Looking for a good scanner

What's a good mix of price and performance

[skibum]

It's mostly to be used for web graphics, are there any major differences between scanners in the 100 dollar range. Any big differences between 100 bucks and more expensive ones that make much difference?

Does good ORC software typically come with a scanner, or should that be a separate purchase?

[mivox]

Most scanners come with acceptable OCR software, from what I've seen... but interestingly, the free software package I have with my scanner (OmniPage LE) seems to work best if you scan a page as a high-resolution tiff file through PhotoShop, and then run the TIFF through the OCR routines, than if you try scanning directly through the OCR interface.

I'm quite happy with my Epson Perfection 1200. Not for the production print design house, but great for desktop publishing and general web work.

[Bentler]

We got an Epson 636 several years ago and have been very happy with it. It has a high dynamic range-- which means the light sensors can distinguish a greater range of colors, making the output truer to the original-- and the pixels register accurately so the output isn't fuzzy. There may be better equipment at lower cost now, I'm not sure. I do recall in general that scanners with higher dynamic range were more expensive and that this model had the best price for the quality.

[Robert Charlton]

Check this thread [webmasterworld.com] in Foo. Umax scanners received many unfavorable comments.

[Marcia]

I have a Umax and I don't like it.

[Eric_Jarvis]

don't get Umax unless you primarily want to use it as a door stop

I've got an Epson at home and it's excellent...an HP at work which is just about as good, easier to use, but not quite as reliable

had an Acer at my last job which was reasonable and an absolute doddle to set up and use

[skibum]

Many thanks for everyones suggestions. After a fairly exhaustive search, I ened up ordering this [consumer.usa.canon.com]. Seemed to get favorable reviews everywhere and had a reasonable price tag, but if it doesn't work it's not big enough to be much of a doorstop, maybe put some legs on it, and use it for breakfast in bed. Anybody have any (bad) luck with Canon scanners? Even Consumer Reports didn't really seem to love anything at any price in their May reviews.

[Eric_Jarvis]

my research led me to the conclusion that the scanner you need depends entirely on what you want to do with it

if you want high quality images and the scanner on a single PC constantly...then Canon or one of the other image specialists makes sense

if you want to network the scanner or move it between several PCs (or even if you upgrade your box frequently) then Acer or Epson or one of the computer specialists makes sense

the drivers are as important as the hardware

[Marcia]

When I was shopping for a scanner, which I purchased based on the best rebate deal available - a mistake, I now realize - I was told by a salesman at Staples that a number of companies use the actual Canon engine. So I would suppose that the other features and enhancements would be the determining factor, in this case. I have a friend who bought a Canon, and has been very satisfied with it.

[skibum]

Anyone have experience with Amazon returns or Canon tech support? It seems be DOA. Got an autoreponder from Canon tech support.

[mivox]

Check Amazon's site and the scanner's documentation for the all-important 800 number. When you want quick service, nothing beats the telephone yet...