Canon CanoScan N670U Flatbed Scanner

This scanner was shipped to me without an installation disk. I contacted the seller and requested a disk. The seller promised to mail the disk. A week went by. I again contacted the seller. The seller insisted that he had mailed the disk. Frustrated, I contacted Amazon to asked for instructions on obtaining a refund. Amazon informed me that I would have to contact the seller, but supplied no contact information. I threw the scanner into the dumpster. Last week, the postoffice informed me they were holding a postage due item. It was the missing disk, mailed without sufficient postage. Incompetence personified.

Still use this even though I now have an all-in-one printer. The scanning software is wonderful.

I've had my 670U since 2001, and it's given me great service. It takes up very little space(still slimmer than many contemporary scanners), still gives great imaging for a 6 year old scanner, and, with a recent driver update, WINDOWS VISTA COMPATIBLE! This must be the best $[...] or so I spent for a computer peripheral.

Pro: extremely lightweight - I've carried it on multiple occasions to the Library of Congress to use in research projects there (yes, they allow researchers to use scanners - and digicams too!), low price (I bought mine for $40), easy to use, Canon's specially designed cover that allows you to scan books and other such material much more easily than many other brands, sturdy and durable (I forget how many thousands of pages I've scanned over the last three years or so, but it's still going strong!)

Con: The results of scanning can occasionally be variable, especially if you're using an older OS like Windows 98 (the version of Canon's scanner software for Win98 requires you to calibrate the scanner periodically in order to keep the quality of the scans up). If you're not careful to set things up properly, you can get blurry or crooked scans. To be honest, though, that's a risk I'd say you'd run with just about every scanner. The glass/platen is recessed into the body of the scanner, which some others have complained makes it difficult to impossible to scan oversized items. In point of fact, I don't find this to be a problem, as long as the item in question is smaller than the total scanning field; you can maneuver the original image so as to fit within the scanning area. Also, the WinXP software doesn't seem to be as customizable as the Win98 software.

These are relatively minor shortcomings, though, especially when stacked up against the multiplicity of good things about this scanner. On balance, I really, really like this scanner and, together with the excellent PIXMA 1500 printer I've had since '05, I currently have a very high opinion of Canon PC peripherals. I'm actually even considering buying a second one so that I don't have to remove the current one from my desktop system next time I go to the Library of Congress. :)

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!!