Best Photo Scanners
While working from home, organizing your documents is the most crucial task. Storing physical copies of invoices, bills, receipts, etc. can be a hassle. You can’t take the risk of losing a single sheet of paper. This is where a photo scanner comes into the picture. You can scan your documents and save them on your device for future use. Then, you can make separate folders to ensure that all your paperwork is stored safely and securely.
A photo scanner will make your work easier, as you can get access to a specific file with just a click. With this device by your side, your WFH schedule will be more productive than ever. Not only that, but you can also use a photo scanner to scan old photographs, and prevent them from fading away.
There are many photo scanners available out there, varying in their speed, capacity, and resolution. Some come with WiFi connectivity, auto corrector, and OCR. Based on your needs, you can purchase a photo scanner that ticks all your requirements. Whether you want a compact model or a bigger-sized one, we have kept in mind all the possible choices.
Here are the best photo scanners for your work from the home office.
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If you are looking for a high-quality photo scanner, check out the Epson Perfection V600. Be it photos or documents, this device can deal with everything. Equipped with 6400 x 9600 dpi resolution, this product scans your items with great clarity. The in-built transparency unit allows you to scan negatives, panoramic films, slides, etc.
It comes with an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. OCR helps in transforming regular copies into editable texts. It is a multifunctional scanner. You can use it for various purposes. The machine has 4 buttons for different functions, for scanning, copying, scanning to email, and for making PDFs.
Thanks to the use of LED technology, the scanner will be easy on your energy bills. With the Digital ICE, editing and retouching your images will be trouble-free. You can also remove the traces of dullness from old photographs.
The Epson FastFoto FF-680W is a high-speed scanner. It lets you scan your photos in just one second. Whether it’s your official papers, receipts, or valuable old pictures, this scanner can scan and restore them with great care and efficiency. It has three different modes– 300 dpi for sharing, 600 dpi for archiving, and 1200 dpi for enlarging.
Uploading and backing up your images is quite convenient with this photo scanner. After scanning, you can share the scanned images with the help of Google Drive or Dropbox, and spread happiness among your loved ones. It supports both USB and wireless connection.
It has an auto enhancer, red-eye corrector, color fixing, deskew, rotate, and crop options. Due to these features, editing your images becomes very easy. The scanner’s Single Step technology can detect any handwritten inscription at the back of an image, without requiring you to scan it multiple times.
When it comes to top photo scanner companies, Canon doesn’t need any introduction. The CanoScan Lide 300 carries the brand name of Canon, and it’s going to add a lot of value to your work from the home regime.
It’s compact and weighs very little, so you can store it in any corner of your room. Using the device is hassle-free, as it comes with EZ buttons. These uniquely designed buttons allow you to scan your documents or photos with just a single touch. To make a PDF of the document, all you have to do is click the ‘PDF’ button, and voila!
It takes 10 seconds to quickly scan through your documents. The 2400×2400 dpi ensures high resolution and good quality digitization of your important documents. The Z-lid helps you in scanning thick books and magazines with ease. The scanner can transfer data with the help of a USB cable.
The Plustek EPhoto Z300 Photo Scanner is one of the best devices you can find for your work from home needs. It can scan 4×6 photos in only 2 seconds. The soft roller ensures that your old photographs are wrapped with care to last for a long time. The premium CCD sensor adds a beautiful touch of color to the images.
The machine has an optical detection system that does the job quickly. It detects and scans the photos in a matter of seconds. It has 2 different settings for optical resolution, 300 dpi, and 600 dpi.
Thanks to the button-free, simple operation, handling this scanner is convenient. All it requires is a click on the mouse, and the image enhancer makes old pictures as good as new. Apart from photos, this scanner can deal with bills, forms, receipts, or any other important documents that you need to scan. It is compatible with both Mac and PC.
Keep your documents well-organized with the help of the Canon ImageFORMULA R40 Photo Scanner. It can print up to 40 pages per minute, with just a single touch. It can scan both sides at one go, making your work much easier and quicker.
The scanner can deal with not only documents but also bills, receipts, business cards, contracts, etc, irrespective of their thickness. It’s easy to set up the scanner. The device comes with a USB cable that you can use for connecting to your computer, and you are good to go.
Compatible with both Windows and Mac, you can use this scanner to share your scanned files directly with the help of Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. Owing to the Optical Character Recognition (OCR), you can create an editable file out of the documents. After purchasing this device, you can get one-year technical support from the company.
The Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1500 is a premium quality photo scanner compatible with PC, smartphone, and Mac. You can organize, digitize, and edit your documents in a jiffy with this fast and efficient device. The touch-screen is convenient for giving inputs, and the powerful software makes your work all the more hassle-free. This device works well for multiple users, as it lets you create unique accounts for each user, and store files separately.
It has WiFi connectivity, and you can upload your files via cloud services. It also supports the USB connection. The ScanSnap Cloud helps you get access to other cloud systems. During operation, the machine retains a moderate temperature, between 41° to 95° F.
You can scan all your important documents with just a touch on the touchscreen panel. The intelligent scanning system automatically enhances your images, cropping, or adjusting them to suit your needs. With a capacity of scanning 30 ppm, the machine works pretty fast. It offers a resolution of 600 dpi, coupled with a 50 page ADF or Automatic Document Feeder.
When you’re working from home and have a space crunch in your study room, this slim photo scanner comes to your rescue. The Canon CanoScan Lide boasts of a compact model and high-quality, fast scanning. It takes 8 seconds to scan a document.
You can connect the scanner to a power source and to other devices with the help of a USB cable. The Send to Cloud feature allows you to send your documents and files to cloud storage of your choice.
With a resolution of 4800×4800 dpi, there’s no question of compromising on quality. The system enhances your images automatically. It corrects colors wherever it is required, to make sure that the end result turns out amazing. The 5 EZ buttons, auto scan mode, and PDF button make the operation smooth and convenient. The pdfs that this machine generates are searchable and editable.
The Epson Perfection V39 is a colored photo scanner that will amplify your productivity. This device can print 35 pages per minute, and it can scan two sides of the page at one go. Easy to set-up and easy to operate, this scanner is a good choice for both home and office.
After scanning, you can upload the documents to Evernote, Google Drive, Dropbox, and other such cloud storage systems. The scanner comes with built-in Optical Character Recognition that allows you to make editable and searchable files and PDFs, on Excel and Word.
Its efficient paper feeding system comes with Dynamic Skew Correction. The device makes sure to not miss a single page while scanning. The Epson Image Processing technology helps in editing, cropping, and adjusting the images to your own preference. You can also get the right amount of color for your scanned copies. This device can deal with a heavy workload without faltering.
The Epson WorkForce ES-400 has a capacity of 35 ppm or 70 ipm. This duplex scanner can scan both sides of a paper at once. Even if you have to scan a huge pile of papers, this scanner can deal with it all, thanks to the 50-page Auto Document Feeder.
The TWAIN driver ensures that the device works well with all management software. You can share the scanned files using cloud storage, like Google Drive, Dropbox, and so on. You can create searchable and edited PDFs out of the scanned copies.
You can adjust the size and color of the images, depending on your preference. Features like auto crop, background removal, and blank page make the work much easier. The Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection system makes it a point that not a single page goes missing. After scanning, you can preview, email, or upload the file, and the auto file naming feature makes your job easier.
Digitizing photos is now easier than ever, thanks to this portable photo scanner. It is compact, lightweight and a great item for carrying around. It can scan an A4 paper in just 3 seconds. It comes with 3 different settings 300, 600, and 1050 dpi.
The scanner has built-in wi-fi, and USB, so that you can connect it with your phone, PC, laptop, or Mac for quick scanning. It comes handy while you have to send files and documents to clients. It has two modes, one for color scanning and another for black and white scanning.
Thanks to its small size, the scanner is easy to store. It’s an ideal product for people working from home, as you can get your photos scanned in just a few seconds. And not just photos, you can easily scan business cards, documents, and bills using this tiny scanner.
Photo Scanner Buyer’s Guide
Most people are now constantly scanning and creating images of professional quality, particularly photographers, designers, and ad companies. In order to go completely paper-free, some people even scan important documents and receipts. You may also want to scan vintage family photos so you can preserve them forever digitally. That’s where photo scanners come in.
Flatbed scanners are common and differ in price and functionality. Despite being more expensive, film scanners scan with a higher resolution and are favored by professional photographers.
The best scanner for you depends on what will you scan and the quality you are looking for, not to mention the budget you have in mind.
What Is the Difference Between Any Scanner and a Photo Scanner?
A photo scanner is typically compact in size as in way smaller than any standard desktop scanner. It is pretty much specialized in scanning photos with high resolution at a much lower price range than regular scanners. You can find some photo scanners that also scan negatives, transparencies, and slides but they are slightly more expensive. It is designed to fit your home needs and digitize all of your family photos onto your computer.
How to Choose the Best Photo Scanner?
There is a range of photo scanners out there that vary in quality, features, and price. You need to look out for a few things before you get one. The more information you have about the different products out there, you more you will understand which one works best for your needs. So let’s talk about some key aspects of a photo scanner.
What Will You Scan?
It is super important to ask yourself this question before looking at the different photo scanners in the market. Identify the size of the photos you plan on scanning and find out whether they are 4 by 6, 8 by 10, or even bigger. Also prepare yourself for your future needs whether that’s regular photos, small transparencies, negatives, or other kinds of documents. While you are doing your research, you will find different kinds for different purposes. Once you find out the ultimate purpose behind the scanner you need, you can easily choose the one for you.
Look For the Right Type
Similarly to a photo printer, photo scanners have different types and kinds with various features. Don’t forget to decide whether or not you also want to scan documents with it in addition to photos. In case you do, there are photo scanners out there with the option to scan documents too so keep an eye out for those.
If you intend on scanning big images or documents, you will need a letter-size or bigger flatbed scanner. But if you have to scan dozens of transparencies or negatives, you will want to choose a scanner that specializes in this type of scanning.
Pick Your Preferred Resolution
You can measure the level of resolution of any scanner in dots per inch aka dpi. There is as low as 150 and as high as 3200 but they differ in purposes. Generally, if you are looking to scan images to upload on the Internet, 150 dpi can be enough. For the highest quality resolution needed by professionals, we recommend the 12000 dpi resolution ones. If you are planning on enlarging the images on large computer monitors, 3200 dpi should do it. When in doubt, you can go for a 300 dpi resolution photo scanner and that will pretty much cover most of your needs.
Determine Your Limit on Scanning Speed
So far, you would have come to a decision about the purpose of your photo scanner, its type, and resolution. There is one more important factor that you need to keep in mind in order to get a product that is easy and fun to use. The speed of your scanner can determine whether it can beneficial or irritating to you. Do check the speed of your preferred model so far and decide whether that suits you or not. If you will scan often with your new product, a faster speed will definitely serve you well.
So there you have it! With a photo scanner, you can keep your favorite memories from getting lost forever by turning them digital on your laptop or phone. With some research, you will get a product that is both functional and fun.
Fred splits his corporate time between the office and his WFH office. He believes that a few days of working remotely is a great way to boost productivity and employee happiness. Fred started WFH Adviser in order to share insights and products with people who are beginning their WFH journey.
