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NeatReceipts Review

Any NeatReceipts Mobile Scanner Review must also cover the digital filing features of this product.  The included NeatWorks custom software, marketed as user friendly, has been revamped for the latest Version 4.0.   The manufacturer bundles parsing and optical character recognition, or OCR, software with a portable scanner weighing less than one pound, designed to organize, store, and export personal and business data.  It is available in a English-only version, compatible with Mac products as well as with Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, the latter both 32-bit and 64-bit.

The scanner converts paper into a digital format, whether the paper be a business card, various documents, or receipts.  Any legal or standard document can be converted into the ubiquitous Adobe PDF format, and business cards can be stored as contact files.  The software grabs contact information from the business card in a format exportable to Outlook, Plaxo, Vcard, or PDF, available to synch with a SmartPhone, or content management system.

The Neat Company, Inc., suggests using the export function to send the data to Quickbooks, Excel, TurboTax, Quicken, Word, Plaxo, or other CSV or HTML software.  As the IRS now accepts scanned receipts, the software allows tagging each scanned receipt with an IRS-recognized category as found in official documents.  A reporting function in NeatWorks allows organizing and printing data by category.  The manufacturer encourages using a spreadsheet in conjunction with receipts while traveling to keep on top of spending.  Similar document management for the home is promoted by the vendor, including warranties, invoices, insurance records, statements, professional certifications, newspaper clippings, recipe cards, and more, to be stored digitally in folders that have a keyword search feature.  Every item scanned is sent to the inbox, where it is sorted automatically as a business card, receipt, or document.  In addition, the new software version allows scanning documents without opening the entire application, saving time.

The database can hold up to 1.5 million receipts in JPEG, PDF, and other popular formats, with the scanner allowing resolutions up to 600 dpi.  The scanner is powered by USB, requiring no external power supply, and scans at a speed of 3 to 4 receipts a minute.  The computer hardware must include a Pentium® IV 1.3 GHz or later processor, 1 GB RAM with 2 GB highly recommended, 1 GB hard disk space to install, a CD-ROM drive, and an available USB port.

The NeatReceipts Mobile Scanner has made changes with new releases, and unfortunately has not kept earlier customers in mind by overlooking compatibility with prior versions of the software.    Receipts scanned in the classic version 1.5.9 cannot be read and the company has resolved this by offering an upgrade discount to these users, making archived documents inaccessible without running both programs.   In addition, scanned images can be very large in comparison to the size of the original, a problem recognized by the company, with a promised solution in future versions.  The positive features of NeatReceipts glow, including ease of installation, percentage of receipts read and categorized correctly, and the most gratification comes from the reduction of paper piles on desks of customers.

NeatReceipts Mobile Scanner and Digital Filing System Sale Price: $167.00