FLATBED SCANNERS: Canon CanoScan LiDE 20  

The new CanoScan LiDE 20 is a flatbed scanner based on Canon's CIS scan element and LED light source. The highlight of this scanner is its attractive price tag. This scanner has a low power draw so it works on the included USB cable without an external AC power supply. Drivers and software applications are provided for both Windows and Mac. The sleek and slim scanner measures 10.1”X15.1”X1.4” and weighs approx 1.5 Kgs.

You can scan images, copy documents and e-mail photos at the touch of a button. It took 19 secs to preview a picture before scanning and 41 secs at 300 dpi to scan an A4 color picture and 3.5 mins at 1200 dpi. Scan quality is good for ordinary usage such as digitizing your pictures and basic OCR. 

Having a standard letter-sized platen, the scanner features the Z-Lid expansion top, which lifts 1” high and stays flat for scanning thick bound documents such as books and magazines. It has a color optical resolution of 600X1200 dpi, which will be good for many users, but if you intend to do a lot of enlarging, you can consider a scanner with a higher optical resolution.

It comes bundled with six software: Canon's Scan Gear CS and CanoScan Toolbox, ArcSoft's Photo Studio and Photo Base, and ScanSoft's Omni Page SE OCR application and Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

The bottom line: If you are looking for an inexpensive entry-level scanner, the CanoScan LiDE 20 offers a lot of features and functionality at an
affordable price.

Sudarshana Mishra