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Marsikus

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 12, 2020
262
224
AE
Looking for advice about scanner. Just a basic planar scanner for scanning manual sketches and documents.
For sure, MacOS compatibility is the main requirement.
 

pgolik

macrumors member
Sep 13, 2011
67
49
Start with getting Vuescan (https://www.hamrick.com/) if you think about scanning on Mac. And then check Vuescan compatibility list. Native drivers are usually bad, Vuescan is a life saver and a great value. Canon LiDE are decent and cheap, Epson Perfection are excellent, but more expensive.
 
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pgolik

macrumors member
Sep 13, 2011
67
49
Using an iPhone or iPad as a scanner is an option, but for anything more than quick note taking it requires some setup - you need something to hold the iDevice exactly horizontal, and a source of light without shadows. Doable, but not as easy as it sounds if you care about quality.
 

kschendel

macrumors 65816
Dec 9, 2014
1,310
591
We went through a number of flatbed dedicated scanners, and ended up with a Fujitsu ScanSnap (I think it's the iX1400). My wife is into genealogy; the ScanSnap is easy to use and MacOS compatible. It's not a flatbed, though. On the few occasions that we need to scan something that won't feed through the ScanSnap, we have a multi-function Canon laser printer (MF8280) and we use its scanner.
 

hobowankenobi

macrumors 68020
Aug 27, 2015
2,130
936
on the land line mr. smith.
Epson has good Mac support generally, so while VueScan is great, with Epson scanners it is not required. Others, like older Canon models may have bad or no support, but VueScan makes them a good choice.

The biggest question is resolution, performance, and features. For general scanning, a V600 is plenty good for most folks...in fact, it is likely overkill. Something like the Epson V39 should do the job for a lot less money.
 
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bringel

macrumors newbie
Oct 10, 2011
20
7
I use the flatbed Perfection V600 scanner along with the Silverfast 9 software which is a professional package that has more options than the average user would ever invoke but at lease they do support features should you ever need them.
I take exception with a previous poster about Epson's excellent Mac support. Their scanner app was quite basic and Epson discontinued that app rather than upgrade it to 64 bit.
Silverfast has a very extensive list of supported scanners.
 

hobowankenobi

macrumors 68020
Aug 27, 2015
2,130
936
on the land line mr. smith.
I use the flatbed Perfection V600 scanner along with the Silverfast 9 software which is a professional package that has more options than the average user would ever invoke but at lease they do support features should you ever need them.
I take exception with a previous poster about Epson's excellent Mac support. Their scanner app was quite basic and Epson discontinued that app rather than upgrade it to 64 bit.
Silverfast has a very extensive list of supported scanners.
Epson Scan 2 is right here. No issues running on M1 with 13. Seems pretty good for all the basics. No?

Never used Silverfast. Thought it died long ago.
 

HDFan

Contributor
Jun 30, 2007
7,302
3,349
I use VueScan, ScanSnap along with a ScanSnap scanner and an HP laserjet printer. Use the ScanSnap printer and app feeding into Devonthink the most as it has a small footprint. I can keep it close on my desk.
 

Marsikus

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 12, 2020
262
224
AE
Start with getting Vuescan (https://www.hamrick.com/) if you think about scanning on Mac. And then check Vuescan compatibility list. Native drivers are usually bad, Vuescan is a life saver and a great value. Canon LiDE are decent and cheap, Epson Perfection are excellent, but more expensive.
Thank you, this works! My scanner is Canon Lide 60, very ancient piece of hardware but still works.
 

Big Bad D

macrumors 6502a
Jan 3, 2007
535
573
France
Agree with Vuescan recommendation. It's probably the app I have got best value for money from over many years of use and just one payment.
 
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