Recently I had a chance to meet one of my old friends after a gap of 20 years. Over a glass of wine, we cherished our old memories. He took out his MacBook and started showing me the old photos of our school days which he recently scanned with his scanner. Although I enjoyed going back the memory lane but honestly, I did not like the image quality of the photos. There were scratches here and there and some were faded at the corners. Being an IT professional, I suggested he buy a good photo scanner that comes with automatic image correction features and software to enhance and manage the pics.
After I reached home I wondered how good it would be to share my experience with all those who wish to buy the best photo scanners of all time. So, here I have this guide just for you all to buy a good photo scanner and preserve your precious memories embedded in photos.
Reviews of Photo Scanners
1 Plustek Photo Scanner
This is a trouble-free and easy-to-use photo scanner. It is equipped with CCD (charge-coupled device) image sensors that auto-crop and deskew the images automatically while scanning.
It is a fast scanner and you can scan a 4×6-inch image in two minutes. It comes with a unique design that lets you insert the photos one by one from the top and is much more efficient than a flatbed scanner.
Old memories in paper form are often faded but with the powerful included software, you can easily enhance these photographs digitally. With a user-friendly interface, the software also lets you share these saved pics with your friends and relatives on various social media accounts.
The Plustek scanner is compatible with both Mac and Windows OS.
2 Epson FastFoto FF-680W Scanner
One of the high-speed photo scanners, Epson FF-680W offers many innovative features apart from basic scanning functionality. With smart photo fix technology, you can customize the photographs by color enhancement and moreover, it also helps in red-eye reduction.
The other feature that makes it unique among other scanners is its ability to scan both sides of the photograph in one go. It will help you keep any personal remarks on the backside of the photo.
Furthermore, you can also scan other documents at a high resolution of 1200 dpi and keep your home or office paper-free. With the bundled software, you can share pictures not only on social media but save them on a cloud-like Google Drive.
3 Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1400
Colored black, this is an elegant and sleek scanner that is not going to create any clutter on your office desk. It has an ADF with a maximum capacity of 50 sheets of paper and also supports double-sided scanning.
The scanner intelligently detects and corrects the colors and is capable of auto-rotating the images in the correct position, if needed. As far as connectivity is concerned, the scanner comes with both USB wire and WiFi connectivity.
Furthermore, you can directly scan the images or other documents to the cloud locations like Dropbox, Evernote, or Google Drive. The scanner is compatible with both Windows and iOS operating systems.
The bundled software can extract the contacts from the cards and you can export them to Excel or Outlook easily.
4 Canon CanoScan 9000F
Compatible with both Windows and Mac, the notable features of this scanner include easy setup, low power consumption, and fast warming up. The image scanner comes with automatic retouching software that removes any scratches or dirt marks from the documents.
This is a professional film and image scanner and you can also scan 35mm photo films and other business documents in a high resolution of 9600 dpi. A 48-bit color depth ensures you get clear and vivid colors in the final digitized output. It is a flatbed type scanner that comes with My-Garden image management software that helps in enhancing the overall image quality of the document.
5 Doxie Flip Portable Photo Scanner
This is a hand-held scanner that lets you scan old memories, coins, portraits, keepsakes, ticket stubs, Polaroids, index cards, pocket notebooks, letters, stamps, paper photos, or sketches. You can easily digitize all these input files and share them instantly on social media or save them to the cloud directly after the scan.
Furthermore, the bundled software with this photo scanner helps you to organize all the scanned files and the auto stitch feature enables you to merge small images into bigger ones.
The software also allows you to enhance the images by changing the contrast levels or cropping them, if necessary. You can scan images up to 600 dpi resolution and the Doxie Flip scanner saves the files on a built-in SD card. It is lightweight and compact and is a must for on-the-go scanning.
6 Epson PV850 Pro scanner for Professionals
This is a professional series scanner from Epson and is the right choice for those who want fine detailing in digital output. The notable features include a dual-lens system for 4800 and 6400 dpi resolutions respectively, a 4.0 Dmax engine for fine picture detailing, and five sets of film holders for increased versatility and productivity.
Unlike other scanners that come with warming bulbs, the Epson PV850 is equipped with No-Warmup LED technology. With the one-touch easy photo-fix feature, you can induce a new life in old faded photographs.
The SilverFast SE plus software further helps you to edit shadows, sharpening or scaling the digital images. Check More details.
7 Epson E11000XL-GA Expression Photo Scanner for Graphic Artists
If you are an artist or a painter and want to convert your oil or water paintings into digital images, Epson E1000XL is the best photo scanner to express your creative thoughts. With large format support, you can scan photos as large as 12.2″ x 17.2″. What makes the quality of this scanner stand out in the crowd is its CCD technology, that is known as the best digital imaging technology, so far.
Although it has a large bed size, the scanner operates quietly and produces clean digital photos in a quick time. Apart from watercolor paintings, the scanner is capable of capturing the details from textured or canvas paintings.
The scanner is highly recommended since it has already received positive reviews across the globe from its satisfied users.
8 Brother DS-620 Mobile Scanner
This is a compact, sleek, and mobile scanner that fits effortlessly into a business or a travel bag. It is a multi-purpose scanner that can scan photos, documents, tickets, ID cards, invoices, and much more. It is a fast photo scanner that scans eight pages per minute. It produces images at a resolution of 600 dpi and is a testament to the high quality of digital files. You can install the scanner in Linux, Windows, or Mac environments, and is also compatible with BR receipts for organizing, managing, and exporting scanned receipts to QuickBooks. Overall the scanner is the best fit for home and business purposes. This portable photo scanner comes with DSmobile scan software and you can also search the PDF files by inputting the relevant keywords.
Photo Scanners for Everyone
Instead of going for a low-priced average-quality scanner, you can consider these top-quality scanners. The list includes scanners from various brands good for both amateurs and professionals. Depending on your budget and specific needs, you can pick the best image scanner for you. If you are already the owner of a photo scanner not mentioned here, do share your experiences with us.
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