Portronics Scanny 2: Scanning on the Go

Portable scanning makes a comeback with the Portronics Scanny 2. This is the second model that Portronics has released. From our review of the first Scanny portable scanner, this one is a big improvement has it has a built in motor. This model can have paper fed to it while the previous model needed to be slid over documents. Read on to find out what other functions the Scanny 2 offers.

Design and features
The Portronics Scanny 2 is a compact scanner which looks like a simple block. It is compact enough to fit into a small bag. The black coloured body is outlined with strips of orange lining on the sides. Even the large power button is orange coloured and is located on the top of the device.

Compact, sturdy and simple to operate

The build quality is good and the scanner is extremely sturdy. There are no shaking components inside and it feels like the scanner can take a beating. The base of the scanner has rubber pads which prevent the scanner from sliding on a smooth surface table. There are plastic clips, which act as paper guides to stop sheets from getting stuck during the scanning process.

The package comes with a few bundled items. One of them is a carry pouch, which is handy while carrying the scanner. There is a sheet of paper with markings at the bottom which can be used to calibrate the scanner. There’s also a plastic jacket provided which can prevent glossy paper photos from getting scratched, and also a cleaning sheet which can be passed through the scanner. There is no installation required, but you do need a microSD card plugged into the side of the scanner for it to scan. The scanner is powered by four AA batteries.

The controls are simple to use too. There are controls to set the scan quality – one can switch between high and low DPI scan resolutions. You can also choose to scan in colour or monochrome. The other two buttons are used to set the time and to format the memory card. The LED is handy only to change the settings for the scanner. Once the scanning is complete, you can connect the scanner to a PC or a laptop using the USB cable.

Performance
Scanning is done by passing a sheet through from the front of the scanner. The motor kicks in at a particular point and drives the sheet through to the back of the scanner. Older portable scanners required you to run the entire sheet of paper through the scanner, which was not a very reliable way of scanning.

Start up is almost instantaneous, and there’s very little noise from the rollers pulling in the sheets of paper. Scanning speeds are incredible; a scan takes no more than 6.5 seconds. We tried scanning sheets of paper of different sizes, and of different qualities. Even thicker sheets of paper have no problem scanning. Scan speeds stay constant for sheets of all thicknesses. Scan quality is pretty good as well. Colours are slightly faded out and clarity is decent. This isn’t a scanner designed to scan high quality photos, but for text documents with a few images here and there, and it does its job really well.

Verdict
The price of the Portronics Scanny2 is set at Rs. 6,999. When compared to other scanners, it is definitely expensive. There are MFDs which can print, scan and copy but are cheaper than this product. There is no denying that this product has performance going for it, and that it’s portable, and is extremely easy to use, but spending Rs. 6,999 on it is somewhat difficult to justify. Desktop users should steer clear but those who are looking for something to carry with them, the Scanny 2 makes sense.