7 Best Legal Size Scanners to Choose in 2024

By Robin Owens 4 days ago, Scanners

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

top 3 legal size scanners

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.

Top 7 Legal Size Scanners

  1. Brother ADS-2700W - Our choice
  2. Epson DS-320 - Small and lightweight
  3. CZUR ET16-P - Perfect for artists
  4. Xerox Duplex Combo - Hybrid device
  5. Brother DS-640 - Compatible with major cloud services
  6. Epson DS-1630 - Scanning color film and slides option
  7. Plustek OS 1180 - Good for negatives

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.

1. Brother ADS-2700W

Our choice
legal size scanner

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

  • ✚ Fast scanning speed
  • ✚ 2.8-inch color touchscreen
  • ✚ Automatic duplex scanning functionality
  • May not be suitable for larger businesses
Rating

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.

scanner for legal documents brother ads-2700w

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.

2. Epson DS-320

Small and lightweight
legal size document scanner

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

  • ✚ Duplex scanning
  • ✚ Ability to scan to online storage accounts
  • ✚ TWAIN and ISIS drivers for seamless integration
  • Does not have a flatbed option
  • Some users may find the price a bit high
Rating

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.

scanner for legal documents epson ds-320

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.

3. CZUR ET16-P

Perfect for artists
czur et16-p legal size scanner

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

  • ✚ Innovative curve flattening technology
  • ✚ Compatible with both A3 and A4
  • ✚ Built-in additional light source
  • Setup process is rather long
  • Unsuitable for use near bright lights
Rating

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.

scanner for legal documents czur et16-p

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.

4. Xerox Duplex Combo

Hybrid device
legal size flatbed scanner

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

  • ✚ Great for home and small business use
  • ✚ Incorporates both an automatic document feeder and a flatbed scanner
  • ✚ Supports variety of file formats
  • Not so easy to set up
  • A bit noisy
Rating

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.

scanner for legal documents xerox duplex combo

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.

5. Brother DS-640

Compatible with major cloud services
legal document scanners

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

  • ✚ Converts paper documents into searchable PDF
  • ✚ Can handle up to 100 scans per day
  • ✚ Affordable and lightweight
  • Lacks duplex scanning
  • Takes a while to process long documents
Rating

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.

scanner for legal documents brother ds-640

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.

6. Epson DS-1630

Scanning color film and slides option
color document scanner

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

  • ✚ Fast scan speed and good image quality
  • ✚ Large scanning surface
  • ✚ Optical character recognition (OCR) features
  • Limited to a flatbed scanner design
  • Lack of the advanced color correction options
Rating

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.

scanner for legal documents epson ds-1630

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.

7. Plustek OS 1180

Good for negatives
legal size paper scanner

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

  • ✚ Hassle-free operation
  • ✚ With LED light source
  • ✚ Can process 2500 sheets per day
  • Image quality could have been better given the price
  • No wireless functionality
Rating

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.

scanner for legal documents plustek os 1180

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.

IMAGE NAME FEATURES
legal size scanner
Brother ADS-2700W
OUR CHOICE
  • 600 dpi optical scan resolution
  • 35 ppm scanning speed
  • Interface: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
  • Feeder capacity: 50 sheets
CHECK PRICE
legal size document scanner
Epson DS-320
LIGHTWEIGHT
  • 600 dpi optical scan resolution
  • 25 ppm scanning speed
  • Interface: USB
  • Feeder capacity: 20 sheets
CHECK PRICE
legal size scanner czur et16-p
CZUR ET16-P
FOR ARTISTS
  • 250 dpi optical scan resolution
  • 1.5 S/P scanning speed
  • Interface: USB
CHECK PRICE

How to Choose the Best Legal Size Scanner?

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.

how to choose legal size scanners

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.

scanner for legal documents how to choosescanner for legal documents how to choose

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.

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