I've got rather a large number of big documents which need scanning into my computer.

I've (so far) dumped 32 36-gallon barrels of shreds from stuff I've been "digitizing" to get room to crawl through the house. I may be about half done, but I doubt it. I hope you've got a little less(?).

I've had some experience with hand scanning some years ago, and see no real improvement. Results then were truly ugly, and haven't really improved a lot from what I see. You can use "mechanical aids" to scan a fairly straight line, but variations in scan speed produce a really "lumpy" result, with all that I've seen people try to use.

You also should be aware that there's a lot of "ad-speak," and little useful information even in the "technical specifications" you can get from the scanner sellers.

One outfit advertises a "travel scanner" that they say makes it possible to just slap "anything" on the slot and get a scan. At least one offers a "lid" that you can open so that you can move the scanner over the page. Most run on batteries, with internal memory so you can download the scans to your computer when you get back home. But it took me about three months of searching to find that "anything" means "anything less than 5 inches wide." Okay for toll-road tickets(?), but not much good for lading manifests and driver logs.

There are lots of fairly inexpensive desktop scanners, and for a little bit more you can get one with an "automatic document feed" that will scan a whole stack (usually up to 30 sheets or so) a lot faster than you can do it on a flat bed; but there are none that I've found that accept anything more than the US A-size/A4 narrow width in the feeder. Most ADF scanners will go to 14" length (US "legal size"), and a few will run longer (but only 8.5" wide) pages.

As you've probably found, anything larger than A4/letter size runs $kilobuck$.

Most "quick print" shops will have scanners that can take larger pages. If they're "separable" they'll run them for you. They can save the individual scans as (e.g.) jpeg files. Some may have large format ADF style that can scan two sides and assemble document files (usually pdf?). You don't have to have them just print to paper. Some places have "self-service" scanners you can rent to do it yourself, which might be better if you have to scan books without taking them apart.

Depending on your end putpose, you might get the large pages printed to a "reduced size" so they'll go on your scanner, or feed through an ADF Scanner you might want to get if you've got $250-$350(?) to put into the project.

Small ADF scanners that claim 2-sided scanning, in my experience so far, should be called "shredders" rather than scanners. I tried an HP that ate more paper than it scanned, but have been pretty happy with the Epson (GT-S50 - one side scans) that replaced it. I just completed a scan of my newest truck's Service & Overhaul Manual (4x 3.5" thick volumes, 8.5 x 11 sheets, ~9,800 pages) scanning one side to separate jpg for each page, batch file renumber front scans to odd numbers. Scan the back sides, flip the numbers to get them in order and renumber them even. Merge the file lists & drage them onto the pdf converter program. (The end pdf files are ~9.8GB. It took about 6 days. I recovered about 15 inches of shelf space.)

Depending on your actual number of scans, I'd suggest:

1. Check with the Library as mentioned above.

2. Check out a cost estimate to have one of the quick-print shops do a scan to file for you.

3. Check the same print shops for whether it might be better to have them print to smaller size, so you can scan them yourself more easily.

4. Accept that PhotoMerge actually works and that you've got more time than money. Scan each page in pieces on the flatbed and stitch them together.

Another option that I haven't really checked out - Nuance (and probably others) offers a "Document Organizer" (I'll have to check the name) that they claim has "automatic correction of photos" to convert them to PDF documents - or anything else you want, so that you can take a picture with your 'phone and turn it into a clean document (or artwork?). I think it's more ad-blab than reality, but it could be interesting if you want to drop about $300(?) and you have a decent digital camera.

John