Best portable document scanner without computer in 2023

Brother ADS-1700W

Product	Images / Minute	Resolution	Connectivity	Duplex Scanning	ADF Tray	Weight	Price
Brother ADS-1700W	50 IPM	600 dpi	Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, Micro USB 3.0	Yes	Yes	3.7 lb. (1.67 kg)	Click for more info

First thing first, the Brother ADS-1700W. What immediately struck me as I was opening the box is the touchscreen. Yes, it’s smaller than on a normal document scanner, but I really had no issues with it. I don’t have big fingers, but no issues occurred during the usage of the screen.

I could touch most of the options quite easily, although from time to time I did touch other options. Brother has made the screen elements big enough so you don’t have that many issues with the screen. So a big thumbs up for the touchscreen, really like it, and it worked better than I expected it to work.

Paper handling is decent enough. I don’t know why, but the first paper I ran through the scanner was a crumpled document. I did have to play with it a bit to scan it, and the end result, quality was not the best one. But all in all, the other two scanners did not pass this test either. I mean, the scanned file was decent, but probably not the best quality in the world. Still, everything is readable and there should be no issues whatsoever if you don’t expect archival quality.

Scanning speed is quite impressive for a portable scanner. At 25 pages per minute, this is no slouch, and we were able to match this in our tests. I really love the duplex option, it saved us a lot of time when we scanned documents that were printed on both sides. One thing to note, this has an ADF, so thumbs up to Brother for installing this.

In terms of file transfer and upload, we used the wireless lan connectivity. Initial part was easy to setup, but I always get stuck a bit when doing the network setup. But this is just me, my colleague which has more computer experience tried to do the same thing on the ADS-1700W and for him it worked like a charm. Transfer speed was fast enough, but I guess this will slow down with larger files. We did not try this as it is not really relevant for this test.

Vupoint ST 470

Product	Images / Minute	Resolution	Connectivity	Duplex Scanning	ADF Tray	Weight	Price
Vupoint ST 470	6 IPM	1200 DPI	Hi-Speed USB 2.0	No	No	2.8 lb. (1.27 kg)	Click for more info

The Vupoint ST470 is an interesting proposition. It is by far the cheapest of the 3, and it’s the most rudimentary. First of all, we will start with the file transfer. To scan without a computer, all files are transferred to an SD card. When we did this experiment it actually worked well. I don’t really know what to say, on the one hand, I would love for it to have the wireless option.

On the other hand, what I did was travel to a colleague of mine and scan some of his documents. I did not bring the laptop with me so everything I scanned was stored on the SD CARD. Quick and easy, this was an eye-opener for me, as suddenly I really understood what a portable scanner without a computer should be.

Scanning speed is slow, by all means considered. Those 12 pages I scanned seemed to take ages, but I guess this is to be expected. My colleague was laughing at me and offered to lend me his office for the night while i finished the scanning. So my recommendation is to use this device only for those odd 2-3 pages, not more. It will probably get frustrating after a while if you do need to scan more.

In terms of portability, I guess this wins it. It is the smallest of the 4 and you can take it in your backpack and never know it is there. The downside was the lack of wireless connectivity and the small screen. Luckily I did not have to touch the screen as the scanner has buttons to operate it.

Doxie GO SE

Product	Images / Minute	Resolution	Connectivity	Duplex Scanning	ADF Tray	Weight	Price
Doxie GO SE	7 IPM	600 dpi	USB	No	No	1.3 lb. (0.59 kg)	Click for more info

So, the Doxie GO SE, with its two variants, the standard and the WIFI model. We had the SE standard model, with scan to memory card or computer. For the purpose of this test, we ran the scanner with upload to the internal SD card. Just like the VUPOINT, it works very easily.

What we have noticed to be interesting is the lack of screens and buttons. It’s just a scan to memory card scanner and that’s about it. In practice terms it’s faster than the Vupoint, as the paper goes through it, you don’t have to move the scanner over it. This I really like, and after the experience with the VUPOINT, it was a dream. They are not very different in terms of scanning speed, but there is less effort, for me at least, with the Doxie.

Probably I would have preferred to have some scanning settings, but I guess for the purpose I tested the scanner, this should do. Actually, this makes the scanner really easy to use and almost anyone can scan with it directly out of the box.

I have asked my grandma to try it. She did have some slight hiccups, but in the end, she scanned the pages. Of course, she only learned to use it mechanically, I don’t think she knows how to take documents out of the SD Card, but I guess this has more to do with the fact she is not using a computer.

The major thing about the DOXIE is the weight and size. I put the scanner in my backpack for 3 days but did not use it. Just carried it around as to get a better understanding of what it would mean to have it with me all day along. I must say, I totally forgot about it. Which means it passed this test and it’s very portable.

IRISCan Anywhere 5

Product	Images / Minute	Resolution	Connectivity	Duplex Scanning	ADF Tray	Weight	Price
IRISCan Anywhere 5	16 IPM	600 dpi	Wi-Fi, USB	No	No	0.73 lb. (0.33 kg)	Click for more info

The Iriscan Anywhere 5, just like the name says, is designed with portability in mind. When I opened the box, to me it looked very similar to the Vupoint. Buttons and a small screen. In fact, these devices are pretty similar, with the major difference being that this one comes from a major software manufacturer.

Another difference is the Wifi Connectivity. We got the Anywhere 5 with a Wifi connection, which in turn makes the Vupoint a bit outdated. We went on and scanned through Wifi and things were pretty much smooth sailing. Again, setting the Wifi was a bit annoying for me, but this is due to the lack my IT know-how.

One thing that this scanner brings to the table is the Iris software bundle. I really enjoyed being able to use them and to have them in the box. Actually, one thing I recommend and what we did, is we installed the software and also used it with other scanners we have.

To be honest, one of the major plusses with the Iris, is that you can source files from the Anywhere 5 but also other devices. This is what we did in the test, we ran documents from different scanners in the Readiris pro 15. However this is an approach that does not make sense for this test, as we are focusing on using the scanners without a computer. So just take this as a plus, as something that is complementary to this portable scanner.

Which of these 4 scanners is the best portable scanner without a computer?

If you are looking for scanning options and features, there is no match for the Brother ADS-1700W portable scanner. It just does a lot and in a very short time, given that it scans the fastest and also has an ADF installed on it. So if you are looking for a device that you occasionally move around, this is the one to choose. It also comes with a large touchscreen to allow you to easily move through options and features.

Now, if you are looking for ultra-portable, the Iris Scan anywhere is a great option to have. Just make sure you are buying the one with a Wi-Fi option, so you are getting the best of both worlds. This is the one we tested and we were very happy with it. It’s not really fast, but it makes up in terms of bundled software. It has ReadIris Pro which is an OCR solution that will work with the Anywhere 5 and also other scanners from other manufacturers.

Last but not least, the best compromise is the DoXie GO SE with the Wifi option. It’s light enough, not that different from the Iris ScanAnywhere 5, but it’s way easier to use. I told you that I asked my grandmother to try it, and even she could handle the thing. We tried with the integrated SD Card and also with the Wifi and both worked really well. We are happy with it and we would definitely buy it, if it were required to have a really light device.