks again!

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE:  So I found a Super Speed USB cable (like the one pictures above - the same type that came with the scanner).  I connected it to my computer.

It looks like before I upgrade the firmware, the first thing I am asked to do is connect the scanner to the Mac via USB cable from within the ScanSnap Home application.

But this brings me back to my original problem:  it WILL NOT connect.  No matter what.  Any ideas why?  Or how I might work around this?

[PinkElephant 8,072]

11 hours ago, Leebo said:

Does the SnapScan software allow you to scan multiple doc into one PDF? Or does it create one PDF for each doc, and you use Evernote to combine pages?

Thanks.

There are several options in the ScanSnap Manager software.

If you choose pdf, the document will have all pages you place in one scan job. Because the feeder takes appr. 50 pages, this will be the limit (unless you try to manually feed more pages while the scanner is working down the current feed).

If you choose jpg as format, it will be all one-pagers, because jpg does not support multiple pages.

[PinkElephant 8,072]

5 hours ago, Ben S said:t looks like before I upgrade the firmware, the first thing I am asked to do is connect the scanner to the Mac via USB cable from within the ScanSnap Home application.

But this brings me back to my original problem:  it WILL NOT connect.  No matter what.  Any ideas why?  Or how I might work around this?

So I understand you have the ScanSnap Home software installed and running ?

Has it got all the necessary rights in the Macs settings ? Settings - Privacy & Security => look through all options and check every box with ScanSnap.

Then how is it connected ? The Mac usually does not take a USB-A-Cable - through a hub, a dock, an adapter ? Any chance to try another device ?

Try to connect the scanner to another Mac or PC - still not working ? Exchange the cable - still dead ?

This would be a „find the mistake“ strategy. If you end up at the end, chances are the scanner is not o.k. For whatever reason.

[bitcohen 3]

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i 

 I liked my first ScanSnap so much that I bought a second one. I now have a portable one at a work and a slightly less portable duplex one at home.

 

[Wanderling Reborn 185]

I used to have a flatbed scanner with a feeder for multiple sheets, but it was still a hassle and I found myself using my phone all the time, because I could do it anywhere and not be tied to one room.

My favorite scan app is TurboScan for iOS, it’s suited very well for quick scanning of multiple pages in B&W. The rest are either not that good for auto cropping, or don’t always get a crisp B&W scan (especially if the original is not B&W or lighting is poor), or take too many extra steps. GeniusScan is also very good, but isn’t as fast and accurate in auto cropping.

Another advantage of using a phone is that it’s very easy to combine different sources, e.g. a  paper bill with a screenshot of a payment via bank app, or a manual for an appliance with photos of it set to specific settings. All of this can of course be done on a computer, but with more steps and delays.

[PinkElephant 8,072]

My favorite on my iPhone is still ScannerPro by readdle.

It performs well, allows the use of the 2x-camera of my iPhone 11 Pro (which avoids casting a shadow with your own phone), and allows for quick or in-depth optimisation of a scan taken. If for example there is plain b/w, but it had a shadow, you can simply switch to b/w image type, and the shadow will be gone. If this is not enough, you can adapt brightness and contrast manually for each page - this is useful when scanning photos.

What makes it exceptional with EN is the option to create your ownworkflows. You do the scanning (multiple pages, different stuff, whatever), can organize the pages on the phone, then save it locally. Now hit share, select the type of EN workflow the scan belongs to, BAM. It is send as a new note to EN, right to the correct notebook, complete with a preselection of tags.

If I scan a receipt that I will need for my tax declaration, it will for example be tagged with receipt, 2020, tax and send to my notebook receipts. For most standard scan jobs, there is zero rework in EN, and the notes go where they need to go. Very time saving.

[DTLow 5,736]

1 hour ago, Wanderling Reborn said:

My favorite scan app is TurboScan for iOS ...

 

53 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

My favorite on my iPhone is still ScannerPro by readdle.

My vote is for Evernote's Scannable app     
Standard focusing and cropping, nothing exceptional - it just works   
PDF output option

[PinkElephant 8,072]

Scannable: No switch of camera, no ability to edit the resulting file before uploading (like eliminating bad scans, rotate pages, crop a second time etc.), no workflow.

Not my tool by far. If I just need a quick pick on the fly, I sometimes grab something by using the build-in scanner of the EN app. This works pretty well.

[DTLow 5,736]

39 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

Scannable: No switch of camera, no ability to edit the resulting file before uploading (like eliminating bad scans, rotate pages, crop a second time etc.), no workflow.

We are able to edit scans before uploading   
No workflow - just scanning

[PinkElephant 8,072]

As I understand it, editing with Scannable is right after scanning the individual page.

With ScannerPro I can scan continuously, and do the editing when I am done with scanning. I have all pages in a thumbnail view, can do group editing (like rotating a selection of several pages in one go) or individual. I prefer this because it is better for my scanning process.

[Wanderling Reborn 185]

Yes, scanning large number of documents requires quick and accurate auto-crop, auto shutter (app takes photo by itself the moment it recognizes page boundary), and accurate B&W creation (no blown areas or too dark areas). TurboScan gets it all, probably Readdle Scan does too (didn’t try it yet, thanks for the tip @PinkElephant). The latest version of Scanbot (they renamed it and made subscription but people who paid for the old version retained their functionality) looks like it’s also there now - it used to be slower from what I remember. Genius Scan is just almost there. But I’ll take any of them before I use a hardware scanner ever again.

[PinkElephant 8,072]

Well, the hardware scanner is good if you want to scan more than a few pages. Then it really helps, with sheet feeder and a blinding fast, accurate OCR. I converted several 500-Page-binders into pdfs, and could hardly keep up with managing the paper flow into and from the ix500 scanner connected to my Mac.

Another reason may be a DMS or workflow. At my former company we had a scanner that fed invoices directly into the SAP workflow for bills and payments. It was linked to the system and encoded documents with a unique „stamp“ to ensure the follow up.

Or as you may say: If you only have a hammer, every problem is a nail. Better to have a fully equipped toolbox.

[damien2v2 6]

Scannable on iPhone works pretty well and is pretty handy.

[PinkElephant 8,072]

Scannable is nice, but: The build in scanner of EN does the same job with less clicks if you anyhow want to scan into EN.

For all other uses, Scannable lacks a lot of functions.

For me, Scannable is one of these in-betweens, that do the job, but not as good as it could be done.

Scanner Pro just got improved with iOS 14: Among other features, they now have these mini-widgets that allow to pick a scan job right from the widget, controlled by a workflow. Very nice new feature !

[martyscholes 23]

This summer I bought the Raven Original document scanner that provides sheetfed scans, OCR, and drops straight into Evernote with no computer in the middle. This has forever changed how I think of scanners, making all of my previous sheetfed scanners feel like artifacts from a bygone era. I have scanned thousands of pages this summer with it.

Buy the Raven scanner and never look back.

[PinkElephant 8,072]

The ix500 and ix1500 do the same, based on the scan profile used.

You need to activate the service „ScanSnap Cloud“ and authorize the Access to Evernote as the cloud service to use. You can choose the notebook the scans will go to, for example a special notebooks as scan inbox. Scans will pass through the Fujitsu server and be redirected to Evernote.

Personally I prefer to scan to my EN account through my Mac, without another cloud service in between.

[CalS 5,280]

I like to control what goes to the cloud no matter the sureties of protection.  So a local scanner sending to a local notebook via import folders lets me control that.

[gazumped 11,652]

What @CalS said.  Same setup.  Also lets me mess with tweak images and PDF files, edit titles and do some batch OCR.

[Amiel 0]

I'm using a canon P-150. Evernote were promoting this two years ago so I brought it on the strength of that. It's tiny, so very portable and works really well. It also scans on both sides and I can choose to scan direct to evernote, to file or to email very easily.

[Wanderling Reborn 185]

I ended up getting the paid version of Readdle's Scan Pro, thanks to the tip from @PinkElephant.

So, now, I have pretty much all of them

It has two big advantages compared to other scanning software I've tried:

1) It is as good as TurboScan in producing a readable B&W document from a color document with some text on colored background. Most other apps struggle to get readable B&W text in these areas. It's almost as fast as TS in automatically capturing multiple pages and defining crop areas. Unlike TurboScan, though, it has OCR. 

2) It is the only scanning app that I know of which allows going back and editing scanned pages at any time. All other apps save the edits at some point after which they are no longer reversible. 

These two points make it my #1 choice now. 

It also has two disadvantages:

1) It does not add itself to the iOS Share To functionality. There's really no good reason for it in 2021. I contacted Readdle but got a canned "we'll think about it" reply.

2) The ability to save workflows is OK but not as good as what's provided by some other apps; e.g. I can add a personal Onedrive account, but not a Business one. This is a minor inconvenience. 

[Leebo 2]

On 7/15/2020 at 1:47 PM, Leebo said:

I'm thinking about buying a scanner specifically for use with Evernote. I have several hundred (possibly over a thousand) documents and receipts. I am currently using the Android version of Evernote, which is fine for two or three docs. I know the Fujitsu Scan Snap is discontinued. Evernote staff has not been helpful so far in giving me any ideas.

I assume the scanner will need to scan directly to PDF? I have a NEAT document scanner that works with my Windows 10 built in scanning software, but it does not scan directly to PDF. I can use the NEAT software to scan, but it scans to NEATs proprietary format. From there you can convert to PDF, but it's a S L O W process.

The ix1500 looks nice, but it's out of my budget. Thanks.

I ended up getting a Fujitsu ScanSnap ix1500. It is awesome! Scanning to Evernote without having to use a computer (after initial setup).

[jbenson2 2,147]

Just over 12 years ago I bought a Fujitsu S300. I got a lot of use out of it when I moved from Minnesota to Maine. Scanning was my paperless dream come true. The $267 was a great investment.

But last year, I contacted Fujisu for help. Their response: "The S300 is no longer being supported and there is no official windows 10 download link for that scanner but you can try the link below for ScanSnap Manager 5.5 as it may work with your scanner."
http://origin.pfultd.com/downloads/IMAGE/driver/ss/mgr/w-s1500/WinS1500ManagerV55L10WW.exe

 

Now that I am retired and generate far less paper every day, I decided to go with an app on my phone, so I can use it anywhere.

I took the renewing 1-Month Premium membership ($4.99) from Google Play for CamScanner..

The app automatically determines the edges and captures my receipt, document, product description on box, serial number on device, etc. - converts it to PDF and automatically emails it to my Evernote account. 

High resolution, Painless and Fast.
 

[rachelrachid 0]

Hello,

I have used many scanner but i have two on my favorite list.
1. ScanSnap Evernote Edition
2. Evernote-compatible scanner

Thanks.

[BissiJoy 0]

Hey, 

I am using Fujitsu Evernote Edition Document Scanner (PA03656-B401). 

Features of Scanner - 

• The ScanSnap Evernote Edition scans business cards, photos, receipts, and documents with the push of a button. Then files them into all the right places in Evernote automatically.
• 50-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF); Ultrasonic multi-feed detection
• Scan wirelessly or via USB to Mac and PC; USB 3.0 connectivity to Mac and PC computers
• Automatic paper size detection, automatic color detection, automatic cropping, blank page deletion and de-skew
• Fast color, grayscale and monochrome scan speeds of up to 25 double-sided pages per minute;600dpi optical resolution

If you are looking for a scanner you can use that and if you want to use best scanner software then you can use Adobe Acrobat, Abbyy Finereader and more.

 

[PinkElephant 8,072]

The Evernote Edition scanner was deprecated by Fujitsu. End of life was summer 2021, it will not work with the current ScanSnap Manager software.

Fujitsu (and EN) are telling all owners to upgrade it to a regular ix500 scanner, which will be supported until 2024.

https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024050514

The different filing options into EN can be set up by creating profiles in the scanner software. I personally use the Import Folders to create new notes from my scanned content.