OK guys.. since many of you have extensive knowledge in computers, and computer accessories, i figured i would throw this out there and see what you have to say.

my wife has asked for a scanner for christmas, and i have NO idea what to look for. i saw where prices ranged anywhere from $60 bucks, to over $300. what makes one better than the other? what specs should i be looking for for the best picture reproduction? what are the most reliable and cost efficient brands? i havent a clue.

if any of ya'll have a scanner that you love, or know of a good direction i need to head to find one, please chime in. i reckon there will be some good sales going on this weekend, so i would like to maybe get one ASAP. any help would be appreciated. thanks..

bigjohn

What will she be scanning?

she is really into scrapbooking.. so, she will scan pictures for reproduction, and various art designs that she will tweak in a photoshop type program, and make her own custom patterns.

also, she wanst to scan scrapbook pages that she has already done, so she can send them to other people to look at.

basic kinda stuff, nothing to industrial or business related.. does that help?

bigjohn

Sounds like a fairly run-of-the-mill HP scanner will work just fine. I use a HP Scanjet 3970 at work sometimes. Pretty easy to use, and didn't cost much.

The HP 4670 is a good choice. It's pricier than some, but it's a vertical design that always helps w/ the WAF.

I have a Canoscan 5000F that provides very nice results. The new 8400F sounds like a nice match for you (cleans up photos & slides) and the reviews are excellent. Comes bundled with Adobe PhotoShop Elements, which is a nice piece of software for touching up photos. Price looks to be right around $150 online. I favored Canon because of their excellent camera optics, but Epson and HP also make some nice products.

Amazon, PCWorld and PC Magazine would give you some insight and details on Scanners and their capabilities. Once you pick out a couple of models, Google with "Canoscan 8400F reviews" will yield good information as well. I'm suggesting this path because other features you may not have considered may pop up.

I've got a "run of the mill" HP 3670, it works great and as an added bonus will also scan slides and negatives. It has been 100% reliable and software updates are a breeze.

John, I'm not a computer geek, but I've got an Epson Perfection 2400 Photo that I really love. I've had it for more than a year now, and haven't had one single problem with it. And, it's handled everything I've thrown at it with aplomb. You can get a refurbed model from Epson (see the "Buy direct from Epson Manufacturer's price $75.00" link on the above web page), because they've brought out a new model, the 2450 which will retail for $300. When I bought my 2400, it was very highly rated, and retailed for $249, I think. I paid $215. So $75 is a REALLY good price.

Other Epsons to consider are the inexpensive, but highly rated Epson Perfection 1670 Photo (for as little as $69 shipped), the Epson Perfection 3170 (for as low as $124 shipped), or the aforementioned Epson Perfection 2450 Photo. It might not be out yet, though.

I had only one HP scanner and had a VERY bad experience with it. In no way should you interpret that to mean that HP scanners are stinkers. The above posts prove that they aren't.

I'll second the recommendation for Epson scanners. HP buys its technology; Epson develops it. Also, for scrapbooking, I think your wife will really appreciate some of the SW that comes with the Epson. There are some excellent photo restore algorithms that do a great job.

Regards,
Rich

thanks to all the replies. ajax, much thanks for all the links and models.

the three brands i was looking at are canon, epson, and HP. the epsons seem to have the best 'bang for buck' features. there is just a certain level of nervousness involved with trying to buy something that you know NOTHING about.

i will start with the links, and learn as i go. thanks again, and i will let ya know which i choose.

bigjohn

You'll do fine John. None of those manufacturers make BAD products, though each is fully capable of making a lemon. Glad to be of service.

I think I have the same Epson scanner that Jack does; it has been great. I want to underscore the good software; it came with Photoshop Elements, which has been indespensible. The Epson Smart Panel software is good too. Easy to use, and very high quality scans. When I bought it, it scanned much faster than comparable models.

I especially liked (and have used) the backlighting feature that allows me to scan slides and/or negatives. I don't use it much, but there is no substitute without getting yet another dedicated device. If you have an old family slide collection that needs preserving, you might consider that capability.

However, I just bought a HP Officejet 7310 all-in-one, and it seems like a really good solution to a number of problems. We discussed this some in a separate thread, but if you need a new printer or a fax machine, you might consider just having ONE monstrous box sitting around.

I have not compared the scan quality of the 7310 to the Epson.

Good luck, bigjohn!

bigjohn, just to underscore the Photoshop Elements software. Terrific stuff. I see the version 3.0 just came out with some neat additions, including the ability to mix different sized pictures on a page for printing. Oh boy, something ELSE I need to upgrade.

Yeah, I find Photoshop Elements a necessity, although I've barely scratched the surface of it's capabilities. It's great for resizing photos, etc. My version has to be version 1, but they want a pretty piece of change to upgrade to the new version, so I'll probably limp along with what I've got.