Epson FastFoto FF-680W scanner A4, 600 dpi, duplex, wireless

Duplex scanning means the scanner reads the front and back of a sheet at the same time, so you do not have to flip it and feed it again. Notes, dates and signatures written on the back end up in the digital archive too, where single-sided scanning tends to lose them. With two-sided contracts, letters and forms, there is also no need to pair files up afterwards.

An optical resolution of 600 × 600 dpi keeps text and fine lines sharp even when zoomed in, and a scanned page can later be printed back at its original size. Optical means the real resolution of the sensor, not a figure interpolated by software. The largest supported size is A4, so ordinary office paperwork and smaller sheets fit without cropping.

USB 3.0 is a fast, dependable link when the scanner sits next to the computer. The manufacturer classifies it as a wireless scanner, so the computer does not have to be tethered to it, which is handy when several people share it or it lives on a shelf away from the desk. The exact wireless standard and supported apps are not specified by the manufacturer.

Scanning turns papers stored in boxes and folders into files you can search and back up: copy them to several places, send them by email or share them with family. Duplex scanning and A4 support cover most of what turns up at home and in a small office, from letters and certificates to invoices and contracts.

Families who want old letters and papers digitised before they fade; small offices that need to archive two-sided contracts and invoices; and anyone who would rather scan their A4 paperwork once and keep it on a computer from then on, instead of on a shelf full of binders.