A photo scanner is the proper tool for digitizing prints, 35mm negatives, and slides. It makes it easy to preserve old family memories and provides photographers a means of digitizing their current or old work for editing and uploading. Compared to an all-purpose scanner, the best photo scanners incorporate specialized features for image reproduction, such as enhanced sensor resolution, large flatbeds for multi-sized images, and transparency units to directly convert negatives and slides. Whether it’s for archival purposes or you’re still practicing the film medium, a photo scanner is a must-have.
What is a Photo Scanner?
A photo scanner is a machine allowing users to digitize “analog” photos. The picture scanner optically reads the physical image and converts it into a digital file for preservation and retrieval.
Professional and amateur photographers who still shoot film may employ the best photo scanners so that they can effortlessly post film photos on websites or social media. These devices also make it possible to edit prints in the digital domain, which may be a useful hybrid approach for some photographers. For many users, a photo scanner simply serves as an archival tool to back up old prints and negatives that risk being lost to time.
Features to Look for in a Photo Scanner
Before looking at the best photo scanner for you, it’s important to figure out how you intend to use it. For example, if you only have transparencies and negatives, you can opt for a dedicated transparency scanner. If you have prints, you can go for a standard flatbed scanner. If you have a little bit of everything, then a flatbed scanner with a built-in system for negatives and transparencies would be the best bet.
The next most important feature to consider in a picture scanner is resolution, measured in dots per inch (dpi). Dpi equates to the amount of detail with which the scanner recreates the photo. You may think that the highest dpi possible is best, but most people really only need about 300 dpi for the average scan. If you intend to enlarge prints digitally, that’s when you’d need more detail — in this case, about 3200 dpi is sufficient.
Another key feature to look for in the best photo scanner is speed. Faster scanners are useful for archiving large collections, though you may not need flat-out speed for the occasional scan here or there. An additional helpful feature related to speed is how the scanner connects to your computer. Wi-Fi connectivity, for example, might be important for an efficient, wireless workflow when scanning lots of prints.
Finally, a niche feature that some may find useful is optical character recognition (OCR). This is a special type of software for scanning documents, and while it’s not a typical feature in dedicated photo scanners, you may see it from time to time.
Scanner vs All-in-One Printer
If you have an all-in-one printer with a built-in scanner, you may not need a separate photo scanner. The scanner included in an all-in-one printer is adequate for the occasional image or document, and that’s fine for relatively low use. With that said, a dedicated photo scanner normally has a larger surface area and a higher resolution, as well as the ability to process negatives and transparency slides in some cases. All-in-one printers do several things well, but a standalone scanner excels at one task.
Photo scanners already cater to a specific demographic of photographers and archivists, whether it’s for professional projects or family photos. There’s a good chance that if you’re asking yourself whether you need one of the best photo scanners, you’d probably find it useful.
Best Photo Scanners
Most Versatile Professional Scanner: Epson Expression 12000XL Photo Scanner
The Epson 12000XL is one of the best photo scanners all around, with a host of high-end features well suited to professional work. The large-format scanner supports prints up to 12.2” x 17.2”, and the roomy transparency unit provides ample space for batch scanning negatives, slides, and medium-format strips. The color and detail this scanner captures is among the best in its class, and one-touch restoration breathes new life into older photographs.
Key Specifications
- Resolution: 2400 dpi
- Flatbed Size: 12.2” x 17.2”
- Transparency Unit: Up to 48 frames of 35mm negatives, 30 slides, eight frames of 4” x 5” transparencies, six medium-format strips
- Connectivity: USB
- Additional: One-touch photo restoration and batch scanning for increased productivity
Best Sheet-Fed Photo Scanner: Epson FastFoto FF-680W Scanning System
When it comes to archiving decades worth of family photos, you’ll need a scanner that’s fast and efficient. The Epson FastFoto is a quality top-loading photo and document scanner capable of holding up to 36 4” x 6” photos per batch and up to 100 sheets of paper. Its impressive speed pushes out 300 dpi scans at a rate of one photo per second, and it even offers 600 dpi settings for archiving and 1200 dpi settings for digital enlarging.
Key Specifications
- Resolution: 300, 600, and 1200 dpi modes
- Speed: Up to one photo per second at 300 dpi
- Capacity: Up to 36 4” x 6” photos per batch
- Connectivity: USB & Wi-Fi
- Additional: Automatic backup to Dropbox or Google Drive, OCR for high-res document scanning
Best Large-Format Scanner: Plustek OpticPro A320E A3 CCD Flatbed Scanner
The spacious Plustek OpticPro A320E is powerful large-format picture scanner at a reasonable price. The flatbed measures 12” x 17” for any manner of photographic prints, in addition to art, maps, and other odd-shaped documents. Its internal file management system makes it easy to scan to various formats as well as different destinations at the touch of a button. The OpticPro is one of the best photo scanners for digitizing artwork for preservation or distribution.
Key Specifications
- Resolution: 800 dpi
- Flatbed Size: 12” x 17”
- Speed: 7.8 seconds for A3-sized documents
- Connectivity: USB
- Additional: Batch scan detects multiple images and saves them to a multi-page PDF
Best High-Resolution Scanner: Epson Perfection V600
In order to digitally enlarge scanned photos and retain all the detail and clarity of the original, higher resolutions are a necessity. Epson’s Perfection V600 features a remarkably accurate 6400-dpi sensor for unmatched image quality, even when a small print is blown up in editing software. The print bed is more than big enough for most users, and it also includes a transparency adapter for up to 12 negatives or four slides.
Key Specifications
- Resolution: 6400 dpi
- Flatbed Size: 8.5” x 11.7”
- Transparency Unit: 35mm slides, negatives, and medium-format panoramic film
- Connectivity: USB
- Additional: DIGITAL ICE software for film removes creases, tears, dust, and specks from prints
Best Scanner for Documents and Photos: Canon ImageFORMULA RS40 Scanner
One of the compromises of owning the best photo scanner is trading off document quality and efficiency for image quality. Some users need an all-purpose scanner that excels at both, and the Canon ImageFORMULA RS40 meets those demands. The automatic feeder lets you set up batches for multiple rounds of scanning while the machine cranks out up to 30 double-sided color document scans per minute. Photos scan at 600 dpi at a thoroughly efficient 60 pictures per minute.
Key Specifications
- Resolution: Up to 600 dpi
- Speed: Up to 30 pages per minute, 60 images per minute (color)
- Capacity: Up to 60 sheets or 40 photos per tray
- Connectivity: USB
- Additional: Includes software to enhance scanned images
Best Economy Scanner: Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 Slim Performance Scanner
When portability and simplicity is the name of the game, nothing performs like the Canon LiDE 400. This ultra-compact, bus-powered scanner connects to a computer or laptop via USB-C. For such a sleek and affordable device, it packs a gorgeous 4800 dpi sensor for hi-res scans of prints up to 8.5” x 11.7”. This one-of-a-kind scanner also supports upright scanning to free up additional space on your work from home setup.
Key Specifications
- Resolution: 4800 dpi
- Flatbed Size: 8.5” x 11.7”
- Speed: 300 dpi photos and documents in eight seconds
- Connectivity: USB-C
- Additional: Automatic built-in photo enhancement, upright scanning to save desktop space
Best Film and Slide Scanner: Plustek OpticFilm 8200i AI – 35mm Film & Slide Scanner
The best photo scanner for film and slides is the Plustek OpticFilm. Veteran photographers will love how well this picture scanner takes original 35mm negatives or slides and transforms them into a gorgeous digital image with all of the character and nuance of the original analog format. The internal infrared channel automatically repairs scratches and removes dust, and the super smooth 7200 dpi capture is worthy of enlargements up to 36” x 24”.
Key Specifications
- Resolution: 7200 dpi
- Speed: 36 seconds at 3600 dpi, 113 seconds at 7200 dpi
- Built-In Correction: Infrared channel removes dust and scratches
- Connectivity: USB
- Additional: High dynamic range beautifully digitizes the nuance of film and slides
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I scan thousands of photos?
Combing through a huge collection of memories with the intent to scan them all can be a daunting task. In order to prepare yourself, some of the best advice is to only scan your finest photos. In many cases, that reduces the workload before it even starts. Ideally, you’d want a scanner with a top-load feeder that lets you scan pictures in batches, which is obviously faster than going one image at a time. Also, consider the overall scanning speed if you intend to digitize thousands of photos.
Is it better to scan photos as JPEG or PDF?
JPEG is the preferred format for scanning images. Despite being a lossy format, prints scanned to JPEG will still look crisp assuming the scanner has adequate dpi, and they’ll be readily editable in image editing software. The file size is also quite small, which is a major plus for scanning and storing large collections of photos. On the other hand, when scanning documents, PDF has higher quality for crisper text and multiple pages in a single file.
Is a photo scanner better than a regular scanner?
All-purpose scanners work well for photos in many cases, but a photo scanner is a specialized tool for a specific job. The best photo scanner includes a host of features designed to digitize prints with detail and color you can’t always get from an all-purpose scanner. Not to mention, if you have negatives and slides, then you’ll need a proper photo scanner to handle these unique formats.
Conclusion
We hope we’ve inspired you to dig out some old photographs and give them new life in the digital domain. By and large, photo scanners are easy to set up and use, and may make you reconsider whether film is a dead format.
Photo by Epson.
