Have you tried to install software for your scanner recently?  Did the manufacturer require you to create an online account to use the scanner?  Does the software try to upsell you on other products while you are trying to get work done?  Does it hog an obnoxious amount of your system’s resources?  Perhaps it does all these things (ahem, HP).

This week, I thought I would make a quick post to share one of my favorite open-source applications, NAPS2.  NAPS2 is a scanner application that represents a fresh alternative to the out-of-the-box software that ships with the device or is available from the manufacturer’s website.  Here are some of my favorite features:

• It is a lightweight app that launches and scans very quickly.
• The menus are very simple to navigate and setting up scanning profiles only takes a few seconds.
• Reordering and rotating pages is a breeze.
• I have not found a device it was incompatible with. On multiple scenarios, I have used this app to scan from older devices whose original software is no longer functional or supported.

Take it for a spin and see what you think!