Best Scanner For Art And Photos

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Table Of Contents:

Best Scanners For Art & Photos

1. Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner
2. Canon Canoscan 9000F Mark II Flatbed Scanner
3. Epson Perfection V850 Pro Scanner
4. Epson DS-50000 Large-Format Document Scanner
5. Epson Expression 12000XL-GA Graphic Arts Scanner
6. Epson Perfection V39
7. Epson FastFoto FF-680W
8. Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i

• What Makes a Good Scanner?

If your budget is around the sub $300 price range, the Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner is a great choice. This scanner can handle any kind of scanning, from photos, film, negatives, artwork, and everyday documents. The scans are precise and high quality due to its 6400 x 9600 dpi resolution that translates to enlargements up to 17“ x 22“.

The Epson Perfection V600, comes with easy to use software packages that will drastically improve your scanning process and overall quality. One of which is Digital ICE, made for removing tears, dust, scratches, and restoring faded colors. Another included software, ArcSoft PhotoStudio, will help you fix and enhance your photos quickly to improve bulk quality improvements. Lastly, you will get ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus OCR, which converts scanned documents to editable text.

If you are looking to make your photo restoration process easier, the V600 comes with two film holders to scan film negatives. One of these is 33mm with film mounted sides. The other one is 6 x 22 inches. This, in combination with the included software, makes the Epson V600 one of the very best scanners for art and photos for the price.

The closest comparable scanner is the Canon CanoScan 9000F. While the Epson is a bit more expensive, it performs slightly better in most objective measures except for scan speed. One matter which of these two you go for, in the sub $300 price range, both are amazing value and will give you outstanding high-quality scans reliably.

If you’re looking for the fastest scanner that will work for photos and artwork, the Canon Canoscan 9000F Mark II Flatbed Scanner is the ideal choice. With a resolution of 9600 x 9600 dpi, this scanner works super-fast, whether it scans slides, photos, or documents, without compromising on quality.

The Canon 9000F Mark II comes with software that is compatible with Windows and Mac. You will find it very easy to install. In terms of additional programs, the 9000F comes with My Image Garden, and Gutter Shadow Correction. My Image Garden automates tasks like facial recognition, date based organization, layout suggestions, and also a set of filters. Gutter Shadow is helpful if you are scanning books, as it automatically removes page shadows.

If you are looking for a scanner in the $250 – $300 price range, chances are you are cross-shopping the Epson Perfection V600. The main differences are as follows. The Epson will produce scans that are a bit more true to the original, where-as the Canon auto corrects. This makes the scans look slightly more vivid. But if you are looking for one to one accuracy, I recommend the Epson. The Canon is way faster, therefore better for bulk scanning or if you are impatient. If you need text recognition that converts text to editable text, go with the Epson as Canon doesn’t offer this.

Overall, the Canon Canoscan Mark 9000F Mark II is a great scanner for mass photo scanning because of its speed, quality, and ease of use, for the money.

One of the best scanners for photos, film negatives, and artwork is, without a doubt, the Epson Perfection V850. It is designed specifically for professional photographers and creatives that demand color accurate, high-resolution, high-quality scans.

So why does the V850 produce such high-quality images? For one, the Epson V850 scans images at 6400 dpi, using advanced optics. I’m referring to a high-reflection mirror and anti-reflection optical coating that reduces optical distortion. Secondly, 4.0 Dmax technology gives your images an exceptional tonal range, smooth gradients, and shadow detail. Not to mention, this Epson can produce amazing quality no matter what media because of its dual-lens system. It automatically selects from these two lenses based on the media type.

The scanner comes with two sets of plastic film holders made for 35mm negatives (18 frames), 35mm slides (12 frames), medium format (1 frame up to 6 x 20 cm), and 4 x 5 film (1 frame). These holders will make sure your scans are not distorted and consistently aligned.

The Epson Perfection V850 comes with software packages that give you better control, versatility, and efficiency. First, Epson Scan is the base software that gives you control over media type, histogram, contrast, color management, resolution, dust removal, color restoration, file destination, and more. Second, is SilverFast® SE Plus, which gives you even more creative control over what is available in the base Epson Scan Software. Finally, Digital ICE Technologies will reduce your post-editing time dramatically by removing most surface defects from various media.

While the V850 is an amazing scanner, it only has a few improvements over the cheaper V800. Even though the V850 can boast better high pass optics, and a slightly better version of the SilverFast Software, SE Plus. Overall, they are basically the same scanner and it is hard to tell the difference in image quality between the two. Therefore, if you are stretched on budget, I recommend the Epson Perfection V800.

Bottom line, if you need a professional-level scanner and don’t mind paying a premium for it, the Epson Perfection V850 is a perfect choice. It uses state-of-the-art technology for vivid colors, remarkable details, and smoothness. The scanning software may be challenging to learn. But once you are familiar, it gives you in-depth creative control.

If your primary use case involves large-format, over 8.5 x 11, the Epson DS-50000 should be considered. With a maximum scan area of 11″ x 17″ and 600 x 600 dpi, this scanner is an excellent blend of size and quality. While this scanner is great for artwork and general use, it doesn’t have enough resolution for scanning film.

The Epson DS-50000 comes with Epson Scan, Document Capture Pro, and ABBYY FineReader Sprint software. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. You can scan and transfer files directly to the cloud. 

It also comes with Epson Smart Scan utility, including OCR technology (Optical Character Recognition) for document scanning. This gives you the ability to scan documents into editable text.

Overall, the Epson DS-50000 Large Format Scanner is perfect for digitizing large format artwork and documents. Scan speeds are very fast. Quality is good enough for artwork and documents, but not meant for professional photographers scanning film. If you want to increase quality and control, you will have to buy X0Rite i1 Scanner software and Reflective IT-8 Target separately.

If you need a high-quality, high-resolution, large format scanner, the Epson Expression 12000XL ticks all the boxes. This scanner delivers excellent quality scans on most media from photos to tabloid-sized artwork. This scanner is expensive. However, if you need tabloid-size scans at 2400 x 4600 dpi resolution, this is a great choice.

It is important to mention, there are two configurations of this 12000XL series scanner. While both are essentially the same, there is one key difference. The one we are recommending here is the 12000XL-GA. The other is the 12000XL-PH. The PH version is about $600 more expensive because it comes with a 12.2 by 16-inch transparency unit that will scan up to 48 frames or 35mm film negatives, 30 slides, eight frames of 4 by 5 transparencies, or size medium format transparency strips. If you plan on scanning film negatives, you should step up to the 12000XL-PH.

When it comes to setup and software, the 12000XL series scanners don’t disappoint. Setup is easy. You pug in the USB cable and download the Epson Scan 2 utility from Epson’s website. In addition to the base software, you get SilverFast Ai IT8, and Lasersoft Imaging, for full creative control over the way media is scanned.

Overall, if you need a large-format high-resolution scanner for artwork, photos, and general use, The Epson Expression 12000XL-GA is a great choice. If you need all of the aforementioned, plus the ability to scan film, I recommend checking the price on the Epson Expression 12000XL-PH.

The Epson Perfection V39 is a solid choice if you are looking for an entry-level yet high-quality photo scanner that fits a tight budget. Value for money is off the charts here with 4800 dpi, high-quality scanning of various media types, cloud connectivity, and text recognition capability.

Using the V39 is simple and intuitive with impressive results. There is an automatic mode and manual settings for more control. Scan quality is exceptional for a scanner at this price range. Apart from minor color shifts, the V39 is very color accurate. It handles shades of black easily while retaining precise detail.

The V39 comes with a few software apps to make your workflow easier, including Epson Scan, Scan to PDF, Document Capture Pro, and ArcSoft Scan-n-Stitch Deluxe. Scan-n-Stitch lets you take multiple scans of letter-sized parts and digitally stitch them together. Easy Photo Scan gives you some basic photo editing and file organization functionality. As with other Epson scanners, the V39 comes with the handy optical character recognition (OCR) which lets you automatically convert scanned text to editable text in Microsoft Word format.

Overall, the Epson Perfection V39 is a perfect choice if you want a high-resolution scanner while on a budget. It handles most media types except for film. With easy to use software and OCR text conversion ability, this is really the perfect all-around scanner at an affordable price.

If you need to archive a ton of photo prints, the Epson FastFoto FF 680W, touted as the fastest personal scanner in the world, is a great choice. It is so fast, 300 dpi scans take only 1 second and 600 dpi scans take about 3 seconds. This sheet-feed scanner lets you load up to 36 photos at a time.

Scan accuracy and image quality is good for such a fast scanner. You can scan to 300 dpi and 600 dpi options, with enlargements up to 1200 dpi. It comes with plastic guide slots for 5 x 7, and 4 x 6 photos. Scans arrive on your computer or directly to Google Drive or Dropbox via USB or WIFI connectivity in jpg or tiff format. 

The Epson FastFoto 680W comes with second-generation FastFoto Software that is easy to use. It gives you the ability to edit, organize, and share your photos. It also comes with Epson Smart Scan utility, including OCR technology (Optical Character Recognition) for document scanning. This gives you the ability to scan documents into editable text.

Overall, the Epson FastFoto 680W is perfect for digitizing a ton of old photos and it can also handle common document scanning. The software is easy to use and aids productivity. However, if you need to scan large artwork at higher resolutions, you should look at one of the other flatbed scanners in this article.

A high-resolution portable scanner might sound like a bit of a paradox – until you chance upon the final product on our list, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i. This 600-dpi scanner can digitize your documents and photos in different size formats – at the touch of a button. It is compact, light, and really easy to use.