Customer Reviews

NeatReceipts Professional Mobile Receipt and Document Scanner and Software Combination Version 3.0

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

This thing is amazing. In an attempt to become organized I have been trying out new software and methods lately. After some research I decided to give this little gizmo a try. I figured if I hated it I could always return it. No such chance! I'm in love with this thing.

Anyway here it goes.... This thing slices, it dices, it does it all. It's so easy to learn that anyone can get the hang of it.

It has three sections. One for receipts, one for 'documents' and one for business cards. Each section lets me create folders. I created folders like 'Ty's Tax Write-offs' and 'Electronics' and 'Home Improvement' in the receipts section.

I click on a 'Folder' and place the receipt in the scanner and hit scan. It pulls the receipt through. It recognizes over 1500 major retailers like Best Buy, Target, etc. If it doesn't recognize it, you type in the business name. Here's a cool feature; the next time you scan a receipt from that company the thing recognizes the receipt and names it by the correct business.

It picks out the tax, the total amount on the receipt and then reads all the remaining text and it indexes it.

This means that if I bought my ipod and scanned it I can type in 'ipod' or 'apple' and it finds the correct receipt. It's awesome. I have started scanning in all of our receipts past and present. Before we visited our accountant I scanned in all of our tax write-offs and ran a report on numbers.

You can click on a particular receipt and it brings up a copy of it. You can print it, pdf it, etc.

You can search by category, business name, amounts, anything.

The documents section is handy too. I'm scanning in all our loan documents, home documents, legal documents, extended warranty information, etc.

The program is amazing and in my opinion that is really what you're paying for is the program. The scanner is pretty great too though. It pulls through receipts of any size and shape with little problem.

Essentially what you're getting is an amazing high tech filing cabinet for $200.

To those that gave it low ratings... it's technology. No it's not perfect, but it's pretty darned nice for the price. I scanned in probably 60 receipts in the first hour and I was just learning how to use it. I would have spent that much time just filing them in a filing cabinet. I had few problems and overall it recognized probably 85% of the vendors and prices correctly.

I've had a NeatReceipts machine for awhile, and it has become an office tool I wonder how I lived without for so many years. It's great for tax records, expense reports, all that stuff, but the biggest difference it's made in my life is just GETTING RID OF THE PAPER! I had piles all over my desk for years. Cab receipts, travel receipts, charitable donation receipts, etc. Not just sitting on top of the desk, but in files and folders all over the place. When it came time to do the taxes, or do the accounting, sometimes I could find what I was looking for, sometimes I couldn't. The NeatReceipts changed all that. Now I just scan the piece of paper in, put it in the right file on my computer (or even in a Misc file, because it's easy to search and find later). I back up my computer regularly, so I never worry about losing the important data to back up my financial paperwork. And I've moved from a desk with big file drawers to basically a computer drawer and a couple of shelves.

I upgraded to the new 3.0 NeatReceipts because I figured they've known what they're doing so far, so I tried the new one. My favorite thing about it is the ability to produce pdfs easily. And I can scan in a pdf and edit the text. I was only able to do that previously by taking it to my brother in law and having him scan it and use some utility he bought for his machine. I haven't tried all the new stuff yet because I haven't gone through tax season yet, which is when my NeatReceipts really gets a workout. But the new version is much more searchable - like when I was looking for an Embassy Suites receipt the other day and could search on "Embassy Suites" and find it.

I highly recommend the NeatReceipts, and even more, I recommend enjoying throwing away all that paper.

I have been using the Neat Receipts product since its first release and with each subsequent release I can only say it just keeps getting better. The new scanner hardware is a great improvement on the earlier model and the changes to the database engine has made the day to day performance of the application rock solid. Though the OCR accuracy is not 100% it comes damn close considering the variety of receipt layouts and quality that I feed it. It does a superb job of recognizing and tagging the main data elements in a receipt and ignoring the individual line item amounts and sub-totals. It also does a great job of recognizing the form of payment and allowing the user to tie the receipt to a cash account or a particular credit card.

The software does have occasional difficulty with graphic logos on the receipts but the underlying intelligence will pick up the vendor name if it is somewhere else on the receipt. If there is no alternative to the graphic the field is left blank and highlighted. Since the image of the receipt is right next to the data it is a simple matter of reviewing and updating this field. The Neat Receipts software remembers vendors once they have been entered, so this edit is often as simple as entering the first few characters of the name and Neat Receipts will fill in the rest.

I use the product almost entirely for managing paper receipts for tax purposes. My accountant loves the fact that I no longer hand him a box of loose receipts. I now provide him with a printout of the receipts fully categorized. This alone has been worth the cost of the product many times over.

In addition to receipt scanning the application does a great job of scanning and managing business cards. In this area it is definately on par with other dedicated products that exist and is better than most.

Though document management is available as a feature of the product it is not the primary focus. The dpi quality of the scanner is sufficient to keep usable images of scanned documents and the software does a good job of categorizing and managing them. The dpi is also not so high that it creates a burden on processing overhead and storage that would come with a higher dpi.

I would highly recommend this product. There is nothing else out there that comes close to the features and sophistication of the Neat Receipts application.

I purchased this product roughly 1 month ago; had a need to scan documents, receipts, business cards. Since I travel on business, the portability came in quite handy. (Great idea for a product for the typical road warrior) Here's some overall Good points & suggestions for improvements.

The Good:
Hardware:
Very portable, light weight, easy to hook up, uses a very common interface, comes with a easy travel pack, doesn't take up too much space on the desk, comes with a nice little stand & a wall mounting option; and a hidden little compartment to hide the soft carrying case.

Software:
Intuitive interface, easy to install, clear instructions, works well for a small scanner, scans in color!!, has OCR, scans multiple forms of documents (does what it advertises)

Suggested Improvements: (ranked from highest need to lowest)
Hardware:
1) USB cable doesn't fit in the soft travel bag. Can you make it bigger or with a couple of velcro straps to carry the USB cable. As anyone who travels knows, if it isn't packed together, it'll get lost, or tangled in the , left in the hotel room.
2) Consider changing from USB B type to Mini USB. The hardware states it runs on 5V, 500mA; so it doesn't seem to me that it needed the USB type B connection. Does it really use that much power to run a scanner? These days with many cell phones, PDAs, Blackberries, and digital cameras all using the mini-USB cable; the USB type B cable is less commonly used. (Personal opinion) From looking at the use of it, it seems the USB is mostly used as a data transmission line.
3) Cable too stiff, too long; and get rid of that toroidal ferrite thing hanging on the end of the USB type B cable. It's too big & bulky. Stiff cables makes it harder to sit the scanner flat on the table. Maybe the engineers who designed this decided the set length USB is cheaper; but in use, I would think a shorter USB cable doesn't get in the way and would work better.
4) Other minor misc issues: change the USB cable color to black, it will look better as the cable jacket wears, scuffed and discolored. Consider making a marking on the stand more intuitive because the scanner only sits in the stand one way.
5) That hardshell hardware case is quite nice, I just wish you would have put a little marketing flyer inside the original box to let me know the hardshell hardware case was available.

Software:
1) This software takes forever to open. You click on the icon and it takes about 15-30 seconds before the opening screen even pops up on the screen. Next to Adobe Acrobat; this is the longest loading software program. ...and functionally it shouldn't be that slow should it?
2) Memory Usage is too big. Because it took so long to open, I started opening the Windows Task Manager just to see if the program is running or not. I have noticed it takes quite surprizingly a large amount of memory. Why is this software such a memory hog? (Again: I'm using Version 3, SP1)
3) Can you incorporate a drag and drop feature into the various cells of the business card & receipts section of the software program? I understand OCR is difficult to implement correctly; I would not mind correcting it if I didn't have to retype all the correctly scanned words and just putting it in the correct data cell. This would make things much more intuitive and easier to work with. This same drag & drop feature would work nicely if you could allow scanned files to move from one section to another. [receipts section/Documents section/Business cards section] I frequently don't remember to click on the right category before it's scanned.
4) Can you put in the opening screen a load % progress bar so it's more intuitive how long before the program is up and running?
5) Maybe there's a preset I've not clicked on, but does it always start with the receipts section? ...can you make it use the last setting I left with when I closed the program last time or make it a preference setting option?
6) Perhaps this might have something to do with memory usage; but can you make the default image file format JPG instead of BMP? Bitmap images are generally really big for the resolution you get.
7) If possible, can you change the blinking LED setting on the scanner blink until the image is completely transferred to the PC? Being a portable device, similar to a digital camera, it would be nice if there was something telling me not to unplug the thing before the image finished transfered.
8) I've noticed there's a greater frequency of software crashing when the USB cable is hooked into the USB hub instead of the USB port on the PC/Laptop. Is this a software stability issue?
9) simple image editing. This is a low priority software improvement suggestion, but it would be nice if there was a way to allow me to do some simple image cropping or rotating so the image size is smaller. I noticed frequently I'm scanning in other things on the paper I'm not interested in. It would be nice if I could crop it out so it doesn't take up extra memory space.

Overall, please don't let my comments reflect negatively on the product. It's a great product idea...I think the software could improve greatly. This should not prevent me from buying the product since software can easily be upgraded via the internet. Restating this another way: Product Idea: 5 stars. Software implementation: 1 or 2 stars.

thanks,
Will

I bought one of these and returned it after a day or two of experimentation. Later, I reconsidered. After better understanding the product's capabilities vs my expectations, I repurchased. I think many people misunderstand (as I did) the challenges involved in scanning, analyzing, and parsing receipts. Ever run across a receipt that took you some time to figure out??

This scanner is a compact sheet-fed scanner, and saves images in PDF or JPEG formats. Up to 600 dpi. It's handy, portable (11 ounce) and convenient to keep in a desk drawer, brief case, etc. Being able to scan a document to PDF anywhere (without AC power) can be very useful.

But it's the software component that performs OCR and attempts to decipher the text, graphics, smudges, wrinkles, and other artifacts. Then the program populates a simple database with its best interpretation of the receipt data. No, it is not perfect. But as you correct entries, the software adapts and recognizes the same receipt format.

My only disappointment - which is why I returned the product the first time - is the software will not read and import data from PDF or email receipts. (It does read receipts in graphic formats like JPG, BMP, GIF, etc.) They're working on it... Until then I can only give 4 stars.

My experience with customer support has been extremely positive and productive. Jenn Choi answers emails and user forums promtptly and professionally. She is amazingly considerate, patient, and polite given some of the rather obtuse words and language she receives. From my perspective, the staff was always prompt and forthright with the product's limitations and problems, and offered recommendations. I encourage the marketing department to do a better job of letting people know of the software's limitations ahead of the purchase so they may check their expectations and avoid 'buyer remorse' situations. For example, right on the box it should say "Although the Scanalizer will create PDF output files from scanned documents, at this time we do not support the import of PDF files directly. We are working on it!"

Despite a lot of searching I have not found another product that does what this package does. Even with the low end 70% accuracy rate (mine was always much better), that's still 70% less transcription for me to do. During testing, I scanned receipts on my other scanners and used much more sophisticated (and expensive) OCR programs, but the recognition rate just was not that much better. But none of those programs could also analyze the result and say "Hmmmm... this looks like sales tax, let's put it in the TAX column. And this looks like a store name, so lets put that in the STORE field." Also remember, a graphic image of the receipt is saved and can be printed out if you ever need hard copy. When you highlight an entry in the database, the corresponding image is displayed in a view window. Database backup & restore utility is included so you can protect your work and records. If you forget to backup, the software will provide periodic reminders via pop-up window (you can configure as needed). You can export to many different file formats and financial apps.

As I sit typing this out, I look around my home office and count five (!) scanners. Each has its own strengths and purpose (or else it would be gone). None of the others do what the Scanalizer and its software can do. But I still look forward to being able to have Scanalizer read and interpret all my exisitng PDF and email receipts into its database.

Anyone contemplating purchase: Yes, do read reviews on Amazon.Com, Buy.Com, the magazines, etc. But also go to the company website www.neatreceipts.com and check out the user forums to see if it will meet your expectations.

(No , I do not work for - or have ANY relationship with - NEATRECIEPTS other than the purchase of a Scanalizer.)

This is great, wish I had purchased it a long time ago. You can run reports that give you totals for categories that you scanned your reciept in. The image is good and the software is easy to use and works well. The only issue is the scanner itself is finicky about accepting the receipt upon inserting it, apparently it has to be placed just so (without pushing it in) for it to take but this is only a minor issue considering all the other benefits. What I didn't know when I bought it is you can use this software to check your spending in categories and thus help you with your budgeting, this is a bonus on top of reducing your endless piles of paper receipts (well those you will not need to return something with) because the IRS apparently accepts these scans. Also it takes no time to set up and start using and not too much time to scan a bulk of receipts. You can use it to scan business cards, which I plan to do since I have loads of those scattered around and never can find the one I want when I need it. I recommend it.

I have used the Neat Reciepts 2.5 version for over a year on a near daily basis. I travel extensively and although sometimes you may have to edit a vendors name I can't imagine going back to stuffing reciepts in a bag. I find it extremely easy to use and mostly accurate and the business card scanner section is great. I input all my gas reciepts, meal reciepts, hotel reciepts, car repairs & maintenance receipts and it is all there when needed at tax time. I also input warranties on some items and important documents that I may need a copy of for information ie; photo copy your passport and then scan it, if it is lost or stolen its much easier to replace. I have just updated to the 3.0 version and I am looking forward to its new features. I give it a two thumbs up :-)The compact size is great it fits in my laptop bag easily.

I have been using this product since version 1.5 and was eagerly awaiting Version 3.0 so I could run it on my new Vista notebook. Program runs much cleaner for me under Vista (new install not upgrade) than it did on XP, although it ran fine there. Overall I am very pleased and couldn't live without my NeatReceipts. I travel extensively as a Board member and investor in companies and collect lots of receipts all the way. I should note that I am a board member of Neatreceipts but I am also a pretty experienced user of many business productivity gadgets and software. The program IS a little slow to load as noted here but I do have a database with more than a thousand receipt images . I have also found that my Vista notebook power settings have a pretty big impact. I timed my most recent expense report preparation from a 4 day multi city trip. It took 3 mintues for the program to load, 17 minutes to scan in 21 receipts, 5 minutes to edit data that the scan missed and 5 minutes to generate a PDF report that I emailed. I've been using the software and hardware for about three years so I know the little quirks that others have found annoying. You get used to it much like my Windows Mobile phone. I also usually do my scanning in front of watching a sporting event on TV on the weekend so I am multitasking anyway. The OCR is actually quite good and is improved in 3.0, dates which were a bit of a problem in earlier version read in almost perfectly, amounts are pretty good but do need to be checked for extra digits, 8s vs 0s (depending upon font), Vendor names get better and better as you "train" your system to recognize the stores/restaurants you frequent. End of the year I can run great reports (the upside of the large database installation that is bedeviling some of the reviewers here) for reimbursement and tax purposes. I don't bother trying to directly export to Quicken or Quikbooks. Business card scanning has worked well for me when needed and I use the Scan to PDF to email signed documents all the time. Scanner is very portable and I've completed expense reports on Amtrak or waiting in the airport lounge and immediately emailed them off.

This product is a good example of environmental waste. What you are buying here is a great idea, but what you get is a product that is glitchy, with incomplete glitchy programming, fields that don't populate properly (State for instance can be changed but not removed), and then crashes after a few hours. After spending 8 hours to scan and label approximately 40 receipts (yes, SLOW!) out of about 1500 receipts I need to scan, the system then shut down, with the message:

"An unexpected error occurred while using NeatReceipts Professional. We
apologize for the inconvenience, please contact Technical Support if
this problem persists."

I bought this item really just for the recognition software, as I already have a faster laser scanner. Turned out that the software was proprietary to the scanner and couldn't be used with your own faster more reliable scanner. NeatReceipts turned out to be another product that went untested properly, and still got mass-produced and distributed without being ready for market.

I read the reviews first, saw some bad reviews on the 2.5 version, but then saw a huge mound of these at CompUSA a few days ago with 3.0 version, so thought maybe its improved. Buried in a pile of receipts that must be organized and itemized by years end (I manage residential properties), I have been desperate for help. Some of the receipts need to be billed to various HOA accounts, and others need to be applied to cost basis or maintenance for tax return purposes. Our accountant has been after me to get this done. Unfortunately I have several toddler children crawling all over me during the day, so I needed something fast and easy to use. Thought this may be the solution. Here's what happened:

1) Receipts scanned with errors each and every time except for twice (that's 38 receipts that I had to go make corrections to out of 40 scanned). The software makes guesses too much, like UPS and USPS came up as the company on the receipt many times for receipts that read for instance, OfficeMax.

2) The recognition software does not recognize many company names (got Walgreens and The Home Depot), but not many others. Company names in plain font on top could never be read, which surprised me.

3) No field for shipping charges.

4) Scanner finicky and receipts often start going sideways in the feed (many rescans necessary). Resolution not that great.

5) No ability to scan cancelled checks (which are most common type of receipt for property tax payments and handyman expenses).

6) No customer service. I called and left message on general mail box, technical service mail box (that said busy with other callers), and then sent e-mail to tech support. Received following e-mail back, that provided no solution to problem, just more questions that were already answered in the initial on-line form I filled out for tech support:

"
Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support
center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

We will assume your issue has been resolved if we do not hear from you
within 72 hours.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
An unexpected error occurred .... AFTER 8 HRS OF SCANNING RECEIPTS.

Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Megan) - 11/28/2007 09:31 PM
Hello Suzanne,

When do you receive this message and what version do you have of the
software. Check the version from Help> About NeatReceipts. Have you ever
been able to use the program successfully or not at all? Have you ever
been able to get the program to open? Thank you and let me know. Have a
good night.

Customer (Suzanne) - 11/28/2007 07:21 PM
An unexpected error occurred while using NeatReceipts Professional. We
apologize for the inconvenience, please contact Technical Support if
this problem persists.
"

Ok, I indicated I had used the program for 8 hours, had keyed in the product key id and the serial number, but no answers from customer service and no call backs.

Here's what I'm going to try next. Using my Brother laser scanner/fax/printer/copier, I'm going to try scanning all the receipts using my Adobe Acrobat. Then I'm going to just set up a master "LEDGER" spreadsheet in Excel, splitting screens to imput the data from the PDF images. I think this is a far better solution.

Sorry guys, great needed idea, but test the product before distributing so many to the market. This produces a great deal of waste for our environment as well as waste of our $$$. Also, improve the software to work on any scanner so can just buy the software. Most people don't need to travel with a scanner and can wait for when back home or to office. Returned the item back to COMPUSA today and reported it as defective product.

I really like how this thing works. The only complaint that I have is that it does not recognize every receipt which is expected. Most of the time you do find yourself typing in information that you would think would be implemented but just isn't recognized.
For the most part this product does what it claims it does and it does eliminate the clutter that comes with itemizing your expenses with receipts piling up everywhere.

A Little pricey for what your really have to work with.