Compare the best document scanners for digital filing systems. Side-by-side comparisons of features and prices of top rated scanners. Easily see which document scanner stands above the rest. Read professional in-depth reviews and articles. The dynamic range of the V800 is 4.0 compared to the V600's 3.4 This means the shadow and highlight areas will hold more detail on the V800. The V800 is a scanner specially for photo and film print reproduction and restoration. It has upgraded photo and film scanning and restoration features, ability to scan all sizes of film, up to 8x10. Flatbed scanners are the most popular type of image scanners because they are easy to use and are compatible with most computer operating systems. They are perfect for scanning and saving sentimental photographs or documents that might tear easily, as well as books you want to preserve.
What's the Right Scanner for Your Mac?
There's no secret ingredient in determining the best scanner for your Apple desktop or laptop, as the factors that make a Mac-friendly model great are, by and large, the same as those that set the best Windows scanners apart from the pack. As with any tech product, prospective buyers look for the ideal combination of performance and features based on their needs, and set it against the price. For a document scanner, common criteria include speed, the ability to scan to various formats, the paper capacity of the automatic document feeder (ADF), optical character recognition (OCR) performance, the ability to scan and read business cards, the presence of a flatbed, the ability to scan over a network, and portability. Among the desired traits for photo scanners are speed, high resolution, the ability to scan slides and film, as well as prints, scan quality, and dust and scratch removal.
For most of these factors, it makes little difference if your scanner is connected to a PC or a Mac. But there is one area in which Mac users are at a distinct disadvantage, and that is in software. As popular as Apple computers have become, Mac users are underserved when it comes to scanners and some other peripherals. As a Mac owner myself, I'm keenly aware that it's still largely a Windows world out there.
Get the Right Driver
In order for a scanner to work at all with a Mac, it has to have a macOS driver. Beyond that, the software that's usually bundled with a scanner may or may not be Mac-compatible. Most recent photo scanners can work with Macs. Photo scanners often just come with drivers and a scan utility, leaving it to the user to provide a photo-editing program. Popular choices, including Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CC, are available in both Windows- and Mac-compatible versions.
It's All in the Software
Fewer document scanners are Mac compatible, and some are only partially so. Most document scanners (with the exception of some high-end models) come with a software suite that includes, at the minimum, document management, OCR, and business-card programs. A good bundled software package for a scanner intended for both operating systems should include a full suite of both Windows and Mac programs. However, it's not uncommon that an otherwise Mac-friendly scanner will be missing parts of the suite. You can buy the programs separately if they're even available, but that's an extra expense that you'll have to factor into your costs.
Statistically, there are far fewer Mac-friendly scanners than there are, say, printers, though their numbers are growing. It may take a bit more hunting to find the perfect scanner for your Mac than it would for a Windows-compatible model, but we've come across some excellent choices, which we present below. For more on what to look for when choosing a scanner, check out our scanner buying guide. And if you're in the market for a model specifically for photos, see our list of the best photo scanners.
Best Scanners for Mac Featured in This Roundup:
Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 Review
MSRP: $89.99Pros: Vibrant photo scans. Excellent software bundle. Comes with kickstand for upright positioning. Very simple to use.Cons: Lacks mobile device and wireless support. Could be more accurate when scanning serif fonts.Bottom Line: The entry-level Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 is a software-rich flatbed photo scanner that also handles text documents with ease.Read ReviewEpson DS-870 Review
MSRP: $799.00Pros: Fast scanning and saving to searchable PDF. Huge volume and capacity for the price. Highly accurate.Cons: Networking is an add-on. No wireless or mobile connectivity.Bottom Line: The highly capable Epson WorkForce DS-870 is a fast, no frills high-volume scanner ideal for heavy-duty scanning and document-archiving environments.Read ReviewEpson DS-80W Wireless Portable Document Scanner Review
MSRP: $169.00Pros: Fast scanning. Accurate OCR. Light and small. Easy to use.Cons: Lacks ADF.Bottom Line: The Epson DS-80W is a fast and accurate single-sheet-feed portable document scanner ideally suited for scanning short jobs to your laptop or smartphone on the road.Read ReviewEpson FastFoto FF-680W Review
MSRP: $599.99Pros: Quickly scans stacks of photo prints. Decent as a document scanner. Scans to searchable PDF. Solid OCR performance.Cons: Somewhat pricey. Slower at photo scanning than its predecessor.Bottom Line: The Epson FastFoto FF-680W is a sheet-feed desktop scanner that excels at scanning stacks of snapshots while doing a credible job at document scanning.Read ReviewHP ScanJet Enterprise Flow N9120 fn2 Document Scanner Review
MSRP: $3999.99Pros: Fast. Can scan up to tabloid-size paper from either flatbed or ADF. Connects by Ethernet or USB.Cons: Large and heavy. A major investment.Bottom Line: The HP ScanJet Enterprise Flow N9120 fn2 Document Scanner offers an excellent mix of features and performance for offices that do a high volume of scanning.Read ReviewHP ScanJet Pro 3000 s3 Sheet-Feed Scanner Review
MSRP: $429.99Pros: Excellent speed and accuracy for the price. Well-rounded software bundle, including document and business-card archiving software. High daily duty cycle.Cons: Primary scanning utility is slow.Bottom Line: The moderately priced HP ScanJet Pro 3000 delivers excellent speed and respectable accuracy, as well as an inclusive software bundle, making it a good value.Read ReviewFujitsu ScanSnap iX100 (2019) Review
MSRP: $229.00Pros: Accurate OCR. Fast. Robust software bundle. Versatile connectivity options, including mobile. Reasonable price.Cons: Lacks single-pass auto-duplexing.Bottom Line: The Fujitsu ScanSnap iX100 is a fast and feature-packed manual-feed document scanner designed for light-duty data capture on the road.Read ReviewPanasonic KV-N1028X Review
MSRP: $1495.00Pros: Superb OCR accuracy. Customizable touch screen. Comprehensive software. Competitive speed when scanning to image files and searchable PDF. Wired and wireless networking, including Wi-Fi Direct. Three-year warranty.Cons: Individual workstation licenses sold separately. A bit pricey.Bottom Line: The Panasonic KV-N1028X is a snappy and exceptionally accurate networkable document scanner, designed primarily for enterprise environments.Read Review
A flatbed scanner is perfect for anyone who wants to preserve and back up printed photographs, or for offices that need to save or edit important documents. A flatbed scanner uses optics to convert a physical form into digital media. Once you've digitized the material, you can edit it however you please.
Scanners use a combination of light and mirrors to bounce reflection of your document or photograph toward one or more sensors. They scans line by line and pixel by pixel to carefully translate your media into a usable digital file. The original flatbed scanners required three passes to completely scan an image, but newer scanners have multiple-CCD arrays, which allow them to quickly scan images in one quick pass. This makes a flatbed scanner different from a drum scanner in that it uses light–rather than photo-multiplier tubes–to operate. Drum scanners require you to feed your documents through rollers that can prove damaging if you are trying to scan anything remotely fragile.
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Flatbed scanners are the most popular type of image scanners because they are easy to use and are compatible with most computer operating systems. They are perfect for scanning and saving sentimental photographs or documents that might tear easily, as well as books you want to preserve.
What Are The Best High Volume Photo Scanner For Mac
The resolution quality you get with a flatbed scanner will vary depending on your model. Odds are, you will spend slightly more for a higher resolution. But, if you are planning to scan a lot of photographs, higher resolution is the way to go. Some scanners can automatically convert color documents and photos to black-and-white. Today’s flatbed scanners are built for convenience and, often, portability. They connect to your computer via USB port, and some of them are even equipped with wireless capabilities that can help them network throughout a busy ofice.