Canon CanoScan 4200F Flatbed Scanner

I just started using this scanner a few weeks ago. So far it has met my expectations...fast preview and great quality scans. Set up was pretty easy. I'm satisfied with the product.

Bought one at work for [...]. Worked fine for a couple of months, now it is useless. There are evidently big problems with the driver/software with WinXP *or* the hardware itself has crapped out. I have wasted countless hours with Canon's email tech support uninstalling drivers, reinstalling, etc etc. What I'm left with is a scanner that works intermittently or not at all and requires frequent unplugs and computer restarts to be useful at all. I will never buy another Canon product as long as I live. What complete crap. Wish I could give it negative stars.

Performed per expectations.
Good, reliable product.
You get your money's worth and more.

We just purchased this scanner based on other reviews on Amazon. We had several hundred color slides to scan. Quality seems good overall. Some of the darker slides didn't scan very well but most look great (at least on the computer screen). We haven't printed any, yet.

2 drawbacks (which you can expect with an $88 scanner) speed and software. With the ability to only scan 2 slides at a time and having to remove the holder and unsnap it to get at the slides, this adds a lot of time to any project. Also, the software is weird in that you have to tell it you are scanning slides or you'll get a copy of the inside cover. Once an image is scanned you can't work in the Photo software until you close the scanning software. This makes altering images hard if you are doing a lot at once.

Now granted, I am using this scanner without having read the manual or fiddling with any settings. Some of my complaints may be resolved with research.

Overall, worth every penny...so far.

I bought this on the strength of other reviews here and have been satisfied.

That said, this is a s-l-o-w scanner on higher-resolution scans, which tend to be the default settings.

At 300 dpi, each page requires calibration and the scanning process takes over a minute a page. Got a 30-page item to scan? Do the math. At least I can continue working on my PC while this painfully slow process takes place.

It's much faster at 150 dpi; you can do black-and-white pages in about 10-15 seconds a page.

If I had this to do over again, I'd spend more on a scanner with the 4200F's best qualities--software and image quality--and look for an automated document feeder (ADF) and faster scan times.

Keep in mind that calibration on the 4200 can eat you alive if you're in a hurry.