Scanner Recommendation for 2025

I am in need of a scanner and have searched the forums for recent recommendations but most seem to be at least a few years old. I am ditching my MFP HPDeskjet pro, which I have been using to scan, and need a replacement. Here are my requirements:

  • Needs to have a document feeder that does two sides at once
  • Mac friendly software
  • Compatible with DEVONthink
  • Versatile- mostly for scanning docs into PDFs but decent at pictures as well

My secretary currently uses a Brother ADS-2200, which I think would be great for me. However the price is somewhat high and it is currently out of stock on Amazon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ricoh ScanSnap IX1600. Meets all of your requirements.

I’ve used ScanSnap scanners for decades. My IX1500, the predecessor to the IX1600, formerly branded “Fujitsu ScanSnap”, has been a workhorse for years. This scanner might cost more upfront, but the reliability and utility it delivers is worth every penny.

Katie

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Outside of ScanSnap scanners, make sure you choose one that has an ICA (Image Capture) driver.

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ScanSnap. I bought an iX500 12 years ago that I still use. It has never failed, and I only clean it occasionally. The counter shows 21,000 scans, or about 4 3/4 per day over the 12 years. That’s two cents per scan.

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I iX600 is available on Amazon for $400 and gets very good reviews, perhaps I will pull the trigger on that one. Good to hear that you iX500 has lasted a long time.

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I have been using an IX500 as well for years. Unfortunately the scansnap software is not apple silicon native yet. What are folks with scansnaps doing for software these days?

Fujitsu Scansnap IX500 still going strong after 14 years.

ScanSnap Home is working OK for me on Sequoia on an M3 MacBook Pro. I use it just to set up DEVONthink as a destination, for passing through the scans. DEVONthink handles the OCR.

Katie

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I’ll echo the ScanSnap recommendation. Since you mentioned wanting to scan photos occasionally I’ll relate a test I did. I scanned a 4”x6” photo with a S1500 using the highest photo resolution. I then printed the scanned image on a cheap HP inkjet photo printer on plain paper. Compared the two images and they were almost identical. The duplicate was a tiny bit washed out but many people wouldn’t notice. I expect that if I had used. Better printer and photo paper the two would have been identical.

When I went paperless my S1500 scanned in over 2 banker boxes of paper with maybe 2 paper jams.

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I just bought the Epson FastFoto because I needed a document scanner that could also handle stacks of photos. My mom is moving to a smaller place and I needed to scan a bunch of photos. The flatbed would take too much time. It also does double-sided documents and can connect wirelessly (but can’t do 1200 dpi wirelessly for photos).

The software is terrible, but it has TWAIN software to allow the use of the Image Capture app.

It does a pretty good job with the photos. I just hate the fact that it installs all its ugly EPSON software.

Sounds like an Adobe installer. :slight_smile: Is the Epson software Apple Silicon native at least?

No idea of current offerings. I still use my ancient Fujitsu ScanSnap S510M with the old non-cloud software. However I do not scan pictures on it at all. I’ve replaced the roller bar and guide things and done other refurbishment over the years. So if the new ScanSnaps are as durable I’d say they are a good choice.

I’m still using the old Fujitsu ScanSnap Manager version 7.0 L30 on my M2 Pro Mac Mini and it works. I just refuse to do any upgrades when asked. Which it does about once a month or so.

ScanSnap ix500 here as well. Using the ScanSnap Home software, which I don’t find as nice as the older ScanSnap software, but it does get the job done well enough, mostly scanning to pdf.

The ix500 connects currently via WiFi to my MBPro, but I have also used it in the past via USB connection and both work fine.

No idea how long I have had it, but certainly a very long time given the number of new models that have superseded it.

Sometimes when I am scanning a textbook (when I have a text that I have purchased and want to keep but also want to regain the shelf space, I have the binding cut off [Kinko’s will do that] and scan it in, chapter by chapter) I will generally need to clean the rollers every 250 sheets or so due to residue from glossy textbook paper. Otherwise, I mostly just ignore all maintenance issues and it seems to keep working.

Scansnap ix1600 here. Works flawlessly.

I purchased that model this morning. Should be here by tomorrow.

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I use Scansnap Home, but not to manage the scans. That is done with Hazel. See my post here: https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/scansnap-home-again/35662/12?u=tomalmy

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I use the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1500. It has duplex scanning, is Mac-friendly and works well for both documents and photos.

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