Scanner Reviews

If you have both 35mm and medium format transparencies and or negatives to bring into the digital age, I heartily recommend the Nikon Super Coolscan 8000ED. Firewire equipped, it is designed to work easily with the current line of graphics capable computers. Its bundled software has worked well for me (using a MAC with OSX and Firewire) and features three special capabilities. (1) Digital ICE3 will gently remove scratches and dust saving you hours of retouching (it doesn't work well with Kodachrome and black and white silver based emulsions). (2) ROC will restore colors to faded slides. It really works! (3) GEM gives you the ability to affect grain appearance. For the highest resolution imaging (4000DPI) the process takes some time. You also need to make sure that you have a fairly up to date computer. Some serious computing is going on here and with file sizes in the hundreds of Megabytes, you can't run this with your TRS-80. I run the Nikon Scan 3 software separately from PhotoShop 7 so that I can run one while working with the other. Otherwise while it's scanning, it will lock up your PS from use. It comes with a myriad of trays which work generally quite well but it cannot handle stack loaders. This is strictly a one strip at a time scanner. After all, these are some serious file sizes. While expensive, the 8000ED is approaching the quality of a drum scanner without the mess and the expense. For most work this is truly going to deliver.

I'm brazilian studying in US and tring to make my english better. I got the pen to substitute my old portuguese/ingles dictionary and I'm happy i did so. i love to read at night and now i've switched to english books the is not way i can't live without the pen anymore. it's so practical.
the scanning takes a while to get used to. u can't go faster or slower, but after few tries u figure out the speed necessary.
the features are very good, you can personalize everything from idiom of interface, sound, etc...
I just think they could have put a background light. but as we always use good light to read it is not a big issue.
the battery is also great, last almost forever.
the case and the earphone in case you are in public and don't want to make noisy are very useful. the voice is very clear and many times even if i know the translation i use the pen just to get the right pronunciation.
what else can I tell? it keeps the last 70 words u scanned to easy reference. there is a menu u can enter words letter by letter in case u can't scan. the expression translation are great and helpful.
well i would recommend it to everyone learning english. they have other idioms as well. u can buy a upgrade in their website and get as many dicitionary as want including english/english.
i carry it everywhere and i must admit i dropped it several times but no sign of problem in more than a year i won the pen, they are very resistant. my friends keep me asking to borrow it all the time. i've bought 4 in the past months and i'm just ordering the 5th to a relative.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

PS: when i'm in my comuter i use babylon translator.. and with just a right click i get as much as I get from the pen.

this is an all inclusive scanner that has a great reputation!!

I purchased this for my sister, and she loves it! We have recommended it to everyone who has asked. I'm very glad I chose this one over many others on this site! Thanks Uniden for a class act in technology!

This scanner is one that all those who are interested in scanners should seriously think about getting. First, it allows for so much more than only police and fire scanning. You can read the manual (available for download at the time of this writing) aand see all the features. I am writing this review to talk about the ease of use, from the stand-point of someone who has limited mobility and has a disability. The buttons on this unit are easy to press. The dials are also easy to turn. It also is very easy to set up. It was set up for me in about 1 minute.

This is my third scanner, the first one I got in maybe 1995, then one again in maybe 1999.

Finally scanning is not a chore, it is amazing how fast this thing is. With my older scanners it could take a couple minutes to scan and my computer would often get messed up. This thing scans in seconds, seconds!

Just make sure you have a USB 2 port (if not you can get an expansion card for pretty cheap) and you're ready to go.

This scanner is so cheap too, the older model ones (8920) that aren't USB 2.0 are actually more expensive if you buy from a brick and mortar retailer.

The only thing I don't like about it is during setup they make you register electronically with the software maker, and that software maker will try to sign you up for some "Free offers" and it seems some scumware too. But just check no.

For the past several years I have used Epson flatbed scanners for both personal and business use. My Epson scanners provided a very good scan quality, and at a decent scan speed. The Epson software interface was ok, but not the greatest. Last week I decided to take a chance on this Xerox Documate 250, and I'm really glad I did. This thing rocks! I am amazed at how fast it scans stuff. And the scan quality is great. The software that comes with the scanner is really good, too. Much more user-friendly than the Epson software. Another neat feature is that this scanner will scan directly to PDF format. So no more cumbersome file conversion from JPEG's, BMP's, etc. I am seriously considering buying another Xerox Documate 250 (or another Xerox Documate model) for home and/or business use. I'm that impressed. I don't write many product reviews, so that should tell you something about this product.

I needed a scanner that worked in Windows 2000, and decided to take a chance - based on other reviews posted here - with the Epson Perfection 1200U. The short of it is, the scanner worked right out of the box. Setup was easy, the Windows 2000 drivers I downloaded from Epson's web site installed without a glitch, and the software bundled with the scanner can't be beat. I was especially delight to find included the Presto PageManager, which is a kind of ACDSee thumbnail browser (with myriad other functions), and with it's Presto!Wrapper utility, which saves your image in a self-executing file to send to friends who might not have imaging software. Very cool.

The scanner is also the fastest I've owned, and the Twain software for scanning is multi-configurable for auto-sizing, exposing, et al of your image. Very very nice.

I'm very very pleased with this scanner, especially after I had bought an Acer 620U on the sole basis of its supposedly being Windows 2000 ready - only to find (to my horror and frustration) that the drivers for the Acer were bug-ridden and conflicted with my USB Iomega Zip Drive. I also had a Mustek 600II-CD, but had to give it the boot when Mustek said they weren't planning on supporting Windows 2000. So you can imagine my delight when the Epson Perfection 1200U not only worked right off the bat, but proved to be an unbeatlable value for the money considering the superior bundled software (Presto! PageManager, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, Broderbund Print Shop Press Writer, and ArcSoft's PhotoPrinter). Further, the scanner is fast, quiet, the quality of the image output is excellent, and there are other features I haven't even begun to explore. Easy and simple for home use, powerful and multi-layered enough for business use (I do both). An excellent product!

Just bought one of these a few days ago for a big photo scanning project. After having a few installation problems (the plug and play detected that the scanner was a new device, but it couldn't find the installation files on the CD for some reasion, so I had to install it through the "Add Hardware" control panel. Not a big deal, though.)

I was a little worried about the quality of the TWAIN driver before I started using it - I've owned an Epson Stylus Photo printer before, and while the quality of the harware is second to none, the software is some of the buggiest and unreliable I've ever used. I must say, however, that the Epson software team did a great job on the TWAIN software - no problems whatsoever, and the automatic pre-scan function when you first connect via TWAIN is a nice little timesaver.

As for the scanner itself, I am extremely impressed by the quality and quickness of this thing. Compared to my old UMAX Astra scanner (a great product, by the way), this thing just blows the UMAX away! I am continually amazed how quickly it scans, and I've noticed no problems with the scans themselves (except for matte finish photos, which my other scanner had an even bigger problem with - I guess the light from the scanner reflects in a haphazard pattern, which causes the photos to look like they have a lot of dust on them. The descreening function helps a lot with this, though).

Overall a great scanner, and well worth the money.

I'm not a professional user, but I tried three different scanners in the Epson's price range and only the Epson provided me with essentially perfect scans right out of the box. I detected no color bias, excellent contrast range and the ability to duplicate (or improve) the original. Other reviews on the 'net bear this out.

This is my second Canon color inkjet. The first is just a printer, but based on my positive experience wiht that, I was confident in buying a Canon this time around as well. That confidence was reinforced with the MP730.

In a nutshell, the positives are:

- Surprisingly quick printing for an injet, even in color. Faster than the laser from just a few years ago that it replaces

- Excellent print quality -- tested it with color photos at full size and it's outstanding

- Very slick design... small footprint on the desk and looks good too.

- Both a flatbed AND fed copier -- this is very cool. I prefer to use the feeder most of the time (which is what my old multifunction had), but sometimes, if I'm copying a book or something, I wish I had a flatbed. This does both, again in a very compact size.

- Great Canon software and utilities for printing and other tasks

- Individually replaceable ink cartridges (saves money).

Just an outstanding unit -- I would have expected it to cost 2-3x it's price point.

The only downside, and this is a downside of inkjets generally, not the Canon specifically, is that ink is expensive and runs out faster than you think. Over the course of a couple years owning it, the cost of ink will likely outpace the cost of the printer itself.

But if you're deciding among multifunction units and among inkjets, this is a very good pick.

Even though more expensive than most competing products, this printer is worth the extra $$$. The print and copy speed is impressive. The print & copy quality is good on regular paper and is excellent on glossy photo paper. The fax quality is mediocre but I haven't experimented with the settings. Unlike some MFP's, the MP730 doesn't need the PC to copy or to send or receive a fax. I'm still using WIN98; the software installed quickly & easily and works very well. The unit is quiet and appears to be built to handle some abuse. The plastic seems to be heavier/thicker than that used on the HP's. The physical size is larger than fax or printer only units but it is the same size as comparable all-in-one models. The input paper tray is at the back of the machine so you can't push it flat against a wall but the MP730's output tray is slightly under the unit so the paper doesn't stick out as much as with the HP6110/7110. The advantage of the input tray at the back is a more straight through paper path which should result in less jams especially with thicker paper. The individual ink tanks should be less expensive in the long run. Depending on the volume, the initial price difference will be offset by on-going supply cost. Highly recommend.

Ok granted I've only had the unit a week or so...but it's been a really good week. Easy to get running and works like a dream, fax, scanner and copy unit are great and just printed out about a dozen foto's. This is a great buy.

After setting this up in about a minute I was scanning. The software/driver package is average. Warm up takes only a couple of seconds becuase it is not a CCD/lamp scanner, it is a CMOS scanner which requires less power and less components. Hopefully it will bring more reliability. USB powered. Easy for people to "borrow" or bring to a friends house. Just remember to lock/unlock it when traveling and scanning. Images are average but the speed is awesome. Beats my UMAX 1220U (1998) scanner by far. I'll probably try out epson scanners next, the quality and speed on that is supposed to be really good. If you are looking for fast, simplistic, reliable scanner, the LiDE 20 fits the bill without paying a big bill.

Like the previous reviewer (June 18), I debated on whether or not to get this scanner. But I figured the price was low and overall the reviews were very favorable. I'm glad I did. It is very easy to set up - just take it out of the box, install the software, plug in the usb cable and it is ready to use. Note: I only installed the drivers, not the image editing software because I use other programs instead, like Macromedia's Fireworks. It installed on Windows XP with no problems, and also interfaces with my image editing programs perfectly.

This scanner looks very good, and I like the slim design. I use lower resolutions because most of the scans are for the web or for viewing on a monitor - even at lower resolutions they look great. The biggest delay is when you make the first scan - it takes about a minute to calibrate. After that, the speed of the scans is relatively quick. It's nice not needing a power cord. Be advised that you will probably have to use a powered usb hub, not the one on the motherboard. I already had one so this was no problem.

Negative: when I scan multiple pictures, the software doesn't always recognize each picture - it sometimes combines more than one. Or, it chops off parts of the pictures. However, I might not be following the instructions so I'll give the scanner and software the benefit of the doubt here.

Overall for the price, this is an excellent value - good quality and good looks. I am happy with this purchase.

I just received my Canon Canoscan LiDE20 scanner and I must say that I'm quite impressed so far.

Software took about 20 minutes to install & it includes a good general image editing program, but I'm used to using Picture It that came on my system so I normally use the bundled software for the initial scan only, plus I don't like wasting time learning new software when I can use something I'm already familiar with. Also included was an OCR program (I've never used OCR that much and I probably won't use this one much either)

The scanner is very small and lightweight.

There's NO power cord, the scanner is powered through the USB cable (I have mine plugged into a POWERED USB hub and it works just fine)

The scanner is quiet while previewing or scanning.

Image quality is very good considering the price of the scanner.
I also considered the LiDE 30 that was a few bucks more, but I'm glad I saved the cash and got this model.

I've been scanning at 300 dpi and 400 dpi today, and after printing the images on photo paper I can't see much difference from the original.

The speed of the preview is good at less than a minute per page.

Depending on the resolution I'm using, the actual scan is quite fast also. Example: a 7" by 11" image scanned at 400 dpi takes a little over a minute to completely scan.

My old umax scanner (that won't work with Win XP) takes 2-3 minutes per preview and depending on resolution, takes 5-20 minutes per scan.

You have options for magazine, photo & other standard methods of scanning. I use the custom settings to raise the resolution to 400 dpi color. (I haven't scanned anything over 400 dpi yet, but I'll get around to that sooner or later) You can also change the image before scanning, including briteness & contrast, etc. I normally leave the other settings alone and tweak the images later.

I have noticed that unlike many other flatbed scanners I've used, the scan bulb is not lit at all times, only when scanning.

The scanner also features "ON FRONT" scan buttons, but I've never been a fan of one touch scanners, so I don't use them.

My only complaint is that after I scan images, onscreen they look pixelated and grainy, even if I use them in MS Publisher they look distorted. When the image is printed, it comes out just fine though.

Overall this is a great little scanner for the price.