(Archived) Does anyone use a handheld scanner with Evernote ?

[mdalves 17]

Hi. I have found some cheap handheld scanners on the web and I'm considering buying one as a companion to my Evernote account; but I don't know anyone using such scanners; I don't want to buy something useless. Do the friends from this forum have good (or bad) references about these cordless handheld scanners (as VuPoint, Wolverine, etc) ?

Thanks, MDAlves.

[garychenc00l 13]

Well, these scanners can scan in .pdf in which evernote can use.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

In my experience, handheld scanners create very poor results, and they have been vastly outdone by something like the Fujitsu Scansnap, which happens to connect up nicely with Evernote. Who wants to rub something across a piece of paper when they can just drop it in the slot and feed it through?

http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/comp ... /scansnap/

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I agree with GrumpyMonkey. I have a Magic Wand that I got a few years back b/c I would occasionally find myself in a position where I wanted to scan something but didn't have the luxury of taking it home to scan. I figured it would also be nifty to scan the items I often see in ads/catalogs of things I may want to buy & that would be easier/faster than using a "true" scanner (IE hooked up to a computer). But there is definitely an art to accurately using one of these scanners. IME, they are mostly a PITA. Plus, you cannot view the scanned image, so you can't really know what your scan looks like until you move the images to a computer. Once I got an iPhone 4, I bagged this scanner & only use my iPhone. I'd have to say the only reason I've kept this scanner is b/c it's still the best way to scan longer (IE over 14 inches long) photos/documents, which I run across occasionally doing genealogy stuff.

But seriously, if someone came up & offered me $60-80 cash for the thing, I'd take it.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I agree with GrumpyMonkey. I have a Magic Wand that I got a few years back b/c I would occasionally find myself in a position where I wanted to scan something but didn't have the luxury of taking it home to scan. I figured it would also be nifty to scan the items I often see in ads/catalogs of things I may want to buy & that would be easier/faster than using a "true" scanner (IE hooked up to a computer). But there is definitely an art to accurately using one of these scanners. IME, they are mostly a PITA. Plus, you cannot view the scanned image, so you can't really know what your scan looks like until you move the images to a computer. Once I got an iPhone 4, I bagged this scanner & only use my iPhone. I'd have to say the only reason I've kept this scanner is b/c it's still the best way to scan longer (IE over 14 inches long) photos/documents, which I run across occasionally doing genealogy stuff.

But seriously, if someone came up & offered me $60-80 cash for the thing, I'd take it.

You make a good point. For receipts and small stuff, my iPod does an acceptable job. For books and rare documents (things I cannot feed through a scanner), a nice point and click camera (you can get 14MP for under 300) is great, or a flatbed scanner. I'd say the ScanSnap does 99% of my scanning work, though. I've scanned several bookcases worth of notes / articles / handouts with it. I'm a premium member because I generate several hundred PDFs a month and I need a place to put them

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I've scanned several bookcases worth of notes / articles / handouts with it. I'm a premium member because I generate several hundred PDFs a month and I need a place to put them

We need to hang out. Actually, IIRC, you do this b/c you're a researcher? I do it b/c I'm A/R or OCD or a combination thereof. AND...I'm trying to be as paperless as possible. I pretty much scan anything that will fit into one of my scanners, photograph anything else that will hold still long enough & video record everything else. I do backup all my stuff to a true backup cloud (Amazon S3 servers via Jungle Disk.) But my "go to" apps for finding photos/info/notes are ACDSee Photo Manager (for photos) and Evernote (for everything else.)

UPDATE: This is the second time I've searched high & low for my mom's recipe for minestrone... NOTE TO SELF: When I find it...SCAN IT...PUT IT IN Evernote....

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I've scanned several bookcases worth of notes / articles / handouts with it. I'm a premium member because I generate several hundred PDFs a month and I need a place to put them

We need to hang out. Actually, IIRC, you do this b/c you're a researcher? I do it b/c I'm A/R or OCD or a combination thereof. AND...I'm trying to be as paperless as possible. I pretty much scan anything that will fit into one of my scanners, photograph anything else that will hold still long enough & video record everything else. I do backup all my stuff to a true backup cloud (Amazon S3 servers via Jungle Disk.) But my "go to" apps for finding photos/info/notes are ACDSee Photo Manager (for photos) and Evernote (for everything else.)

UPDATE: This is the second time I've searched high & low for my mom's recipe for minestrone... NOTE TO SELF: When I find it...SCAN IT...PUT IT IN Evernote....

Hahaha. Indeed. What's the difference between a researcher and someone with OCD? I don't know

I am also trying to be paperless. I always struggled to keep track of my papers, and now I know it wasn't me that was a problem, but my system. Evernote has saved me numerous times over the years. Everything gets scanned. I've got hundreds of books that I still need to take care of, but one day I'll be free! I backup on several external hard drives + online backup (Dropbox and Sugarsync).

Good luck finding that recipe!

[mdalves 17]

Thanks a lot for all your comments; I also use my Nokia E71 with DocScanner for small documents with acceptable results; buying a handheld scanner doesn't seem to be a smart move. I'll invest a little more and purchase a good sheet fed scanner.

Regards, Mdalves.