Brother – ADS-1200 Compact Duplex Desktop Document Scanner – White

Whats in the box
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AC adapter
Brother ADS-1200 Compact Desktop Scanner
Nuance Power PDF, Nuance PaperPort 14 SE (free download)
Product Registration Sheet
Quick Setup Guide
Warranty Sheet
Pros
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Direct scanning to USB without needing computer
Very Compact and Quiet unlike your flatbed scanner
25 documents per minute which is a good speed
Scans not only document but also receipts! Love this feature
Can be powered by USB cable
Cons
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No Wifi
The Review
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Summary –
I think its a good portable scanner and it is a feeder scanner and it can take in 25 pages per minute. Its a very good alternative to your All-in-one scanner which includes the flat bed scanner. So if you are buying an expensive all-in-one, you can get this scanner and a cheaper printer.
First thing i want to mention is that this is similar to your tabletop scanner or your all-in-ones you have at home which has a scanner built in, BUT, this is portable and it is a feeder type of scanner with a dedicated plastic card scanner.
As one of the reviewer mentioned, it does not come with USB cable, however, the box clearly states that it is not included in it. So, i am OK with that. However, its important to note that its a USB 3.0 cable
Setup –
Straight forward. You will need to follow the quick start guide booklet and download software from the brother website for you to use this device.
Usage –
Its a simple device, once the software is installed and the device is connected to the computer, its as easy as feeding the documents into the scanner. The scanner is capable of scanning double sides (IN A SINGLE PASS) which is a great feature for time saving. You can save the documents to a USB device (This will not require you to install software) or a local computer or directly to cloud such as Google Cloud, Dropbox or One Drive. It also has a dedicated slot for scanning plastic card like your driver license or your business cards.
You can save the files as a PDF ,JPG etc and these two are the most commonly used file formats.
i was able to scan color documents and they came out to be of good quality and clear.

I do construction and and architectural, specifications inspections, which requires me to travel. Occasionally, for up to three weeks at a time. Like any business person I have to keep records of related expense receipts for re-reimbursement. Several years ago I had several incidental kinds of receipts from big box stores actually fade away (disappearing-ink) before I could claim them as legitimate expenses. Auditors have strict rules concerning ‘valid’ receipts, so I wound up out-of-pocket on those, purchased incidentals. It was then I decided to purchase a home office scanner to digitize all my job-related, expense receipts. The scanner eventually paid for itself accounting for faded, unrecognizable, and, damaged, travel receipts. YooHoo!
So, when I had an opportunity to review a complimentary Brother ADS-1200 Compact Color Desktop Scanner with Duplex in exchange for the portable scanner, I got excited. I never thought of utilizing a portable scanner on-the-road in the field before. WoW, was I surprised. After using this portable scanner for three weeks, I am now a believer. It is so convenient, quick, and reliable. I no longer have to save fistfuls of paper receipts for future reimbursement. And, since the auditors allow me to submit valid receipts on a weekly basis. I
can daily digitize my various expense documents before they get tattered, wrinkled, and torn. I don’t have to wait ’till I get home to process expenses on my home office scanner. Using this Brother Compact Scanner on-the-road has saved me time and allows me to take advantage of weekly reimbursements too.
I am not going to list each and every feature, and, or, specifications of this scanner. You can find all that info at the Best Buy website. However here is what I really appreciate about this Brother ADS-1200 Compact Scanner:
* Portability & Connection To My Laptop – This baby only weighs approximately 3 pounds and 5 ounces. Lightweight and compact to take anywhere I travel. It neatly fits into my backpack, which also stores my laptop too. I power my scanner through my laptop with a USB 3.0 micro-cable connection. It is not included in the scanner package, but readily available and reasonably priced at stores like Best Buy. This scanner can also be powered through the proprietary, A/C adapter cable, which is included in the package. There is also a USB 2.0 micro-cable port, which you can use to connect to your computer to transfer scanned documents. However, it does not provide any power to the scanner – you must use the A/C adapter cable to power the unit up. Additionally, If I insert a flash drive in the USB 2.0 port on the back of my scanner I can scan documents directly to it.
* Software & Driver Package – I downloaded the software bundle from the Brother Support website indicated in the Quick Setup Guide included with the scanner. This is a large file (145 MB), and, could take some time to download depending on the speed of your Internet connection. After downloading this Zip file will self-extract and install on your computer. Be patient, the wait is worth it. The included software suite provides document management and OCR software. An iPrint&Scan Icon together with a Brother Utilities icon will be placed on your home screen (Win 10). I open the iPrint&Scan icon and scan my documents to files I have setup through ‘Creative Workflow’. For example, I have my files setup as Hotel Receipts, Meals, Incidentals, Mileage, Vendor Services, etc. (See Attached Pic). My scanned documents will go directly to one of those main files I designated.
* Simple To Use & Operate – I could actually scan without downloading the Brother I-Print & Scan software. However, there are numerous, valuable features included when you download the software. The software allows you to change the quality of your scan, color or monochrome, and files it in the folder that you designate. You can also change the type of file you want to save and forward it to e-mail, OCR, file, or a USB flash drive.
* Nuance Power PDF Software – This software allows me to edit my scanned documents, and, arrange the pages as necessary. It also enables me to convert PDFs or scanned documents into editable formats. Super useful when I don’t have the original documents.
* Duplex Scanning – I was floored by the quality of the automatic, two-sided (duplex) scanning, which only takes one pass. This scanner doesn’t care how I feed the document or receipt – it automatically orientates it correctly even when I feed it upside down. However, because of the ‘guides’ in the ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) I cannot mix various sizes of documents and, or receipts. Not a big deal – I just scan my letter-sized docs first, then, re-adjust the guides to feed the smaller, width-sized receipts.
* NOT Dependent on Wi-Fi – Most motels and hotels have ‘open’ and inconsistent Wi-Fi Internet service. So, for me a direct wired connection from the scanner to my laptop gives me privacy, convenience, and reliability too.
* Easy Care & Maintenance – I also downloaded the Online Users Guide for a more comprehensive list of scanner operations and functions. On Pages 174 to 178 are detailed instructions and illustrations on how to properly clean the rollers, glass strips, and sensors of the ADS-1200. All that is required to clean these important parts is a soft, lint-free cloth moistened with plain water.
After three weeks of almost daily use I love this Brother ADS-1200 Compact Scanner. I send my scanned receipts to Accounts Payable using a cloud service directly from my laptop while still on-the-road. I now receive my reimbursement money pretty fast as they transfer funds directly to my bank account after approval of my travel expenses. Isn’t computer technology grand? WooHoo!
I highly recommend this Brother ADS-1200 Compact Color Desktop Scanner. It has made my home office scanner obsolete. In fact when it comes time to purchase a new printer I will look for a less expensive unit that is not an All-In-One. I now have exactly what I need for on-the-road and home office use too. If you travel and need to scan your expenses or other documents while away – this is what you need. Buy It, you won’t be disappointed.

Fast scanning with easy set up! Great for work at home if you need a fast scanner that can process quickly!

This is the review of Brother ADS–1200 sheetfed scanner. I have had for a few days and have found it a very capable scanner with a bundle of useful software – but the set up was quite tedious.
The scanner generally does not come with a USB cable. (It states so on the box.) But one was provided for the testing purpose. It is a USB 3.0 Micro cable. So be sure you get the right one before you bring it home. A regular USB cable will not fit.
I am testing this scanner (via USB 3 connection) with a desktop running Windows 10, 64-bit, Intel i7 with 32 G of memory.
Furthermore, it does not come with any CD or DVD disc for the drivers or the software. Everything is downloaded from the Internet. So the computer that you want to use this with must be connected to the Internet. It is possible, while very rare, for some people to be completely isolated (disconnected) from the Internet – either they do not want to be exposed to malware through the Internet, or the nature of their work requires such strict confidentiality but in general, it doesn’t really apply to most people.
Here is their main support for all operating systems https://support.brother.com/g/b/producttop.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=ads1200_all
So here is a link to Windows 10 64 bit software https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=ads1200_all&os=10013
And here is one to Windows 10 32 bit software https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=ads1200_all&os=10012
And if you are still using Windows 7, 64 bit, you can go here https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=ads1200_all&os=10012
And those with Windows 7, 32-bit, here’s the link https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=ads1200_all&os=10012
For Mac 10.14 users, https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=ads1200_all&os=10052
And Mac 10.13 users, https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=ads1200_all&os=10045
And Mac 10.12 users, https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=ads1200_all&os=10030
This scanner also supports Linix.
If you choose to not use the power supplied (also in box), be sure to plug in the USB cable into the computer directly – not to hub, because they may not be enough power and you will get a USB error. This is useful if you are connecting the scanner to a laptop when you are on a field, or in the library. But I do suggest that you carry the power supply with you.
The full download is one huge file of 145.5 megabyte. The latest version was released on 21 August of 2018, version B1.
As with many hardware, when you install it, do not turn on or connect the scanner to the computer until prompted to do so by the software. The set up will actually download more software for you which includes Nuance PDF Standard and Nuance PaperPort 14.
The problem with PDF Standard is that when you run it for the first time, it will ask for your serial number. I had to take quite deeply into Brother’s website and found that the serial number is on a little label behind the scanner. As with any Nuance software, it has to be activated, so I’m not sure how many times it will work if I were to use this scanner with more than one computer. PaperPort 14 does not ask for a serial number when I try to run it.
I have another’s company sheetfed scanner and that one is three times as big and twice, or rather faster when it works. This particular scanner is rated 25 page per minute in color and black and white. Thankfully when you scan something on both sides (duplex), you don’t have to flip the paper over. It reads the paper on both sides which is extremely convenient and saves a lot of time.
You don’t have to be a computer expert to install and use the scanner, but it helps. The documentation that it came with was very, how should I say this, inadequate. It didn’t mention anything about the serial number of the PDF Standard program as I mentioned above, and the website address to download the software which is in a little tiny paragraph in the middle of the pamphlet. If you plug the scanner into the computer without installing software, Windows will actually download the driver, but you really don’t have any program to use it with unless you have your own copy of optical character recognition/Adobe Acrobat professional.
Talking about Adobe Acrobat professional – it works perfectly fine with the scanner, but it will not let me adjust the resolution beyond 300 dots per inch without “displaying” the scanner interface. Normally Adobe Acrobat scans the document with the scanners interface hidden – you don’t see anything except a message that says “scanning page five…” It is a little annoying to see the scanner interface, but it is not a big deal.
Same thing with Nuance OmniPage professional (and optical character recognition software) that I have. It works, but the interface cannot be hidden.
If you only want to use the software that the scanner came with (that you just downloaded and installed) make sure you run the “update” to download any patches that are available that may include the firmware for the scanner. It allowed me to upgrade the firmware twice which I thought was a little odd and I actually feared that it may have physically damaged the scanner – but after I rebooted the computer (it didn’t ask me to do that), the firmware no longer had to be upgraded.
I formatted a 14 page duplex of W Somerset Maugham’s “The Three Fat Women of Antibes” and ran it through the scanner. The scan images showed on the screen and brother software allowed me to save them in various formats. It also let me open the file in Microsoft Word (which I already have) or notepad, or in other programs in what ever the format it supports.
I also can “save as” PDF, Microsoft Word, plain text, and graphic (images) from that Maine may knew once something is scanned. This is very convenient and makes the bundle of the software easy to use.
If you don’t have Adobe Acrobat Professional, Nuance PDF Standard will create PDF files for you from any programs. (You would “print to PDF Standard” and it creates a PDF file.) I believe it is about hundred dollars if you have to buy it so in the way, the bundle software is a good deal.
Oh, OCR’ed it at 100% correctly. The software gets the credit, but the hardware, too – because it feeds it straight down the path without jamming.
There is a little switch on the top when you open the lid that allows you to scan an ID card. The paper guide flipped up to hold the paper in place but there is no output tray so the paper comes out in the front so you want to give little room when you place this on the table otherwise the paper will end up on the floor.
The roller and the feeder pad can be changed. They eventually wear out after so many thousands and thousands of pages. If there is a streak on the scan images, you can just flip the page open and clean it with a soft cloth just like you would do with the copier.
So this is something I can see myself carrying with me (carefully because it is probably as fragile as a laptop), to the library when I have to scan few pages of loose document. (This is not a flatbed scanner and you cannot scan a book with it.) And the hardware is pretty well designed and the bundle software are useful. I would rate this a good buy – despite the set up hassle.