Canon Canoscan LiDE 80 Color Image Flatbed Scanner

The Canoscan LiDE series of scanners is perfect for those who are looking to save space or who are on the go but don't want to sacrifice quality and performance. As I've mentioned in previous posts (here), I'm a tablet pc user who is trying to go completely digital this year. And as a student, I get a lot of handouts and miscellaneous loose leaf pages and books that I have scan into my laptop.

Well I actually own a Canoscan LiDE 80 scanner and it has been absolutely vital for my everyday use. While I don't use my scanner to scan my textbooks (that's over 300+ pages to scan!), I do use it to scan class handouts, homework, and old notes. This Canoscan is absolutely perfect for those who need to take their scanning on the go. The scanner is a slim 1.5" thick, which is thinner than 80% of my textbooks and it only weighs one pound so it's lighter than most of my books and the scanner weighs about 1/6 of what my tablet pc weighs! The scanner's dimensions are about that of a legal sized sheet of paper so it even fits perfectly in my backpack or one of my laptop tote's side compartments. It's also powered by the same USB cord that connects it to your computer so there's no extra power cord or adapters to carry around.

While all this is fine and dandy, but what good is a portable scanner if it sucks. Well I can assure you that the Canoscan LiDE 80 does live up to it's claimed specifications of 48-bit color and a 16-bit grayscale and 2,400 x 4,800 non-interpolated resolution. Scans come out beautifully with rich colors and sharp clean text. The included software also has an OCR utility so scanning searchable text and pdf documents are a breeze. There's also an included film adapter unit which can hold 35mm negatives or slides for scanning.

I will have to warn you that when you scan a document, you'll want to align it so that the top left corner of your document is positioned at the bottom left hand corner of the scanner. Basically you'll want to flip whatever you're scanning upside down. And this is not the fastest scanner around, unlike bulkier flatbed scanners, the Canoscan LiDE 80 will not give you a scan in less than 5 seconds, much less the super fast speeds of 1 or 2 seconds of higher priced scanners, so don't plan on using this for heavy duty scanning. However, if what you're looking for is portability and the ability to scan quality high resolution images, then you'll find this to be an excellent scanner.

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Canon's new scanner series

Canon's new lineup of scanners, the CanoScan 8600F, LiDE 600F, CanoScan 4400F, and the LiDE 70 are attractive and designed to fit most lifestyles and budgets.  The CanoScan 8600F, LiDE 600F, and CanoScan 4400F have a maximum optical resolution of 4800 x 9600 dpi for crisp, detailed images. 

These scanners are targetted for scanning photos, films, and negatives.  The CanoScan 8600F and CanoScan4400F have a Film Adapter Unit for scanning 35 mm negatives and slides.  Scanning medium format negatives is also a breeze with the CanoScan 8600F.  In addition to photo scanning, these scanners also have the standard easy access buttons for one touch scans, copies, emails, and PDFs.  There are also special features for document scanning such as automatic document alignment which makes scanning perfect pages easy and quick.

On the CanoScan 8600F, users can scan up to 12 frames of 35mm film, and four mounted slides or medium format negatives.  Canon's FARE Level 3 (FIlm Automatic Retouching and Enhancement) technology corrects dust, scratches, fading, graininess, and fixes backlighting, Canon's new scanners are perfect as an at home photo lab.

Creating PDF documents is now easier than ever.  CanoScan 8600F, LiDE 600F, and CanoScan 4400F have buttons for black and white, color, custom settings, and finish which allow you to easily create multipage PDF documents without ever touching your computer.  The scanners use USB 2.0 connectivity for fast transfers and Canon's software suite including the Canoscan Toolbox and ScanGear software make scanning large projects a breeze.

The CanoScan 8600F is estimated to sell for $179.99.  Designed as a desktop photo lab, this scanner offers high resolution scanning with photography amateurs and professionals in mind.

The LiDE 600F Scanner is estimated to sell for 149.99.  This scanner is designed with small workspaces and mobility in mind.  The unit can be vertically positioned, allowing you to simply drop in your documents or photos.  The scanner can also operate in the standard horizontal position or it can open 180 degrees to scan large objects.  The 35mm film adapter allows users to scan up to six frames at once and FARE level 3 technology cleans up images.

The CanoScan 4400F Scanner is estimated to sell for 99.99 and is a value priced solution for high performance.  This scanner is full of photo and document scanning features and the included software and tools make it easy to correct and enhance images.  The film adapter can also hold up to six 35mm negatives or four mounted slides simultaneously.

The LiDE 70 Scanner is estimated to sell for just 79.99.  A versatile machine that is designed to fit into your budget, the LiDE 70 scanner scanns photos and documents at a maximum of 2400 x 4800 dpi optical resolution.  The Z-Lid also allows you to scan bulky items like textbooks and just one USB cable provides both power and connectivity.

Technorati Tags: canon, canoscan, scanner, photos, film, negatives

Canon CanoScan LiDE 60 Color Image Scanner

Four front buttons for easy access to automated functions.

• Scan


• Copy


• Create e-mail attachments


• Create PDFs

The USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface enables fast image transfers to your computer, with previews and scans available in approximately 9 seconds

The CanoScan LiDE series scaners are highly portable and space efficient. The unit measures just 10.1" x 1.5" x 14.7" and weighs 3.97 lbs. One USB cable provides connectivity to your computer and power. Plus, an included desktop stand gives you the option of positioning the scanner vertically to save desk space.

The CanoScan LiDE 60 produces a maximum optical 1200 x 2400 (19200 x 19200 interpolated) color dpi resolution and 48-bit color depth, for over 281 trillion possible colors. The LiDE 60 scanner comes with the CanoScan Toolbox for easy scanning. The scanner can also be accessed through image editing applications which are TWAIN compatible.

For maximum productivity, the Multi-Scan Mode lets you scan multiple images simultaneously and each image is saved as an individual file. The expandable Z-Lid top makes scanning books up to 1" thick vertically an easy task.

What comes included?

• CanoScan LiDE 60 Color Image Scanner


• USB cable, stand


• CanoScan Setup CD-ROM


• Warranty information

As a college student who has to do a lot of research at libraries, the Canon CanoScan LiDE series is the perfect research companion to a laptop. The scanner is small and thin so it fits in both most backpacks and laptop totes. At just 3.97 lbs, CanoScan LiDE 60 is lighter than many laptops and books. It takes at least 9 seconds to scan a page so this is a trade off for portability, but unless you're scanning hundreds of pages, this shouldn't be a significant issue.

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