Buying a scanner can be difficult if you are not familiar with its key features, such as resolution quality, supported object types, and more.
In the digitalization era, transforming a paper document or a photograph printed on paper into a file is often necessary, and a valid scanner can come in handy on many occasions.
On this page, you will find a guide that will show you all the functions to consider before choosing the right model and reviews of the most popular products on the market. Here we will be listing the top 10 best photo scanners.
- The easiest way to scan photos and documents. Supports 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 in sizes photo scanning but also letter and A4 size paper. Optical Resolution is up to 600 dpi ( PS: two setting: 300dpi/ 600dpi).
- Fast and easy, 2 seconds for one 4x6 photo and 5 seconds for one 8x10 size photo@300dpi. You can easily convert about 1000 photos to digitize files in one afternoon and share with your family or friends.
- More efficient than a flatbed scanner. Just insert the photos one by one and then scan. This makes ePhoto much more efficient than a flatbed scanner.
- World’s Fastest Personal Photo Scanner (1) — scan thousands of photos as fast as 1 photo per second at 300 dpi (2); batch-scan up to 36 photos at a time
- Preserve Your Priceless Photos — restore, organize, protect and share photos; scan Polaroid photos, panoramas, postcards and photos up to 8" x 10"
- Share Stories for Future Generations — use the Epson FastFoto app (3) to add voice and text over your photos or create slideshows, right from your smartphone
- CLEAR, DETAILED PHOTO SCANS – Achieve amazing image clarity and detail with a 4800 dpi optical resolution, perfect for enlarging photos.
- IMAGE AND DOCUMENT SCANNER – Easily scan photos, artwork, illustrations, books, documents, and more with this compact and lightweight scanner.
- ENHANCED SCANNING – Seamlessly stitch oversized images together or cloud storage with Epson ScanSmart, maximizing efficiency.
- Create extraordinary enlargements from film: 6400 x 9600 dpi for enlargements up to 17 Inches x 22 Inches. Maximum Scan Area 8.5 x 11.7 inches. TPU 2.7 x 9.5 inches
- Remove the appearance of dust and scratches from film: Digital ICE for Film
- Remove the appearance of tears and creases from photos: Digital ICE for prints
- DIGITIZE PAPER PHOTOGRAPHS – Create lasting memories with digital montages or scrapbooks, share with friends and family or store on a computer or to your current cloud service
- FAST AND EFFICIENT – Scans both sides of photos and documents at the same time with just the touch of a button, at up to 40 items per minute, through an automatic feeder
- BUNDLED SOFTWARE – Includes software for enhancing photos, red-eye correction, digital face smoothing, and more; also scan, create, convert, and edit paper documents
- Scanner type: Document
- Connectivity technology: USB
- With Auto Scan Mode, the scanner automatically detects what you're scanning
- MANAGE HOME AND SMALL BUSINESS DOCUMENTS WITH EASE. Large color touchscreen; fast 40ppm duplex scanning; Wi-Fi and USB connectivity; photo scanning; and support for a wide variety of cloud services
- DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT AT YOUR COMMAND. Easily select your scanning destination with up to 30 scanning profiles. Send to PC, Mac, mobile devices and cloud services
- GREAT FOR YOU, GREAT FOR A TEAM. Users can select their profile from the touchscreen and access their personal shortcuts and destinations
- SAVE OLD PHOTO MEMORIES: 1422MP Digital Film Scanner Lets You View, Edit and Convert Your Old Color and BandW Negatives 135, 110, 126mm and 50mm Slides 135, 110, 126mm to Digital Files and Save Directly to SD Card (NOT INCLUDED)
- 5” LCD DISPLAY WITH GALLERY MODE: Features Large, Crystal-Clear Screen with Wide Viewing Angle for Instantly Previewing and Editing Photos | Great for Sharing with Friends and Family or Using as an Elegant Digital Picture Frame in Home or Office
- CONVENIENT EASY-LOAD FILM INSERTS: Quick-Feeding Tray Technology Allows for Continuous Loading Action, Making Scanning Fast and Simple Includes 50mm Slide Holder, Adapters for 135, 110 and 126 Films, Cleaning Brush, USB and HDMI Cables
- Easily & Quickly Scan Your Old Photos, Slides, & Negatives To Digital Photos (1 At A Time; Scanner Does Not Have Autofeeder) - Super Quick Conversion, Takes Only 2-3 Seconds To Scan a Photo, Slide, or Negative To Digital (4x6 Photos or Smaller; Press The Size Button To Adjust Scan Size)
- No Computer or Drivers Required! Just Turn It On & Start Scanning. Scans At 14 MegaPixels (22 MegaPixels Interpolated) & Saves Photos As Digital JPEG Files on SD Memory Card (Scanning Quality: ~ 3824 x 2512 Pixels)
- Built-In Rechargeable Battery For Cord-Free Scanning (Please Fully Charge Before Using) & 5" Instant Preview LCD Screen
- Fastest and lightest mobile single sheet fed document scanner in its class(1) small, portable scanner ideal for easy, on the go scanning
- Fast scans a single page in as fast as 5.5 seconds(2) Windows and Mac compatible, the scanner also includes a TWAIN driver.
- Versatile paper handling scans documents upto 8.5 x 72 inches, as well as ID cards and receipts
How to Choose Best Photo Scanners?
At the top of the ranking of the aspects to be taken into account before buying a scanner is its resolution, i.e., the ability of the device to reproduce the image or sheet it has scanned. It is expressed in dot per inch (dpi), and the higher the value, the higher the quality of the file you will get.
All the best brands offer models for every need and, therefore with very different resolutions. Let’s say that for home use that includes scanning text documents and photos, a 600 dpi device will prove to be adequate to meet your needs.
Of course, if, especially for work, you need to carry out professional-level photo scans, you will have to go to a more performing model, perhaps with a resolution of 2,400 dpi.
Color depth is also an important aspect and indicates the number of colors that the sensor can capture. The value is expressed in bits, and typically the mid-range models have 24 while the able ones reach 36.
The increase in dpi and bits leads to a rise in the selling price, even by several hundred euros, therefore a better balance of pros and cons of a scanner with a more or less high resolution.
Range and Speed
Another important aspect, especially if the need to purchase a scanner is to place it in an office, and it is the speed of the device, or its ability to scan a certain number of pages in a minute.
For example, some models can host multiple sheets or photographs at the same time and scan them without you having to “assist” them. In this way, you will save precious time.
The last technical aspect to consider is the dynamic range. Still, it is an assessment to be made only if you are interested in scanning photographs and slides since it indicates the ability to reproduce the details of the image with various levels of brightness, going to recognize the darkest and lightest areas.
Flat, Duplex or Automatic
Comparing the prices, the cost changes are related to the type of device, given that there are three different versions. The most popular model is the flatbed scanner, designed to scan documents on a single page. It is characterized by a cheaper cost but is not very fast and, therefore suitable for occasional use.
The scanner with automatic feeder, on the other hand, is more significant and is designed to scan a large number of documents, thanks to the feeder that allows you to load all the pages and then perform the operation. Fast and autonomous, it is ideal for offices or if you need high volumes.
Finally, duplex models have sensors on both sides and can scan front and back of a document in one go.
Twain Yes or No?
When it comes to scanners, one of the first requirements that we usually go to check its compatibility with TWAIN drivers; in fact, this particular standard has been specially developed to facilitate communication between computers and image acquisition peripherals, such as scanners, multifunction printers, and cameras , for the Microsoft and Apple operating systems.
If on the one hand, however, the TWAIN standard facilitates the transfer of files and allows you to manage the acquisition methods, on the other it has the defect of not separating the user interface from the device driver, thus making the transfer of files extremely difficult via networks, both wired and wireless.
This premise was necessary to understand better the reasons that prompted the Fujitsu company to renounce TWAIN compatibility about the iX500; in fact, this scanner is specifically designed to facilitate the acquisition and transfer of images and PDF files, via Wi-Fi, to and from mobile devices and to and from the Cloud.
Send and Receive Directly from The Cloud.
Once this aspect has been clarified, we can say without a shadow of a doubt that the iX500 ScanSnap scanner is characterized by excellent performance, and is specifically designed to facilitate communication with networks as much as possible.
This means that you will no longer be forced to make the files pass on your computer, as in the case of scanners equipped with the TWAIN standard. You can download or send them directly to your smartphone, to the Cloud, or as email attachments, in an easy and above all fast way.
High System Compatibility
The iX500 scanner has a CIS image sensor, therefore in color, capable of performing double-sided scans simultaneously, with a maximum resolution of 1,200 x 1,200 dpi in black and white and 600 x 600 dpi in color.
In addition to Wi-Fi connectivity, it also has a USB 3.0 interface, compatible with versions 2.0 and 1.1, is extremely compact, with a footprint of only 29.2 x 15.9 x 16.8 cm, and is compatible with Windows, Mac systems and currently most popular Cloud services; as regards the file format.
It is compatible with PDF, also in the searchable version, JPEG, Word and Excel with modification options, smartphones, tablets, and cameras, and it can also scan business cards.
The management software is straightforward and intuitive. It offers a wide range of scan modes; buyers particularly appreciated this in this respect, as well as for the ease of interfacing with the web and mobile devices.
