There are a lot of portable scanners out there, and many do a good job. But the big thing that stands out to me about the Epson Workforce ES-55R Portable Sheet-fed Document Scanner is that it does not require a power cord or wall wart to operate. That is kind of a big deal.
Imagine this, you are at a hotel meeting with someone for business. You decide to make a deal and sign some paperwork. You need to scan it, along with the signatures and you pull the Epson Workforce ES-55R Portable Sheet-fed Document Scanner out of your briefcase and plug it up to your laptop.
Now... with other scanners, you would have to find a power outlet - not ANY power outlet - but a power outlet that had room for a giant wall wart. You might be looking along the wall, moving curtains aside. Maybe it isn't that complicated, but making deals is complicated and part of it is how professional you appear to the other person.
Pulling out the Epson Workforce ES-55R Portable Sheet-fed Document Scanner and simply plugging it into your laptop, sliding the paper into the device and pressing the button to scan looks elegant, professional and competent.
Pulling out another scanner and searching for a power supply while unwinding a cord and trying to get it all set up just lacks that elegance.
The Epson Workforce ES-55R Portable Sheet-fed Document Scanner simply works. Once you have everything set up on your computer, you just plug it up via USB cable and scan. It even comes with software that makes it easy for you to keep up with receipts and helps you track your expenses.
The only thing more elegant would be Epson's own ES-60 that is wireless and you don't even have to plug a cable in at all.
I would easily recommend the Epson Workforce ES-55R Portable Sheet-fed Document Scanner to anyone who is a travel warrior, doing business on the road and keeping up with expenses. The results are very good, I even use it in my office quite a bit for several reasons.
I don't like having to use a flatbed scanner, I find the "feed through" design to be more appealing. This is fast and efficient. I can make editable PDF files. It doesn't take up space on my desk. There is so much to like about this device. It is a five star device. The only thing that would make it any better at all would be wireless in my opinion.
One thing that I noted in the reviews was that one person was using it for photos. I mean no disrespect for that person, but I would not recommend this scanner for that purpose. Of course there is nothing wrong with that person doing so, and if they are ok with the quality that is completely up to them - but for me the Epson Workforce ES-55R Portable Sheet-fed Document Scanner is not made for photos - at least not photos meant to be enjoyed. Sure, you can scan photos of things that you might need for accounting - like donations to charity, or other photos that you might need in a business setting. But not photos of family and pets and such. That is just my opinion, I would get a scanner made for that type of scanning for that type of use.
I hope this review is helpful to you - please feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer them right away.
Receipts. I hate them! They are small, difficult to handle and take up way too much room in my filing cabinet. However, if I want to claim those valuable business expenses, keeping and being able to locate the receipts for business expenses is essential.
Happily, the Epson Workforce ES-55R Portable Sheet-fed Document Scanner Accounting Edition has come to my aid. I've used other Epson products in the past and, for the most part, they have gotten the job done and I liked them. This scanner does nothing to change my opinion. It only enforces it.
Installation was about as easy at it comes. I downloaded the proper driver from the Epson web site. There are two drivers. One for the ES-55R model that I have and another for the Epson Workforce ES-55RW. Apparently the latter scanner features wireless scanning and a rechargeable battery. The model that I have has neither of these features.
The scanner supports Windows 10 or Mac OS X. I am running Windows 10 and the Epson site selected the appropriate driver for me. The driver installation was easy and seamless. Almost automatic. There was some additional software that can be optionally installed. Specifically this was Convert Assist, Create Assist and Nuance Power PDF. I am not a big fan of Power PDF having used it previously. The software has always seemed to slow and clumsy to me. Never-the-less, I elected to install it. During installation the scanner does a test scan and then proceeds to update its firmware.
I did not like the fact that Epson required my address and phone number in order to register the unit. I felt this to be invasive. However, I submitted the required information.
The scanner is small and very portable. It comes with a USB 2 cable (USB 2 is sufficient for scanning purposes.) Unfortunately the USB cable is only on the right side of the scanner and the USB port on my keyboard is on the left side. That forces the USB cable to lie across my desk. Wouldn't you know it!
Scanning is as easy as it can be. Simpy insert the document and press the scan button. After a few seconds the Epson ScanSmart software will launch with a sample of the scanned document. The document can be zoomed in and out and moved around with a mouse making it easy to examine the scan. Clicking the next button brings up a number of options including saving the scan, sending it by email or using the Receipt Manager. You can save the scanned document as a PDF file or as a JPEG image or as a Searchable PDF. The PDF is not super sharp but it is completely readable.
My intended purpose is to use the Receipt Manager. I was disappointed that ScanSmart didn't allow me to save the scanned document and also send it to the Receipt Manager. In order to do that, I had to scan the document twice. This seemed to me like an unnecessary waist of time.
The Receipt Manager had to import the document and that process took a few more seconds. However, it was able to read the receipt date. the company name and the amount of the receipt correctly right off of the receipt scan. That was impressive given that this information can appear just about anywhere on any given receipt. The information can be corrected if necessary. It is possible to categorize the receipt, select a tax category and mark the receipt as reviewed.
No doubt that the Epson Workforce ES-55R Portable Sheet-fed Document Scanner Accounting Edition will get a genuine workout at tax time. However, I can't help but believe that I will find many more uses for it.
I have always wanted a document scanner to help me eliminate all of my paper waste.
I expected the setup process to be quicker but it was a little frustrating. When you open the box you are directed to get the drivers from Epson's website. This is fine, however for me installing the driver downloaded from the website froze midway through the install. I had to force shutdown my computer and try again. The second time the install succeeded.
The second issue I had was that I could not find the USB cable in the package. This is fine as well since I have tons of USB cables around that fit this scanner. The issue is the opening on the scanner to plug the USB cable into is so narrow my USB cables wouldn't fit. I eventually was able to remove the casing around my cable to get it to connect. It's not a long term solution but it will work for the time being until I can find a suitable cable.
With everything finally set up and connected I was finally able to test the scanner out. Using it is really simple; all you have to do is load the document in the scanner and press the scan button. Once you press the button, the document is fed through the scanner. After its done the scanning software loads and shows your document on the screen. From here you are given the option to save the image in one of many formats. If you scan a receipt you can choose the receipt option and the software will read the receipt and attempt to pre fill information such as the name of the company and amount you spent. Its accurate for basic receipts but it struggles with receipts that are formatted a little differently. If the information is incorrect you can always correct it yourself.
I see myself using this more and more once I get used to all the features.
It's a great buy especially for those that need to keep all their receipts for business or tax purposes. It's also good for people like me that have a hard time keeping up with important documentation.
I had this up and running in less than 10 minutes, and downloading the software from Epson is what actually took up most of that time. Further on the topic of speed, I was immediately able to scan full-page color and B/W documents, color photographs and black and white photos. All scanned in a matter of 3 secs or less.
I got this scanner primarily to scan the bazillion photos I have and to scan receipts. Although it is described as primarily for business purposes - scanning docs, receipts, etc - (and I will be used for that as well), I have to say that I am more than happy with the quality and speed of scanning photos. I was cautious that it might not do that as well, but it performs that task beautifully. Although I will be using this to keep track of receipts, I do not need it for QuickBooks and can't speak to how well it works in that capacity.
Here's what I've experienced so far:
++ Super easy set-up - it was as easy as it gets.
++ Takes up very little space on a desk...or anywhere.
++ Scans can be saved as PDFs, searchable PDFs (yay!) and jpegs.
++ The default res is 200 ppi, but that can easily be changed per individual scan.
++ The color scans I made came out true to color for the most part. A 100-year-old sepia print came out a little darker than the actual photo, but not bothersome.
++ Scans can be saved in variety of ways, including being sent directly to a new email doc.
++ There is a setting for correcting skew. This works beautifully and is a significant time-saver since my goal is to avoid spending time doing post-scan editing. It works very well.
++ Can scan 8.5" or less in width, but up to 72" in length. (I haven't tried to scan anything remotely approaching that length tho)
I put a 100-year-old photo through the scanner and it emerged with no greater damage than what was already present. It's great to have that digitally preserved.
The black and white photo is the only thing that required changing any of the scanner settings - I had to change it to Grayscale or the resulting scan was a high-contrast black and white image with no grays at all. I've attached the photo to this - it's a photo of my grandparents' Christmas tree from the 1960s. It made an old photo look great.
This model does not support Wi-Fi or the phone and tablet apps. If you want that, the model that does all that is ES-65WR.
The bottom line: I love this little scanner much more than I was expecting. It does exactly what I wanted with the speed and quality I was only hoping for. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
The Epson Workforce ES-55R is a great portable scanner for business travelers, or for those at home that don't want a large scanner taking up space.
However, there are some things that stood out as not ideal...
1.) On my 2014 iMac running the latest version of MacOS Mojave 10.14.3, the Epson drivers are not included, which means you need to install Epson's drivers. Doing this was painless enough, but it's quite a few things - including software, and, most annoyingly, an Epson ScanSmart menu bar icon, which to get rid of - do the following in the Epson Uninstall utility:
Remove: Epson Event Manager.
2.) There's no Wi-Fi included here. Yes, there's a higher-end model with Wi-Fi and a rechargeable battery, - and quite frankly that's the only version I think Epson should have released.
3.) You need to be careful when inserting paper etc to make sure you insert it straight. Otherwise, the scan can be slightly skewed.
Just one thing to point out that wasn't obvious: Be sure to switch the scan type in Epson's software depending on what you're scanning. If you leave the default for e.g. credit cards, they will be cropped too much.
Overall, this is a good scanner. The quality is absolutely excellent. Just a few niggles with the over-bloated (and dated) software, and the lack of Wi-Fi and rechargeable battery on this model - are the relatively minor quibbles, but none of these are deal breaking.
Overall, 4.25 out of 5. Very good.
Feature Product
- Premium Accounting Features (1) - Automatically extract key data from receipts and invoices, Increases productivity and minimizes user error.
- Works with popular party Software Programs - Automatically export data to third party software such as QuickBooks Online and Excel.
- Automatic file naming - Smart tools intelligently and automatically provide file name data based upon historic entries to save time and simplify the data entry and retrieval process.
- Up and running in no time - Simple and intuitive software work flow makes Accounting Edition integration a very easy process.
- No ongoing subscription fee required - The Epson ScanSmart Accounting Edition software lets you manage your data and store it on a platform of your choice.
Description
The WorkForce ES-55R Receipt Scanner features the premium accounting features and functionality (1) of the new Epson ScanSmart Accounting Edition Software (2). This powerful scanner and software platform makes it easy to organize expense data from receipts, invoices, and documents, without the additional expense of an annual software subscription. The Epson ScanSmart Accounting Edition software extracts key data from scanned images, safely stores the information to your computer, network, or the cloud, and downloads the data to popular third party accounting software programs such as QuickBooks and Excel. The ES-55R includes Nuance OCR, so you can create searchable PDFs and editable Word and Excel files. The scanner easily fits into a purse, backpack, or briefcase for the on-the-go professional. Yet it is also the fastest and lightest mobile single-sheet-fed document scanner in its class (3). The ES-55R scans a single page in as fast as 5.5 seconds (4).
1. Requires Epson ScanSmart Accounting Edition Software. Not available for iOS or Android mobile devices.
2. Epson ScanSmart Accounting Edition Software supports Windows 10 (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows 8/8.1 (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit) SP1 and Mac OS X 10.11.x to macOS 10.14.x.
3. As compared to competitive personal mobile single-sheet-feeding document scanners priced under $300 USD in the U.S. and Canada, as of May 2018. Excludes other Epson scanners.
4. At 300 dpi, based on 8.5" x 11", 1-sheet scan speed.
This does not take up any of my deskspace, which is good, because I have none. It doesn't take an AC adapter either, which is good, because my outlets are full. To install it, I downloaded the combo driver and utilities from the Epson site, let that run, plugged it in via USB, and turned on the power button and was scanning. I did have to put my serial number in for the NUANCE PDF software that comes with this.
ONE DOWNSIDE of that software is that it is ONE PC only. I don't much care for Nuance's license but that's Nuance and not Epson, so I'm not going to deduct for that..
It scans fast. I turn it on, put a receipt or page in, and it scans without any wait or problem. The software pops up on my PC, and I choose what I want to do with the scan. If I want to save it as a PDF, that's an option.
It allows me the option of saving the receipt to software, or to PDF, uploading it to Dropbox or my Google Drive (I pay for the extra storage at $20/yr.) I lvove the RECEIPT MANAGER though. It comes with that, and it keeps a record of the receipts you've added. That automatically will let you put the tax category in, and even records which credit card was used for the purchase.
It will even do receipts that have been wadded up and are wrinkled as all get out. Just the action of moving through the scanner straightens them up, and the show up as white and black with no wrinkles. It's pretty smart software.
This is so much better than the basket of receipts that has been my method for keeping my small business receipts in the past. The scanner is fast enough that I've been able to get all those scanned in and ready for taxes this year. It imports to TURBOTAX too, which I'll be using this year. You can also import the receipts to WORD or Excel, or you can email them.
Thank you, Epson for making such a great product for those of us trying to build a small business! I really needed this. I didn't even realize just how bad I did need it until I got it, other than this sense of dread that came over me every time I put something else in that basket or looked at it. No more dread now, just organization and a cleaner desk. IF I ever have to go through an IRS audit, I already know I'll feel better about it than having to tote that basket in.
When this package arrived, I was amazed at how lightweight it was. Weighing barely anything and taking up very little space (it fits in my purse), this document scanner makes life more efficient and productive.
INSTALLATION: The setup is intuitive and straightforward, and the instruction sheet (there's also a manual with more detail and plenty of further information, FAQs, etc. online) is extremely easy to follow. You barely have to do anything to install it. It took me about 20 minutes to have everything (drivers, software, firmware update, etc.) installed and ready to go.
EASE/QUALITY OF USE: Using the scanner couldn't be easier. You simply position your document and push the button to scan. The device can be used wirelessly with the battery (just connect to your computer to charge), but it easily connects to your computer (PC or Mac) with an included USB cord. The only drawback is the cord is on the short side, and due to the placement of the port, the scanner needs to be positioned on the left side of your computer. Scanning is fast and quiet. In addition to scanning letter-sized 8x11 paper, you can easily scan smaller documents like receipts. You could also scan a long receipt or something shaped like that. The documents I've scanned have all come out straight, sharp, and clear. I scanned some sheet music with handwritten notes on it, and both the document and the notes came out crystal clear.
SOFTWARE/FEATURES: The software that comes with this scanner definitely boosts its versatility and efficiency. Because of this software, you can adapt the device to suit your individual needs. After you scan your document, a window pops up with very simple, intuitive interface giving you options to save the document and/or open it in Excel, Word, Quickbooks, Google Drive, etc. I use the Evernote app to keep my life organized, and I was pleased to see Evernote as one of the options I can click. This ability is great if you save receipts and coupons and find it annoying to have piles of papers sitting around. I tried scanning receipts into Excel and coupons into Evernote (the scanner software even let me designate a notebook to store them in), and both were very easy. When scanning receipts, bills, checks, etc. into Excel, you end up with a document that looks just like the original, except each item is in a box. It intuitively knows which items belong together in boxes, and you can also easily copy the info from certain boxes and paste it into another Excel sheet if needed.
The device also comes with other wonderful features, including software that enables you to create searchable and editable PDFs. If you want to share your documents, you can do so by scanning them to your Google Drive and sharing them with others.
All in all, this device will really make your life easier and more organized. With its versatile features, you can use it for a wide variety of tasks and purposes.
This is a traveler's dream! It's lightweight, portable and makes much better scans of documents than one of those wands you slide over something or taking a photo using your cell phone. Measuring approximately 11 x 1.5 x 1.5 inches, it's small enough to tuck into your briefcase, shoulder back or backpack. With its USB cord, you can hook it up to just about any computer, including a laptop.
The scanner comes securely packaged in a nice little box with its USB cord, instructions, a cleaning cloth and calibrating card. The instructions are written for the ES-55R and -65R (a wireless version). It has a 1-year warranty that only works if you purchase and use the device in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico.
You have to plug the USB cord in to power up the device. Unfortunately, on the ES-55R, there's not really a gauge of any kind to tell you how much it is charged.
You download the drivers from the Epson site, selecting the URL that is appropriate for your machine and country. It will automatically load updates and report your activity to Epson, unless you de-select those options in the set-up. In addition to the software to operate the scanner, you can download a program that lets you modify PDF files, organize receipts, etc. The initial software takes a few minutes to load; the updates take longer. I like that you don't have to register the device right away to use the software, but can try it for 14 days. That way, if you decide you don't like it, or go with something else, it can still be used by someone else. There's an electronic user guide you can easily access, if you want to know more or need to do a bit of trouble-shooting.
This device scans really quickly--in a matter of seconds. As long as you feed the leading edge properly and don't have anything in the way, documents scan pretty straight. Thin, flimsy paper--such as that upon which receipts are printed--can be tricky. The stiffer the document, the better it scans. All you do is align the paper, press the feed button and wait less that 5 seconds for the paper to feed.
The review screen on your computer lets you check to be sure the image looks right. You can zoom in to check the quality of a scan, add more pages with the "scan more" button, rotate the image before saving, or delete and start over. You can name the image, pick whether to save it as a PDF or JPG, change the image density, and browse for a folder to save it in. You can extract information from receipts for accounting purposes or drop an image directly into a Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel document. It can also send your image directly to the "cloud," email, Dropbox and other places.
I didn't like that I couldn't figure out where the receipt management feature put the receipts I scanned. I also couldn't really figure out the OCR feature.
Over all, this is a nice device. Since I am on the go a lot these days, the compact size makes it really convenient. I can make a quality scan quickly without having to haul a big printer/scanner around. If you are a traveling businessperson, itinerant minister, or whatever, this lets you scan documents and receipts and send them right away to your accountant or wherever. It cuts down on the amount of paper you have to carry, too, since you can scan and save an electronic copy of documents and receipts, rather than hard copies.
My wife insisted on getting this because she's sick of looking at the giant all-in-one from ca. 2001 sucking up half my desk, but I need to scan things somewhat regularly so I didn't want to get rid of it.
This Epson scanner is tiny and fast. It's ultra-light (I'm actually kind of concerned that if I toss it in my laptop bag, it might be too delicate.)
Installation was simple, once the website worked. The first few days I tried, Epson's website was having technical difficulties, and so I couldn't download the drivers. But you need to get them, because Windows 10 wasn't able to install the device automatically.
The included USB cable is kind of on the short side, but it's a standard USB-A to USB-micro, so you probably have a few others lying around if you've bought any electronics in the past 5 years.
Scanning is equally simple, and fast. Just feed a page in on the proper side (marked with icons, so you can't really screw it up) and the scanner will grab on to it. Press the button and the software will pop up with your scan.
It's very fast, generates a clear, crisp image, and overall is pretty good. I like it, and I'm happy to have it. If you have to scan a lot of pages, you'll probably want a different scanner with a document feeder, but if you're like me and you only need to scan a handful at a time, this one is great.
I took off a star because everything hinges on the software. Sure, it's good and convenient on Windows, but if you don't want to install a bunch of stuff, or you're on Linux, this probably isn't the scanner for you.
Epson has been making the best portable document scanners for over a decade now IMO.
They just keep getting smaller and lighter with more capabilities.
I am amazed at how small and light this one is.
It takes up very little space, fitting easily into a laptop bag or sitting on a desk.
The USB power feature makes cord clutter a lot more manageable. No AC outlet nor transformer to carry around. It is truly a great thing. It will drain your laptop a little but if you have a power adapter you can use it 24/7.
It works great with MacOS Mojave 10.14.3.
You do have to feed sheets one by one but that is not a big trade off for the convenience it provides as a portable scanner. The included software works well. I sometimes just scan for emailing with the Apple Preview app.
It is surprisingly fast and the Quickbooks scanning works well. It is also very useful with Evernote and other cloud services.
5 stars as it is really the most compact and portable full page scanner I've seen to date.
0 comments:
Post a Comment