Jan 14 2009
Gadgets: NeatDesk the sylish scanner
The paperless office will never be totally paperless. Contracts, marriage licenses, birth certificates and warranties are only a few of the permanent papers we are required to keep.
However, there is no need to be buried by paper. Grocery receipts, old clothing receipts and dry cleaning receipts usually do not require a permanent home in your file drawer.
Enter – the NeatDesk – a good looking desktop scanner that scans multiple sized receipts. This is great news. The task of bookkeeping just got easier. The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) accepts digital copies of most receipts so that shoe box handed over to tax professional across the USA will be less than over flowing.
I scan most paper that passes across my desk and have for several years. My flat bed scanner works well and I turn each scan into a PDF file that can easily be saved to my computer. The NeatDesk would automate my system. It too allows for scanned files to be written to a PDF format.
Color, black and white and even double sided scans are possible. Individual documents or stacks of business cards can be scanned. Automated or one by one receipt data can be scanned into popular accounting software such as Quicken and QuickBooks, Turbo Tax or into an Excel spreadsheet.
The cost is high (nearly $500) but many early-adopters are writing positive reviews about the valuable features. This will probably be another case of he who buys last will save a lot of money. On the other hand, time is money so the NeatDesk might earns its keep early on with the ability to scan up to 25 sheets of paper per minute.
In my opinion those that know the value of turning paper into digital files will appreciate the look as well as the efficiency offered by the NeatDesk. When I first saw a picture of this gadget I had no idea what it was. It is sleek, white and black and should fit well in any décor. I want one.
