I had one of these, the software was terrible, it was not accurate with it's OCR and I ended up returning this

I bought this last year at the same price. It works great, and the software is otterific.

I dont use it as regularly I would like to--but it is worth the money!

I've been using this scanner for a few months now on my Mac and it works wonderfully. I generally have anywhere from 100 to 200 receipts a month and would recommend it.

I agree, this would be nice. I bought thinking it was compatible with both WIndows/Mac.

generalspecific wrote:This isn't Mac compatible. Do we know whether we can approach the Neat company and ask them to exchange the PC license provided in the packaging for a Mac license?

Will this work with Linux (i recently started using Ubuntu in place of my Vista machine). My two biggest question is will the scanner work at all with Linux and second will the software work on Ubuntu with Wine? I really want to get this scanner for my fiancée who just started her cleaning business and as has a TON of receipts for her gas and cleaning supplies.

Well, the specs only say 3 - 4 receipts per minute, which does seem brutally slow under today's standards.

What happens if you put say 5 receipts through it at once? It does seem like it's wide enough to do that.

texashornsfan wrote:Does anyone know if they fixed the issue with this not being compatible with 64 bit machines? I have an older Neat Receipts scanner and software version that would not work with my new laptop. Once I finally got to someone at Neat Receipts CS, they told me that the only option was that I would have to buy their 64 bit software to ensure that it would work reliably.

I think the 4.0 software works with 64-bit OS. I have this scanner with "Software Version SP5a (4.9.1_8)" which I assume is up to date and its on Win 7 Ultimate x64. There is a page about x64 support on the Neatworks site (http://neatco.com/support/windows-7-and-64-bit-support).

Aside from the convenience of having them digitally indexed, I think the main reason for scanning your receipts is because of that stupid thermal paper most stores are using these days: A lot of them have faded to illegibility by the time they're a year old.

HORRIBLE product, IMO. I bought this from Woot. The first one wouldn't pull receipts through, so I worked with their tech support. They replaced it. The one I got ALSO wouldn't pull receipts through. I have a HUGE pile of receipts that I'd hoped I could digitize. Nope. I wouldn't buy a Neat product ever again, even new.

generalspecific wrote:This isn't Mac compatible. Do we know whether we can approach the Neat company and ask them to exchange the PC license provided in the packaging for a Mac license?

davidseven wrote:I agree, this would be nice. I bought thinking it was compatible with both WIndows/Mac.

Unfortunately, gergles seems to have answered this in the negative.

I also asked earlier if anyone knows if this is TWAIN-compliant (no one has answered yet). If it is, there's hope for alternative software, whether for PC, Mac, or Linux.

CaptainWes wrote:Does it do business cards too?

How about OCR? I would like to make a wallpaper sized print of my Woot! receipts.

Woot! receipts?

SuperTully wrote:Well, the specs only say 3 - 4 receipts per minute, which does seem brutally slow under today's standards.

What happens if you put say 5 receipts through it at once? It does seem like it's wide enough to do that.

Nope, you have to put one receipt in at a time. Multiple receipts will come up as one image with the OCR done on the one nearest the feeding edge of the scanner. (I just tried it). If you want to do a lot of receipts, I'd suggest the desktop version which has a feeder tray. Mine feeds receipts faster than the stated 3-4 per minute, though, and a lot depends on how long your receipts are. The OCR part may be a factor in the estimate and that would also depend on your computer's hardware as well as the software. Once you scan the receipt it then takes a few seconds to process it.

I have had mine for over a year now and I think it's great for getting rid of receipt clutter, organizing receipts however you want, etc. As long as you stay pretty diligent and scan your receipts regularly, it only takes a few minutes to scan a day's or two's receipts (depending on how many receipts you accumulate of course). The software is pretty good but has its limitations on getting all the OCR right (others have commented on 90% accurate and I would echo that). You just have to check when you go to "file" receipts that everything is entered correctly (you can look at the image of the scan next to the information boxes and the image is movable, zoomable). Yellow receipts can get thrown out as "blank" pages especially if they are a little fuzzy, but you can unclick the option to automatically remove blanks. If you also manually select that you are scanning receipts (vs. the standard setting of automatic, having the program guess for you) you can also scan any internet order confirmations (you can import a saved pdf/image of these or scan a printout) or packing slips even if they are of the full 8.5x11 size. Otherwise it tends to send these into the "documents" section.

This product was really designed for receipts/business cards and thus is pretty specialized for that purpose. You can use it to scan photos or documents but it isn't all that good at it.

I got this about a year ago from woot. Here's my take on it:
What I like:
+ Portable (I unhook it and put it away most of the time, take it out when I need it).
+ The OCR does work well so it's great for searching through your records.
What I don't like:
- The database can't be put in an arbitrary place, it chooses its own path, and that's it (as far as I could figure out).
- The database is HUGE, even though typical pdf scans don't have to be large, for some reason they are here. We're talking GBytes.
- The database is in a proprietary format. You can export to pdf, but the database itself isn't.
- The soft is a bit clunky and not very snappy, but I can live with that.

For me the most important drawback is the non standard database format. It would have been so much better if all the docs had been saved somewhere in pdf, readable and searchable using any other tool. It's been very useful for us to keep track of our medical bills and explanations of benefits.

ephblum wrote:I think the 4.0 software works with 64-bit OS. I have this scanner with "Software Version SP5a (4.9.1_8)" which I assume is up to date and its on Win 7 Ultimate x64. There is a page about x64 support on the Neatworks site (http://neatco.com/support/windows-7-and-64-bit-support).

It works on my 64-bit machine, windows-7.

bowlingb wrote:A quick public service announcement:
For those looking to use this in lieu of original receipts for tax purposes, please remember to back up your data in two places. At least one of those places should be an off site backup. As an example, I back up to two separate external hard drives. One stays in my office filing cabinet and one goes into the safe deposit box.

While redundant storage is good -- why suggest this only for those looking to store receipts electronically? It seems that those who store paper receipts also need to have a backup copy. Paper receipts are subject to many of the same perils as electronic storage -- fire, water damage, etc. And thermal printed receipts are subject to fading over time, so your 7 years of carefully saved receipts may end up as blank pieces of paper.

So yes, backup copies are good, including off-site if you can manage it, but this applies to paper receipts as well as electronically stored data.

Does this model work on a MAC ?

RTR52nd wrote:This from the Neatco website: "Yes. . . . electronic storage media that allows them to be viewed or reproduced without using the original program."
So there ya have it!

BUT - the originals need to be kept anyway in case of an audit, in which ALL original paperwork must be presented in order to be accepted.

amylemkin wrote:Does this model work on a MAC ?

No. Read the post 5 places above yours.

I got one and love it. It fits nicely in my laptop bag so I can have a scanner anywhere I take my laptop. However installing it on another computer is a total PITA as the driver is built into the software package. You dont have to install the whole thing to get it to work though, just run the installer until it asks for product keys, then quit out of it. You should then be able to use it as a normal scanner with other apps like photoshop or the Gimp. Well worth the $$ even without the software

jeanl wrote:I got this about a year ago from woot. Here's my take on it:
What I like:
+ Portable (I unhook it and put it away most of the time, take it out when I need it).
+ The OCR does work well so it's great for searching through your records.
What I don't like:
- The database can't be put in an arbitrary place, it chooses its own path, and that's it (as far as I could figure out).
- The database is HUGE, even though typical pdf scans don't have to be large, for some reason they are here. We're talking GBytes.
- The database is in a proprietary format. You can export to pdf, but the database itself isn't.
- The soft is a bit clunky and not very snappy, but I can live with that.

For me the most important drawback is the non standard database format. It would have been so much better if all the docs had been saved somewhere in pdf, readable and searchable using any other tool. It's been very useful for us to keep track of our medical bills and explanations of benefits.

Regarding the data file location: http://neatreceipts.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7/related/1/c/8%2C256/p/232


NeatReceipts Data Location
Published 10/23/2006 10:22 PM | Updated 04/08/2010 02:12 PM
Where is my NeatReceipts data stored?

NeatReceipts Professional 3.0 and later stores data in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.(some number)\MSSQL\Data. The actual number in that path will vary. If NeatReceipts is the only SQL Express-based product on your system, we will install to MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data. If there are other SQL Express-based databases present, we will take the first available instance directory.

The locations of these folders cannot be changed.

You may back up the NeatReceipts Professional or NeatReceipts Enterprise database by going to Tools -> Database -> Backup. This backup file may be saved wherever you like.

NightGhost wrote:

I also asked earlier if anyone knows if this is TWAIN-compliant (no one has answered yet). If it is, there's hope for alternative software, whether for PC, Mac, or Linux.

after installing to windoze, and pulling up the Gimp, going to file->create->scanner, I see a few drivers, including one labeled "Neat Receipts TWAIN 3.0". So there at least is a twain driver somewhere for it, probably buried in the main package like the others.

paxt0n wrote:Got any coffee makers to sell for real cheap?

Not a w00t deal, but still decent cheap coffee makers...

http://www.gevalia.com/Coffee-makers/

Come to think of it, my very first w00t purchase was a Senseo style coffee maker actually!

I bought this on woot last time. Worked for a few months. NOW STOPS SCANNING. Have tried everything.
Good paperwieght

Why a Sales Tax for this online purchase?

jsarpal wrote:Why a Sales Tax for this online purchase?

Do you live in Texas? Woot is based in Texas so therefore is required to charge sales tax for any purchase made within the state, regardless of it being an online transaction.

teecee3333 wrote:I've had one for about a year & though it keeps tidy records, it is painfully slow. It takes about 4 times longer than hand writing an expense report.

Try turning off color and scanning in greyscale. This will triple the speed of the scan and in most cases you don't need color anyway.

mweir1981 wrote:Do you live in Texas? Woot is based in Texas so therefore is required to charge sales tax for any purchase made within the state, regardless of it being an online transaction.

Woot is now owned by Amazon so if you have an Amazon presence in your state you will be taxed.

$5 Code: TAXSUCKS still works.

jeanl wrote:It works on my 64-bit machine, windows-7.

thanks, you convinced me...

In for one.

PC only = POS

My company has standardized on Neat Receipts for sending in our expense reports. Sure beats mailing a stack of receipts in and we get our money back quicker. Also we scan leads from trade show. It is great for business cards and we can have it enter the contact info from the card right into our database.

cybercrone wrote:BUT - the originals need to be kept anyway in case of an audit, in which ALL original paperwork must be presented in order to be accepted.

Actually, the IRS does not require originals, if that is the type of "audit" you are referring to for keeping originals. Electronic copies are ok with them. You can verify this information here in Pub. 522:


http://www.irs.gov/publications/p552/ar02.html

Or, if you want more information, you can look at Rev. Proc. 97-22, 1997-13 I.R.B. 9.

If you are referring to some "other" type of audit...perhaps something like your state's income tax, sales tax, property tax or other potential audit, you would have to review that Agency's requirements.

However, most, if not all agencies, follow the IRS in adopting these kinds of policies.

Hope that helps!

A friend just forwarded me an email from NeatReceipts, confirming that this does not do duplex (their desktop model does), and that it is not TWAIN compatible "but we hope to be in the future."

The words in the quotes are exact. NightGhost hopes to win the lottery and bring about world peace in the future.

paxt0n wrote:This looks like a cool little thinger, but I'm not sure why one would need it, if they have an all-in-one printer and OpenOffice.

I guess this might scan multiple receipts faster?

P.S. @woot!: I need a new coffee maker (preferably a 5-cup one), since I can't find a replacement decanter. I'm getting tired of holding the lid from the decanter under the basket with a coffee cup underneath it.

Got any coffee makers to sell for real cheap?

I was going to put a 5 cup model up on Ebay (Zojirushi) Interested?

I bought this the first time it appeared on woot and I have to say I highly recommend it. If you use quicken or msmoney, this makes entering transactions a breeze. Plus, you wind up with a digital image of all your receipts.

I bought two more the second time they appeared as gifts for family members.

Also, these first appeared at Sam's Club for $200.. They have since dropped to $150, still making $79 a deal!

I got this in a previous Woot. Barely used it. Then after 6 months I went to try it and it says, "Insert Paper". It seems the paper sensor and/or sensor circuitry is defective. It is now past the refurb warranty. So I also am the proud owner of $69.00 (lightweight) paperweight.
No, I would not purchase again.

Does anyone know if this can scan a regular size piece of paper? Like 8.5" x 11"? That's the only way i would buy it.

How does this compare to the slightly cheaper IRIScan Express 2 Portable Scanner from the recent w00t-0ff?

I don't know about this specific model, but Neat Receipts 2 was ok. Well the product was ok. The customer service and support was TERRIBLE. I had to contact them about 5 times just to get a reply saying they wouldn't help me get the system to work with my OS. Now they wont update me to the version of the software that actually works without paying about $70 for it. So I just use it as a standard scanner which it preforms average at.

will it work with a Mac?