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It seems like wherever professionals go, they're handed a business card. Business card scanners provide an easier way to save professional contact info.
We may live in a digital world, but any networking or client event is still guaranteed to lead to the exchange of business cards. While people used to stuff these cards in their wallets or purses, today’s technological world makes that increasingly impractical. Rather than holding onto paper cards, more and more professionals see the advantage of storing the documents digitally.
Professionals use business card scanners to make digital copies. These scanners can also import scanned information into editable Excel documents or into Outlook. We put together the following primer listing our top picks for business card scanners.
Business card scanners, which work just like regular scanners, make it simple to transfer the names, phone numbers, email addresses and websites on a card onto a digital device, such as a computer, smartphone or tablet. [Related guide: How to Choose a Document Scanner]
Stacey Crew, an organization expert and author of The Organized Mom, said storing business card information digitally, rather than trying to keep and then find the paper copies when needed, is more efficient. Business card scanners also rid professionals of unneeded clutter. [Need help decluttering your office? Learn some tips and services to help your office go paperless.]
“Professionals who either own or work for a small business are busy by nature, so the less physical clutter, the better,” Crew said. “Clutter is a distraction that can keep individuals from remaining focused and productive.”
Business card scanners also provide an easy way to import customer and client data into a customer relationship management (CRM) software program. [Related article: How CRMs Streamline Email Marketing]
“CRM software can record history with a prospect or client, which keeps the contacts alive, as opposed to a pile of cards with handwritten notes on the back,” Crew said. “That is fine when you’re at a trade show, but not a productive way to stay in touch afterwards.”
With such a wide variety of business card scanners on the market, finding one that best fits your needs can be a challenge. To help professionals find the business card scanner for their needs, we narrowed the choice down to our top three picks.
Business card scanner | PenPower WorldCard Cloud | Ambir TravelScan Pro 600 | Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 |
---|---|---|---|
Price on Amazon | $139.95 | $180.09 | $255.67 |
Maximum image document size (in inches) | 4.2 x 7 | 8.5 x 14 | 8.5 x 11 |
Weight (in ounces) | 5.9 | 12.6 | 12.34 |
PenPower’s WorldCard Cloud has a wide range of features, simplicity of use and top-level customer service. The WorldCard Cloud can scan two-sided documents and is compatible with both Macs and PCs, which is a nice bonus for those who use both types of computers regularly. Unlike other similar products, it has the key features professionals want, plus a lot of extra options that make it versatile.
The Ambir TravelScan Pro 600 scores high marks for its diverse set of features and efficient, nimble design, which allows for a scan of a single card in three seconds. While the scanner is marketed as a travel device, it works just as well in an office environment, since it can scan papers up to an area of 8.5 by 14 inches. The scanner is compatible with PCs up to Windows 11.
The Fujitsu ScanSnap business card scanner is versatile enough to scan both business cards and letter-size documents. It offers the ability to scan an exact image of the card and is equipped with text-recognition software. The ScanSnap business card scanner is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems, which is particularly beneficial for people who use multiple platforms.
Jeremy Bender contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.