The automatic document feeder (ADF) offers three separate areas via a segmented feed tray: one for documents, one for receipts and one for business cards. The 600dpi scanner is duplex (in other words, it will scan both sides of the document at the same time) and according to the company, can handle up to 24 pages per minute. The compact unit sits upright on your desktop you feed your documents in at the top and they emerge at the bottom, where they are caught by a small pull-out shelf. The scanner itself is a marvel of design. This time, I tried the new software with the NeatDesk desktop scanner. Since then, the software has undergone some changes - especially recently with the introduction of Neat 5, the latest version. I reviewed the NeatReceipts package several years ago for a different publication and thought it was an interesting and useful product.
The software (which is available for Windows and Mac computers) is also available separately. Currently, Neat's two main products are NeatReceipts, which combines a mobile scanner with its scanning/OCR/organizing application, and NeatDesk, which offers the same software with an interesting desktop scanner that handles a variety of paper sizes. The Neat Company has been selling its personal and small business packages for several years now, combining small, efficient scanners with its own software. Although these are two different products, they perform essentially the same function: Providing a way to turn hard copy - from business cards to letter-sized (8.5-x-11-in.) documents - into digital formats that can be stored and search. I recently had a chance to try out two current scanners: A desktop scanner/software package for personal and small business use called the NeatDesk and the Xerox Mobile Scanner, a lightweight device for travelers. Especially now that the optical character recognition (OCR) process has become more efficient, anyone who deals with a lot of hard copy on a day-to-day basis should be strongly considering a scanner. For many professionals, just the number of business cards that are collected over the course of a year - especially if they attend any conferences or trade shows - can be daunting. Small personal scanners are a great way to track and tame both personal and business paperwork.