Scanner recommendations & reviews

I am considering investing in a scanner for photos and documents.  I'm interested in quality, price, ease of use and any guidance you'd like to offer on the process.

Thanks

Bill

I have the Cannon MP600 printer/scanner and that seems to work fine for my needs. All I use for scanning in pictures is the Windows Fax and Scan utility. That also does a good job. For touch ups, which are only needed occasionally, I use Photoshop Elements.

I suppose it depends on what exactly your needs are. If you want an all-around portable scanner that does a fairly good job and is easy to use, the CanoScan LiDE series are hard to beat. No power bricks are a plus, as they are USB driven. Models are available for well under $100.

If high-quality photo scans and speed are important, then a full size photo scanner from Epson or Canon should top your list. Prices will begin in the low $100 range.

The software is another subject. The included software might be all you need. But if you want total control with lots of editing features, then you'll have to invest in something like PaperPort, which is expensive and bloated (I'm talking obese). Software options, unfortunately, are limited.