Flatbed scanner for prints

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Jun 15, 2025
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Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
I am looking for a flatbed scanner to be used to input black and white 8X10 prints. I work with Macs and would prefer a hardwire scanner rather than one that works through WiFi or other wireless technology. Would appreciate help from anyone who has used such a system. The output will be used for internet posting, not hardcopy printing.
Thanks,
Jim
 
Most of the even cheaper flatbeds made by Epson and Canon today are pretty good for scanning and would be certainly adequate for high-quality internet posting. I had a CanoScan model a few years ago (around $150, I think), and it worked fantastically. Canons are mac-compatible as far as I know.
 
Canons are mac-compatible as far as I know.
Like everything in modern computing, this depends on a few variables.

I still have my Canoscan 9000f. The original software is very much not supported by modern Mac systems, but if you're still using a version of MacOS that supports 32-bit software, you can run the original MP Navigator software that it comes with (I forget when the cut-off to 64-bit only came in).

However, it runs fine via Vuescan. And considering a lot of people already use Vuescan for film scanners in general, using it to run an old flatbed scanner like the Canoscan as well makes sense - you just won't be able to use the buttons on the lid of the scanner as they rely on drivers built in to the MP Navigator software.

That said, I normally just use the flatbed scanner in my Samsung laser printer, either via network, USB stick, or USB cable. Document scanning is largely a solved problem, as far as I'm aware - most entry-level scanners are perfectly acceptible for scanning prints, so I wouldn't bother hunting down a specific model. Just find something from a reputable brand that's going cheap and you'll probably be alright.
 
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