Brother DSmobile 720D
Pros
- Low cost.
- Portable.
- Duplex (two-sided) scanning.
- Comes with capable document management software.
CONS
- Although it comes with business card software, it doesn’t handle business cards well.
Bottomline
Brother DSmobile 720D has the ability to scan both sides of a document makes it capable than most portable manual-feed scanners. One step ahead to other flatbed scanners it has the ability to scan on both sides of the paper at once (duplex) which gives it more capability while comparing to others.
It measures 1.6 by 11.4 by 2.6 inches (HWD), which is little bigger than simplex scanners like Roadwarrior 3 and Brother DSmobile 620.
Setup & Software
Setup is standard. It can be connected to a system running Windows Vista. It comes up with software which includes Twain Driver, Scan Utility, Nuance Paperport 12 SE etc. The Nuance Paperport 12 SE helps in document management and Twain driver helps to scan from most Windows programs. In addition to it, it has Optical Character Recognition (OCR); and NewSoft Presto! BizCard 6 for business-card scanning.
In addition to this it comes with an option for downloading BR-Receipts, a program for managing expense receipts. Normally, you have to register the scanner online before you can download the program. For this review, however, Brother provided a copy on disc.
Scannning & Performance
The DS – 720 D comes with the same scan utilities as with Brother mobile scanners. The utilities are good enough for scanning to image formats, including JPG and image PDF. The program offers document management features which helps to organize and send files to programs or other destinations. The time of the scan depends upon manual feeding and when I tested for scanning at 300 pixels per inch (ppi) and black and white mode, I timed the scanner at an average rate of 13 seconds for scanning one page in both simplex and duplex which is good. It took about three to four seconds more while converting the image to text format.
Results for text recognition is not so impressive, but acceptable with reading Times New Roman test page at sizes as small as ten points and our Arial test page at sizes as small as eight points without a mistake.
One of the demerits for DS-720D is that it didn’t handle business cards or receipts well. The feeding is not a problem but when the combination of scanner and BizCard made three or more mistakes and I didn’t find the BR-Receipts software to be useful.
Conclusion
To conclude if you are looking for a scanner that supports business card DS- 720D is not a good option. But if what you need is a manual-fed portable scanner or small scanner for your desktop, the Brother DSmobile 720D can handle both text recognition and document management applications well enough to make it worth considering and makes it Editors Choice.
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Canon Canoscan 9000f film and negative scanner
Pros
- Led light source largely eliminates warm-up time.
- Fast high quality scan for prints and 35 mm slides
Cons
Has trouble handling strips of film correctly.
Bottomline
The Canon Canoscan 9000f features delivers fast and high quality scans. It is Canons latest high and consumer level flatbed scanner from Canon. While taking the overall output it does an extremely good job with photograph prints but less for film i.e., it can be served as for both document and photos. In addition to the above features it comes up Optical Character Resolution (OCR) which focus on photos which helps in restoring faded color in photos and removal of dust. In line with high quality of photos it is designed in such a way that it has the ability to scan film.
Setup & features
The setup is simple by installing the software and the scan head and play the power code and supplied USB cable. Another important feature is that canon scanner comes with a full set of drivers and software for windows7 2000 and XP and also for Mac OS * 10.4.11 through 10.6.
For photo scanning it comes up with two photo editors. Aresoft Photostudio 6 and Adobe Photoshop elements like other flatbed scanner the installation route installs and WIA drivers and Canon own scan utility which helps you to scan from any windows program with single command.
The top front of the system is comprised of 7 button which can be used for starting the scan. The button includes scanning in color, black and white, copy email and custom and finish button. Custom button helps you to define the system. In addition to the auto scan button automatically identifies the type of document or photo in the scanner and then scans and saves.
Scan quality
One of the best features of 9000f is the scan quality which is excellent. Even the slight color shift and slight loss of detail in dark areas will be unnoticed. 9000f can handle upto 35mm slides. The PPI (pixel per length) is 9600 PPi. One element that noticed is issue with the strips of 35mm negatives i.e., one of the four frames on the film refused to recognize and kept previews of only three photos. As far as Canon is concerned it happens by a white bridal grown extending to the edge of the frame so the automated feature couldn’t find it.
Speed
As like other scanners 9000f uses an LED light source which gives consistent scan speeds and eliminate warm up time. It took around 13 second for scanning a 46 by 6 photo at 300 ppi. For slides it took 41 seconds to scan at 2400 ppi. The text recognition works well so that it can be more limited to office use.
Conclusion
Comes with a one year warranty and the scan quality and faster speed it is better option than 8800f. If you are looking for scanning 35mm negatives you can go for V500, V600, etc. The overall features for a suitable office prints make Canon Canoscan 9000f Editors choice.
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Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner
Pros
- High-quality scans.
- Fully automatic mode for easy scanning.
- Scans both 35mm and medium-format film.
Cons
- Scans only four 35mm slides at a time.
- Weak on office tasks.
Bottomline
The Epson Perfection V600 Photo offers high-quality scans for prints and both 35mm and medium-format film, plus an exceptionally easy-to-use scan utility. As the name indicates it is a perfect one for photo scanner as it comes with excellent features like 6,400 pixel-per-inch (ppi) Optical Resolution as well as scan medium-format film, including 120/220 and the entire range of panoramic formats up to 6 by 22 centimetres. It can scan upto our 35mm slides or two strips of 35mm film at a time. In addition to it, it includes Digital ICE a hardware which helps to remove dust and scratches for both prints and films.
Setup & Basic Scanning
Setup is typical for a flatbed scanner. It can start by installing the software, plugging the power code and supplied USB cable and then you can turn the scanner on. The software can be used is Windows Vista, but it comes with full set of software for Windows 7, XP, 2000 and Mac OX 10.3.9 through 10.6.Like most scanners, by using a scan command you can scan with the help of TWAIN and WIA drivers. In addition to it, it also included Adobe Photoshop Elements and Abbyy FineReader 6.0 Sprint for Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
The utility scanning starts from your computer by using one of the four buttons on the scanner itself. Out of the four buttons, three for copying, e-mailing and saving to a PDF file respectively and the other one brings up the scan utility on your PC. Scanning to utility file is excellent with Epson utility. You can add another page by pressing a button on the screen or the scanner, after scanning each page, or end the scan by pressing a different button.
V600 has a wide ranging odd scanning from fully automatic to fully manual. The Full Auto Mode lets you simply hit a scan button. Professional mode gives you full manual control, while home mode and office mode add manual control over selected settings.
For faded originals, the driver offers a color restore option. The driver comes up with dust removal and the hardware-based Digital ICE, which takes multiple, scans and analyzes them to find and remove the dust and scratches.
Scan Speed and Quality
The V600 scan speed is typical of flatbed scanners for both films and prints. The warm up time is eliminated with the help of LED light source, and it also has the advantage over traditional Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL) of not containing mercury, which makes them more environmentally friendly as well.
For pre-scan V600 took 28 to 29 seconds automatically adjust settings, and then scan a 4-by-6 photo at 300 ppi and 400 ppi. In professional mode it took 6 seconds to pre-scan plus 9 seconds to scan. It took 1 minute and 4 seconds Using Digital ICE in Professional mode.
For slides in full automatic mode it took two and a half seconds for maximum four slides where the driver will automatically adjust the settings. It took 35 to 36 seconds for a normal scan for manually scanning a single slide at 2400 ppi and 4:31 with Digital ICE.
While taking the OCR program V600 managed to read Arial test page at 6 points and Times New Roman test page at 8 points without
Conclusion
While comparing to V500 it is much more capable in offering scan quality and speed and offers additional flexibility for medium format film plus Digital ICE for prints as well as film. The above aspects make it perfect photo scanner and worth for your money.
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Epson Perfection V800
Pros
- High quality scans for photographs prints.
- Scan modes range from full auto to full control over.
Cons
- Doesn’t come with a photo editor or any other application programs
Bottomline
Although it comes under the category of flubbed scanners i.e., they can photograph prints its real value is a film scanner. It aims at photographers who insist on high quality scans because it can handle both positive and negative film ranging from 35 m to as large as 8 by 10 inches.
Epson always comes with high quality products and V800 is just next to Epson perfection V700. The features are almost similar including 6400 pixel per inch (pi) Optical Resolution and 4.0D Max Rating. The D-Max Rating helps to distinguish the small charge in shading over the full range from white to black. The performance of V800 is better than V700 and the improvement comes in introduction of LED light source which eliminates the warm up time.
Basics, Setup and Scanning
The V800 measures 6 by 12.1 by 19.8 inches and weighs 14 pounds and 10 ounces. While considering the measures it is bigger than most flat beds. The setup is standard. The difference is while comparing to other models is that it comes up with Epsons own scanning utility and laser oft imaging inc’s Silverflat SE8.
Silver fast is a third party scan utility which is harder to use while comparing to Epson scan but results in better scan quality.
The film holders supported by EPSON are one each for 35mm slides 35 mm strips of film, medium forma films upto 6 by 20 centimetres and 4 by 5 inch film. A separate film area guide is set up for 8 by 10 inches. The scanning process is completed by launching Epson Scan or Silverfast SE8 scan.
The three modes by which the Epsons scan works is the full automate home mode and professional mode. The full auto mode is much like point and shoot mode for camera and the home mode gives control over a few options which lets you to do previous scan and adjusts brightness and contrast. The control over color balance saturation and tonal curve adjustments can be done through professional mode. In addition to this all three modes offers automate color, restoration for faded images.
Performance
For full scanning the slide holders help you to insert 12 slides of 35mm and strips of film. It can be scanned through a single command which fastens up the scanning process. The scan quality was excellent at the maximum Optical Resolution of 6400 ppi and impressive at the 2400 ppi. The V800 was excellent in retaining the dark and light areas. It can capture both black shades and white details excellently well which is far better than other scanners.
The digital ICV helps to remove the dust on both print and film scans which also remove scratches from scanned prints.
While considering the scanning spread it took rougher 55 seconds for previous scan 28 seconds for four slides at 2400 ppi, 38 for one slide at 2400 ppi and 1.25 for 6400 ppi.
Conclusion
For professionals and amateur photographer V800 deliver impressively high quality scan with a combination of price and feature makes it Editors choice.
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HP scan jet pro 2500 F1
Pros
- Flatbed and 50 sheet ADF
- Low price
- Full software suite
- Good optical character recognition
Cons
- Slow in scanning to searchable PDF
- Especially at default selfy
Bottomline
Flatbed scanner comes with a good software suite. It is mainly a light document scanner which combines a flatbed and sheetbed with Automative Document Feeder (ADF) which helps you to scan both stacks of paper or delicate or other items. One of the features of Pro 2500F1 is it comes with good software suite which includes scan utility and drivers plus document management, Business card, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and photo editing programs. At color mode the scanning speed is good but at default mode setting it is notably slow.
Design and features
The 2500 weighs 9.5 pounds and measure 4.8 by 13.8 inches (HWD) which easily fits in your desk. The daily duty cycle is upto 1500 pages which is less compared to HP Scanjet pro 3500. The Optical Resolution of the sheet few portion is 600 dots per inches (dpi) and with flatbed it is 1200 dpi. The Automatic Document Feeder with 50 sheet is on the top scanning multipage documents. The buttons are situated in the front like start scan button cancel scan switch between simplex and duplex scanning and also to switch between four destinations like email to PDF, save to PDF save as JPEG and scan to Cloud.
Software
The 2500 comes with two, one with Read IRIS pro 14 for OCR, Card IRIS pro 5.5 for business card scanning are soft Photostudio n6 for photo editing and Nuance Paperport 14.5 for document management and the other one with Twain WIA and ISIS drivers and HP scan utility. You can scan to any windows program which has a scan comment using Twain and ISIS drivers.
Performance
The 2500 rates 40 images per minute for duplex scanning and 20 pages per minute for simplex scanning where each slide is considered as a separate image. For scanning to image pdf default selfys it registers 16.7 ppm for simplex and 26 ppm for duplex scanning
Conclusion
If you are looking a flatbed scanner for very small offices which can handle a variety of material the HP Scanjet pro 2500F1 is an apt one. Even if it takes USB 3.0 connectivity and durability it comes in much lower price. 2500 serves the general purpose of micro office which makes it Editors Choice.
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