How to compare scanner stats for photos


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Old 03-26-15, 11:40 AM
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How to compare scanner stats for photos

I want to scan my photos in a quality way. I have a Canon MG6320 printer with scanner. I don't know how to compare this with an Epson V550 photo scanner I am considering. Can anyone advise whether the Epson would be a significant upgrade worth purchasing ($112 refurbished; $170 new). I think the usability of the Epson is better than the Canon, but will it produce better visual results?

The specs for this Canon printer with scanner are:
Scanning Element:Contact Image Sensor (CIS)
Max. Resolutions:Optical:2400 x 4800 dpi; Interpolated:19,200 x 19,200 dpi
Color Depth:48-bit input/24-bit output

The specs for the Epson V550 photo scanner:
Scanner Type: Flatbed color scanner with TPU
Optical Resolution: 6400 dpi with Epson MatrixCCD®
Hardware Resolution: 6400 x 9600 dpi with Micro Step Drive™ technology
Maximum Resolution: 12,800 dpi
Effective Pixels: 54,400 x 74,880 (6400 dpi)
Color Bit Depth: 48-bits per pixel internal / external
Grayscale Bit Depth: 16-bits per pixel internal / external
Optical Density: 3.4 Dmax
Maximum Scan Area: 8.5" x 11.7," TPU 2.7" x 9.5"
Light Source: ReadyScan LED technology

Thanks, I do not know how to evaluate this information.
 
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Old 03-26-15, 12:37 PM
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Interpolated Resolution - 9600 dpi?

I'm not into graphics but from what I know about hardware, I would not expect a major improvement. That site explains some of the basics.
 
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Old 03-26-15, 06:43 PM
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I agree with Pulpo resolution wise you probably will not get that much better resolution. However features wise the Epson scanner is better at least my particular one is better than the Canon I have. Mine can scan large format film and as far as picture quality is concerned of a scanned photo I think it is better than the Canon. I also believe that it handles multiple copies better and they can be made into PDF documents. I am not in my home office right now I am on my laptop but I can give you the model number of my scanner later so you can compare. It might even be the same model not sure though.
 
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Old 03-27-15, 05:52 AM
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Thank you both Pulpo and hedgeclippers.

The Canon, if I did not make that clear, is a printer with scanner, not a dedicated scanner. With the Canon, some of the colors seemed way off, that concerned me. I have a small project I am working on now using old photo's (need to scan about 50-60) but long term have hundreds if not thousands old photos I would like to digitize and preserve that way (when I get a round tuit). The Epson V550 model I quote has some good reviews on pcworld and cnet and consumer reports, and seems in the long run a decently priced choice and probably more efficient than the Canon printer.

hedgeclippers - I would appreciate hearing what model you use, and your opinion of any software that came with it. Thanks!
 
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Old 03-27-15, 08:29 AM
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Since you have a large number of pics to scan, you might want to consider a commercial grade device. Ask a local camera shop or other related businesses what they use.
 
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Old 03-28-15, 12:27 PM
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In answer to your question I have the Epson Perfection V600 and I have had it for about 4 years now. I used it a great deal and first but I haven't had time to use it in a while. For large format negatives I found the scanner to be good at what it did if you were only dealing with one negative at a time. When it came to smaller 35mm film then my old Canon which is a bit harder to deal with worked better. It comes with Photo Shop Elements, Abby Fine Reader and Epson Creativity Suite. Abby Fine Reader is for print projects only and the Creativity Suite is supposed to help you with your negatives.

As I said though I had mixed results with the supplied software but found a couple of trial versions of Vuescan and Scannito Pro and to be honest with you I am not sure which one I liked better but they both were fairly expensive at the time. I think one was about $99.00 to buy at the time and you could scan 35mm negatives with it and the Epson better but I didn't want to put out that kind of money at the time. For its little faults I still like it and I wouldn't get rid of it and I may yet get back to my negative scanning but it is time consuming.

I think though with about any scanner though you need to buy more software for it and this scanner did a much better job of scanning prints than my Canon did. I found a review of the scanner here it is Review - Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner Review | MacNN . I suggest you look around before buying especially on Amazon.com which is where I bought my scanner and read the reviews there too.
 
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Old 03-28-15, 01:40 PM
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A few years back, I had to print up tons of old photos, and I had an HP Photosmart printer at the time. Not sure if it was the printer or the photo paper I used, but they really came out looking just like the originals and you couldn't tell they were printed.
Not sure how it compares to an Epson or other printers, but just to let you know what worked for me.
 
 

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