Flatbed Scanners

Best multipurpose scanners for documents, photos

Flatbed scanners, which are the most common type of scanner for documents and photos, vary greatly in scanning features and accessories. Experts indicate that the relative value and performance of a scanner largely depends on a user's requirements. Unlike some other technologies, selecting the right scanner is not simply a matter of getting what you paid for. In fact, reviewers report that many lower-cost scanners rival their more expensive counterparts when it comes to scan quality, while some of the priciest models have features that exceed what most users will realistically need.

A case in point is the top-rated Canon CanoScan 9000F (*Est. $190) scanner, which offers a higher resolution of 9600 dots per inch (dpi) and a somewhat sleeker profile than its predecessor. Reviewers agree that flatbed scanners in this price category do a much better job, in general, with opaque materials such as photos and documents than they do with transparent slides and negatives. Most recommend a dedicated film scanner or higher end flatbed for scanning transparent materials, especially smaller originals.

In his review for Imaging-Resource.com, Mike Pasini compares the 9000F with the 8800F (its predecessor) and the Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner (*Est. $200), a close competitor. Pasini is impressed by the capabilities of all three flatbed scanners saying, "We have to applaud both Canon and Epson for shaking up the scanner world with affordable flatbeds that have the horsepower to scan film at a reasonable price." Overall, Pasini gives a slight edge to the 9000F for its higher resolution, and he prefers Canon's ScanGear software to Epson's included software. Another advantage of purchasing the Canon over the Epson scanner, according to Pasini, is Canon's one-year warranty, which includes free replacement of a defective product. 

The LED light source on all three scanners requires virtually no warm-up time, augmenting respectable scan speeds (fast on prints; slower with slides). Like the older 8800F, the CanoScan 9000F scanner includes Adobe Photoshop Elements and ArcSoft PhotoStudio for image editing, Presto PageManager document manager and ScanSoft OmniPage for optical character recognition (OCR), as well as dust and scratch removal tools. Dust and scratch removal are handled by Canon's proprietary FARE technology. The scanner is PC and Mac compatible, and it comes with a USB 2.0 cable.

PCMag.com's M. David Stone gives the CanoScan 9000F a "qualified recommendation" based on some problems he ran into when trying to scan 35 mm negatives. For scanning film negatives, Stone suggests the Epson Perfection V500 (*Est. $170), which is a PCMag.com Editors' Choice, or the Epson Perfection V600, both of which are better equipped for this task. "On the other hand," Stone says, "(the CanoScan 9000F is) somewhat better than the Epson scanners for prints and faster than the 8800F for slides." He says that if you're "positive you'll scan strips of film only rarely if at all, it just may be the scanner you want."

Several dozen user reviews of the CanoScan 9000F on B&H Photo's website are overwhelmingly positive. Contrary to what many of the experts say, B&H Photo customers have high praise for the CanoScan 9000F's ability to scan 35 mm slides. On the other hand, some owners on Amazon.com report disappointment with the quality of slide scans. A few reviewers on both sites mention problems with Epson's bundled software. Some contributors on Amazon.com and CNET complain about customer service. For scanning photos and documents, we give the Canon CanoScan 9000F an edge for its higher resolution, fast scan times and improved cabinet design, thus naming it our Best Reviewed scanner overall.

Budget flatbed scanners

Budget flatbed scanners may well meet the needs of users who mostly scan text documents and, perhaps, occasional photos. Resolution on budget scanners is generally lower than on their pricier cousins; however, many experts say a minimum optical resolution of 2400 dpi is more than adequate for most jobs. To keep the price down, budget flatbed scanners may also omit or downgrade features, such as resolution or bundled software. Users must evaluate their needs to determine which features are worth the extra cost.

Canon's CanoScan LiDE 110 (*Est. $60) gets an Editors' Choice award from PCMag.com. Reviewer M. David Stone says the LiDE 110 "stands out from the crowd for one simple reason. It's hard to find another flatbed photo scanner today that doesn't include film scanning." The omission of a film scanning feature lowers the cost and makes the LiDE 110 "an all but irresistible bargain" and "an easy pick for Editors' Choice," Stone says. The LiDE 110 offers 2400 pixel per inch (ppi) optical resolution. Stone says scan quality is "reasonably high" and adds that users can try to improve scan quality by adjusting settings in the Twain driver (scanning software). Stone says, "The driver offers both an Advanced mode that gives you lots of control but might be a little overwhelming for less knowledgeable users, and a Basic mode with fewer choices." He says the photo restore feature did a particularly good job restoring color to faded photos in his tests. The LiDE 110 is not meant for heavy office use, but it does come with optical character recognition software that can convert scanned documents into searchable PDF files.

PCMag.com also awards the Canon CanoScan LiDE 110 its Greentech Approved seal. Stone says the scanner qualifies for the seal because it meets certain energy saving requirements, uses a mercury-free LED light source that eliminates warm-up times and is fully powered by a USB connection. "In addition," says Stone, "it's built in a manufacturing facility designed for energy efficiency (ISO 14001 certified), and Canon has a recycling program in place for the scanner."

Reviews on Amazon.com skew positive, with owners praising the good quality of the LiDE 110's scans, ease of use and portability (the unit weighs only 3.5 pounds). We read complaints that the LiDE does not scan edge to edge, so anything in the margins is cut off. One user notes that there is no printed instruction manual included, and another would like to have a longer USB cable included with the scanner.

Another highly regarded budget scanner is Epson's Perfection V300 Photo (*Est. $95), which gets top marks from multiple reviewers and is also a PCMag Editors' Choice. Macworld's testing finds that the V300 produces scans with very good color, clarity and quality, even on transparencies such as film and slides. Speeds, according to reviewer James Galbraith, are also "zippy," especially when compared to scanning on multifunction devices. PC World's Richard Jantz concurs, saying that speeds are some of the best he's seen, while quality is equally impressive. His only complaint is that the placement of the V300's cable connections near the front of the scanner is unsightly. User reviews at Amazon.com and Newegg.com are also uniformly high, though there are scattered complaints about Epson's customer service on both sites.

Typical of its class, the Epson Perfection V300 has 48-bit color depth, an 11-by-17-inch scanbed and USB connectivity. It also has a 35 mm film adapter with a six-negative or four-slide capacity. It has Epson Scan and other software bundled with it, though the V300 doesn't include such frills as Photoshop Elements or Firewire connectivity.

Flatbed scanners for photographers

At the other end of the price scale, reviewers say the Epson Perfection V700 (*Est. $540) and its upgraded line-mate, the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro (*Est. $720) are the best choices for professional photographers and advanced amateurs looking for the ultimate in photo, slide and film scanning. The Epson V700 comes with a dual-lens system -- one scans at 4,800 dpi and the other scans up to 6,400 dpi for larger files. The V750-M Pro scanner's upgrades include a more sensitive optics system, an antireflective coating on the scanbed glass, a high-reflectivity mirror and a fluid mount kit that manually fills dust and scratches, even on monochrome film (a feat that's out of reach for the oft-praised Digital ICE technology).

Most critics place the Epson V700's and V750-M Pro's scan output at the top of their class. The exception is Macworld's James Galbraith, whose tests find scans skewing toward red and then appearing "muted" when adjusted to correct the tint. Galbraith also refers to the 6,400 dpi scanbed as "overkill," and he encourages shoppers to consider whether they will legitimately need such high optical resolution when other able scanners with 4,800 dpi resolution are available for hundreds of dollars less.

Editors at the German site ScanDig put the Epson V700 to test against dedicated film scanners to determine whether it could work as an "all-in-one solution," editors say. The V700 falls short of their standards when scanning film negatives, they say. ScanDig editors say that for occasional film scanning that does not require extremely high professional quality, the V700 can do the job. They add, "It is great, that one can use nearly the entire surface for the scanning of transparent media and can this way scan almost everything that is transparent and flat, up to a size of 8x10."

In general, ScanDig's complaints about scan quality are not echoed by other experts or consumers. CNET calls the Epson Perfection V700's scan output "excellent," with "decent color accuracy," and PCMag.com dubs scan quality "among the best we've seen." Customers at Amazon.com and on the B&H Photo website consistently give the Epson Perfection V700 high marks, calling it a "workhorse" and often saying it performs beyond their expectations. There are some complaints about issues with software or dissatisfaction with Epson customer service, though.

The Perfection V700 and V750-M Pro scanners offer 48-bit color depth, legal-size scanbeds, and USB and FireWire connectivity. Each has an 8-by-10-inch transparency adapter built into the lid and four film holders accommodating a variety of film and transparency formats, including 35 mm slides, 35 mm negatives, medium-format and 4-by-5-inch film.