Top 10 Scanner With OCR Recognizing Character & Text Reviews




Do you want to buy a scanner that allows you to make editable and searchable files?

Then you should look for a scanner with OCR!

We will introduce you to the best-rated scanners currently available in the market. Read those reviews, so you can select the model that suits your needs. We outlined the most important factors you need to take into account before buying.

Our Top Picks

BEST OF BEST SCANNER WITH OCR
Epson WorkForce ES-400 picksEpson WorkForce ES-400
Reliable document scanner equipped with Nuance Optical Character Recognition for editable and searchable files.
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BEST BOOK SCANNER WITH OCR
Plustek A3 Flatbed picksPlustek Flatbed Scanner
Flatbed scanner designed for large format documents, such as notebooks, books, magazines, newspapers, etc.
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BEST HANDHELD SCANNER WITH OCR
Brother DS-740D picksBrother DS-740D Scanner
A compact and lightweight photo and document scanner is suitable for on-the-go small offices.
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BEST PHOTO SCANNER WITH OCR
Fujitsu PA03656-B005 picksFujitsu ScanSnap iX500
A perfect USB-powered scanner for photos scans 25 photos per minute and provides optimal resolution.
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BEST FOR PC SCANNER WITH OCR
Canon ImageFORMULA R40 picksCanon imageFormula Scanner
Document scanner that comes with a USB cable, it supports Windows and Mac operating systems.
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BEST FOR MAC SCANNER WITH OCR
Epson Perfection V600 picksEpson Perfection V600 Scanner
Compatible with Mac and Windows OS, this flatbed scanner is suitable for amateurs and professionals.
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BEST PASSPORT SCANNER WITH OCR
Desko FP500e Passport Scanner picksDesko FP500e Passport Scanner
Quality and reliable scanner and verifier reads and scans passports, visas and other ID cards.
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BEST PORTABLE SCANNER WITH OCR
Epson WorkForce DS-30 picksEpson WorkForce DS-30 Scanner
A small and portable scanner that is designed for business people who travel a lot and are always in need for OCR service.
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BEST FLATBED SCANNER WITH OCR
Xerox DocuMate 4700 picksXerox DocuMate Flatbed Scanner
Large flatbed scanner designed for large documents, such as artwork, drawings and other large formats.
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BEST PROFESSIONAL SCANNER WITH OCR
Epson FastFoto FF-680W picksEpson FastFoto FF-680
The world’s fastest photo scanner scans one photo per second, it is designed for professional-looing photos.
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Best 10 Scanners With OCR

BEST OF BEST SCANNER WITH OCR

Epson WorkForce ES-400

Sheet-fed Scanner
Epson WorkForce ES-400 is a sheet-fed scanner powered by USB. It is designed for photos, documents, receipts, business card scanning. This is one of the best affordable office scanners measuring 12.3 x 12.6 x 11.6 inches in size. It works with Windows 7/8/8.1 and Mac OS.

Epson WorkForce ES-400 review

Nuance Optical Character Recognition
Insert the stack of paper into the automatic document feeder that has a capacity of 50 pages. Epson WorkForce OCR document scanner scans 35 pages per minute and 70 images per minute. The Single Step technology allows duplex scanning. There is built-in Nuance Optical Character Recognition that allows making editable and searchable PDF files.

Highlighted Points:

  • sheetfed scanner
  • powered by USB
  • suitable for photos, documents, books, cards
  • works with Mac and Windows
  • automatic document feeder
  • Single Step technology
  • Nuance Optical Character Recognition

BEST BOOK SCANNER WITH OCR

Plustek Flatbed Scanner

Large Document Format
Plustek OS 1180 flatbed scanner supports both operating systems, Mac and Windows. It measures 23.18 x 16 x 2.6 inches in size. The box contains a scanner, user manual, AC adapter, USB cable, CD with software. Plustek is designed for large format documents such as books, magazines, newspapers. It uses the technology of the automatic book scanners you can read about here.

Plustek A3 Flatbed Scanner

LED Light Source
This OCR text scanner uses an LED light source, so doesn’t require warm-up time. The maximum optical resolution is 1200 dots per inch. Plustek scans quickly, for A3 greyscale documents, it takes 9 seconds. There are four touch buttons for scan, OCR, PDF and email, making the scanning process easier and faster.

Highlighted Points:

  • large scanning area
  • flatbed scanner
  • supports Mac and Windows OS
  • uses LED light source
  • optical resolution of up to 1200 dpi
  • four touch buttons

BEST HANDHELD SCANNER WITH OCR

Brother DS-740D Scanner

Lightweight Scanner
Brother DS-740D scanner is a compact handheld photo scanner measuring 11.9” in length, 2.5” in width and 1.8” in height. It is a small and lightweight scanner, so it’s easy to carry it with you when travel. Also, when not in use, store it in your drawer or tray. This scanner scans single or double-sided documents in a single pass.

Brother DS-740D Duplex review

Convert Your Scans
This OCR document scanner is a USB-powered device that comes with a micro-USB 3.0 cable. Plug it into your laptop or PC. Brother is compatible with Mac, Linux and Windows. Use it for papers, documents, photos, business and ID cards. Optical Character Recognition converts your scans into editable and searchable PDF files.

Highlighted Points:

  • scan single and double-sided papers
  • the small and lightweight scanner
  • compatible with Linux, Mac and Windows
  • comes with a micro USB cable
  • converts scanned items into editable PDF files
  • easy to store and carry

BEST PHOTO SCANNER WITH OCR

Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500

User-friendly Design
Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 is a pricey scanner powered by USB. It is lightweight and measures 15.5 x 10.9 x 9.8 inches. If you need to move it and transport you can do it easily. A 1-year warranty is provided by the manufacturer. There is a user-friendly design that guides you through the scanning process.

Fujitsu PA03656-B005

Auto-document Feeder
Scan and save your photos and you’ll have access to them anytime and anywhere. Fujitsu high-speed photo scanner scans A4 and even A3 documents, business cards and photos. This OCR document scanning machine scans 25 photos per minute. There is an automatic document feeder with a 50-paper capacity.

Highlighted Points:

  • lightweight scanner
  • powered by USB
  • backed by a 1-year warranty
  • user-friendly design
  • scans standard and non-standard papers
  • automatic document feeder
  • scan 25 photos per minute

BEST PC SCANNER WITH OCR

Canon imageFormula Scanner

Powered By USB
Canon imageFormula R40 is a compact office document scanner measuring 9.6” in height, 9.9” in depth and 11.4” in length. This is USB powered device, so connect it to your PC before scanning. It works with PC and Mac. This scanner for home office scans reports, contracts, business cards, photos, etc.

Canon ImageFORMULA R40 review

40 Pages/Minute
It scans both sides of a document at the same time which saves time and increases productivity. You can use this OCR computer scanner to scan color, greyscale and black and white documents. Canon imageFormula features a scan speed of 40 pages per minute. Also, it is equipped with an automatic document feeder, it holds up to 60 pages.

Highlighted Points:

  • home office document scanner
  • suitable for color, greyscale and black and white papers
  • scans 40 pages per minute
  • automatic document feeder
  • duplex scanning
  • compatible with Windows and Mac

BEST FOR MAC SCANNER WITH OCR

Epson Perfection V600 Scanner

USB-powered Item
Epson Perfection V600 is a fantastic photo OCR scanner compatible with Mac. It is great for both, amateurs and professionals. The dimensions of this flatbed scanner are 19 x 11 x 4.6 inches. It is USB powered device, so it’s easy to connect it with your PC and transfer photos and documents.

Epson Perfection V600

High Resolution
This photo scanner for Mac offers an outstanding resolution of 6400 dots per inch. Epson is also suitable for negatives, it is equipped with a built-in transparency unit for 35mm negative films. This scanner uses few image enhancements like Digital ICE for film and prints.

Highlighted Points:

  • great scanner for photos
  • high resolution of 6400 dots per inch
  • scans film and negatives
  • built-in transparency unit for 35mm films
  • equipped with image enhancements
  • large scanning area

BEST PASSPORT SCANNER WITH OCR

Desko FP500e Passport Scanner

600 Dots Per Inch
Desko FP500e is a small and efficient passport scanner and document reader. It measures 7 x 6.5 x 4.5 inches in size. The scan window has 100 x 130mm. Its resolution range from 250 to 600 dots per inch. The 600 dpi resolution is suitable for documents, but not for photos.

Desko FP500e Passport Scanner review

LED Technology
This OCR scanner reads passports, visas and other national ID cards. It uses quad optic technology which is great for security and travel services. Desko scanner doesn’t have moving parts, it uses LED technology. Also, this device has the ability to decode 1D or 2D barcodes of documents. It provides OCR MRZ recognition.

Highlighted Points:

  • small passport scanner and verifier
  • based on LED technology
  • decodes 1D and 2D barcodes
  • OCR MRZ recognition
  • reads passports, visas and other IDs
  • quad optic technology

BEST PORTABLE SCANNER WITH OCR

Epson WorkForce DS-30 Scanner

Easy To Store
Epson WorkForce DS-30 is a small and convenient scanner with a user-friendly design. Its dimensions are 10.8 x 1.9 x 1.4 inches. It is one of the best-rated portable scanners suitable for business people who are often on travel. Store it in a drawer, tray or on the shelf, it doesn’t require much space.

Epson WorkForce DS-30

Editable Documents
The OCR scanner is compatible with both operating systems – Mac and Windows. Epson WorkForce scans business cards, plastic cards, documents and photos. The maximum document size is 8.5 x 14 inches. Compatible with popular could services, scan documents and send them to Google Drive. Optical Character Recognition ensures editable files.

Highlighted Points:

  • small and convenient scanner
  • works with Windows and Mac
  • scans business and plastic cards, photos and papers
  • max paper size – 8.5 x 14 inches
  • compatible with cloud services
  • allows creating editable papers

BEST FLATBED SCANNER WITH OCR

Xerox DocuMate Flatbed Scanner

Simplex Scanner
Xerox DocuMate 4700 is a simplex scanner, it scans in color, greyscale and black/white. It measures 22.8 x 19.5 x 4.5 inches in size and weighs 15 pounds. Xerox OCR scanning machine comes with a USB, so you can connect it with Windows and Mac via Hi-speed USB 2.0 cable. Also, you can connect it with Xerox automatic scanner and use two items at the same time.

Xerox DocuMate 4700

High Daily Duty Cycle
This flatbed scanner scans large documents, it supports paper of 11 x 17, 8.5 x 14, 11 x 14 and 9 x 12 inches in size. Xerox is a fast scanner, with a speed of 2.5 seconds per page at 300 dpi. The manufacturer recommends a daily duty cycle of 10,00 pages. On the front are nine control buttons for scan, PDF, OCR, scan to mail, etc.

Highlighted Points:

  • compact flatbed scanner
  • supports large document sizes
  • scans at a speed of 2.5 sec per page
  • daily duty cycle  – 10,000 pages
  • nine control buttons
  • compatible with an automatic scanner

BEST PROFESSIONAL SCANNER WITH OCR

Epson FastFoto FF-680

Scanner Size
Epson FastFoto FF-680 is one of the greatest scanners on the market. This device measures 11 inches in height, 6.7 inches in depth and 11.7 inches in width. Epson is compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems. This is one of the fastest professional photo scanners.

Epson FastFoto FF-680W

Fast Scanner
Epson OCR document scanner scans one photo per second, meaning, it scans 60 photos per minute. The package includes a carrier sheet, cleaning cloth, power cable and AC adapter, USB 3.0 cable and instructions. With the auto enhancement, it brings new life to old photos. It achieves a resolution of 1200 dpi. Epson’s software includes Optical Character Recognition.

Highlighted Points:

  • world’s fastest photo scanner
  • scans a photo per second
  • software with Optical Character Recognition
  • AC adapter included in the package
  • auto-enhancement for old photos
  • compatible with Mac and Windows

Things To Know About Scanner with OCR

There are many various scanners with OCR on the list above. But before buying, you should learn something about this device type, duplex and simplex scanning, document sizes and more.

Optical Character Recognition – Or shortly OCR, is software that offers you the ability to use document scanning of text and other files into digital formats – especially PDF – in order to make it easier to manage all paperwork. It converts printed characters into digital text, so you can search and edit your documents.

Flatbed ScannersFlatbed scanners are suitable for large formats because they featuring large scanning areas. Meaning you can scan artwork, drawings, magazines, newspapers and even bound books. Usually, they have a user-friendly design with control buttons.

Duplex Scanning – If you need to scan a huge amount of documents, consider a scanner with a duplex scanning feature. This kind of device scans both documents sizes at the same time, you don’t have to turn the paper on the other side and scan again.

Scanning Speed – The scanning speed is measured in pages per minute or impressions per minute. If you need to scan a stack of paper or photos on daily basis, buy a scanner with 35+ sheets per minute. Also, scanners with automatic document feeders provide faster and easier scanning.

Where To Buy/Price – The scanner price depends on many factors,s such as brand name, advanced features and more. Scanners for basic scanning needs are affordable. Those reviewed models are available on Amazon but you can check the product official sites.

Final Verdict

All of these scanners with OCR are quality and provide great performances, so choose the model that suits your needs. Moreover, you can check more pdf scanners models if you read the linked review. If you need to scan a large number of documents, consider a multi-page scanner article. To learn all about scanners and see the full list of the best document scanners on the market, click here.




Melissa
Melissa is a freelance writer with a Bachelor of Economy. She became one of the OfficeNeedle team members in 2020. Her expertise in business management lies in 6-year experience working in 3 companies which allowed her to improve her business skills. The knowledge she has received through her work, she presents in the educational articles helping many people who start or run a business. Her secret love is design so she writes also about office furniture and equipment.