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Today's all-in-one printers suffice for the occasional scan, but photo buffs and family archivists alike turn to dedicated photo scanners to digitize their prints and film. Their high sensor resolutions and ability to scan slides and negatives (not just photo prints) are part of the reason why, but many models also include useful software for retouching scans and removing scratches. Photo scanners are now niche items; you'll see relatively few models for sale, and their shelf lives tend to be very long. Of the models in our pick list, many were reviewed years ago but remain current, including our best photo scanner for most people, Canon's CanoScan LiDE 400. PCMag has been testing and reviewing scanners for decades, and our picks are grounded in our extensive experience and hands-on testing. Read on for a guide to choosing the right model, plus a detailed spec comparison of our picks.
Our Top Tested Picks
Canon CanoScan LiDE 400
Epson Perfection V39 II
Canon CanoScan LiDE 300
Epson FastFoto FF-680W
Canon ImageFormula RS40 Photo and Document Scanner
ClearClick QuickConvert 2.0
Plustek ePhoto Z300
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Best Flatbed Photo and Document Scanner for Most People
Canon CanoScan LiDE 400
- Vibrant photo scans.
- Excellent software bundle.
- Comes with kickstand for upright positioning.
- Very simple to use.
- Lacks mobile device and wireless support.
- Could be more accurate when scanning serif fonts.
The Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 is an under-$100, entry-level flatbed photo scanner. But it fills a nifty niche for nonprofessional photographers who need to scan both photos and, from time to time, documents. Since it doesn't have an automatic document feeder (ADF), it's not your best choice for frequent multipage jobs, but it combines document management and optical character recognition (OCR) with impressive photo scanning and touch-up software. It also saves desk space with a vertical kickstand and can stitch together multiple scans of plus-size photos.
The LiDE 400 lacks Wi-Fi or wired networking, but it capably serves a personal or small-office PC connected via USB. Its vibrant color and crisp detail make it a great pick for light-duty photo-quality scanning.
Best Budget Flatbed Photo Scanner
Epson Perfection V39 II
- High-quality photo scans
- Fully automatic mode for easy scanning
- Separates out individual photos
- Scans to editable text in a searchable PDF
- Comes with kickstand for upright positioning
- Can't scan film
- Lacks bundled applications
Want higher-quality scans of photo prints than your typical multifunction printer/copier/scanner can provide, but don't need to scan film? Head straight for the Epson Perfection V39 II, an affordable flatbed photo scanner that also scans to editable text and searchable PDF formats. Its resolution is fine-grained enough to let you crop in on and enlarge a small section of a photo. And it gives you a choice of an easy Automatic mode, or granular settings such as a Remove Background option that lets you erase distracting background elements from your scanned image.
With a single USB cable for both power and data and a semi-vertical kickstand that saves desk space, the Perfection V39 II is simple to operate, and it outshines its competitors at also handling the occasional short document. Both casual and serious photographers will find it a good deal.
Best Flatbed Photo Scanner for the Very Tightest Budgets
Canon CanoScan LiDE 300
- Strong software bundle for the price.
- Easy to use.
- Good photo-scanning quality.
- Scanning serif fonts with the default utility could be more accurate.
- Limited mobile device support.
Sometimes every cent counts. Canon's CanoScan LiDE 300 has only half the resolution and is a tad slower than the LiDE 400 that earned a PCMag Editors' Choice award, and it lacks that flatbed's ability to stand upright to save desk space. But it costs around a Jackson less and combines good photo scanning quality with a helpful software bundle. Its adjustable lid accommodates thicker items such as books and magazines, as well as prints.
We wouldn't call the CanoScan LiDE 300 better than its model 400 sibling or Epson's abovementioned Perfection V39, but it does a great job of digitizing photos on a budget. Its Fading Correction and Auto Dust & Scratch Reduction filters pep up aging prints, and it's a solid choice for dorm rooms and other low-volume scanning environments.
Best High-Speed Snapshot Scanner
Epson FastFoto FF-680W
- Quickly scans stacks of photo prints.
- Decent as a document scanner.
- Scans to searchable PDF.
- Solid OCR performance.
- Somewhat pricey.
- Slower at photo scanning than its predecessor.
Got a shoebox full of snapshots? You need Epson's FastFoto FF-680W, whose automatic document feeder (ADF) is specially designed to handle stacks of prints. (It has plastic guides with marks for 5-by-7- and 4-by-6-inch originals, and it can adjust to other sizes.) It feeds through stacks of pics without tearing or creasing them as a text-oriented scanner's feeder might. It's much quicker than manually placing photos on a flatbed scanner's glass, one after the other, and it does a decent job of turning document pages into searchable PDF or Word files when you've emptied the shoebox.
Home archivists who want to digitize stacks and scrapbooks full of photo prints will think the FastFoto FF-680W is heaven-sent. It's smart about scanning both sides of postcards and other items (ignoring flip sides if they're blank). And it can help you rotate, crop, or restore images or upload them to Dropbox or Google Drive.
Best High-Speed Snapshot and Document Scanner
Canon ImageFormula RS40 Photo and Document Scanner
- Scans both documents and photos
- Accurate OCR
- Relatively low price
- Only USB 2.0 connectivity
- Doesn't always scan the backs of photos correctly
Why We Picked It
Dedicated high-speed photo scanners aren't inexpensive gear, as evidenced by our favorite, the Epson FastFoto FF-680W outlined above. The Canon RS40 treads similar ground, acting as a speedy snapshot digitizer to help you convert your stacks of pics to shareable, editable, and printable files. Once you've tackled your lifetime backlog of snaps, you don't have to retire it or sell it; it can serve on as an able document scanner. (Maybe you'd like to empty that stuffed file cabinet next?) The Epson model is faster, but we also recommend considering the Canon RS40 if you're more price-sensitive because...it's cheaper.
Who It's For
Looking to digitize a lifetime's worth of snapshots (followed by those old paper tax returns)? The Canon RS40 is a great solution for declutterers, genealogy buffs, and scrapbookers. It's ideal as a shared-cost purchase for a family or a circle of friends, passing it around as each group digitizes their paper-snapshot life in turn.
Best Portable Photo/Negative Scanner
ClearClick QuickConvert 2.0
- Small, light, and portable
- Good scan quality and software bundle
- Rechargeable, replaceable battery
- Scans to SD memory cards
- Supports Wi-Fi
- No ADF
- Limited page sizes
The Epson FastFoto FF-680W's automatic feeder can scan up to 36 prints in one gulp. The ClearClick QuickConvert 2.0 scans only one photo at a time, but on the other hand it's portable and can scan slides and negatives as well as prints. This four-pound, battery-powered gadget has a 2.4-inch color LCD for viewing images or making setup changes, and it comes with an assortment of bases and holders for everything from 4-by-6-inch snapshot prints to 126 or 110 negatives. It offers resolution up to 14 megapixels, and it supports Wi-Fi as well as USB connectivity. (Plus, you can scan to SD memory cards.)
Casual archivists will be satisfied with this model, though the ClearClick requires a little patience to use. It's more for casual or everyday snapshots than prized wedding or prom photos. But it's a simple device for consumers who don't need professional imaging quality. For short stacks rather than shoeboxes or scrapbooks full of pics, it does the trick.
Best Compact Sheetfed Photo Scanner
Plustek ePhoto Z300
- Great price.
- Fast photo scanning compared with flatbed models.
- Designed to minimize potential harm to photos.
- Scans up to letter-size prints.
- Manual document feeder.
- Limited document-scanning abilities.
- Mediocre scan quality for photos.
Plustek's ePhoto Z300 is a sheetfed rather than flatbed photo scanner, which makes it snappy at processing a stack of prints even though, with no automatic document feeder (ADF), you must insert items one at a time. It's also affordable—one-third the price of Epson's FastFoto FF-680W—and scans up to letter-size prints, with a gentle feed mechanism that won't damage old or fragile photos. Its document-scanning abilities are limited, and its photo quality is no match for fancier scanners, but it's fine for household tasks such as archiving snapshots.
If you have a bunch of family photos that need digital preservation, and you don't have the patience to place them one or two at a time on a flatbed scanner, the ePhoto Z300 and its bundled software are a handy solution. The Epson FastFoto offers both higher volume and better quality, but it costs a lot more.
A few dedicated photo scanners are sheetfeeders, specializing in snapshot-size prints. But one feature most "true" photo scanners share is a flatbed design. In these scanner designs, you lift a lid to expose a glass platen, where you place the image to be scanned.
A key differentiator among such models is the platen size; most are letter-size (8.5 by 11 inches) or legal-size (8.5 by 14 inches). You'll want to be cognizant of that spec depending on the size of the originals you will tend to scan.
We strongly urge you to avoid making a habit of scanning photos (or any delicate originals, for that matter) through the mechanical feeder of "any old" sheetfed document scanner, whether it's a standalone model or one built into a multifunction or all-in-one printer (more on that in a moment). This works in a pinch, but it risks damaging your originals, even if they're enclosed in a protective sleeve. A notable exception is the class of autofeed snapshot photo scanners, such as Epson's FastFoto line. The FastFoto models are built specifically for scanning shoeboxes full of photo prints and are engineered to treat the prints gently.
What to Look for in a Good Photo Scanner
Photo scanners are available in a wide range of prices and capabilities. As a rule, low-cost photo models are limited to scanning photo prints. Many do a very good job of this, generally for less than $100. Scanners starting in the $200 range can handle slides and/or film negatives. Such models come with plastic frames or holders that fit multiple slides or negatives and secure them in place on the platen during scanning. This helps with alignment and spacing during the scan and reduces the need to handle the transparencies directly off the platen.
Most scanners offer basic and advanced modes, accessible through their driver or scanning software. Typically, a scanner utility's basic mode will select the scan settings for you, while the advanced mode will let you customize the settings.
Many scanner drivers also have dust- and scratch-removal capabilities. The dust feature sometimes works well, but effective scratch removal really requires a hardware-based solution. To pinpoint this, look for something called Digital ICE technology, which is generally built into some higher-end photo scanners.
Is the Scanner on an All-in-One Printer Good Enough?
Though most people who scan many photos will want a single-function scanner, nearly all multifunction printers (MFPs), also known as all-in-ones (AIOs), include a flatbed that can scan photo prints and other material. The quality of their photo scanning varies widely, depending on the hardware and software involved. Most fall well short of single-function photo scanners in terms of scan quality and/or photo-centric features. (See our picks for the best AIO printers.)
A few models, which we call home photo labs, can scan slides and negatives in addition to prints, providing a variety of photo-centric features as well as the normal MFP functions (printing, copying, and—in some cases—faxing). They're worth considering if you're a scrapbooker or a photo buff in need of a versatile photo scanner that can also print and make copies. Look at a printer vendor's specifically photo-minded AIOs to identify these models. Undoubtedly, an AIO can save a lot of desk space versus a separate printer and flatbed scanner.
Ready to Buy the Right Photo Scanner?
We trust our advice and picks here have helped. The models we highlight here run the gamut from inexpensive consumer units to scanners aimed at serious photographers, be they professionals or advanced amateurs. What all these products have in common is that they're the best photo scanners in their respective categories on the market today.
For more on what to look for in a scanner, check out our top overall scanner picks. Also, before you start that big digitizing project, you'll want to check out our top tips for preserving your photos.
