In a earlier column, I described some nice upgrades to your work-from-anywhere workplace. However that hardly scratched the overview pile. And with tax season nearing its finish, there are a couple of different nice and straightforward to put in upgrades I’d wish to share with you.
Scanners galore
Probably the most helpful items of kit you’ll be able to have in your workplace is a doc scanner. Sure, you’ll be able to seize paperwork with a smartphone or pill and even carry out optical character recognition (OCR) on them, however for productiveness, nothing beats an excellent doc scanner and ancillary software program. I’ve received two new ones I’m going forwards and backwards between.
The one which’s sitting on my desk for the time being, just by advantage of its compact dimension and distinctive paper path, is a Fujitsu ScanSnap ix-1300. The ScanSnap ix-1300 is small — actually, actually small. With the automated doc feeder (ADF) folded down, it measures a scant 11.7 x 4.5 x 3.3 inches. What I actually like about it’s the distinctive U-shaped paper path. It pulls a sheet of paper into the scanner from the ADF, scans either side, and as a substitute of the paper exiting the underside, it exits from the entrance prime of the scanner. So, utilizing it requires solely a only a few inches of desk area. You may also feed a web page in from a slot on the backside. The ix-1300 scans it and returns it via the identical slot. Both approach, it’s a hoot to look at. After all, at $280 it needs to be one thing extra than simply amusing. And it’s. It’s very quick — as much as 60 photographs per minute (ipm) or 30 double-sided sheets. Included with the scanner is a scan utility and ABBYY OCR software program. Putting in it was fast and straightforward. You should use Wi-Fi when you’re going to maneuver it round, however I simply used a USB cable since my dock is only some inches from the place the scanner is sitting.
The opposite scanner I actually like has been round for a couple of yr, however hasn’t misplaced its allure: the Epson RapidReceipt RR-600W. Just like the Fujitsu, it’s wi-fi or will be linked by way of USB. And it’s fairly quick at 35 ipm in duplex mode. The ADF holds about 100 pages of paperwork or receipts. Technically, as with the Fujitsu, you’ll be able to load the ADF with totally different sized paperwork in the identical batch, however I actually don’t advocate it. OCR software program can de-skew an angled scan, however solely to this point. Should you’re scanning paper tape receipts, it’s greatest if you are able to do them in a batch with just one dimension doc so you’ll be able to alter the paper guides to feed the receipts straight into the paper feed. And, as with the SnapScan, it comes with very nice software program, together with Kofax OCR and Sensible Organizer software program that extracts and categorizes the information out of your receipts and invoices and allows you to ship this information to Excel, QuickBooks or TurboTax.
I’ll be sincere, I’ve by no means gotten this sort of software program to work so reliably that I don’t spend as a lot time enhancing the output as I save scanning it. It’s most likely me, and a few small factor I’m doing incorrect, however I simply haven’t taken the time to seek out out precisely what I can do to realize the form of accuracy the place I really feel snug immediately importing it right into a monetary software.
Nonetheless, I’ve to confess that even when I can’t really feel snug immediately routing receipts right into a monetary software, I do admire the extraction of information into Excel, the place I can audit the outcomes and make any corrections. And most functions will allow you to do no less than a point of importing CSV recordsdata from Excel.
What’s this? What’s that?
I’m a kind of individuals who likes to stay labels on every thing. There are exceptions: Gracie the Bull Terrier has her title and cellphone quantity on a metallic tag connected to her collar, so she escaped a stick-on label (no less than for now). However just about every thing else in my residence and workplace is truthful recreation.
I’ve gone via a whole lot of label printers over time. However the latest one I’ve been utilizing is my favourite. I wasn’t going to really overview it right here, however then I spotted simply how typically I take advantage of it.
You most likely know Zebra. The corporate has been doing bar code scanners and stock administration {hardware} for many years. Their ZSB thermal label printer is model new. It’s fully wi-fi utilizing Wi-Fi, and might print monochrome on labels as much as two inches extensive. And it’s a thermal printer, so there’s no ink concerned.
If you could print wider labels, akin to delivery labels, a special mannequin can accommodate label inventory as much as 4-inches extensive and prices $230. Zebra has particular labels for particular sorts of use akin to tackle labels, jewellery labels, file folder labels, bar code labels and extra. Should you want a label for a selected activity, they most likely have one that matches the invoice. And, after all, they’ve clean labels so you’ll be able to design your personal or decide a design from a variety on-line.
Let’s be sincere, a label printer is only a label printer. It’s nothing tremendously thrilling. However the ZSB is comparatively compact, and Wi-Fi set up took simply a few minutes. Every dimension label is available in a fiberboard bundle that merely drops into the printer, and you may change label cartridges as your labeling wants change. Then, if you’ve used all of the labels in a cartridge, simply drop it into the recycle bin. The $130 price ticket is just about what this sort and dimension printer prices, so it’s not an unreasonable expenditure.
There may be one factor that annoys me. It’s important to signal onto their web page to print a label. I actually don’t see the necessity for this sort of method, however on the plus facet, you can even print labels from an iOS or Android machine.
Subsequent time round, I’ll inform you about some very nice headphones which might be designed for use with videoconferencing software program like Groups and Zoom.
