While it's not perfect, the NeatReceipts Scanalizer (US$229) can shave some time off this chore. This software/hardware bundle from NeatReceipts Inc. includes a skinny, ultraportable sheet-fed scanner called the Scanalizer. Through the magic of optical character recognition (OCR) the software turns scans into editable database files that can be sorted, searched and used to generate nicely formatted reports, or exported to a variety of applications, such as QuickBooks, Excel and Word.
In addition to wrangling receipts, NeatReceipts Professional also includes a Business Card Organizer that extracts text from scans of business cards and pops it into a contact manager that can be synched with Microsoft Outlook, as well as a Tax Organizer that can generate reports by tax form. It can also be used to quickly generate a PDF. Simply scan a document and save it as a PDF file.
I recently pulled over this product for a Scanalizer test with mixed results.
Setup and installation doesn't sound particularly difficult. You install the software and plug in the scanner via the included USB cable when prompted.
However, you'll want to grab a cup of coffee before you get started because the process involves a lengthy software install, a required reboot and a shutdown of antivirus software. Then I was prompted to download the latest upgrade of the software, a hefty 80MB file that required another lengthy installation. Ugh.
Once all that was over, NeatReceipts offered to run me through a short animated review of its features that's clearly aimed at busy business types. It's just enough to get you going, but if you've got the time, it's worth consulting the manual to truly unleash the useful features of this product.
Using the Scanalizer couldn't be simpler. Insert a receipt face down and hit the scan button. Scans are automatically cropped, sized and rotated. The scanner will accept documents as small as 1 by 1 inch, up to the standard 8.5 by 11 inches (up to 30 inches long).
Weighing only 10.6 ounces and measuring 10.8 by 1.6 by 1.3 inches in size, the Scanalizer easily passes the portability test. It comes with the USB cable, a carrying case, installation CD and a stand that allows the scanner to sit vertically on your desk when it's not in use.
When it came to the OCR test, getting a good scan should boost the chances of getting accurate text. I found that the Scanalizer did a decent job of creating clear images even from receipts that had been balled up in a pocket. You can also manually tweak the scan settings in NeatReceipts to adjust for problems such as colored backgrounds or faded ink.
The NeatReceipts interface is generally straightforward, with multiple tabs and fields for navigating and editing entries. When you scan a receipt, an image appears in a left-hand viewing pane, with the extracted text in various categorized fields on the right. You can also skip the scan and manually enter information into the database.
It's easy to create folders, attach additional information to an entry, and search entries by fields such as date, amount, vendor and tax category. The interface will feel familiar to anyone who's used applications such as QuickBooks or Excel.
Although scanning receipts, business cards and other documents and having the text automatically appear in a database file can certainly save time, expect to do some cleanup because OCR results may be spotty. I found that almost every scan required some correction.
Entries appeared missing key information such as the date of the receipt, and company names and e-mail addresses appeared garbled or showed up in the wrong field on business card scans. Understandably, the program can't translate graphical logos into text, but I also found that it had trouble correctly identifying fancy fonts on business cards, such as an Old English typeface.
Because the scans were clearly readable in the viewing pane and most of my documents were fairly clean, I was a little surprised to see that many text recognition errors. Editing these small mistakes is easy, and you could argue that it's more convenient than filling out paper forms, but it's certainly not a total breeze.
If you can live with that, the package's real value is unveiled when it's time to generate reports. NeatReceipts Professional will run a variety of reports that can be exported as PDF, HTML, CSV, text or TIFF image files.
Need to submit expense reports in a particular format? If your company uses an Excel template, then it's no problem. NeatReceipts will output reports in Excel, Word, QuickBooks, Quicken and Microsoft Money formats.
In addition to NeatReceipts Professional, the company offers an enterprise edition that allows companies to customize expense reports with consistent formatting and adds a component that allows expenses to be submitted to managers and finance departments for approval. For pricing and details, the company suggests contacting it directly.
Despite some minor drawbacks, this package can be truly useful in organizing those scraps of paper receipts, cards and other documents that some of us would rather shove in a drawer and forget.
Michelle Johnson is a freelance writer in Boston. Her e-mail address is mijohn@mail-me.com.