Finding the best ID card scanner for your office takes time. To speed things along, here’s what to look for.
ID card scanners come in all sorts of variations, so it’s vital to fully understand what to look for when beginning the search for one, regardless of your office setting. Fundamentally, the best ID card scanner will be defined by how well it balances speed, reliability, and accuracy, a trifecta of equally important elements. With that in mind, here are the features an ID card scanner should have.
Check out our guide, The 11 Types of Scanners Every Pro Needs to Know, for even more expert advice and information.
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The best id card scanner will emphasize accuracy
Advanced software is crucial for ID card scanners
Our recommendation: fi-8170 and ScanSnap iX1600
ID card scanners should minimize scan times
Fast scan times separate good scanners from bad scanners. When choosing ID card scanners for your business, scan times should be at the forefront of your decision-making process, as a slow scanner will lead to frustration and inefficiency. Your ID card scanner shouldn’t take much more than a few seconds for scans, depending on whether you’re scanning in color or black and white. You should also feel confident in your scanner’s ability to avoid jams. To that end, look for scanners that offer high-quality feed mechanisms, which have a large impact on how well your scanner performs overall.
The best ID card scanner will emphasize accuracy
The accurate preservation of documents is vital for any scanner, but especially when working with IDs. Visual issues can ruin scans and potentially have serious ramifications for your business, especially in the legal and medical fields. Clear scans allow for photo recognition and excellent optical character recognition (OCR) for personal data extraction, including address, birthdate, etc. Your scanner should be able to accurately and efficiently deskew, crop, and rotate scans automatically to ensure that scans are error-free and easily recognizable, reducing the need to re-scan IDs and documents.
Did You Know? The fi-65F is the smallest scanner in its class. Click here to learn more.
Advanced software is crucial for ID card scanners
Hardware isn’t the only thing that needs to impress when looking for ID card scanners. The software experience is a central part of a scanner’s overall functionality, being the primary method through which you will archive, access, and edit information scanned from IDs. Your ID card scanner’s software should support a range of ID types and be user-friendly. This doesn’t just mean a full suite of features, but also an easily understandable workflow that simplifies the steps to save time.
Our recommendation: fi-8170 and ScanSnap iX1600
Those in the market for a high-speed document scanner have no shortage of options. We take great pride in having spent the last 50+ years researching, designing and developing some of the most advanced and powerful electronics in the world, including our professional grade fi and SP Series scanners.
The fi-8170 is an ideal scanner for anyone with demanding ID scanning needs. Those looking for top-quality scans will find that the fi-8170 packs in stunningly accurate images without sacrificing its compact size. The fi-8170 is made to handle a range of documents, streamlining the scanning process and letting you get back to the big picture tasks.
Meanwhile, the ScanSnap iX1600 is a top option for individuals and teams looking for the best ID card scanner. Its space-friendly design makes it a stellar fit for nearly any office setting, with scan resolution quality to match. Additionally, it features an elegant 4.3” touchscreen display that puts numerous features just a tap away, making it a productivity champ. What really separates the iX1600 from the competition, though, is its top-class software suite, which makes storing and accessing digital scans a breeze. If you’re looking for a reliable unit, the iX1600 packs the quality you deserve with the features you expect. Click here to learn more or shop the rest of our scanner line.
Did You Know? PCMagazine said the ScanSnap iX1600 is “... easy to use, fast, accurate, well built, and quiet..” Click here to read the full review and learn why it earned an “outstanding” 4.5 out of 5 rating.
Explore our scanners
Built to purpose for the most demanding document handling jobs, fi and SP Series scanners are capable of processing tens-of-thousands of pages per day at the highest levels of accuracy. Their intuitive integration capabilities with all existing work suites minimize time-to-value for businesses looking to invest in tools that will pay dividends for years to come. Whether you’re looking for the best id card scanner or an industrial-scale document processing powerhouse, our scanners are ready to meet your needs. Check out our full line of fi and SP Series scanners here.