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Top 16 Best Scanners For Legal Documents In 2024

Brandon Forder
  Mar 28, 2024 8:35 PM

Nowadays, many companies rely on scanners to help them maintain a paperless, digital workflow. The majority of scanners are able to accommodate paper sizes up to and including legal, however your sector of work may have special requirements. Find a scanner that can handle the most common documents you scan, whether it's archival materials that need special care or large quantities of paper in legal size. In the market for a legal document scanner, for instance, an attorney or paralegal must keep a few important factors in mind.

So that you may discover the greatest legal size scanner for your needs, we will examine all of the most important aspects of such a device in this post.


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Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images, Product Titles, and Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API


Buying Guide

Items To Scan

You can better determine what functions you need from your scanner if you know how often and what you intend to scan.

Most people today scan images and papers with legal-sized flatbed scanners. However, film slides and negatives are scanned routinely, as are bound books, magazines, business cards, and other similar items.

You should think about the size of the originals you'll be scanning (more on this below), as well as whether or not you want to scan the front and back archive pages, because some Legal Size Flatbed Scanners are bigger and have larger scanning surfaces than others. To the contrary, we discovered that the Xerox DocuMate 4700 Color Document is one of the best legal-size flatbed scanners on the market right now. The product is the best 12x17 flatbed scanner you can buy because to its excellent set of features.

No-fuss paper feeding

It's important to measure the extremes of the documents you plan to scan. Find a scanner that supports double letter size (11" x 17") if you frequently scan long documents. The paper feeding in your legal size scanner needs to be sturdy, with a tray that keeps papers in an upright, aligned, and ready-to-scan position. Since legal paper is three inches taller than regular 8.5" by 11" paper, it needs extra support before being scanned so that the documents don't fall over or fold in on themselves. Tray adapters that can be modified to fit papers of varying widths are also a useful addition to any scanner.

A flatbed scanner is the best option for scanning fragile, aged, or bound documents. Do not purchase a vehicle that only has a flatbed. A combination device including both a feeder and a flatbed is the best option, as it will save you both time and money. Using a flatbed scanner is, and always will be, the outlier in the world of scanning. If you need to scan thick documents, multi-sheet magazines, or bound periodicals, for example, the Fujitsu fi-8270's built-in flatbed will come in handy.

Optical Resolution

Resolution is typically not a concern for scanning tasks. Generally speaking, scanning at 200 PPI (pixels per inch) will produce perfectly legible results for most documents. There is little need to worry about a resolution for record scanning because virtually all Legal Size Flatbed Scanners offer a minimum PPI of 600.

And the same holds true for photographic images. The resolution of 600 PPI is usually adequate for printing photos, unless you intend to print them at a larger size using an output.

Having said that, there are a few details that call for a sharper image. Scanning film negatives and 35mm slides, for instance, so that larger prints can be made of the originals, need a higher resolution scanner. For the same reason, you'll need a scanner with a PPI of 4,800 or more if you want to be able to make out minute details on things like stamps or coins.

Batch and volume scanning

If you need to scan documents that are legal size, invest in a scanner that is durable enough to tackle the task without slowing you down or causing you to miss a deadline. For instance, if you're looking for a scanner that can accommodate 100 legal-sized pages, you should make sure it has automated separation control, which modifies the scanner's separation torque in response to the amount of paper being scanned. You should seek for stacker support capabilities that keep papers nicely sorted after scanning in order to save post-scan fussing if you're scanning documents in batches that must remain in a predetermined arrangement.

Ease of use & connectivity

Learning how to use your brand new legal document scanner is the last thing you need to be concerned about. Find a device with a user-friendly interface that makes it simple to pick scanning tasks, cleaning modes, and other functions. Verify that your scanner supports the connections you intend to use, such as USB, Network, and Wi-Fi.

Price

Before making a purchase, it's important to think about the product's pricing. Take into account everything you need from a scanner, and then decide how much you're willing to spend. Find a product that fits your needs without breaking the bank. No matter how much money you have to spend on a scanner, you will only get the very best.

Every reader has a unique price range in mind while searching for a Legal Size Flatbed Scanner. As a result, we have made an effort to stock items from a variety of pricing points so that you may have some flexibility in your shopping. If you're looking for a cheap all-in-one printer and scanner that can handle documents up to legal size, the Plustek A3 Flatbed Document Scanner is a great option to consider.

Brand

When looking for a trustworthy Legal Size Flatbed Scanner, it is important to evaluate the manufacturer. Buying from a well-known company guarantees both excellent quality and support after the sale. Epson DS-1630 Document Scanner Owners Can Count On Excellent Support After the Sale. The HP ScanJet Pro 3500 f1 Flatbed Scanner is another option for the same purpose. Consider the length of time the product is covered under warranty before committing to its use. A scanner's warranty period typically ranges from one to three years. Only well-known and reliable brands have been retained. You can never go wrong with a legal-size scanner from Epson or an HP legal-size flatbed scanner.


FAQS

Will I need a scanner app for documents?

As a corporation, you need a document scanner that does more than just create a picture, but as an individual, you may only need a scanner app for papers so that you have a backup image.

Think about integrating an enterprise content management (ECM) system with optical character recognition (OCR) software to turn unstructured data into structured, accessible information. This can be accomplished with a high-volume document scanner that offers a wide range of features. You should also look for an ECM that has built-in document management and revision control features.

Will a document scanner integrate with my ecm?

A key factor to consider is how well the document scanners you're looking at will work with your current enterprise content management system.

Scanning all of your company's documents would be useless if you couldn't quickly retrieve the information you needed. It's possible that you'll need to buy extra software in order to view and use your scanned documents if you go for a document scanner that doesn't connect smoothly with your existing ECM.


Conclusion

Now that you know what to look for in a legal document scanner, you can go out and get one. Before settling on a final choice, it's a good idea to do some research and comparison shopping, keeping your unique requirements in mind. With these guidelines in mind, you should have no trouble locating an appropriate scanner for your home or office. The article has been read.


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