Make receipt digitization smarter. [toto] Receipt scan series

I was shocked to hear such shocking news.
“Paper receipts” that inevitably appear when you are working
Even though it was a necessary thing to do when I was an office worker, I always felt that it was a pain to glue it onto paper and send it to the office.

“After scanning the receipt, I threw it away and it was fine…!?”

With the revision of the electronic ledger storage system starting in 2022 , such receipts will finally be available in a plan that is supported by cloud accounting software . I threw away the receipt (receipt) and it was OK .

I was overjoyed to hear the news, as I hated things that were a hassle more than most people, and I wanted to make my work as easy as possible, so I became knowledgeable about stationery.
I immediately installed an accounting software app on my smartphone, took a quick photo of the receipt, processed the expenses quickly, and tried to throw away the receipt.

Certainly, the process is more efficient and convenient than ever before.
The evolution of smartphone cameras has also contributed to improving the quality of receipt scanning capabilities.
If receipts can be digitized without the need for expensive scanners, and if there is no need for administrative work or space to store receipts for seven years, larger companies will likely encourage digitization in the future.

but.
however.
Humans are greedy creatures.

“There are still some troublesome parts.”
That's how I felt.
Not only did I feel this way, but I also created a tool specifically for scanning receipts with a camera, in cooperation with two stationery manufacturers.

The name of the tool is "toto receipt scan board"
As the name suggests, this is a tool that everyone who uses a smartphone camera to scan receipts for household accounting apps or expense settlements should use.
It's niche.
Extremely niche.
However, I couldn't help but make it.
This time I would like to introduce such a tool.

Troublesome things when scanning receipts with a smartphone camera

Why do you say it's so troublesome in the first place?
For those of you who are thinking that TV commercials say that you can easily pay your expenses by simply scanning the receipt with your smartphone, let me explain it to you.

First of all, even if you try to take a photo of a receipt on a desk, it often ends up looking a mess.
Of course I know that I can just clean it up, and it's not always like that.
However, if you want to make sure to scan and save receipts, you should put them away on the same day they occur.
Just when I'm busy, I have to clean up my messy desk, put down receipts, and scan them with a camera...it's quite a pain in itself.
It would be great if you could take a photo while holding the receipt in your hand, without requiring much space.

However, there are also problems when holding a receipt in your hand and photographing it.
First of all, your "finger" will be visible in the photo.
It's fine if you're just taking a photo of the receipt, but it's a good idea to keep it as proof of expense reimbursement.
Furthermore, depending on the ceiling lighting, your head or smartphone may be cast in the shadow, so be careful.
In that case, all you have to do is take a photo of your receipt using the clear holder you have lying around! If you try this, you may find that the ceiling light reflects off the clear holder, resulting in a white dot .

Furthermore, to put it fundamentally, the paper quality of the receipt itself is too weak.
A common thermal paper type receipt can become a mess if you just put it in your pocket.
No matter how hard you try to stretch it out, it won't become flat, and if you just put it on your desk, some parts will stand out, making it difficult to take good photos.

I'm sure there are some people who don't think that's a big deal, and I'm sure there are people who don't mind this type of work.
However, I'm a pain in the ass, so I can't leave this kind of trouble alone.
And I want to create a tool that can comfortably solve these problems! With this in mind, I decided to crowdfund.
Now, I would like to actually introduce what kind of item "TOTO Receipt Scanboard" is.

① A board that allows you to comfortably scan receipts anywhere

Through this crowdfunding, the ``TOTO Receipt Scanboard'' was created to eliminate as much of the hassle of photographing receipts as we have introduced so far.
The notebook-like black hardcover binding board and low-reflection sheet made by a long-established Japanese desk mat manufacturer make for a comfortable receipt scanning experience.

Setting up receipts is also easy.
Even crumpled receipts can be easily set on the TOTO Receipt Scanboard.
It becomes possible to take pictures with folded wrinkles neatly smoothed out.

The sheet that holds the receipt in place has a moderate amount of friction and static electricity. Therefore, even if you hold it at an angle, it will hold the receipt so that it won't fall off easily.
Also, hard cover binding boards are solid like a board and do not flex, so there is no need to bend them slightly to hold them straight like you would with a clear holder.
Therefore, you can scan receipts at any time without having to clean up your desk.

In addition, black vinyl paper is used for the surface of the binding board that serves as the background for receipts.
Personally, this is something I'm very particular about, and with a clear holder, things that are visible in the background will be reflected, making it less likely that the smartphone app will not be able to recognize the edges of the receipt.
The contrast between the black board and the white receipt was designed to allow the receipt to be quickly recognized by a smartphone camera.

In addition, the ``TOTO Receipt Scanboard'' was designed with attention to its appearance as stationery for adults.
By using magnets to secure the seat, there are no protrusions and the seat has a very minimal shape.

I believe that part of the functionality that tools should have is that people feel comfortable keeping them within easy reach as part of their daily life.
The binding board is manufactured by LACONIC, a domestic manufacturer that specializes in the production of notebooks , and is finished as a tool for adults.
We hope that the ``TOTO Receipt Scanboard'', including its appearance, will be used as a companion in an era when scanning receipts with a smartphone has become commonplace.

②Low reflective sheet prevents reflections from ceiling lights

It seems that if you put the receipt in a clear holder and take a photo, it will smooth out the wrinkles on the receipt and allow you to scan the receipt more clearly.
However, as I explained earlier, when you actually try this, the ceiling light may appear as a white dot in the image . However, it is troublesome to go out of your way to change the shooting location. Therefore, the ``TOTO Receipt Scanboard'' is equipped with a ``low-reflection sheet.''

A low-reflection sheet made by MIWAX, a long-established desk mat manufacturer in Japan , prevents reflections from ceiling lights.
In the image above, the clear holder (left) and the low-reflection sheet (right) are illuminated with light of the same brightness from the same height. The extremely fine embossing on the surface prevents reflections.

This is how the light is sent back and forth from side to side. You can see how the light spots from the light are not reflected on the low-reflection sheet on the right.

In addition, the low-reflection sheet, which directly affects the quality of receipt photography, is fixed with a magnet so that it can be replaced if it gets damaged or dirty, and can be easily removed and replaced from the binding board. .

In addition, the low-reflection sheet will be sold separately (planned selling price: 400 yen including tax) to the general public after the crowdfunding funds have been shipped.
Furthermore, all of the returns we are preparing this time come with an "entry pack" that includes one replacement low-reflection sheet as a spare, so you can use it without making any additional purchases for the time being. I would appreciate it if you could give it to me.
We hope that you will be able to use it for a long time while replacing the low-reflection sheet.

③Flap slide mechanism to prevent fingertips from hurting

The low-reflection sheet on the Toto Receipt Scanboard has been specially designed to prevent damage between the fingernails and other areas when turning it over .

By sliding the low-reflection sheet and pulling the flap outward, you can comfortably set the receipt without hurting the area between your fingers and nails when flipping the mat.
It takes some getting used to to take it out, but if it's difficult, you can easily take out the flap by removing the magnet fixing part and moving the low-reflection sheet.

Since the flap part can be stored away, the low-reflection mat can be stored without damaging it even when stored in a stand-type file box. Of course, if you always want to use it right away, you can leave the flap open and set it up to scan receipts more quickly.

I also made a wallet that you can put your receipts in.

Why do receipts get crumpled in the first place? While creating the receipt scan board ``toto,'' I thought about this very seriously.

``If you keep receipts in your wallet, you won't save money.'' I often hear people say this, but when they actually go shopping, they often have the items they want to buy in their hands, so they keep receipts in addition to their wallet. It is difficult to take out the pouch etc.

In order to answer these concerns, we developed the Toto Portafolio , a wallet that can hold receipts. "Portafoglio" is the Italian word for "portfolio" and means "billfold wallet." Porta means ``carry'' or ``keep,'' and Foglio means ``paper'' or ``banknotes.''

The portafolio neatly stores everything you need for accounting, such as banknotes, receipts, and passbooks. By carrying it separately from your personal wallet, it can be useful for managing your household finances, processing company expenses, managing receipts for your personal business, and collecting banknotes from the cash register at stores.

There are no dividers or pockets inside the portafolio. Instead, although it is thin, it has a gusset of approximately 1.5 cm, and contrary to its sleek appearance, it also has a solid storage capacity. You can also temporarily store credit cards that you often use to process expenses or small change that you receive as change for purchasing consumables.