Scanning is one of the most integral parts of the computation, data entry, other official and personal works. The need of scanning documents, files, images, and various other things is always there and it is going to be there in the future as well. But, without a good quality scanner, it is never easy to produce high-quality soft and hard copies of your documents. That is why we are going to know about the best portable scanners for slow computers in this article.
Not only this, we will understand the purpose of these scanners and the way they work. In simple words, we will provide you enough help to not only pick the right scanner for you but also know more about these amazing machines.
According to Wikipedia, the first-ever scanner was launched in 1957. After that, this product has seen a lot of demand and improvement.
Now, we are here in an era where we can easily scan our documents and share them over the internet and print them across devices all over the world. So, if you are really looking to enhance your printing tasks and make the most out of your scanner, you will have to make your decision wisely.
These devices can easily be attached or communicate to any scanning software without any hassles. But, we are going to know about the scanners which are great to use on the Mac devices specifically.
This article can be taken as a proper buying guide for any kind of scanner. You should be able to use this information to make your work better and effective.
Whether you want to install a new scanner inside your office, home, school, or library, this article will give you all the detailed information you will need. We have researched a lot and found some great and pretty affordable devices you should definitely try using.
But, first of all, it would be better if you just start talking about the basic functionalities and uses of these electronic machines.
If you do not want to know about that, it is better to skip over the end of this article. You will get to know about the products there only.
So, without any further delays, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What is a portable scanner (Handheld Features)?
You can think of the portable scanners as handheld scanners. You might have seen those big or flat scanning machines which take the whole document and then capture everything with the help of light. The portable scanners are pretty different.
First of all, they are smaller in size as compared to ordinary scanners. These scanners are made to scan the documents on the go. Normally, these scanners work on small batteries to power them up.
But, if we look at the main difference, these scanners are smaller in size and have similar benefits as you get with simple scanners.
If we talk about the effectiveness, these scanners will produce outputs similar to what you will get with your normal scanner.
But, because of their smaller size, the demands are rising higher and higher. And, that could be the reason why you are here. Portable scanners are great to use on the go.
If you are more into the fieldwork, a good portable scanner can provide you a lot of advantages over other kinds of scanners or large printers with scanning support.
Now, without talking much about the basics, let’s jump to the next part.
How does a portable scanner work?
The design of these scanners is simple and straightforward. You just put the desired documents inside the given slot to get them scanned. However, the inner functionality becomes very complex because all the components are arranged and designed in such a small space.
But, in order to understand the basics, you just have to keep a thing in mind that the whole chamber of this printer will be covered with light-emitting diodes that throw the light on the document.
Then the sensing mechanism observes the output light and depending on that, the document is framed and observed by this machine.
You can get that data in digital form and save it on your computer or mobile device in the form of an image or PDF.
Using this complex machinery, these scanners will be able to provide you with the desired outputs in a great way. However, you might have to face some additional drawbacks such as battery charging, etc.
However, in order to understand the inner working of these complex machines, you can search more on the internet. Now, let’s jump to the next part directly.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of portable scanners?
If we talk about the pros and cons of scanners, you will get to know about the pros most of the time. So, if we talk about the core functionality of scanners, if you are using them for the job they are made, you may not see any disadvantages.
But, if you are expecting much more than they can do, it would be better if you look for any other advanced product with those features.
We will know about the pros and cons of portable scanners here. So, without any further delays, let’s get started.
Pros:
- Easy to carry and handle because of their smaller size
- Easy to use technology for any kind of scanning tasks
- You can use them on the go
- They are lightweight and you can use them for any task you want
- You can scan lots of copies and store them on the cloud with some popular scanner models
Cons:
- They have a smaller reading zone so you can scan only the very small size of documents
- You will have to hand it with hand whenever you want to scan anything
- Frequent battery recharging may be required
- Some scanners may lose the information and don’t scan the documents properly.
How to use a scanner without a computer?
Scanning a document without using a computer is possible these days. As the technology is growing, we are getting various methods to process and use our documents. Most of the cloud computing services are allowing us to scan our documents on the go even if we do not have a computer or laptop.
The scanners are going to scan your documents and save them on popular cloud platforms such as Google Drive, One Drive, Dropbox, Box, Evernote, etc.
However, there are very few scanners available in the market which you can use for this purpose. Various brands such as Brother, Canon, and Epson are launching different products with these features.
So, you can search for them on the internet and get one for you.
Obviously, these scanners are not cheap but they serve you better with greater functionality for sure.
So, if you want, you can make use of these great scanners and start scanning without the help of a computer.
How do I scan wirelessly?
Wireless scanning is possible these days with the help of wireless scanners. Now, when you are about to buy a portable scanner, you may have this question in your mind.
On any computer, you can use this feature if your scanner supports it. It will work normally like any other simple scanner because the features will remain the same. You just have to understand the working of your scanner because every device is not the same.
However, we are going to tell you how you can set up an environment on your Windows computer and start scanning wirelessly.
- Turn On your scanner and make sure its Wi-Fi is turned On as well
- On your Windows computer, press Start and search for All Programs
- Now, go to Windows Fax and Scan
- Check the scanner and click on it to Connect
- Now, use your scanner properly. Try to use it as per the user manuals for the best and fast results
This information can be applied with any printer or scanners on your Windows computer. You will be able to find all your devices in the All programs section. So, you can access them and check if everything is working fine.
Your scanner will also give you a notification when it is connected using the appropriate way. Once everything is done, you can proceed with the scanning task.
What is the best way to scan old photos?
A lot of people prefer taking images of their old photos and then convert them into their desired formats. But, the best way to scan old photos is to use a good quality scanner and then get an output. Because, most of the time, the old photos are low in quality. They can also be black and white.
So, if you are taking an image of your photograph, most of the quality will be lost whenever you click that image. Even if your smartphone has a very high definition camera, it will be good if you use a scanner to do this job because it is made just for this task.
Alternatively, if you scan old photos more often, you can make use of a portable scanner. We are going to know about some of the greatest products here.
So, you can get to know about them here for free.
List of Best Portable Scanners for Low-Specs Mac Computers
Now, when you are aware of all the things related to these portable scanners, its the time to know about the products. Let’s reveal all these great scanners one by one.
1. Canon imageformula P-215 (Best for Low-end PC)
This is one of the sleekest and fastest portable scanners you can ever buy. The product is offered by a popular electronic brand named Canon. So, trusting in this product will be easy for anyone out there.
The product comes with an auto document feeder ADF Tray with an advanced OCR. The weight of this product is just 0.99 KG. However, if we talk about the speed, it can scan up to 30 images per minute. The maximum document size supported by this device is 215 x 1000 mm.
The scanner comes with various other features such as Automatic Image Rotation, Punch hole remover, etc. You can use it to scan images and small documents as well.
The imageformula is great to use for official as well as personal uses. You can use its various connection methods discussed below. So, if you are looking for a great scanner from a recognized brand, this might be a good option for you.
Pros:
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and 3.0
- ADF Tray
- A4 Format Supported
- 30 Images per minute
- Duplex Scanning and OCR
Cons:
- No very lightweight
- Various other fast devices available at this price range
2. Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i
This is is another highly impressive portable scanner that offers fast speed along with a good balance with the price. It can scan 12 black and white pages per minute from the double side.
The auto feeder will detect the color and size of your documents automatically. Along with that, you can easily use this scanner with most of the popular cloud storage services for online usages.
So, scanning your documents and photos and converting them into pdf will be very easy with these devices as well.
Using this scanner is very easy and you can connect it with any Mac or Windows machine without any hassle. The heavyweight of this scanner may bother some people.
But, overall this scanner is great to provide you with great features at a very small price tag.
Let’s know some more about this great device.
Pros:
- Auto Color correction
- Affordable in price
- Easy to use
- Fast Speed scanning
- Double-sided scanning
Cons:
- Heavyweight
3. Epson Workforce ES-60W
This is another fast and easy to use portable scanner available at a very affordable price. The scanner has very little weight as compared to any other popular product in the market. However, the features are just amazing if we look at its weight.
You will be able to get amazing results with this small scanner for any task. Whether you want to use it in your home or inside an office, you can do it however you want.
So, creating PDF, word, and image files will now be easy with this great device. Color reproduction and various other enhancement features are available with this device.
Along with that, you can easily configure this scanner with various cloud storage platforms such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.
The size of this scanner is very compact and the price is low. Let’s know about this scanner some more.
Pros:
- Space friendly design
- User-friendly
- Micro USB Rechargeable
- Great Color reproduction
Cons:
- The duplex scanning feature is missing
- Manual Document Feeding
- No memory card
4. Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner
This scanner is most suitable for scanning photographs. So, if this is your requirement, you should definitely check this amazing scanner. However, for document scanning, it can produce great results for sure.
This scan works using four AA batteries so that you do not have to use any cord while using it. The scanned documents can be stored inside an SD card or transferred to the system using a USB.
In fact, this scanner will need no computer to work with. It also has an LCD screen to show you the scanned results immediately before saving them. Lots of other great features are available.
Most impressively, this scanner is pretty affordable if we look at its great features. Transferring the images to other devices is very easy.
Let’s see some of its other features.
Pros:
- No need for power cords
- Fast Scanning
- Lightweight
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Can’t edit images
- Batteries may die soon
5. Brother DS-640 (Support This Portable Scanners for Slow Computers)
This is another portable and highly impressive scanner you can use for various types of scanning works. You can make it work using USB or AC. It will work along with a computer or even without it.
If we talk about B/W documents scanning, it can scan up to 16 pages per minute. However, you can expect the same speed even with the color documents and photos. Automatic color detection and image rotation are some of its other features.
However, its power cord can become a trouble because of its wrong placement. Overall, this scanner is great to buy and insure a great scanning result anytime you want.
Let’s see some of its other features.
Pros:
- Very easy to use and setup
- USB and AC powered
- Lightweight and small in size
Cons:
- Wrong power cord placement
Final Verdict
We hope you are now aware of all the best portable scanners for mac. We have tried to cover all the information you may find helpful in this regard. All these products are good in quality and well-tried by lots of users.
However, we would suggest you do some more research about these products before you pick anyone for you. This will help you to make a better decision for sure. We would not be responsible for any purchase you make.
However, providing the right and accurate information is our responsibility.
If you have found this article helpful, consider sharing it with others as well. Also, let us know which product you are going to buy. You can tell us any other scanner you may want to suggest.
Use the comment section to share your feedback. We keep coming with regular articles here on this website. So, stay connected with us.
Thanks for reading!
