Need A Good Scanner

[ShotgunSteven]

I know OfficeMax used to have some every week in their ads that were nearly free after rebates, but it seems like no one carries them any more, at least at local B&M stores. My main use would be scanning covers of rare books for online archives and such.

 

[Zepper]

Of course you will need a flatbed scanner. Both Staples and Office Depot keep small stocks of flatbed scanners on hand.
. I own and recommend Epson scanners and many here like the Canon units too. Either should serve you well. You can get good deals on Epson refurbs at their online Clearance center and often free shipping as well. Right now they have the V350 at a good price w/ free ship - it is considerably better than the 4180 which is at the same price. Deals can be found at Amazon or eBay too.
. Separate scanners aren't that big in the market any more as many are getting the multifunction printers now that include the scanner. Use the buyer comments on Newegg to find which models to avoid. I think there is a sort in order of review score. You certainly don't need a super high-end unit for your application.
. I would get one that is AC powered rather than USB powered as there is a limit to the speed you can get out of a motor that has only half an Amp at 5V available to it.

Canon generally dumps their refurbs thru dealers - pricegrabber.com will often find the Canon refurb as well as the new unit deals. Try Froogle.com too.

When scanning, use the lowest res and color depth that gives you acceptable results for your application. The higher the res and color depth, the slower the scan speed and the larger the resulting image file.

And when checking out buyer comments, remember that a negative experience will be much more likely to be reported than a positive one. I see a lot of the lower scores are from those who bought units not particularly well suited to their application. And, of course, from those who couldn't find their backsides with both hands...

And some models may not have drivers, etc. for Vista, so be sure before you buy if that is important to you.

.bh.

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Of course you will need a flatbed scanner. Both Staples and Office Depot keep small stocks of flatbed scanners on hand.
. I own and recommend Epson scanners and many here like the Canon units too. Either should serve you well. You can get good deals on Epson refurbs at their online Clearance center and often free shipping as well. Right now they have the V350 at a good price w/ free ship - it is considerably better than the 4180 which is at the same price. Deals can be found at Amazon or eBay too.
. Separate scanners aren't that big in the market any more as many are getting the multifunction printers now that include the scanner. Use the buyer comments on Newegg to find which models to avoid. I think there is a sort in order of review score. You certainly don't need a super high-end unit for your application.
. I would get one that is AC powered rather than USB powered as there is a limit to the speed you can get out of a motor that has only half an Amp at 5V available to it.

Canon generally dumps their refurbs thru dealers - pricegrabber.com will often find the Canon refurb as well as the new unit deals. Try Froogle.com too.

When scanning, use the lowest res and color depth that gives you acceptable results for your application. The higher the res and color depth, the slower the scan speed and the larger the resulting image file.

And when checking out buyer comments, remember that a negative experience will be much more likely to be reported than a positive one. I see a lot of the lower scores are from those who bought units not particularly well suited to their application. And, of course, from those who couldn't find their backsides with both hands...

And some models may not have drivers, etc. for Vista, so be sure before you buy if that is important to you.

.bh.

Thanks for the tips. I forget to use NewEgg buyer reviews to look stuff up, as I never buy from NewEgg since they don't ship to my state. I hadn't considered the AC power over USB, but I should have.

I have found some possibilities on ZipZoomFly, but I will check some of the other places you mentioned. Thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[Zepper]

Newegg ships to all States including PR (the disclaimer next to the standard shipping rate is confusing), but the standard 3-day rates only apply to the contiguous 48. So if you're willing to pay a bit extra shipping... It's the bottom-line price including shipping and stax (if any) that should be the comparison. Oh, the free ship at the Epson store only applies to the 48 states as well. Man, I just checked shipping to PR for a V350 scanner from newegg and it's $50. by their cheapest service. They should offer USPS to those places to save customers a bunch. Honolulu is 36.16 and Nome is the same (both UPS ground - Fedex 2nd day is just a bit more).

Buying at a local big-box may save you money if a model you want is available there as they do their own logistics, so shipping should cost them much less per unit.

And I just checked Beach Camera which often has excellent prices on imaging products (scanners, photo printers, etc.) and found a really good deal on the Epson 4490 plus a $30. MIR and free shipping (IDK if that is 48 states only, but probably is). PM me your zip so I can check shipping as I browse. I see ZZF doesn't offer the rebate.

.bh.