PO Box 645610, Pullman, WA 99164-5610 | (509) 335-3982
support@sustainableheritagenetwork.org | sustainableheritagenetwork.org 3/20/2015
SCANNERS: GOOD, BETTER, BEST
INTRODUCTION
Digitization has become an integral activity for many cultural heritage institutions. For these
institutions, a good scanner is essential. Scanners enable cultural institutions to convert text
and photographs into a digital format that can be shared and, in the case of text, made
searchable.
This document compares different scanner options for standard flatbed scanners and oversized
scanners. There is also a short list of specialty scanners, specifically a microfilm scanner and a
book scanner. The specific products mentioned in this document are either currently used by
Washington State University or another cultural institution, with the possible exception of the
Epson Perfection V550.
The good, better, best judgments are based on the assumption that one will want to produce a
high volume of high quality scans. The scanners listed here simply provide benchmarks on what
one might look for when purchasing scanners in different price ranges. Just because our mid-
range flatbed scanner does not digitize negatives, for example, it does not mean that there
aren’t similarly priced scanners that do.
GENERAL NOTE ON SELECTING SCANNERS
Before comparing scanners, it is crucial to evaluate the needs of your institution. For example,
here at Washington State University, we love our oversized scanner, but this purchase would
have made little sense if we had not planned to mass digitize over 100 years of the University’s
newspaper, in addition to dozens of maps for the Early Washington Maps collection. When
weighing digitization options, we also advise exploring options for contracting out digitization
work in addition to reviewing scanners for in house use. It often makes financial sense to farm
out scanning if the digitization of a particular format is not going to be an activity performed on
a routine basis.
NEGATIVE SCANNERS
It is important to note that negative scanners are not included in this document. While some
flatbed scanners are capable of digitizing negatives, it may be worthwhile to consider other
options if you plan to digitize a large quantity of negatives or exclusively negatives.
PO Box 645610, Pullman, WA 99164-5610 | (509) 335-3982
support@sustainableheritagenetwork.org | sustainableheritagenetwork.org 3/20/2015
FLATBED SCANNERS
BASIC CRITERIA
Basic criteria when evaluating flatbed scanners include: scanning quality, durability, the size of
the scanning surface, and the compatibility between the scanner’s software and the platform in
which you will process the scans.
Image quality and durability: At the end of this document, we provide a comparison
between the Epson Expression 10000 XL, which is a high quality industry standard scanner,
and a Canon LiDE 110, which is an extremely inexpensive scanner. The scans provided were
created from a 3x5 print at 770 dots per inch (dpi), which was the standard for resolution
for many years. While the results from this one photo are comparable, the consistency and
durability of the high end Epson scanners make them a good option for many cultural
heritage institutions.
Scanning surface: While it is possible to digitally piece together an oversized document
rendered in two or more scans, this process is tedious, to say the least. For this reason,
surface is a limiting factor in determining what can and can’t be feasibly scanned on a
regular basis.
Compatibility: In terms of capability, we’ve received one comment that the Fujitsu fi-7260
doesn’t work well with Macs when trying to import through Adobe Photoshop. In this case,
the combination of scanner, operating system, and photo editing software could create
workflow problems.
GOOD
Model and brand
Reported OS compatibility
Additional features
Price
Epson Perfection V550
Windows XP, 7, and 8
Macintosh 10.5x and
10.8x
Negative scanning
capability
Scan area: 8.5 x 11
About $200
Comments: This happens to be a low-end scanner that received a good review from
PC Magazine. Scanners of this class are not ideal for scanning large volumes of
materials
PO Box 645610, Pullman, WA 99164-5610 | (509) 335-3982
support@sustainableheritagenetwork.org | sustainableheritagenetwork.org 3/20/2015
BETTER
Model and brand
Reported OS compatibility
Price
Fujitsu Fi-6770, Fi-7260.
Windows 2000/XP, Vista,
Windows 7
Windows Server
2003/2003 R2, Server
2008/2008 R2
Fi-6770
$5000-$6000
Fi-7260
$1200-$1500
Comments: These scanners are useful for scanning unbound non-unique multipage
documents. We have used these to scan books that of which we own multiple copies.
In these cases, the bindings are removed for quick conversion.
BEST
Model and brand
Reported OS compatibility
Price
Epson Expression 11000XL
Windows XP – 7
Macintosh 10.5.x,
10.6.x, 10.7.x, 10.8.x
$2000-3000
Comments: These scanners are pricey but are definitely worth it in the long run –
very long lasting with fantastic quality. We use this model almost exclusively for
small format flatbed photos and documents.
HP Scanjet N9120
Windows Vista, 7, and 8
$2750-$5000
Comments: This scanner can scan larger documents than the Fujitsu at a higher
color bit-depth.
PO Box 645610, Pullman, WA 99164-5610 | (509) 335-3982
support@sustainableheritagenetwork.org | sustainableheritagenetwork.org 3/20/2015
LARGE FORMAT SCANNERS
As mentioned in the discussion on flatbed scanners, size of the scanning area limits your ability
to digitize oversize materials. Large format scanners cost well over $10,000. One of the more
commonly used large format scanners used in libraries is the Bookeye 4, which costs several
thousand dollars. Roll scanners can be slightly less expensive, but do not allow for the
possibility of digitizing books, which is a secondary advantage of large format overhead
scanners like the Bookeye. We’ve included a copy stand for the low-end option, which is a
camera mount that will allow you to photograph a reasonably large document with a camera
that can be mounted into a standard tripod.
GOOD
Model and brand
Reported compatibility
Additional features
Price
Kaiser RS 1 copy
stand
Cameras using a 1/4” or
3/8” screw will fit onto this
stand.
Maximum suggested
camera weight: 4 kg (8.8
lbs).
39” tall stand that can support
a document that is at most
17.7”x19.7”
Can improvise support to
photograph a larger
document, depending upon
the surface the stand is placed
on
About $600
Copy stands run anywhere from $60 to well over $1000, with this one costing about $600.
Some copy stands come with lights and vary in terms of height and strength. It is often a
good idea to photograph a document prior to encapsulation, as light and the flash will
create glare.
BETTER
Model and brand
Reported compatibility
Additional features
Price
DLSG Bookeye 4
V1 A
Windows,
Linux,
Mac OS,
Unix
33.5 x 25 inch scan bed with book
cradle
High speed and heavy duty scanning
Ability to print to any network device.
$27,950
Comments: This scanner purports to have some unique capabilities, with one being the
ability to take a full scan into onboard memory. This should speed up the overall scan time
significantly.
PO Box 645610, Pullman, WA 99164-5610 | (509) 335-3982
support@sustainableheritagenetwork.org | sustainableheritagenetwork.org 3/20/2015
BEST
Model and brand
Reported compatibility
Additional features
Price
Zeutschel
OS14000 AO
This scanner usually comes
bundled with a computer to
ensure compatibility of the
Omniscan software. This
allows you to run and
capture images from the
Zeutschel.
Overhead scanner with self-
opening glass plate and book
cradle,
Maximum physical size of
scanned object (33.1 in x 46.8)
About $125,000
Comments: This scanner allows us to scan items that are we could not otherwise scan
due to size or condition.
PO Box 645610, Pullman, WA 99164-5610 | (509) 335-3982
support@sustainableheritagenetwork.org | sustainableheritagenetwork.org 3/20/2015
SPECIALTY SCANNERS
Listed below are two specialty scanners, one which can be useful for scanning bound volumes
and another for scanning microfilm and microfiche.
BOOK SCANNER
Model and brand
Reported compatibility
Additional features
Price
Atiz BookDrive Pro
Windows XP (SP 3),
Vista and 7
16.5 x 24.2 scan bed with book cradle
Can add on an auto capture switch that
allows for high volume scanning of
bound or similarly sized materials, like
issues from the same newspaper run
$14,000 +
price of 2
cameras
Comments: One of the most intriguing features is the ability to upgrade optics easily (since
it uses two high end cameras for image capture those cameras can be upgraded without
purchasing an entire separate setup).
MICROFORM SCANNER
Model and brand
Reported compatibility
Additional features
Price
e-ImageData
Scanpro 2000
Windows 7 and 8 (64 and
32 bit)
Microform types: Fiche, Jackets, Ultra
Fiche, Micro Books and Opaques
(optional), Aperture Cards, 35mm and
16mm roll film, and Cartridge(M) roll film
AUTO-Scan feature that allows for auto
scanning of entire rolls of microfilm.
$10,000
Comments: We primarily use this for scanning published materials for document delivery but
are considering projects that incorporate archival use as the scanner is a perfect candidate
for large scale microfilm conversion projects (without getting into the more cost prohibitive
production scanners).
PO Box 645610, Pullman, WA 99164-5610 | (509) 335-3982
support@sustainableheritagenetwork.org | sustainableheritagenetwork.org 3/20/2015
COMPARISON BETWEEN EPSON 10000 AND CANON
LIDE 110
The images below are two scans of the same image made at 770 dpi and a 48 color bit-depth.
The images have been cropped so they fit on the page. While the resolution is comparable, the
color varies. The Epson scan is closer to the original photograph, while the Canon image is
faded. From just this one image, it’s impossible to tell if the results will be similar with other
images.
Epson 10000XL Canon LiDE 110