This post is written by Megan Montgomery.
My name is Megan and I have a paper problem.
Okay, it’s mostly my problem because paper is just doing its job but it’s fair to say we have a love/hate relationship. I love the history and documentation that paper provides but does it have to take up so much space? I hate how much room even one filing cabinet takes up in my home office.
I knew there had to be a better way to preserve that important information and take back some desk space, and it turns out there is! The folks at the Neat Company sent one of their NeatDesk systems for my family and me to try. I have to tell you, I’d seen the infomercial and was pretty excited when I found out we were going to get to try one.
We’re mostly a Mac household so I selected NeatDesk for Mac (they do offer a NeatDesk for Windows too). Everything you need to help get your paper under control is in the box – scanner, power cord, USB cable, software, and calibration sheet are all safely packed for you.
I was excited to get started and the Neat people must get that a lot because they include a Quick Start guide to get you going in a jiffy. The software installation was quick and straightforward and before I knew it, I was clearing off my desk!
The scanner is so fast – and quiet! The NeatDesk will scan up to 24 color, single-sided pages per minute or up to 24 grayscale, duplex (both sides – at once!) pages per minute. The tray can hold 15 business cards and 15 receipts and 15 letter sized documents at once, or it will hold 50 letter sized documents alone, if you take out the paper tray. Once your document has been scanned, it is imported into the Neat Software, which is where I think the real magic happens.
The Neat Software is a digital filing cabinet, and requires even less effort than opening a drawer. When you scan your documents, the software reads each document. It first sorts the document into a category – document, receipt, or contact (business card). Then, it pulls keywords from the document to make it searchable. You can add details to each document, like sender, date, or subject, but even if you don’t, the software seems to be able to find what you’re looking for.
I scanned documents, receipts, and business cards to test it, and it had little trouble finding anything I asked it to locate. It did have a little trouble reading a few business cards (a vice president was read as wee president, for example), but that was quickly and easily fixed using the edit feature.
The software seems to get “smarter,” as it reads more and more documents. I noticed that some things I had to edit in documents I scanned early on were automatically fixed in similar documents later on.
Receipts can be categorized and flagged for tax purposes, and the scans can be imported into many tax preparation software packages. I definitely won’t miss the annual tax receipt hunt when tax season rolls around!
I was concerned that we would only be able to use the software on one computer but each copy of the Neat Software can be used on up to three computers, which is super helpful if there are multiple users in your household. The software does take up a considerable chunk of space on a hard drive (650MB for Mac, 1GB for Windows) and the storage of your new digital files will take up some room, too. My husband and I have already discussed getting an external drive to store all of the information we’re scanning.
Overall, I think the NeatDesk system is pretty incredible! I have already cleared off several stacks from my desk and that ugly filing cabinet is next. I have no doubt that I can quickly and easily find any document I’ve scanned, which is both a relief and a time-saver!
Enter to win!
One reader will win their very own NeatDesk! Just use the Rafflecopter form below to enter this giveaway. New to Rafflecopter? Watch this 45-second video on how to enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I was given a NeatDesk to review.
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{ 242 comments… read them below or add one }
This would be so great to get rid of all the clutter in my house! I am so tired of all the paper mess in my house! Thanks for the fun giveaway!
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This looks like a solution I need to manage my growing stacks of paper. Thanks for sharing!
I’d tackle receipts first, then move on to business cards… then take over the paperless world! (OK, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.) I would be so excited to go to paperless, though!
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It would help me to not have BIG piles of paper everywhere. I have business cards galore, and this would help me to have it all in ONE place, on my laptop!
I would love to win one of these to help with my families budget as well as my recipe collection. I desperately want all our paperwork to be organized and the NeatDesk seems to be the way to achieve this goal of mine.
I am literally drowning in clutter and it is slowly suffocating me. This would be great!
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This will help me organize my home because right now, you cannot even see my desk under all of the papers, business cards, etc. In fact, you can’t see my kitchen island either.
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I have been wanting to get one of these for a while. help to clean up file system.
What a neat idea! I would love this!
As a mom of 5 kids, this would be absolutely awesome to have!
It will definitely help me to get rid of all the paper clutter. Give me less paper and more room to organize other things.
Dianna recently posted..1 Corinthians 13 Final Comments
Oh gosh it would help me get rid of all my paper! Desperate lol
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i’d give to my bil since e owns his own business and has tons of paperwork.
will help me keep my documents organized
By letting me get rid of receipts and all these papers i seem to accumulate related to medical expenses
It would be amazing to have this kind of paperwork organization help! With a family of five …2 adults, 2 teens and a toddler! Paperwork overwhelms and I often misplace things. Particularly paperwork accumulatedover this past year in regards to my health issues. I’d be in love with this item lol
It would help me get everyone organized in my household.
The NeatDesk would be wonderful because we are trying to cut down on some of the paper clutter in our household! This would come in VERY handy.
Would be great to keep documents and receipts organized.
Sounds like the solution to finally have my husband not nag me about my piles of paper and my filing system! This would be awesome!
It will enable me to see my desk!
It Will Help Me Keep Important Documents And Files Organized !:)
It would be great for my husband, he’s self employed and his desk is always a mess!
It would help me organize all my important documents!
Anything that helps reduce paper in my house is a huge organization tool!
It will help keep us keep track of our bills and payments.
I have boxes of paperwork that needs to be filed/organized. I would love to just make it all electronic!
It will help remove a lot of the paper I have scattered all over my desk and halp me be more organized.
Have seen this advertised on TV, and would love to try.
Help me keep track of all the receipts for myself and hubby’s business
It will save room.. and get rid of some papers!
Between my husband, 6 kids and my fil…we generate a lot of paperwork. It would help us to keep my fil’s medical bills contained!!
I am praying it will help me get rid of all of the clutter!
This would help with all the papre work at my job.
I have papers laying all over the house and I can never find what I need. This will help me keep it all in one place.
I can cut down on the amount of paper documents I keep.
The NeatDesk will help us get rid of all the paper clutter on our counters, such as bills, receipts and other important documents.
I can finally dig out from under all the receipts and statements surrounding me! Oh, my gosh, I’m so excited!
I REALLY want, no NEED, one of these. Pick me!!’mm
This would be a great help to get rid of my paper pile.
Right now I have “to be filed” piles all over my desk of things I need to get files, but never seem to. I would be SO MUCH more likely to scan them and file electronically.
It will help me keep organized by not having papers scattered everywhere.
I know I have way too much paper work lying around!
It would help me be ready for tax time
kims2312@verizon.net
I have a windows based biz card scanner and a desktop scanner. And guess what – I rarely use them! I would, however, use this for sure.
Kim Tracy Prince recently posted..I’m So Glad I Asked
Right now, I have a mess of receipts on my laptop keyboard. They will be gone if I win this prize (and that box of receipts by the door will soon be eliminated as well).
I would love to be able to scan receipts and other documents and get better organized. RIght now things just get stacked in a pile or thrown in the file cabinet in no real order. I’d love to be more organized.
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i have a lot of paperwork every year from Medicare and dr reports…this would be great to finally clear up my files and eliminate alot of unwanted paper junk! thanks!
So many receipts for taxes to organize and this will help.
all of my important paperwork, taxes, bills, and homework will be saved in a jiff. this is a great way for easy organizing
It would help me organize tax papers, receipts, photos and invoices. It would be a big help!
It would allow me to get rid of so much paper work! And organize everything for me from bills to receipts and so much more
I have a very small house and with 4 kids we are already crammed in tight. Then add in important life stuff – like tax receipts etc! Ah! I need one for all of my office-related papers and receipts!
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First, it will save space. I can replace the bulky, dust collecting scanner I’ve been using for ages. I’ll save a ton of time and money because I’ll be able to find receipts when I need them.
It would save me a bunch of space that I currently use to save all my receipts and important papers.
It would help me cut down on the amount of paperwork and receipts I keep!
It would definitely keep my inbox from overflowing…
NeatDesk will help me reduce the stacks of papers I have in various places around my home office!
So much paper work to try and keep track of all the time, would enjoy one of these.
It would help me organize all of my tax information and receipts. Thanks for the chance.
|This would for sure help with all the paper clutter that never seems to have a home!
I’ve been wanting to try one of these for years! I have stacks of paper in my office ~ kids’ art and business documents ~ that need to be scanned but my current scanner is so slow!
It would make submitting my travel receipts much, much easier.
We have a small business and this would be great to organize all our receipts
It will help me organize my coupons and other documents
I’d love one of these. Currently keep all of my papers in a droor, this would help a lot.
It would help get rid of all the papers and receipts that pile up – if I could just come home, scan, then throw away (or recycle!) the papers, it would make for a much neater desk for sure!
Idaho Jill recently posted..Mom’s Focus giveaways ending 10/14/12-10/22/12
scanning receipts! Got lots of them and need a better way to tame them.
I have so many business cards, invoices, and receipts that are all over the place and in odd folders that aren’t really labeled. I feel so stressed out by my disorganized office!
Less clutter! Awesome!!
i have no organization at all so anything would be an improvement. it would get rid of all the paper laying around
I would like to organize all my receipts and business cards. They are laying all over my desk and filling up my filing cabinet.
Our “home office” is a table with our computer and piles of paper. I admit it, I’m a piler. Something like this could really help me out!
It will take the mound of receipts and files I have and combine them all in one “neat” package.
This would help with all of the receipts my husbands is supposed to keep up with for work and keep our dresser free of them.
Twitter: longwait4bella
October 18, 2012 at 12:00 am
My husband is a minister so we have to save all our receipts and we have a large amount of write offs. This will help organize those receipts a lot better. (We now just use a large manilla envelope and write on the top of the receipt the category.)
It would be great to get rid of all my husband’s paperwork clutter! =)
Get rid of paper clutter!
I need to manage my growing stacks of paper.
Thanks for the chance!
I have been wanting to get one of these. This would clean up my cluttered desk.
I have the mini version of this and it has really helped clean up the papers I need to save. My sweet husband is wanting this one!
It would get all my piles of papers finally put away and in a way where I can find them again!
I would love this!! It would help so much with keeping track of expenses and receipts
It would help me organize my papers
this is do great, thanks for the chance to win, GOD BLESS YA’LL
My computer desk here at home is always full of paper work, could get some use out of one of these.
The NeatDesk will organize my home office by allowing me to put receipts and other important papers on my computer insteading of keeping a drawer full of them!
recipes, pictures, copies of important papers and just plain fun stuff I like to save.
Ooooh! I would love this! My husband saves everything and is constantly running around trying to find scraps of paper that are actually important but get thrown in various spots. Not to mention the receipts. I think I would scan my online purchase receipts that come in the mail too. My filing cabinet is bulging and this would help thin that out. The possibilities are endless!
K Quinn recently posted..Homemaking Organized Blog
My husband is a receipt hoarder. This would clean up our desk area as well as satisfy him that we still have the receipe.
we always have tons of receipts laying around waiting to be input into a computer program, and i think this would make the whole process neater and faster
rypm25@aol.com
I have been wanting to try one of these!!
I have my own papers stack up as well as a trust that I have to handle. This would help immensely.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
it will get rid of paper all over.
I would be able to clean up this paper clutter mess on my desk and feel better knowing I have my important papers in a safe place
Yep, drowning in paperwork here:) I am impressed with the sheer volume and speed handling papers that the neatdesk is able to handle. Thanks!
I am always going through & throwing away tons of papers. This would get a lot of use in our home.
I’m drowning in a sea of papers at my desk. Help!
We got so many papers everywhere, this will help clear out some drawers and counters!
Chris recently posted..My Workout & Fave Ab Work
We keep receipts for so much it seems. It would be nice to have them in digital form, neat, organized, and clutter free. Also papers we need to keep could be scanned and organized.
All of my busines paperwork is in… a desk drawer and it’s mess! Mike’s business stuff gets mixed with mine and it takes forever to separate it. I NEED this!
Terri P
pr4gatheringroses AT gmail DOT com
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It would help me organize all the receipts I have stuffed in boxes
I would get super organized
It will help me get rid of the random papers crowding my desk! Bye bye – receipts, printouts, certificates, all of it! No more clutter!
my office deck is so cluttered with all kinds of paper maybe with this even I might be neat
Nice website, I’m enjoying my experience so far? How often do you run giveaways?
It would help me to clean up all my hubbys real estate stuff by scanning it all in!
it will help me be more organized as I can use this for ANYTHING!
Thanks for the chance!
Angie recently posted..Get Unjunked: Unreal Candy
Would help to get rid of file cabinets
I will love this for keeping all my receipts organized…..I often lose and it is not fun if you need to make a return!
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With the NeatDesk maybe I’ll finally be able to find my desk under all the bills and paperwork! Thank you for the chance to win.
This would be great for organizing all of our paper work, and for the home business I am starting. Thanks so much!
I’m a receipt hoarder. This will help curb that obsession
Not only will it organize my desk, but my kitchen counter, my nightstand, the top of my jewelry armoire and the sofa table… the paper is taking over!!!
It would help keep our tax receipts clean.
BusyWorkingMama recently posted..List & Promote Your Give Away 10/20
I have electronic receipts that it would help keep organized and warranty info
I have a very small working area so this would be perfect and help in organizing all my paper work
I’m burried in paper and the NeatDesk would definately help me by allowing me to eliminate a good portion of it, thus getting more organized. Thanks for a great giveaway!
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I literally have a big embarassing pile of paper on my desk at all times! I wish I could keep track of everything without having to hold on to it!
By organizing the mess I call files.
Thanks for the chance.
I have about a million papers that need filed,so this would eliminate all that paper storage like school papers and receipts
I sure could use this -my desk is a total disaster area
thanks
It would help me get rid of all the papers I think we might need in the future and hold on to just in case. They cause so much clutter!
It will help me keep my papers organized.
awesome organization skills
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This would be awesome!
this will save my counter space!
This would allow me to have room on my desk again which is cluttered with receipts business cards etc. This would also be great to have at this time of the year with all those Christmas receipts that I am always hunting for after Christmas
It will eliminate a pile of receipts.
My boyfriend saves ALL of his receipts so this would be really helpful for him!
Get copies of all my receipts into one place
I have paper everywhere, this would really make it so I could actually see what color my desk even is again!!
As much as I make an effort to manually file paperwork away, things always get lost in the shuffle. Hopefully, if the iPod is any indication, shuffling will be a good thing.
We have paper in lots of places ever since our office turned into a nursery – 4 years ago! So, school papers and party invitations on the fridge or in my car, recipes tacked to the fridge, bills in the dining room, rebates and coupons on our bulletin board…Would love to have one destination for everything!
Id be able to keep better track of all my different reciepts that I have.
I have receipts everywhere for our business, this would definitely help me get organized.
I have PILES of papers, receipts, and bills that need filed. It is such a daunting task, I try to avoid it! This would definitely help. I could send it all to the recycler instead of my office!
I would love to be more organized. I have art work, receipts, recipes, and so much more all cluttered around. Thanks for the chance to win!
Minta recently posted..Crooked Arrows
Oh, I so need help getting organized. My kitchen is a mess of paperwork. This sounds like it would be a huge help!
I have receipts in my purse, receipts in boxes, receipts in envelopes… everywhere! I NEED to get this under control and the NeatDesk will help immensely to organize my purchases and my spending!
It will allow me to organize my paperwork electronically thereby allowing me to get rid of the piles of paper that are burying us!
Thanks for the giveaway!
It would help me get rid of all the paper clutter!
The NeatDesk could tame all the receipts and paper stuff that ooze from every drawer and clutter every surface in my office.
my desk is a mess – this would be amazing!!
This would be great for my bills that I receive. By having a digital copy I’m able to easily sort through and organize all my bills. Also, I can digitally store the files in my cloud account as a backup.
Mary recently posted..L’ovedBaby Swaddling Blanket Review
I really need this. Please, pretty please!
i’ll be able to get rid of all the recipts i hold onto
nannypanpan@gmail.com
Twitter: I
October 24, 2012 at 3:11 pm
It’ll make it much easier for me to find things and make my desk area much neater by getting rid of all the paper clutter!
I’ll be able to set up electronic alerts on what to pay to make sure everything is on time & no more searching for important documents in a filing cabinet or closet.
It will help clear out the clutter and piles.
I’d love to be able to scan document and receipts and get rid of the heap of paper junk I have in our office!
it will decrease the piles of paper everywhere
I have about a billion business reciepts that I could dispose of and save tons of space with this bad boy!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
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I am disgustingly messy and coworkers stare at my desk and judge me. This would help me get organized and then it would help me make coworker friends!
I am totally drooling over this! My desk is so cluttered full of papers and I can never find anything!
it willhelp keep my desk free of paper clutter
It would help me eliminate the clutter and prevent me from losing important papers.
This would help me because I’d be able to finally get rid of all those notes lying around with phone numbers and other info.
Angie PreciselyMine recently posted..Palmolive Fresh Infusions Review
I am misplacing important papers all the time..it would be a lifesaver and convenient that I could use it with the desktop and take it with me when I use my laptop.
It would clean up my desk from clutter excess paperwork
It will help a lot.I dnt even want to step in my office e anymore
this would be nice to 5s my work space
finally something to get rid of that giant pile!
It would help us get rid of some clutter for sure
with this I could ge rid of all the lose papers floating around
This would help me keep track of my business receipts & all of my business contacts
It would help clean up the clutter of paper that I have everywhere
I would use it to organize reciepts for taxes
it will help with all my purchase receipts
How wouldn’t it?! I’d be able to scan in all of my paid bills and throw out the statements.
Maggie C recently posted..Happy October Weekend Giveaway – $25 Target gift card giveaway! Ends 10/29
i would use it for bills i am always misplacing
this would help me get all of my receipts and important papers organized my desk is a mess
It would help in a couple of ways. Reduce clutter and keep things organized. I have a problem with keeping this in order….just stacks and stacks.
There would be way less paper. I think it would also be able to find the information that I need.
it would reduce paper clutter and let us find what we need easier and more quickly
This would be great for my Brother!
I so need this for my home office.
Sheila recently posted..Be Kind To Your Body While You Exercise
i could be real organized with this
it will keep me better organized because I can find a receipt quickly instead of looking all over the house
- brich22 at earthlink dot net
It will help eliminate ton of paper clutter that I have around my desk and in my drawers!
Nikki recently posted..Ornaments With Love: Personalized Angry Bird Ornament Review
This would be very helpful organizing papers and receipts for taxes.
It will get rid of all the clutter on my desk!
I’d get rid of all my paper documents and just have them on the computer!
This would be great for organizing my mess!
Get rid of all these papers that are stacking up!
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I keep all of my receipts so you can imagine this would be amazing for me!!
I would use this with all our receipts – and my recipes!
Kristen recently posted..Fake It Frugal Thin Mints
It would make doing taxes so much easier being able to sort my receipts.
This would get rid of all the papers on my desk.
Deb K recently posted..ModaXpress Shopping Spree Giveaway 11/16
This would be great for important docs and receipts I need to keep.
I save so much stuff, like recipes, craft ideas, receipts, etc having this would allow me to save it all on the computer and free up a ton of space!
by organizing all of our receipts!
so I don’t organize any of my papers at all because there’s no time so they are all over the place. All over on the table and some parts of the floor. My organized papers are in folders and binders, but that’s if I have time to sort them, categorize them, and put it together.
I love this product! I have papers all over my house!
I think this would really make life simpler.
I am a writer and have scraps of notes, ideas, scenes all scattered about. I jot things down as they come to me. To be able to organize them to the appropriate project and have them at my fingertips when needed would be awesome. That and to help keep track of receipts.
I have a filebox for our papers, but they always just end up sitting in a pile on top of it.
Important documents, letters, clippings, photos, receipts, business cards, policy information and ideas sheets…Ah..to organize it all.
I am self-employed and have lots of receipts to enter for tax’s this would help so I would not have to do it by hand
It would help us greatly keep our taxes organized.
I seem to have stacks of paper everywhere- this would help me eliminate the clutter.
Sherry Conrad recently posted..Abraham-Hicks on your desires
it ill help keep clutter off my desk
It would allow me to keep those receipts necessary for tax purposes without having to keep the paper, which comes in multiple sizes, frequently quite small. In addition, even those that are kept just until a statement is reconciled would be easier to find.
My husband has 2 businesses and receipts for both. This would make it so much easier to organize all those receipts
Nadine L recently posted..WOOT Woot!! 4 lbs gone this week
Iit would help me get rid of and organize all my papers
https://twitter.com/Hotsnotty2/status/262548393908387841
I don’t know why- but Rafflecopter won’t let me enter!
Any way you can add me in somehow?? This would be PERFECT for me!!
My hubby works from home and he has TONS of stuff all over his office. This would certainly help.
It will help with organizing receipts and rebate forms.
I wont have so much paper clutter.
this will definitely help me organize important documents and receipts.
This is such a nifty little device that would help me clean up all the folders upon folders of paperwork and receipts that I have.
I am literally drowning in a sea of papers and this would change my life
My sister got one of these last year and swears by it. Now I want one!
I’d get reciepts out of my wallet and into my budget program much quicker
SMALL apartment.BIG desk mess! ~HELP!~
I can finally get rid of all the random receipts that are on my desk !!
This would get rid of my piles!
I’ve been wanting one of these for so long, but there’s no way I could afford one! I would use the NeatDesk to help me organize all my receipts and develop a budget. Plus I could scan all my favorite magazine recipes to the computer! That would be awesome.
it would reduce all the paper in my house
FREEBIES CITY recently posted..Kroger Is Sending Good Vibes Your Way This Tuesday Morning
My home office holds everything from blogging to bills to my kids’ homework papers and projects so this would come in handy.
Jo Ricker recently posted..From You Flowers-Review and GIVEAWAY
It would really help organizing our receipts for tax time!
sandysaveseveryday AT gmail DOT com
It would help me with receipts and statements that ever so slowly make their way to the filing cabinet.
Whitney at It’s Gravy, Baby! recently posted..Why You Should Buy a Phone Case ASAP #VZWA
i will use it to keep track of all my receipts.
This is such a cool idea! Love it!
I can finally get rid of my plastic bag filing system, lol
The neatdesk would help me to organize all of the receipts and other assorted papers that have been collecting. It’d also help in the kitchen since I could scan many of the printed recipes I’ve accumulated over the years.
This would help with my ever growing stack of papers on my desk!
This would be so helpful! I have a ton of papers in filing cabinets, in my computer desk cabinets, and tons of other places. As a teacher, this could help me big time!
It will help with clutter
It will help me keep digital copies of receipts and bills without all the clutter of paper and folders!
The NeatDesk will help organize my life by helping with my husbands business papers, my receipts, and I love to keep digital copies of my kids art!
I really, really need this! Maybe I could finally get organized!
I would be able to organize all of my paperwork and get rid of all the files.
It would help me be more organized.
I’m a single mom on disability and my teenage daughter & I have ADD so words could never describe how helpful this would be for us. She’s taking two AP courses in high school & with college around the corner…this would help her stay organized with scholarship and grant entries. S for me…I desperately need to eliminate paperwork and receipts! Thx for making this offer available! You rock!
I would finally get rid of all my paper files!!
This would make me so happy!! Hate the paper clutter!
My business files would be easier to file, my office would be free of loose paperwork and my wife would be happy.
It will get rid of my dreaded filecabinet!
We’re trying to be really good about our monthly budget and this would help us to organize receipts!
My whole family dumps everything onto my desk. So, I could really u8se this.