7 Best Legal Size Scanners to Choose in 2024

Legal size scanners with a high-quality resolution and proper paper size

A legal document is typically bigger than a regular A4 and thus requires an appropriate legal size scanner if you want to create a digital copy of it. Such large format scanners need to have a minimal scanning zone equal to a document size of 8.5 by 14.0 inches.

You need to choose a high resolution scanner that can produce crisp, clear images, especially for documents with photos, graphics, and other visual elements.

For legal documents, a resolution of at least 600 dpi is recommended to provide a reasonable level of detail. However, if you're looking to scan high-resolution photographs, you'll need a higher dpi resolution.

Also, I recommend to make sure you choose a scanner for legal documents that can handle legal-size paper and other sizes you may encounter in your work.

Optical scan resolution: 600 dpi | Scanning speed: 35 ppm | Interface: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi | Feeder capacity: 50 sheets

The Brother ADS-2700W has a compact design, which is great for smaller workspaces, and it offers flexible connectivity options. The color touchscreen allows you to scan, preview, and edit scanned documents with ease.

This Brother scanner is capable of handling multi-page, double-sided business documents, and can even handle documents up to 196 inches long, including photographs and laminated ID cards.

One of the great features of this scanner for legal size paper is its automatic duplex scanning functionality, which is designed to work smoothly on both colored and black and white papers. It can also automatically clear empty images, which is a useful feature to have.

Optical scan resolution: 600 dpi | Scanning speed: 50 ppm | Interface: USB | Feeder capacity: 20 sheets

The Epson DS-320 is a great choice for anyone who needs to scan legal-sized documents on a regular basis.

One of the great feature of this Epson scanner is its automatic document feeder, which makes it easy to scan multiple documents quickly. The legal size document scanner also has a duplex feature, which means that it can scan both sides of a document at once, saving you time and effort.

One thing that I really appreciate about the DS-320 is how easy it is to use. The software is intuitive and user-friendly, and it offers a lot of great options for editing and saving your scans.

Optical scan resolution: 250 dpi | Scanning speed: 1.5 S/P | Interface: USB | Feeder capacity: -

The ET16-P is a large legal size scanner that comes with 3 laser lines, which are capable of scanning high-resolution documents with maximum speed and efficiency. It also employs curve flattening functionality to make the scanning result more accurate.

Another cool feature included in this document scanner is dual page scanning. That said, the aspect that has impressed me about the ET16-P the most are the high-quality supplementary lights that have proven to be extremely useful for viewing my documents.

Optical scan resolution: 600 dpi | Scanning speed: 25 ppm | Interface: USB, Ethernet | Feeder capacity: 250 sheets

One of the main advantages of the Xerox Duplex Combo is its ability to scan paper up to 8.5'' wide and 118'' long, which is perfect for legal documents. It can save them in a variety of file formats including PDF, JPG, or other popular image files.

This Xerox scanner is designed for high-volume use and allows you to scan multiple pages at once. It also supports duplex scanning, which is important for capturing both sides of a document simultaneously. However, this scanner for legal documents can be a bit difficult to set up and use, especially if you are not familiar with scanning technology.

Optical scan resolution: 300 dpi | Scanning speed: 16 ppm | Interface: USB | Feeder capacity: Not specified

The Brother DS-640 is a lightweight and easy-to-use scanner that's perfect for professionals who need to scan documents while on the road. The scanner's ability to recognize and process documents as soon as they're inserted is a huge bonus, and it produces quality scans that are perfect for filing and organizing documents.

Another great feature of this portable scanner is its included software suite. This OCR and document management software is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers, and it can even be used with most major cloud services, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive.

Optical scan resolution: 1200 dpi | Scanning speed: 25 ppm | Interface: USB | Feeder capacity: 50 sheets

The Epson DS-1630 has a fast scan speed, which is great for those who need to scan a large number of documents quickly. This legal size flat bed scanner also offers good image quality, so you can be sure that your scanned documents will look sharp and clear.

Another advantage is that it has a large scanning surface, which makes it suitable for scanning large originals such as photos, documents, and even film negatives.

This photo scanner also comes with Epson Scan 2 software. It includes optical character recognition (OCR) features, image manipulation tools, and a variety of document management functions. It also supports TWAIN and ISIS drivers, and allows you to easily create searchable PDF files.

Optical scan resolution: 1200 dpi | Scanning speed: 25 ppm | Interface: USB | Feeder capacity: 1 sheet 

This series of legal document scanners offers extra-slim, flatbed devices with a USB output. They also come with handy software that can take care of image processing, file management, PDF conversion, and provide accurate OCR and a TWAIN driver.

These negative scanners are also very simple to use as they include 4 scanning buttons that allow you to perform all basic tasks (scanning, OCR, PDF, and email). Thanks to the thin, compact build of this product, finding a place for this scanner in your office space is extremely easy.

One of the biggest challenges in choosing a legal size scanner is finding one with the right image quality. It's not just about getting a clear image, but also about capturing the details and nuances of the original document. This can be particularly difficult when dealing with text-heavy documents or documents with complex graphics.

Scanner type. You need to determine the type of scanner you’re interested in. Flatbed models come with a glass plate and a lid, while document handlers are supplied with a sheet feeding system, which is particularly useful for organizations that constantly deal with huge amounts of documents.

Processing speed. The number of documents you can scan in a day is determined by the desktop scanner speed. By learning that figure, you can decide whether a particular legal size document scanner will handle the workload of your office or organization.

Optical scan resolution. Regular scanner for legal documents come with an optical resolution of 600 dpi, which is more than enough for legal documents. However, if you want to scan photographs as well, you’ll need an all-in-one scanner with at least 1200 dpi to enjoy optimal image quality.

Connection. The best legal size scanner would ideally come with USB, Ethernet, and WiFi connectivity options, but as long as it has a USB output, you should be perfectly fine.