Scanner Recommendations?

My old HP flatbed scanner has finally given up the ghost and I'm looking for a good replacement. I really got used to HP scanning software and will miss that.

Most things I see today are combination printer / scanners. What do some of you folks use? Looking to spend less than $100 if possible. Thanks for any advice you may have.

Here is my opinion based upon my scanning usage. Note: I scan a LOT. I am just finishing up scanning over 12,000 pages on a single digitization effort. I average between 50,000-100,000 page scans per year.
- I do not buy 'all-in-one' devices, I buy a dedicated flat bed scanners
- I do not buy consumer grade devices, I have purchased a number of consumer grade scanners and they all sucked. The output is no where near as good as a better quality scanner, you get what you pay for.
- I do not use the manufacturer supplied software

Based upon the above and deep pockets, the Epson Perfection V800 Flatbed Scanner is great. If on a budget, then the Epson Perfection V600 Flatbed Scanner is a good choice. I have older Epson Perfection scanners with 500,000 scans on them and they are still out putting great looking scans.
Don

I purchased a V800 for scanning 35 mm slides and found it excellent. I would be interested though in knowing what additional software you found useful.

VueScan Pro
Don

I also like the Epson V600.

Is VueScan Pro easy to use for a tech numpty like me?

Yes. It has three 'modes', Basic, Standard, and Professional; each mode gives you more configuration options. This allows you to set the interface to whatever level you are comfortable with.

I like Vuescan for a number of reasons but the thing that saves me the most time is 'single click' scanning and save. I do not have to sit at the computer but rather stand next to the scanner and pages that I am scanning. I place the page on the scanner, hit the 'enter' key on the keyboard, it scans and saves the image file, as the scanner bar is returning I am changing to the next page to be scanned, I hit the enter key again, etc. No extra mouse clicks, no navigating around an application, no wasted time; by far the fastest and most efficient way to scan.
Don

Don,
entering VueScan Pro into a search (new tab) turns up quite a few free downloads. Are these the same program that you use?

VueScan Pro sounds good to me. I would like to up my game. I am doing it. Of course, that means pulling the trigger on a V600 but I was surprised at how relatively inexpensive it is.

VueScan has a free trail version for both versions, it is good to be able to downloads and 'test drive' an app before committing to purchase.
https://www.hamrick.com/reg.html

Don

Thanks Don. I assume vuescan can, following an initial scan, allow you to select individual items from that scan without rescanning each separately. I.E. scan a stocksheet that has 30 stamps, then select (create a frame around) say, 10 different stamps to go 10 separate files.

No, VueScan does not do that.
Don

I can also recommend Epson printers, although I use a V500-series Perfection. Unfortunately, it works very well year after year so I find it difficult to justify its replacement.

I have bought several all-in-one units over the years but only because they generally give me the lowest unit cost for day-to-day printing. Hardy ever have used the scanner on them.

Don: VueScan sounds good. Do you know if it works with the V500-series? Also, do the V600/V800 scanners come with a colour chart for automatic colour correction? This is something I have missed since my old Microtek tabloid format scanner died a number of years ago.

Another Epson fan here, V200 is my weapon, year after year it grinds out stamp images. (Current'y over 250,000)

I employ SCF member "Postmaster" "stampfix" (Free)
but make a small donation

It can take a scan of an entire platen of 30 stamps, deskew, segregate, and and crop every stamp, with one click.
(Caveat : providing your computer has sufficient memory)

itma,
Yes, VueScan uses its own scanner drivers. It even has drivers for scanner which are not supported by Windows. Plus, its drivers are superior to the Twain and other generic drivers supplied by the manufacturers.
Hardcopy IT8 calibration targets ('color chart') are not included with most scanners, they are purchased separately from 3rd party companies that specialize in color management, such as Kodak and FujiFilm. The hard copy IT8 targets should be stored carefully avoid degradation and old targets are suspect. Frankly folks ought to calibrate their scanner once a month or so, but this is another area were VueScan is an advantage. It supports calibration nicely including being able to save different calibration configurations.
Don

Edit: This German site http://www.targets.coloraid.de/ has the best prices for IT8 target but note that I have never used them. There are a number of other companies which sell these and can be found using a search.

I also recommend the Epson Perfection V series of scanners. It's what I've used for over a decade for my website images. I currently us the V550.

For large-format documents or high-speed duplex document scanning, I use a Fujitsu FJ-5750c that I discussed here:

https://goscf.com/t/36704

I also echo Don's recommendation for Hamrick Vuescan Pro. I've used it for many years now. Buying the pro version for a one-time fee gets you lifetime updates, and the license allows you to use it on up to 4 computers. It's a comparative bargain.