# Brother DS-640

Source: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-document-scanner/brother-ds-640
Ranked #4 in "Best Document Scanner 2026: 10 Ranked": https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-document-scanner

- Price: £94.83 (checked on Amazon UK on 2026-10-10)
- Amazon rating: 4.3 from 2,043 ratings
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B083ML7X9B?tag=ranked10-21

## Is the Brother DS-640 worth buying?

Yes, the Brother DS-640 is worth buying at £94.83 if your paperwork is receipts, ID cards and the odd single-sided form rather than weekly stacks. It scans 15 pages per minute at up to 1200 dpi, and 2,043 buyers rate it 4.3, which is a deep owner base for a machine at this price.

It is the cheapest way into 15 ppm scanning in this price bracket, and Brother covers it with a 3-year warranty, with spare parts available for 2 years after purchase. What it is not is a batch machine: it takes one sheet at a time and scans one side, so 50 pages means 50 feeds and a slow afternoon.

## What does £6.32 per page per minute mean in practice?

Divide the £94.83 price by the 15 pages it scans in a minute and the Brother DS-640 costs £6.32 for every page per minute of throughput, the lowest figure of the ten scanners ranked for 2026. Money put on speed here is speed you actually get, rather than a number on a box you never use.

That 15 ppm is a real working rate for the jobs this machine is built for. Scan ten receipts and you are done in well under a minute, and an A4 invoice comes out at 1200 dpi with 24-bit colour output or 8-bit greyscale, which is sharp enough for text, stamps and signatures. It draws 2.3 W in use, so it never asks a laptop for more than a USB port can give.

## What comes in the box and how big is the Brother DS-640?

The box holds one piece: the scanner itself, at 390 g. It measures 7.6 cm deep, 16.2 cm wide and 37.7 cm long, so it takes a corner of a desk while in use and drops into a laptop bag afterwards. Brother's scanning software is included for Windows and macOS.

Setup is a USB 3.1 Gen 1 connection and nothing else, because the DS-640 draws its power down the same cable and needs no mains adapter. The 37.7 cm length is the figure to check against your bag, because the paper path runs along it. A 3-year warranty and 2 years of spare part availability back the hardware up.

## Where does the Brother DS-640 fall short?

There is no automatic document feeder. Every sheet is placed by hand, so a 40-page contract is 40 separate feeds, and the quoted 15 pages per minute only happens while you keep handing it pages in the right order. If that sounds like your week, this is the wrong £94.83.

It also scans a single side per pass. A double-sided invoice needs two runs and you reordering the pages in between, which is where a duplex machine earns its extra money. There is no Wi-Fi and no battery either, so it stays tethered to the laptop it is plugged into, and the 37.7 cm footprint wants more desk than the 390 g weight suggests.

## How does the Brother DS-640 compare with the DS-740D and the LiDE 300?

The Brother DS-740D costs £139, which is £44.17 more, and scans the same 15 ppm, but it captures both sides in a single pass and comes in at 1 kg. Its owner record is stronger too, with 4.4 from 1,079 buyers. Anyone who regularly handles double-sided paperwork should pay the £44.17; anyone who does not keeps the cash.

At the other end the Canon LiDE 300 is £54.99, so £39.84 less, and it is a flatbed at 2400 dpi for loose pages and photographs rather than a feeder of any kind, at about 6 pages a minute. Buy the DS-640 when you want a quick portable sheet-feed scan, and the LiDE 300 when the originals are awkward, flat items that need placing on glass.

## Specification

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Listing title | Brother DS-640 Document Scanner, USB 3.0, DSMobile, |
| Scanner type | Handheld scanner |
| Brand | Brother |
| Model name | DS-640 |
| Connectivity technology | USB, 3.1 Gen 1 |
| Product dimensions | 7.6D x 16.2W x 37.7H centimetres |
| Resolution | 1200 dpi |
| Item weight | 390 g |
| Wattage | 2.3 watts |
| Colour depth | Output: 24bit Bits |
| Standard sheet capacity | 1 |
| Network Connectivity Technology | USB, 3.1 Gen 1 |
| Color Depth | Output: 24bit Bits |
| Optical Sensor Technology | Other |
| Greyscale Depth | 8-bit |
| Media Type | Business Card, ID Card, Paper, Photo, Receipt |
| Item Dimensions D x W x H | 7.6D x 16.2W x 37.7H centimetres |
| Minimum System Requirements | Windows, macOS |
| EU Spare Part Availability Duration | 2 Years |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 04977766800495 |
| Box Contents | 1 piece |
| Item Type Name | Portable Document Scanner |
| Manufacturer | Brother |
| Product Warranty | 3 Years |

## Questions people ask

**Does the Brother DS-640 need a power socket?**

No. The Brother DS-640 is powered and connected by the same USB 3.1 Gen 1 cable and draws 2.3 W, so a laptop port is enough. That is why it suits reception desks, site visits and working on a train, where no mains outlet is free.

**What warranty does the Brother DS-640 come with?**

It carries a 3-year warranty, and Brother keeps spare parts available for 2 years from purchase. The scanner itself arrives as one piece, with the scanning software supplied for Windows and macOS.

**Can the Brother DS-640 scan receipts and ID cards?**

Yes. It handles paper, receipts, business cards, ID cards and photos, up to A4, one sheet at a time. The 1200 dpi optical resolution and 24-bit colour output are enough for the small print on a thermal receipt.

**What resolution does the Brother DS-640 scan at?**

Up to 1200 dpi, with 24-bit colour output and 8-bit greyscale for black and white documents. For everyday paperwork 300 dpi greyscale keeps files small, and the higher settings are there for signatures, stamps and fine print.

**Does the Brother DS-640 work with a Mac?**

Yes, it runs on Windows and macOS with Brother's included scanning software. Both systems connect through the same USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, so there is no separate Mac version to buy.

**How big and heavy is the Brother DS-640?**

It is 390 g, and it measures 7.6 cm deep, 16.2 cm wide and 37.7 cm long. The length covers the paper path, so it fits a laptop bag but wants a clear run behind it while scanning.