Canon Reviews

Very good scanner. Can not beat for the money. True Plug and play (Not like some stuff I have bought that says plug and play and hours later your still in the plug stage)lol. Very slim and not obtrusive. Slick design. Nice quality. Thumbs up.

Had to dump my 4 year old Umax when I was unable to get the latest drivers for Windows XP. I had my doubt's as to what you get in this [less expensive]scanner, but I can tell you I was not disappointed! Was up and running in a matter of minutes and I really like having just the one USB cable to deal with. Unit scans at good rate of speed and the quality of the scans is fine for most applications. Overall, I am very pleased with this scanner and would not hesitate to reccommend it to anyone.

I purchased an N676U for a budget system I built for a family friend. I had the system set up within 10 minutes. Truly easy to setup and easy to use, especially with Windows XP.

The N676U comes with all the hardware and software needed to get up and running, including a USB cable and all the software you need. Even computer beginners should be able to set this up. One BIG plus is that the scanner is actually powered by the USB cable! This is genius in my book (no seperate power cord/ugly power brick required)! I mean, who doesn't already have a mess of cables hidden behind their computers? Like I said, truly plug and play. Plug the USB cable in, install the necessary software, and you should be ready to go.

The scan resolution is relatively low (compared to entry-pro scanners), but then again, this system is not designed for professional graphic designers, it's for casual users who just want to scan pictures quickly and easily. Overall, a great piece of hardware that I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick scan on a budget.

Spent the past 3 days with the N670U scanner and my opinion went from loving it (first scan looked great) to disliking it (discovered its significant weaknesses) and then back to just liking it (figured for the $82 +S&H, it couldn't be perfect). In the interest of brevity, I'll just summarize with pro's & con's. But first some basic information: This scanner replaced my UMAX 1220U b/c WINXP made the old software obsolete and therefore limited its usefulness. My system is a heavily used COMPAQ PIII 500 MHz with 256 ram, running Windows XP Home.

CONs:

(-) A bit confusing on install as to which CD to use; my unit came with two CDs, one with the ScanGear CS-U driver and software package and one marked "For winxp only". But when I read the documentation, it said you should NOT install that (for winxp only) driver if you wanted all the features of the included regular TWAIN driver and software. The fine print on the winxp cd explains that it's a WIA driver and contains limited features for basic scanning. Right on the scanner box it says designed for winxp, with the logo and everything, so my question is why would anyone want to have only basic, limited features?

(-) LOTS of mainly white, dust-like-looking, specks on the scans, if scanned with default settings and viewed at full size. I guess it might be called "noise". The glass on the platen is perfectly clean, but the scans look as if it was dusty as hell. Later I found a fix that cleans it up pretty well: check the check box on the first driver screen that says something like "use driver to make additional adjustments" and then go to advanced settings where you'll find a "remove dust and scratches" feature that gives you several options: I choose "hard".

(-) I get a "Windows 16 bit subsystem error" each time I start the driver to scan. I get this with some other software too, so maybe it's my computer. In any event, I can click "Ignore" and it proceeds after about a 20-25 second delay.

PROs:

(+) small, lightweight, vertical footprint

(+) whisper quiet

(+) usb for power

(+) fairly fast scanning (after the delay mentioned above); not including the delay-which is probably my computer issue-I can scan a 5x7 photo at 600 dpi with the dust/scratch removal feature on in about a minute and a half, much quicker at lower dpi of course.

(+) no real warm up time needed; scanning with my UMAX was like starting up my old Chevy Nova on a cold winter morning in Wisconsin.

(+) decent color, although sometimes overly saturation of some photos (even using the same original photo, sometimes I have difficulty getting a scan as good as the first time I scanned it which had very natural and even coloration). This can be easily adjusted with any photo app though.

(+) multiphoto scanning is an amazing feature; downside of this is that you can't get the advanced scratch/dust removing option using the multphoto option (at least I haven't figured out how). So, the scans are not the best quality - ok but not great.

(+) nice ScanGear Toolbox interface; pleasing to the eye and basically user-friendly.

(+) buttons on front of unit are assignable and quite convenient.

(+) overall scanning of text (and photos if you don't mind some white specks or using advanced setting) is pretty good.

(+) just tried the OCR and it worked very well; Canon gives you the OmniPage Pro versus a cut-down SE version which would be expected for the price.

(+) it just plain looks good!

So there you have it: the good & the bad. Looks like the thumbs up and thumbs down folks are both partly correct. And CNET's rating of 6 isn't too far off either. I'll be generous, but not as generous as most customer reviewers, and give it a 7. The "noise" (mainly white, dust-like specks) is a fairly big negative and prevents a higher score.

I'm quite pleased with this scanner. It's great for your average daily tasks of scanning documents and once in a while a photo or color magazine. But the scan quality lacks a bit in comparision to other scanners, which may be an issue if you'd like to use it for publishing or photo prints.

Here's a quick summary of the cons and pros I've found:

Pros:
* Thin and lightweight
* Uses one cable for power and communications (USB)
* Very little noise during scanning
* No calibration/warmup required for each scan (only once)
* Fast, if you use the correct settings
* Comes with a stand, allowing you to store AND scan in a vertical position (it's slightly slanted, so documents won't slide out and with the stand comes a strip of velcro to keep the lid shut) - a great space safer!
* Easy to use software, which works great on Windows XP
* Also includes XP drivers, allowing you to use the scanner directly from Explorer
* Crisp colors for photo scans

Cons:
* Always on, causing quite a drain on the USB port or hub (my hub is now getting quite hot)
* 3 buttons do not have lit indicators (so you can tell which button was pressed if you were not paying full attention)
* No "fax" button (directly from scanner to internal faxmodem)
* Scan speed could be better in some instances
* Scan quality is not the best (some scan lines are visible, black is not pure)
* A bit "plasticy" in design; doesn't feel rigid or long lasting

Except for what I have listed above, I have had no immediate issues using the scanner on a WinXP Pro system. The software is easy to use and without flaws. The TWAIN drivers integrate with publishing software as you'd expect. Everything will install fine if you follow the instructions on the incluided pamphlet or manual.

If you use a hub, do make sure it is a self-powered hub (with an AC adapter) and not a hub-powered version. While the power requirements seem to be low, even on my well-known-brand USB hub it seems to pull quite a bit of a load.

Pros: Very small size. Can store vertically with the stand included. Z-lid for bulky scans. Easy to use.

Cons: When looking at the scan on the computer screen sometimes they look horrible, but when printed they look great!! This is the Canon software that is included, not the scanner.

You can't get any better for this price. I wanted an entry level scanner to scan CD covers. This was a perfect choice. I even forgot I have it sometimes because I store is vertically against my monitor so it takes up hardly any space. I love this scanner and it hasn't given me any trouble at all. I love the metallic grey/blue color too!!

Since buying this nice looking piece when it first came out, I have actually NEVER had it working properly under Windows 2000. It has limped along, and at times I have found ways to work around it's consistently inconsistent behavior. When it works, as one reviewer said, it is a rather nice scanner to use BUT that is the trick.... get it to function first. Every so often, after a relatively smooth spell, I get the error saying that it is unable to find or open the TWAIN source. To this problem, there seems to be NO definite solution. I am a tweaker.... everything IS installed properly and up to date. The Canon website is NO HELP. I'll un-install and re-install, as recommended, and will get the same error for hours on end, more re-installs, USB re-installs, all related software un/re-installed, registry cleaning, etc... NOTHING works! Some time ago, while still under warranty, Canon tech support, having exhausted all possibilities, decided it was a "rare flawed hardware" problem.... so they sent me a new N1220U scanner in exchange... ha! I got the same errors with the new one until it finally worked after more tedious tweakings by me... alone. How it was resolved is still a mystery to me. It worked OK, for a little while... about a year. It scanned well that is until, as is the case now... I simply have to walk away. The dreaded TWAIN error has appeared out of nowhere again and I am simply tired of trying to fix it. I will NEVER again buy another Canon product out of principle. I will gladly throw this piece of junk away after crushing it in my bare hands later on this week.
My recommendation: Buy yourself a different scanner! ANYTHING would be better than this! If I could rate this with 1/2 a star, I would.

This scanner is absolutely unbelievable. When it came out of the box, I was surprised to see that it really is just slightly larger than a pad of paper. Following the very simple directions, I plugged it into my USB port, ran the included software CD, and that was it - I was up and scanning in maybe 10 minutes!

The scans themselves look terrific, even at 75 dpi. When I scanned one picture at the maximum resolution (1,200 x 2,400 dpi) just to see what it would look like, it almost came out too well - it picked up my fingerprint and an eyelash on the glass!

With limited space on the computer desk, I especially like the stand that comes with this scanner, allowing you to store (and to actually scan with) the unit on its side, like a thin paperback book on your shelf. The software that comes with it is excellent as well - it includes Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Limited Edition, Omni Page Pro (for optical character recognition, to turn your scanned documents into text files for use in your word processor), and Photo Studio. All work seamlessly with the scanner, popping up automatically just when you need them.

Other great features about this scanner include the fact that it does not need its own power source (it gets its power from the USB plug), and that the lid is hinged in such a way as to allow you to scan thicker objects and books. The price is terrific too, being a good bit lower than that of many other bulky scanners offering much less resolution.

A few days ago I did have to call the Canon Customer Service number once, at midnight (I was surprised to hear a real human answer the phone). A nice Customer Service rep helped me very quickly. He didn't even laugh when I discovered that my problem was that I had accidentally knocked loose the USB plug connecting the scanner to the computer! (Uh, must've been the cat....) :)

It is a very nice surprise in this day and age when you feel that you actually get more than you pay for. Thank you Canon!

I thoroughly researched scanners before I selected the CanoScan N122OU. Several brands and models included the high resolution output which I need for my photography hobby work, but the deciding factors for this model for me were:

1) It is very thin and lightweight -- PLUS it stores vertically on my desk.
(My older scanner was heavy, big, and took up LOTS of room.)
2) I had confidence in the Canon brand - and still do.

Having made the choice, I have had no regrets. It has been easy to set up and use (I can even use it while it is in its vertical position - quite a handy feature that I didn't realize it offered when I was making my selection.)

I am pleased and would recommend this to anyone needing a high quality, easy-to-use and easy-to-store scanner.

I guess maybe it was my own fault but I assumed all of the new scanners on the market included USB connections. This one is going back! This is probably an o.k. scanner but most computers offer USB connection for plug and play operation and find it pain to hook it up through my printer.

This scanner was a breeze to set up and get going. The picture quality is great...photos scan in crisp and the color is dead-on. Also, it takes up less space than most other scanners I've seen.

Great scanner; beats the daylights out of the one it replaced. Easy to set up; software easy to install and easy to use. First photo I scanned came out great.