When you are looking for the best scanner for lawyers you have to take into account how document management works in a law firm

Paperless law offices are unheard of for many people working in this industry, but it can be achieved, especially when you use the appropriate scanner

Lately, we have also seen law companies improving the client experience by creating a dedicated client portal in which they can browse and search real-time most of the documents related to their legal case.

Best Scanner For Lawyers | #1 Choice for Law Firm in 2019

Product	Format	Scanning area	Connectivity	Sheets per minute	Images per minute	ADF Size	Daily Duty Cycle	Price
Popular choice Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500	A4	8.27 in x 11.69 in	USB 3.1, WiFi	30	60	50 sheets	400 sheets	Click for more info
Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W		A4 – 215.9 mm x 355.6 mm ( 8.5 in. x 14.0 in.)	Gigabit Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 or Wifi	30PPM	60IPM	50 Sheets	3000 Sheets	Click for more info
Kodak Alaris E1035	A4	8.27 in x 11.69 in	USB 2.0	35	70	80 sheets	4,000 sheets	Click for more info
Kodak Alaris S2040	A4	8.27 in x 11.69 in	USB 3.1	40	80	80 sheets	5,000 sheets	Click for more info
Our choice Fujitsu fi-7460	A3	11.69 in x 16.54 in	USB 3.0	60	120	100 sheets	9,000 sheets	Click for more info

Let’s have a look at each product in particular.

Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500

Product	Format	Scanning area	Connectivity	Sheets per minute	Images per minute	ADF Size	Daily Duty Cycle	Price
Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500	A4	8.27 in x 11.69 in	USB 3.1, WiFi	30	60	50 sheets	400 sheets	Click for more info

The Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500 is already our favorite scanner. This is also a popular model with a lot of buyers nowadays.

First of all, it’s a very good scanner. It can scan in up to A4, and it will do around 30 images every minute when scanning duplex and 60 images per minute when scanning simplex.

Yes, it only features a CIS sensor, which some may say will not allow it to scan images of the highest quality. Unless you have a specific purpose or your niche requires scanning high-quality images, this should not be a problem.

Maybe for high-quality image evidence, that could be an application. But other than that, I can’t imagine a different scenario.

Because it’s fitted with a Wifi connection, even in your law firms lobby it can do a great job. Practically everyone that has to scan will travel to the machine and just use it as a digital sender.

It really makes sense using it to create a paperless law office. Even for a small law office, this will provide most of the tools to run a document management software at its full capacity.

Not to mention that it will definitely improve your client experience being able to instantly send important documents to them.

And even for small law firms, this will be a great machine, as it provides all the functionalities you need, at a very low price point.

Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W

Product	Format	Scanning area	Connectivity	Sheets per minute	Images per minute	ADF Size	Daily Duty Cycle	Price
Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W	A4 – 215.9 mm x 355.6 mm ( 8.5 in. x 14.0 in.)	Gigabit Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 or Wifi	30PPM	60IPM	50 Sheets	3000 Sheets	Click for more info

The Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W is an A4 scanner that can process documents up to 215.9 mm x 355.6 mm ( 8.5 in. x 14.0 in.) in size.

This scanner is designed with a CIS sensor, which of course makes it ok for documents but not as good for images. In just about any law firm this will be ok, but sometimes if you have a case where you actually need to scan high-quality image evidence, it might prove tricky.

This device can be connected with Gigabit Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 or Wifi. This makes it perfect for scanning multiple documents to different destinations. It can also be easily integrated by your web designer into customized software or even to a mobile app.

The scanning speed goes up to 30 pages per minute when you are scanning in simplex. For most situations, this should be ok, as your scanned document will come out quickly. But don’t expect it to scan back archives, as it wasn’t designed for this.

It will handle most of your basic legal documents automation needs and you will easily be capable of scanning to google drive, as this is the most used platforms, especially for a small law office.

While this device is capable of scanning long pages up to 5,000 mm ( 196.9 in. ), in practice you won’t use it that often.

Kodak Alaris E1035

Product	Format	Scanning area	Connectivity	Sheets per minute	Images per minute	ADF Size	Daily Duty Cycle	Price
Kodak Alaris E1035	A4	8.27 in x 11.69 in	USB 2.0	35	70	80 sheets	4,000 sheets	Click for more info

The Kodak Alaris E1035 was designed to be a good A4 desktop document scanner.

It was designed with a single user in mind, as it can only scan through USB. You can use a Silex device and transfer through the network but it’s not as easy as a digital sender.

The scanning speed is quite high for a desktop scanner. At 35ppm in simplex and 70ipm in the duplex mode, it’s fast enough for most applications.

What it does provide is better data security because it’s scanning through USB. With this in mind, you know that all the scanning is done on the dedicated computer and you can monitor much more easily what happens.

Kodak Alaris S2040

Product	Format	Scanning area	Connectivity	Sheets per minute	Images per minute	ADF Size	Daily Duty Cycle	Price
Kodak Alaris S2040	A4	8.27 in x 11.69 in	USB 3.1	40	80	80 sheets	5,000 sheets	Click for more info

We also introduced this Kodak Alaris model as an alternative. It is also an A4 scanner, just like the Kodak E1035.

It also comes with a CIS sensor and most of the perfect page features that you can apply to your scanned document.

Because it’s using a 3.1 USB it’s a bit faster when transferring data, so this might be a good improvement over the Alaris 1035. I would have preferred a wireless connection, like the Fujitsu scansnap ix500, but it is what it is.

It is a bit faster than both the Scansnap IX500 and the Alaris 1035, which might increase the chances of you choosing it.

Fujitsu fi-7460

Product	Format	Scanning area	Connectivity	Sheets per minute	Images per minute	ADF Size	Daily Duty Cycle	Price
Fujitsu fi-7460	A3	11.69 in x 16.54 in	USB 3.0	60	120	100 sheets	9,000 sheets	Click for more info

Compared to the other scanners in this review, this is the only one that can handle A3 documents. I guess this will do more than just scanning your basic legal documents, and it will be more than just an entry level scanner for your law office.

It is more expensive than the others, therefore your management team might skip it when reviewing its options, it’s good to know that you can scan almost any document out there.

This scanner also comes with a CCD, therefore you know that even for cases in which there is a lot of image evidence, this will process them at a really high quality.

This manufacturer also offers the Fujitsu scansnap ix500 and ix1500 models, which are very popular. Unlike those, this device only connects through USB. This is probably the only downside, besides the larger price.

It will also scan faster than the other scanners in this review. At 60ppm and 120ipm if you scan duplex, even larger quantities of documents are processed faster.

Why choose the right scanner for your law office

Choosing the right equipment for your big or small law office can make all the difference when trying to achieve a good level of workflow automation.

Paper files can be notoriously difficult to work with, store or even retrieve when needed. Having documents directly on your computer or on a storage system makes it work significantly easier.

The first scenario is the ability to scan the documents you receive to your office. Document scanning solutions will vary, depending on cost and features. But the main point is that having document imaging alternatives at the touch of a click makes it way easier to handle the influx of documents.

The second scenario is having your documents in offsite storage spaces. Legal scanning is all about checking the paper files initially, converting them to digital and immediately clearing the storage space in your office. You don’t want to constantly move paper documents between you and the storage provider.

At the same time, paper files are not necessarily designed to be consulted all the time. So you have to use the scanning technology available to create digital documents for most use cases. Yes, there will be some cases in which you will need the physical paper documents, but in most other cases, digital is enough.

Last but not least we use document scanning for disaster recovery. We have seen situations in which an archive is destroyed by water or fire. Or other hazzards that will occur in an archive storage space.

Recovery solutions are all about having a digital copy of your legal documents and especially in critical situations, these will prove to be lifesavers.

Editors Opinion

Out of these 4 scanners, if I were a law firm I would definitely buy the FI 7460 Fujitsu scanner. It offers A3 scanning and also comes with a CCD, which helps a lot when scanning images and pictures.

It does, however, cost a bit more than the others, so I would not recommend it for a team of 1-2 people. In such a case, the Kodak Alaris E1035 should be your choice, as it is much more budget-friendly than the rest of the devices.

If you need a wireless transfer, then your choice should be the Brother ADS 2800W scanner. It’s more of a digital sender than a desktop scanner, which helps a lot when you need decentralized scanning.

Last, but not least, the Fujitsu Scansnap IX1500 is always a popular choice and don’t forget it when evaluating your decision.

Our Score