NeatReceipts Scanalizer Review
Handheld Scanner Scans Bills, Invoices, Business Cards and More
The Neat Receipts scanner and software promise to help you get rid of the clutter by quickly scanning and cataloging important receipts. Does it live up to its promises?
Many people use a scanner to make digital copies of important documents, but scanning the dozens of receipts that a person gets every day can become tiring when using a traditional flatbed scanner. The NeatReceipts Scanalizer attempts to make the job of scanning, sorting, cataloging, and earmarking various documents as painless as possible.
The Neat Receipts' software and Scanalizer scanner install fairly easily and include a well-designed database that securely holds on to important receipts and other documents for business or archival purposes.
Pros: Compact, fast, and easy to use whether at home or on the road. Great cataloging and indexing of scanned receipts and documents
Cons: Mediocre color scanning
What Comes With The Neat Receipts Scanalizer System?
- Scanalizer Lightweight Mobile Scanner (2"x2"x12" approx.)
- USB Cable
- Neat Receipts Software
- Scanner Dust Cover
- Scanner Desktop Stand
- Calibration and Cleaning Paper
- Scanner Wall Mount Holder
How Does the Neat Receipts Scanning System Work?
After installing the software and plugging in the Scanalizer scanner simply slide a receipt, business card, photo, or other important document into the slot and press the SCAN button. The scanner's mechanism pulls the document through the scanner and automatically crops the image before it appears on the computer monitor.
Once scanned the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software automatically recognizes the total and sales tax for the receipt and enters them into the database for you to review or make changes. Receipts can be categorized into any number of customizable categories. Individual receipts can also be flagged with IRS tax information that can later be used to create reports of all of your tax related transactions to present to an accountant.
Use the Neat Receipts System for More than Just Receipts
For other documents the scanner also works quite well, allowing almost any document less that eight inches wide to be scanned and imported into the Neat Receipts Database. Contracts, invoices, business cards, and even handwritten correspondence can be quickly scanned and filed electronically allowing for a more paper free existence. In a pinch the scanner can also scan color photographs but the quality is not up to par compared to other more well suited flatbed scanners. Al documents can be scanned into the Neat Receipts database or scanned directly into PDF format for sending via email.
Is Neat Receipts Worth the Cost?
The Neat Receipts system retails for around $240. While this may seem on the high side for a scanner that does not scan photos well, remember the added value of the software and database that is bundled with it.
The OCR capabilities of the Neat Receipts software is very accurate, even being able to identify companies by their logo rather than by text. For most buyers, the tax organization and filing features will more than make up for the increased cost.
Review Details: Review conducted using Neat Receipts Version 3.0 and the Scanalizer Portable Scanner. Tests were done using a PC running Windows XP.
