Overwhelmed with paper!

[KevinMSadler]

Hi all,

I have been doing my 6 monthly paper filing and have sort of decided that I am become overwhelmed with paper documents (even after paring alot down) - I am up to 9 lever-arch files completely choca-block full.

I would like to scan much of this and shred the paper. I presume I would store it as PDF files but don't really know. What I need is a relatively cheap easy to use scanner which is light-weight and very portable (for storage) and obviously one that works with OS X (I am not yet on 10.5 but will be soon). The Canon LIDE scanners look quite neat - does anyone have any experience of document archiving with these? Are they fast enough with good enough software to use for this purpose or should I go with another manufacturer.

I am a home user so cannot justify one of those dedicated document scan/store units.

Thanks for any help

Kevin

 

[itickings]

The LiDEs should be "fast enough" for home use, but I'm personally not particularly fond of Canon's software. Yep on the other hand works great for me to scan documents into PDF and keep them organized.

 

[tefleming]

I've been very pleased with Epson's software (not sure if any of their hardware meets your needs.)

 

[KevinMSadler]

Thanks guys,

I do already have Yep (bought as part of the recent Macupdate Promo bundle) - I never thought of using this - It should be a very useful way of filing/ tagging the documents.

I don't know anything about the Epson scanners - are they fairly compact for storage/portability - this is what attracts me to the Canon scanners.

Any other suggestions

Kevin

 

[madmaxmedia]

What's your budget?

It sounds like you're looking for something cheap. But if you have a LOT of papers, I previously had found this Xerox unit (DocuMate 510) that has a paper feed. It's Mac compatible and not all that much (around $300.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...UTF8&coliid=I2DWW8CF2IE7MQ&colid=4TKB0NAPE0EZ

(mixed reviews though)

 

[itickings]

Well, if you already have Yep then Canon's software shouldn't be an issue for home use.

The LiDEs are compact and wallet-friendly. Larger units with document feeders of course have advantages, but they are all but compact and cheap...

 

[KevinMSadler]

My budget is at most £150 (that' about $300) and preferably less as this is not a pleasure purchase - it is purely to relieve me of my paper burden!

The Xerox machine is £330 new in the UK - It is "rip-off Britain" here so is too expensive. It is also huge.

Thanks for the advise

Kevin