SMALL SCANNER READS YOUR RECEIPTS
In the past, I've gone on record saying that given the low cost
of scanners these days, every computer should have a scanner
connected to it. Just as I'm hard-pressed to envision someone using
a computer without a printer and a display to see the data within, I
also believe that one needs a scanner as well as a keyboard to put
the data in. And now there's one that will read your receipts.
The most commonly used scanner is a flatbed model looking much
like a photocopier. Open the lid, lay the paper down on a glass
plate and begin the scan. As the light bar passes over the document,
its image is transferred into the computer for further manipulation,
analysis or display. Depending on the scanner and the available
software, text images can be converted into actual data that can be
further manipulated within a standard word processor. This process
is known as Optical Character Recognition or OCR. For the most part,
OCR has been primarily used to read in copious quantities of
typewritten pages into word processors thus saving the time that
would have been spent retyping them in manually. But there are also
a number of more specialized OCR applications such as scanning in
business cards. Instead of stuffing cards in your pocket, you can
quickly scan them into your portable PC. These systems typically
come with a tiny business card scanner that extract the information
and store it into a user database.
 Well,
I just discovered yet another specialized portable scanning system
that addresses a need to organize important information from small
slips of paper. We all get those little paper receipts every time we
use a credit card or make most any kind of purchase. But instead of
stuffing them away in a shoe box to later manually enter them into
whatever financial program you use, check out NeatReceipts.
Consisting of the small TravelScanner and software, all you do is
feed the receipt into the scanner. NeatReceipts then uses OCR to
extract the accounting data from the receipts and plugs the data
directly into the proper fields of your accounting program. In
addition, the scan makes high resolution images of your receipts
along with any relevant information for easy verification.
The SmartScan technology reads and recognizes key data from your
receipt such as the transaction date, amount, payment type, vendor
and expense category. The information is read directly from the
scanned receipt and inserted directly into the software, and does so
with a high degree of accuracy. You can use NeatReceipts for expense
reporting, receipt management and expense tracking.
 Currently,
NeatReceipts works with financial record keeping software from
Intuit including Quicken and Quickbooks using the QIF and IIF
formats, Microsoft Money and Excel. The company says that
NeatReceipts will also work with any software that accepts CSV file
formats and works with many online credit card statements. It's best
to check with NeatReceipts to make sure that your particular
application is compatible.
The NeatReceipts scanner and software bundle includes the
USB-powered TravelScanner into which you feed the receipts (it even
reads crumpled ones), NeatReceipts software and a leather pouch for
the scanner. The system requires Windows and connects via a USB
port. $249.
www.neatreceipts.com |
