Rating: Summary: Great basic scanner Review: I am very impressed with this scanner. It is my first, so I don't have much to compare it to, but it worked extremely well once I figured a few things out. One thing you should be aware of; since this unit is powered only through the USB cable, Canon strongly recommends that you do not use a longer cable than the one supplied with the scanner. It's about 5' long, which should be long enough for most. Also, as others have stated, it should only be connected to a direct USB port on your computer.(not a hub, or "daisy chained" with other USB devices). Instalation was easy. Just follow the instructions in order. The software is easy to learn if you have the time to play with it. I didn't, so I went to Arcsoft's web site and downloaded the manual. My first scan was a 3.5" x 5" color photo. I set the res at 600 dpi. It took a LONG time. Then I realized I had the scan size set at 8.5" X 11" (duh). It was scanning the entire flatbed. Once I adjusted the scan size, it scanned the same photo, at the same res, in only about 20 seconds. And it's whisper quiet. I have read others complain that that it won't scan 3-D objects well at all. It probably wont. It uses entirely different technology than older "brighter" scanners which need a separate power cord. I don't see this as a problem for me, as 99% of my scans will be photos or text pages. I would recomed this product to anyone.
Rating: Summary: Poor Software Package--difficult to learn Review: I bought this for my new 1.33G Athlon 256K PC and so far its been difficult to install and even more difficult to use the arcane software package. Unless your a techy there's a long painful(read months) learning curve here before you're doing anything much more than sending an e-mail attachment to Mom. I hold a Micro-Computer Diploma and Plug and play this unit definitely is not. Where I live the street price of this unit is a firm $149.95 Canadian or $97 USD which makes it the most expensive scanner in its category. The mark up is based strictly on the units'superior super slim appearance and single cord USB connection. Mine came with OmniPage 9.O optical character recognition, ArcSoft PhotoStudio 2000, and ArcSoft Photobase. This stuff is all scary complicated and the Canon Help line will tell you that they largely do not support it. You have to contact the software companies for in depth support and guess what.......nobodies home! Pay for the call, read it on their Website if you can, or they will e-mail back in 2 days. In the case of Arcsoft it is impossible to navigate their on-line manuals...go see for yourself. If you have an extra plug in on your power bar plugging in an AC adapter which comes with most competitors models is not really a big deal particularly if they provide you with software.... Like other writers have noted the plug in on the back of my scanner is loose and flimsy. If you are hung up on single USB connection and super slim profile you might want to check out the offering at GoogleGear.com for $49 USD. Looks the same to me and the software might be better. There are also much cheaper offerings from Visioneer and Hewlett Packard worth checking out in the under $100 category. Both are reliable. OmniPage is difficult to use and I'm stratching my head wondering if I would be better off with Textbridge by Xerox, the other competing OCR software available with some other scanners.d
Rating: Summary: Very slick scanner Review: I got this scanner two days ago, and love it already. It scans faster than my previous scanner (which isn't saying much). It has exceptionally good scan quality. I really like the fact that it only has one cable. It helps control the jungle of cables behind my computer. This scanner is very thin and light. It has this really cool expandable cover, so if you're scanning, say a page in a book, the cover still sits evenly on top of the book. The setup was also elementary-level simple. The software ran seamlessly, without once freezing up my computer, which is an accomplishment in itself. The editing software that comes with scanner is easy to use, and pretty powerful. All in all, a really good package, and a REALLY good deal.
Rating: Summary: Works fine with Microsoft ME Review: I had quiute a bit of trouble with my HP flatbved scanner. Even after HP provided a new driver, it still did not work with ME. The Cannon scanner worked great "right out of the box." It is important to follow Cannon's directions exactly! I can't believe how a product this small works so well.
Rating: Summary: Spend a few dollars more Review: I had the same problem as another reviewer. The computer stopped recognizing the scanner. Reinstalling the software did not help. Trying it on another computer didn't work either. Up till when this happened I was happy with it. I suggest you spend a few more dollars to get a more up to date scanner.
Rating: Summary: worked great until the glass broke Review: I had this scanner for a couple years. I thought it worked really good. I used it mainly for scanning pictures, and they were very sharp. Then one day the glass shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces with no apparent explaination.
Rating: Summary: Great Scanner, Great Price Review: I have been having a blast with this scanner. For the price it's a steal! It's compact, there is no power supply, which I love, 1 less cable to mess with, one less outlet needed. The pictures I have scanned have been great! It was extremely easy to install the software, very little to setup. you just push the button and go! I recently installed a scanner twice the price as this one for my father-in-law, it was difficult and it takes a long time to scan. The CanoScan scans my pictures in about 30 seconds, I love it!
Rating: Summary: For (the price) you can beat that! Review: I have been using mine for almost a year. Like other who posted reviews the scanner drawing power from the USB might be a hassle for some. I on the other hand found the output to be good but not great. There is some "bleeding" of colors when scanning an image with high contrasts. For example a picture of a red rose with a lush green foliage background. Your image might turn out with a red rose with a hint of green or green foliage with a hint of red. I do admit for (the price) you can't ask for anything more. If you are a casual user and don't plan of making a living scanning images and editing them for later sale this might be the scanner for you. Especially if you like to post family pictures on the web or create nice greeting cards or illustrations for fun.
Rating: Summary: For (the price) you can beat that! Review: I have been using mine for almost a year. Like other who posted reviews the scanner drawing power from the USB might be a hassle for some. I on the other hand found the output to be good but not great. There is some "bleeding" of colors when scanning an image with high contrasts. For example a picture of a red rose with a lush green foliage background. Your image might turn out with a red rose with a hint of green or green foliage with a hint of red. I do admit for (the price) you can't ask for anything more. If you are a casual user and don't plan of making a living scanning images and editing them for later sale this might be the scanner for you. Especially if you like to post family pictures on the web or create nice greeting cards or illustrations for fun.
Rating: Summary: So far, so good Review: I have owned my CanoScan N650U for about a month now, and it has performed flawlessly. Setup took no more than ten minutes, with no complications. The softwear is intuitive and intelligent, and has presented no problems. The scan quality is tremendous - I can't even think of reasons why you would need higher resolution than the 1200 DPI that this scanner. At high resolutions, the biggest problem (true of all scanners) is not the resolution, but dust or fingerprints on the document you are scanning. The scanner is very sleek, unlike its far more bulky competitors. It makes a bit of sound when scanning, about average from my experience with other scanners. A great buy.
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