Hi Rebecca,
Here’s a simple breakdown.
First, the short answer:
Yes, mobile scanners do work in a car as long as you have power (battery or inverter) and cellular data.
1) What scanner should you use in the car?
It really depends on why you want to scan in the car (saving time between signings, limited space, same-day scanbacks, etc.), but most new notaries start with a compact mobile scanner and upgrade later if they need more speed or capacity.
I personally use the Epson ES-300W and it works well for mobile scanning. The phone app has a 100-page limit per file, but the desktop software doesn’t, and there are workarounds.
Good entry-level mobile scanners to look at:
ScanSnap iX1300
Epson Workforce ES-C320W
Brother ADS-1350W
They’re all compact, battery-powered, and designed for mobile use. Price mainly goes up based on speed, feeder size, and software features.
2) Do you need a hotspot?
Usually yes, unless the scanner connects directly to your phone or laptop. Most mobile scanners:
Connect by Wi-Fi or USB to a laptop or phone
Then use your phone’s hotspot or cellular data to upload scanbacks
Never use public Wi-Fi for loan docs as they contain sensitive personal information.
If you want a bigger upgrade later:
The ScanSnap iX2500 or Brother ADS-4700W are popular because they have larger feeders, better paper correction, and direct scan-to-cloud for faster scanbacks.
Hope that helps!
- Chaz |
