Tech Tuesday: Scan and Deliver with Two Little Canons

Let’s face it, the concept of a paperless office didn’t pan out, and while we may have less paper and more digital files than a decade ago, contracts, storyboards, sketches and other physical documents play an important role in any business, even photo studios.

Flatbed scanners may not be high on your list of must-have studio equipment, but Canon’s new and slender CanoScan LIDE 220 and 120 models are helpful additions to any studio or office.

The higher-end, $90 LIDE 220 model offers maximum optical resolution of 4800 x 4800 dpi and upright scanning via a bundled stand. The more affordable, $60 LIDE 120, has a maximum optical resolution of 2400 x 4800 dpi and lacks the vertical scanning option.

Both, however, feature the LIDE’s signature Z-lid expansion top which provides about a 1-inch clearance for scanning pages from a thick book or other bound document.

Both models are also USB-powered, eliminating the need for an AC adapter (and the need to find an empty socket near your desk). Also, given the scanners’ 9.9 x 14 x 4 x 1.6 inch footprint, you won’t need to re-arrange much of your current desktop layout.

Operating the scanners is pretty simple thanks, in large part, to one-touch buttons for creating PDFs and activating other features. In addition to auto dust and scratch reduction, the scanners also provide auto document fix (which sharpens and blackens the text), gutter shadow correction and more. Perhaps the most interesting new feature is the ability to send documents or images directly to the Cloud, e.g., Evernote and Dropbox.

I should mention that I have three generations of the CanonScan LIDE (including one of the very first models) and they all still work. While you may not use a scanner every day, these LIDEs are really convenient to have around, and incredibly affordable.

www.usa.canon.com