Need a good scanner

[bletch]

Hi!

I would like some advice before buying a scanner for backing up my covers (to the keep the original ones in a safe place)
i have lost several DVD cases to my dogs, they simply grab them every now and again.... bit them to pieces...including the covers...the discs where in pretty good shape and still watchable though...
I guess DVD cases taste good

The scanner i'm looking for should be pretty good and make decent scans. I have always been found of Canons products.
I have been looking at the Canoscan Lide 600F- seems pretty good.

Open for any suggestions!

Regards

[Chewy]

no external power and that's bad, do you really need the film feature?

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=44&name=Scanners

go here and choose a price range then sort from lowest prices and then look for the number of reviews and rating on each model

[Abuilder]

Hi bletch
Chewy was right about those Cannon usb powered scanners. It seems like they want more power than the USB bus can give.
Another bad one is Epson! For some reason the Epson USB drivers over-run other usb devices in the system and if you TRY to uninstall them It appears they are taken out but they still leave garbage behind that interfears with future installs of other USB devices. This includes the scanner only models and the (even worst) all in one scanner,printer, copiers that have those very small ink cartridges with micro chips in them so they can't be refilled.
I like most HP scanners but you almost have to read the "readme" file on the install CD, so you can do a custom install otherwise the normal install will dump a lot of un-needed software on your system that will beg for more money down the road.
Seeing you want to do covers and most likely the CD's also You would really like the Twain drivers that HP's have. They will scan and auto crop to what you scanned so you don't have crop them manually with your graphics software.

[Chewy]

usb(w/o a powered hub) can only supply so many millamps to all devices,
a usb scanner takes almost all of it, for a laptop on the go all the time is the only way I would even think about it and then you better be hooked up to ac

[bletch]

Thanks for the replies!
Good point! i don't want an USB powered scanner....i think i owned one of those many years ago.
I also dont need the film feature. Why does Canons sheaper models have USB power instead of ac ?????

[bletch]

Hi bletch
Chewy was right about those Cannon usb powered scanners. It seems like they want more power than the USB bus can give.
Another bad one is Epson! For some reason the Epson USB drivers over-run other usb devices in the system and if you TRY to uninstall them It appears they are taken out but they still leave garbage behind that interfears with future installs of other USB devices. This includes the scanner only models and the (even worst) all in one scanner,printer, copiers that have those very small ink cartridges with micro chips in them so they can't be refilled.
I like most HP scanners but you almost have to read the "readme" file on the install CD, so you can do a custom install otherwise the normal install will dump a lot of un-needed software on your system that will beg for more money down the road.
Seeing you want to do covers and most likely the CD's also You would really like the Twain drivers that HP's have. They will scan and auto crop to what you scanned so you don't have crop them manually with your graphics software.

I will check HP's scanners and see if i find any interesting! Thanks for the advice!

[photo_angel2004]

I like the epson scanners the best.

You just want to make sure that what ever scanner you get can do high resolution. Some cheap scanners dont.

[bletch]

I like the epson scanners the best.

You just want to make sure that what ever scanner you get can do high resolution. Some cheap scanners dont.

What resolution do you recommend ?

Regards

[photo_angel2004]

No less then 300 dpi

make sure that you scanner bed and cover is dust free! The higher res. you scan them the more dust will show. In most cases you will end up having to clean up the photos with programs like Adobe Photoshop.

[jm1647]

I have a HP All in One -PSC-2210 that prints, scans, copies and faxes that I pretty happy with

[soup]

HP PSC 1401 here, a year & a half ago I bought for $50, does everything we need it to do. HP is still a bloater but I am just too damn lazy to go in now & find all the unnecessary stuff.

[bletch]

No less then 300 dpi

make sure that you scanner bed and cover is dust free! The higher res. you scan them the more dust will show. In most cases you will end up having to clean up the photos with programs like Adobe Photoshop.

300 dpi means 4800x9600 or ?

[photo_angel2004]

300 dpi means 4800x9600 or ?

4800x9600 could actually be any resolution.




For DVD covers this is the perfect size and resolution for printing.

Keep in mind to get 300 dpi you must scan at 300 dpi you can always change the size if need be.

[bletch]

[quote=photo_angel2004;495351]4800x9600 could actually be any resolution. [quote]

Ok, thanks PA! I have been looking around some shops lately and will buy a scanner soon.

How do i know that the scanner can scan in 300 dpi ?

Regards

[gs47]

That's a very standard scan setting (300dpi) and any modern scanner can handle it.

I've always used an HP scanner and been quite pleased with it. Easy software to use, edit, & print (or save).

I must disagree with the poster above about the installation. When you put the CD in to load the software, it clearly gives you a choice of what to install. There is even an option to just install the basic minimal required software & driver(s) to operate...no big deal at all.

Another consideration of course is if you need to do scans bigger than letter size. You'll need a larger scanner glass surface or an ADF (auto document feeder).