Top Flatbed Scanners by Consumer Reviewers

Epson Perfection V500 Photo Flatbed Scanner (6400x9600, USB 2.0, PC/Mac)

840 Reviews

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	Price: $179.99
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Review: The Epson V500 offers a whopping 6,400 ppi scanning resolution that makes it perfect for scanning photos and film and producing high-quality digital versions. Its LED light source means warm up time is virtually eliminated. Included with the V500 is Photoshop Elements, which gives any user access to high-end photo adjustment features, and ABBYY FineReader 6.0 Sprint for OCR scanning of documents and converting text into an editable format. But it is the scanning capabilities that make the V500 a standout. Install the included software and select the level of editing control you wish: Automatic, Home and Professional. Each level gives you the option of employing such features as dust-removal, color restoration and (in Home and Professional level) backlight correction. Controls are also located on the front panel that allows the user to scan photos and documents and convert them into a PDF, send an instant email of a scanned document) or copy the scan to your computer or printer. Scan speed on the V500 is comparable to similar scanners: about 25-30 seconds for a color photo at 300 ppi. And while the V500 does an adequate job scanning text, users who desire to scan multiple pages of text must purchase a separate automatic document feeds for just under $200. Otherwise, you'll have to place each page on the glass by hand, one at a time. But the V500 is, first and foremost, a photo scanner and for that purpose it performs more than admirably.

Epson Perfection V600 Photo Flatbed Scanner (6400x9600, USB 2.0, PC/Mac)

540 Reviews

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Shoplet.com	Price: $233.47
U-NEED-IT.com	Price: $263.05
TheNerds.net	Price: $215.99
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Review: The V600 by Epson is a great choice for the budget-minded. It boasts four dedicated buttons which allow you to quickly scan, copy, scan to email and create PDF files. Thanks to its ABBYY FineReader Sprint software, it also has the ability to turn your documents into various formats. This energy-efficient scanner provides crystal clear images with its 6400 x 9600 dpi resolution. It enables you to scan documents and photos from film and negatives for up to 17" x 22" and offers faster scanning than any of its competitors with its ReadyScan LED Technology. Installation was a snap to do. Just plug in the USB cable, turn the unit on and install the included software. On the other hand, its film holder could be further improved for an easier and quicker operation. It would also be great if it ships with the current version of Adobe's Photoshop Elements rather than version 7. The Epson Perfection V600 comes with 35mm slides and 6x22cm Medium-format Film Holders. With Epson's Easy Photo Fix, Digital Ice and Adobe Photoshop Elements, you can easily remove dust and scratches, fix the damages on old photos and bring them back to life. Overall, it produces high-quality scans at a relatively low price and it offers usability and features found on more expensive scanners.

Canon CanoScan 9000F Flatbed Scanner (48 bit Color - 48 bit Grayscale - USB)

445 Reviews

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Unbeatablesale	Price: $233.77
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Review: If you want to give your memories or old photos a place in your home but don't want to give up a lot of space or spend a fortune printing all of them, scanning is the best way to go. The Canon CanoScan 9000F, like most standalone scanners, is capable of high-quality and fast scanning. The film scanning guide frame and Film Adapter Unit can hold 35mm films and make sure that they are in their best possible quality and its 9600 x 9600 maximum color resolution for film and 4800 x 4800 for other media are very good, especially for the price. It can scan a maximum document size of up to 8.5" x 11.7" and the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Interface also permits quick data transfer to your computer. Similar to other Canon scanners, it is embedded with seven EZ buttons which permit one-click operation. It makes creating PDF files, email attachments, copying and scanning easier than ever. Those who don't like wasting their time would appreciate its convenient and time-saving features such as Zero Warm-up Time, Auto Scan mode which automatically recognizes, scans and saves your document or photo in the right format and Auto Document Fix which makes your images and text documents razor sharp and vibrant. It also corrects imperfections by removing dust and scratches as well as the annoying shadow when scanning pages from books, courtesy of FARE Level 3 and Gutter Shadow Correction. As for installation, it is not plug and play. You'll need to install the software that comes with the unit and register the product. On the bright side, instructions were easy to follow and it works seamlessly with Windows 7, Vista, XP and 2000 and Mac OS X v10.4.11 to 10.6.x. Along with the scanner, the setup software and the User's guide CD-ROM, you also get other useful software like Adobe Photoshop Elements, ArcSoft PhotoStudio and MP Navigator EX. The Canon CanoScan 9000F measures a total of 10.7" (W) x 18.9" (D) x 4.4" (H) and weighs 10.1 lbs, making it larger than most scanners. Some users however noted that the cable is a little short. Otherwise, it is another solid offering from Canon and it makes a premium choice for those who want an efficient and high-performance machine without paying the price of one.

Canon CanoScan LiDE 210 Flatbed Scanner

224 Reviews

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	Price: $77.99
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Review: The two best things about the Canon Canoscan LiDE210 Flatbed Scanner are its size and the fact that it draws power from a standard USB port which it also uses for data thus, eliminating the need for a power source nearby to plug into and also reducing the wiring around your workstation. Measuring 9.9" in width, 14.4" deep and 1.6" in height, this scanner is completely portable and can fit into a larger laptop bag with no problem, making it a great imaging solution for professionals on field assignments. With regards to power consumption, since it uses three-color LEDs as its main scanning element instead of fluorescent tubes, it draws much less power, peaking at a max consumption of 2.5 watts. There is virtually no warm-up time, also because of the LED scanning element. That is not all there is to the LiDE210, though. It may be small but it can scan documents and photos as good as a traditional scanner. Maximum color resolutions of 4800 X 4800 and a 48-bit color depth will do for everyday purposes but this product can interpolate those figures to an astounding 19,200 X 19,200 DPI using its software. It also scans in 16-bit grayscale and monochrome. It is very user-friendly, having buttons that automate the scanning process if you are scanning into the more common image file types as well as PDF. For further automation, an Auto Scan mode does all the work from selecting the type of source document to cropping to auto-saving into the appropriate format. The advanced Z-Lid of this scanner accommodates thicker media like books. The reduced height also works to its advantage in this respect. This unit can scan in one of three possible positions: portrait, landscape and even upright. On the contrary, there are a few disadvantages. For one thing, while drawing power from USB is definitely convenient, it's only good for scanning a few documents and not for heavy batch work when running off batteries. It also has excellent scanning of documents, but lacks in depth of field, which makes it not suitable for 3D scanning. The software supporting the scanner is a little cluttered and tricky to navigate, but put it on the most basic settings and it can be understood. It also has some extra programs but it provides the option to only install the essentials. Lastly, the Canoscan LiDE210 Flatbed Scanner is limited to scanning a maximum document size of only 8.5" X 11.7".

Epson Perfection V700 Photo Flatbed Scanner (6400 dpi Optical - USB, FireWire)

111 Reviews

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	Price: $739.99
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Review: If you need high quality scans of photos, negatives or other documents, the Epson Perfection V700is a great choice. Priced higher than most scanners, it has a lot of features and is built to last. It also remains relatively simple to use and is embedded with Epson's Exclusive Dual Lens System. Offering a high 6400 dpi resolution, it delivers the highest possible quality for your photos and other documents. The built in 8" x 10" transparency unit supports a wide variety of sizes including 35 mm film strips, 35 mm mounted slides, Medium format strips, 4" x 5" and 8" x 10" film. For easy image enhancement, this flatbed color image scanner is integrated with Digital ICE technology. In addition to Epson Copy Utility and Epson Scan with Epson Easy Photo Fix technology, you also get other software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements, LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast SE6 and ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus OCR. The bundled software is not the greatest out there but it enables you to get the job done. It is also possible to use other software to increase productivity. Installation and connectivity-wise, it is fairly easy as it has a FireWire and USB 2.0 interface and it supports major operating systems including Mac and Windows. It even comes supplied with a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable, an AC adapter and a power cable. In conclusion, while there are cheaper alternatives than the Epson Perfection V700, it is tough to beat. It can handle almost anything from organizing photos to scanning slides and negatives from years gone by.