Tuesday, 16 August 2011

Canoscan Lide 100 - flatbed scanner, canoscan lide 100


Bought this scanner to replace my failed Epson Perfection 1650. I like its compact size and quietness, and find the operating speed close to that of the 1650. The software is ok, and scanner operation is as convenient as that of the 1650, but there is less flexibility to allow altering color satuation, hue, etc. I found image sharpness disappointingly soft, and color saturation less than that of the original photo being copied. The overall effect is a somewhat faded, hazy image. Tried downloading and installing a fresh driver, but that didn't change this characteristic. After selecting USE SCANNER DRIVER on the operating panel, I was able to make selections that improved the image quality somewhat, but it is still not up to the performance of my previous scanner. Turning off the softening mask makes very little improvement. For me this scanner does not live up to previous glowing user reviews that helped decide this purchase. Canon LiDE100 Color Image Scanner (2923B002)

I needed a scanner to scan an occasional document, receipt, or magazine page. Image quality needed to be decent and other than that I wanted a device that just did the job and didn't need a lot of hand-holding.



So far I'm satisfied to impressed. Take it out of the box, plug in the USB cable (big plus it doesn't add yet another power adapter to my setup), Windows Vista automatically detects and installs the driver and you're ready to go. I didn't even look at the software CD which comes with the scanner for the first week. The OS integrated driver is sufficient for the generic scans.



It's nice and small and lightweight, has a small locking slider for the lid on the bottom. So when I'm not scanning I simply unplug the USB port and it's easily stored on the shelf and not taking up valuable space.



The scan speed and image quality is good enough for my needs. I'm sure some folks may have a more detailed critique, but that wasn't what I'm looking for.



After eventually installing the software that came with it, the copy button on the front works fine. Push it and the software will scan and then send the result to the printer. Not a high volume copying solution, but if one makes a copy at home once in a blue moon and hates the trip to Kinko's this fits in well.



So if you're looking for a simple and reasonably priced scanning solution for occasional work, this is a great choice.

This scanner is just fine for use at home, or if you need it in a small business, where you're scanning in a few pages a day.



It's definitely not a heavy duty model, and not the fastest, so don't expect it to be quick like the Xerox machines at Fedex Kinko's. Nor should you expect studio quality scans.



That being said, Canon has managed to keep the cost down, while delivering great image quality for the average user, so if you're looking for above-average quality scans in a slim package, this scanner is right for you.



Note: I do appreciate the scan-to-pdf option, which is great since PDF is portable across all operating systems.

I bought this with the intention of scanning old photos to jpg files. It works great! The software is just ok. But the greatest feature is that you can scan four pictures at once. It makes projects like mine a breeze. I can also see myself using this for other things.

Great product at a great price!

Pros: very easy to setup. buttons on front work as advertised, as long as the software is installed. Nice image quality from scans. VERY LOW power consumption (i think it consumes 2 full watts when scanning). No External power supply needed.



Cons: 24 second scanning is a little much for this day and time. I know it is a higher resolution, but still. A full scan should take less than 10 seconds in 2009. Other than this, it would be five star.



Overall: For a general use scanner, I really doubt you could beat this one. It is inexpensive, compact, does the job well, and uses very little energy. What more could you ask for?



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One Year Update - the scanner is still functioning great. After using it for a year, I will say that the MP Navigator software is not that special, and could be a little easier to use for the average home user. I have recently just been using Acrobat Std. to import scanned documents as PDFs as it is quicker and will a pretty good job @ OCR. Still four out of five stars.

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I got this scanner as a gift to scan old photos. It is fantastic for scanning old photos. Simply drop the 4 photos on the glass (no need to line them up, get them straight, etc.). Push a button, and the scanner scans the photos, straightens them up and separates them. I don't use the editing software so I can't comment on that, but this is a great scanner for a Mac user.

If you read my other reviews you will notice that I am not easily pleased but where can I start with this scanner. I bought my first and only scanner some 10 yrs ago. It had to be run through the printer for installation. Never got it to work at all. This time, this scanner was a breeze to install (running Vista Ultimate 64 bit). Just install drivers, plug into USB and go. Went directly to Canon and found 64 bit driver upgrade for my OS. I have scanned maybe 100 pics and they all scanned to my PC beautifully. Some pics are as much as 60 yrs old and the detail in the scan is better than the original photo. I do not know what people look for in software so don't know really why some complain of software package. It seems more than sufficient to meet my needs, but then I don't rely on it much.



I also scanned the bottom of two laptop batteries before sending the replacement back to the seller, to show where the problem was with theirs. Scanned with sufficient detail to print and mark the difference and include in my return package. I love the Z lid that allows for scanning bulkier items like that. I give it 6, 7, 8, 9, oh well, 10 out of 10 and easily 5 stars at a great price. - Canoscan Lide 100 - Flatbed Scanner - Canon Lide 100 - Canon Scanner'


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