Whether you’re working from home, or remotely while out on the road, you’ll inevitably find yourself needing to scan an important document or piece of artwork. While you may be tempted to use your phone to take a quick snap, nothing beats the quality of a portable scanner.
A portable document or wand scanner will allow you to create a high-quality digital version of any photograph, A3 document, receipt or book, and transfer it to a laptop, tablet or smartphone with ease. In this article, we rank the top 10 best portable scanners in the UK, from brands including Epson, Brother and Canon, available on Amazon!
Quick List - Top Portable Scanners
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There are two main types of portable scanners. Automatic feeders are those that you feed paper through, much like a fax machine or printer, whereas those that you sweep over a document are known as wands. While there isn’t a huge difference in size, scanners with automatic feeders are bulkier than those without.
The size of the scanner will also determine the paper sizes it's compatible with. Most portable scanners will be suitable for sizes up to A4, but there are some smaller designs on the market, specifically for business cards and photographs, that are pocket-sized for convenience.
Some scanners with automatic feeders will be duplex. These models contain two separate scanners, allowing you to scan both sides of a document at once. Wand style scanners are simplex, meaning they can only scan one side at a time.
When looking at portable scanners, the most important thing to consider is the maximum resolution that they’re capable of. This is measured in dots per inch (DPI). The DPI determines the overall detail and size of the document or picture, as well as the file size.
When it comes to scanning text documents, DPI isn’t as important, but when it comes to photos and artwork, it’s absolutely crucial. 300 DPI is the minimum amount you should be looking for. As most photographs are taken at 300 DPI, using a scanner capable of replicating this would result in a digital image of the same size and quality.
If you were to scan the same photograph at 600 DPI, you would still have the same quality of image, it would just be twice as big. This means that higher DPI machines are better for upscaling images such as old photographs, or when making prints of artwork.
Depending on your environment, you may want to opt for a battery-powered portable scanner over one powered by mains electricity. The main advantage of a battery-powered scanner is that you can use it anywhere, without having to worry about finding a plug socket.
On the other hand, a mains-powered scanner will be more reliable as it won't loose charge. USB scanners are especially useful when working with a laptop as you can simply plug it into a port and transfer your documents and pictures straight across.
Want to print photos on-the-go? Look at our picks for the best mobile printers.
Once you’ve scanned your document or picture, you’ll need to be able to transfer it over to your laptop, smartphone, or printer. When working with a computer, connecting your scanner via USB is the easiest way of quickly getting your work across to save, view, edit, or email it to others.
Why not also check out the best USB flash drivers and MacBook adapters!
When working with smartphones, you may want to explore WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Of the two, Bluetooth is less common, but more reliable than WiFi which is often a little fiddly to set up. However, it will allow you to easily save your documents to cloud services for others to view.
Some portable scanners have microSD support, meaning you’ll be able to save your work to the scanner itself, rather than having to connect it to a device. These are great in situations where you need to quickly scan and save documents, without messing about with multiple devices.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iris IRIScan Book 5 | ![]() | The World's Fastest Book Scanner | |
2 | Brother Document Scanner|DS-740D | ![]() | A Premium Scanner Capable of High Quality Resolutions | |
3 | Canon Duplex Document Scanner|P-208II | ![]() | A True Plug and Scan Option | |
4 | Brother Document Scanner|DS-640 | ![]() | Great Value for Money From a Leading Brand | |
5 | Fujitsu ScanSnap iX100|PA03688-B001 | ![]() | Scan Directly to Cloud and Sync Across Devices | |
6 | Munbyn Portable Scanner | ![]() | Scan Photos and Documents Straight to an SD Card | |
7 | Epson WorkForce DS-80W | ![]() | Save Old Photos in a Variety of Formats | |
8 | Houkiper Portable Scanner | ![]() | Light in Your Bag and on Your Wallet | |
9 | Epson WorkForce ES-60W|B11B253401 | ![]() | A Sleek Design That Ranks Among the Smallest | |
10 | Doxie Go SE | ![]() | Fantastic Battery Power and Memory Capabilities |
The IRIScan Book 5 is designed to quickly and accurately scan books, magazines, artwork and documents. You'll be able to scan up to 100 A4 pages onto the included microSD card with one charge of the battery, and there's even an LCD preview screen.
Whether you're copying a magazine layout in incredibly detailed 1200 DPI, or digitising notes or sketches, the Book 5 is the best portable scanner on the market today. Connect to a laptop via USB, or use WiFi to upload straight to your Android or IOS device. Either way, you'll be able to see your scans within a matter of minutes!
Not to be confused with the more budget-friendly DS-640, the DS-740D is a premium machine capable of scanning up to 15 high-resolution images a minute. Thanks to Brother's unique U-path feeding system, you won't have to worry about taking up too much desk space while you work.
This is our top pick for a remote or shared workspace, as the quick set up means you'll be able to crack on with whatever task or project you're working on. The duplex scanner and 1200 DPI maximum setting alone make this option well worth the investment!
The Canon P-208II is an incredible scanner if you're looking to scan multiple double-sided documents. Capable of holding 10 sheets at a time, thanks to its automatic document feeder and duplex scanning, copying a stack of documents on the go will be hassle-free.
The optional WU10 WiFi and battery unit is a must buy if you're planning on using it in conjunction with a smartphone or tablet. This turns it into a truly portable scanner that can upload directly to cloud services like OneDrive, DropBox and more.
If you're familiar with printers and scanners, you'll know that Brother is one of the most reliable brands in the business. The DS-640 is a fantastic budget option for scanning work documents, receipts and ID cards.
Awarded the Good Design Award in 2020, the DS-640 works flawlessly when you need it. Plus, having been designed with different sized documents in mind, the dedicated roller system is one of the best around!
Fujitsu is a heavyweight in the printing and scanning world, and the ScanSnap iX100 is another in a long line of great products. Designed with complete portability in mind, its capable of up to 260 A4 scans on a full battery charge.
It features full wireless connectivity for both computers and smartphones, as well as a whole host of ScanSnap services. These include saving to your preferred cloud-based service, synchronisation across devices, and a useful program to extract data from receipts.
If you're looking for something cheap and cheerful for both documents and photographs, then this portable scanner from Munbyn is a great all-around option for the price. Capable of scanning at resolutions of 300, 600 and 900 DPI, this wand-style scanner works well for enlarging photographs or recording receipts.
It's also got space to insert an SD card, allowing you to save files directly to the device itself, which is incredibly handy if you don't have your laptop nearby. It is worth noting, however, that it isn't compatible with smartphones due to the lack of wireless functionality.
You may notice a lot of similarities between the WorkForce DS-80W and the ES-60W, but there are a few key differences to consider. This scanner attaches via micro USB, meaning that you can connect it to a smartphone via a cable.
You also get the option of more output file types, including BMP, TIFF and PNG, which are commonly used in graphic design. You may want a higher DPI if upscaling photos, but this is still a great way to digitise old photos in a variety of formats.
Being able to buy a portable scanner capable of 900 DPI for under £50 is quite frankly astonishing, and we're happy to say that this offering from Houkiper doesn't disappoint. As well as the option of inserting a microSD card, it's incredibly lightweight compared to other portable scanners.
Just be aware that the savings are made partly due the fact it's powered by two AA batteries, rather than a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. So if you're after something cheap and portable, you really can't go wrong, but you won't be scanning a lot of documents quickly.
Epson is one of the biggest names in the world when it comes to printers and scanners, and the WorkForce ES-60W is one of the most compact portable scanners on the market today. This is an incredible model, and if you're a fan of Epson products, you won't be disappointed.
You'll be able to print wirelessly or via a USB connection on the go, thanks to an inbuilt rechargeable battery. However, at the higher end of the price spectrum, we're not sure it represents as much value for money as some of the others on our list.
There's a lot to like about the Go SE from Doxie, such as the rechargeable battery and SD card, meaning that no computer will be required for you to make scans. You can scan up to 400 pages per charge, and save up to 4000 scans before needing to sync it up with a laptop.
Unfortunately, this portable scanner feels a bit too expensive for what you get. There isn't any WiFi connectivity and it lacks the software and reputation of some of the bigger brands.
Through WiFi, you can connect a scanner to devices like smartphones and tablets. You can also scan documents by using a flash drive in the USB port. Alternatively, depending on what type of scanner you have, you can take a photo of your document on the phone, send it to your email, and turn it into a PDF using the scanner itself.
Yes, it is possible to scan from a PC by just using a USB connection, yet you may need WiFi to use any additional features or online apps linked to the scanner. When choosing a scanner it is best to look into what your scanner can do without WiFi.
Written and researched by David Sexton
No. 1: Iris|IRIScan Book 5
No. 2: Brother|Document Scanner|DS-740D
No. 3: Canon|Duplex Document Scanner|P-208II
No. 4: Brother|Document Scanner|DS-640
No. 5: Fujitsu|ScanSnap iX100|PA03688-B001
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