Whether your business is a large corporation, or a one-person shop based out of your home, there is one tech tool your company can’t live without – a scanner. A good quality scanner helps you operate more efficiently, saves money, reduces paper waste and helps you create secure digital copies of all your important documents. But with all the options on the market, how do you decide which scanner is best for your business? The decision comes down to four key factors: size, speed, functionality, and interoperability.

1. Size matters

For the home-based business owner or the sales rep whose car becomes a mobile office, size really does matter. Luckily there’s no need to sacrifice performance to save on space. At just under two pounds and about 12″ long, the Ambir TravelScan Pro PS600ix fits in any laptop bag and is powered by USB connection, providing the ultimate in performance and portability. This versatile model quickly scans documents, business cards, ID cards and more, creating high quality images in color, grayscale or black & white.

2. A need for speed

One size (or speed) does not fit all. If your business requires a high volume and high capacity document management system, then an ADF (automatic document feeder) scanner may be the best choice. Consider a high-speed machine like Ambir’s nScan960gt, which can handle up to 100 sheets at a time and scans at rate of 60 pages per minute. Added functionality like duplex scanning and the option to save scans to the cloud or your network in a searchable PDF format are valuable time-saving tools.

3. Form and function

Every business has different scanning requirements, so it’s important to ensure your scanning solution has the right functionality to meet your company’s unique needs. If the bulk of your daily scanning involves IDs, health cards, or drivers’ licenses, the smart choice is a card scanner designed specifically for this purpose. With its unique vertical scanning capability, the nScan 690gt is ideal for use in customer, patient or guest facing services. It’s fast, providing one-second scanning for both sides of IDs and insurance cards. It takes up even less desk space than your current scanner, making it ideal for patient registration areas and use on mobile carts in healthcare.

4. Working together is better

Even the best scanners on the market won’t boost your productivity unless they are compatible with your existing systems. Interoperability is a key factor to assess when selecting the document management system that best meets your needs. Our nScan 915i Network Document Scanner is an easy-to-use wireless solution that works seamlessly with your existing network and all your mobile devices. With every scan you can easily deliver your document to email, network share (SMB), online storage, mobile and tablet devices, PC or Mac, and USB drive at the touch of a button – no computer required! This standalone scanner is an ideal solution for offices where multiple staff members are sharing a scanner.