This is the best scanner I have ever owned. The scans are of high quality. I haven't mastered the editing features yet and I probably won't master them because I have some great editing programs. When I bought this,all I was interested in was a high quality, easy to use scanner and that's exactly what I got. It also scans notes, cards, and special letters and makes them into jpegs. It is also very fast as far as scanners go. I was surprised that a relatively fast scanner could do so without compromising quality. The reason I bought this scanner was that I inherited a mountain of photos after both of my parents died. There are many precious memories in these photos but I knew they would be lost forever if they continued sitting by the thousands in boxes, bags, shoe boxes, you name it. This scanner was and is a lifesaver!
The Plustek is pretty fast, which is the main attraction for me. There's no "preview" process, and the scanner accepts photos one after the other. At 600 dpi (the highest) a standard (4x6) landscape format photo takes about 16 seconds, and a portrait format takes about 24 seconds. The quality is sufficient for my needs, which is to say it exceeds that of my 1970s+ prints.
My initial setup failed and normal troubleshooting didn't help, so I called their support line. It was a VERY pleasant experience. The woman I spoke with (immediately - zero time on hold) didn't waste my time with verification - reading off serial numbers of whatever - and although I didn't ask where she was located she was absolutely 100% understandable. I let her connect to my computer with TeamViewer and she reinstalled the software, restarted my computer, etc. It still didn't work. Then she suggested I try a different USB port - which somehow did the trick. Total call time was 15 minutes : Spectacular.
As a Mac user, I prefer to scan with Image Capture - but it doesn't even see this scanner. The only options appear to be the Plustek software or using TWAIN. But I guess because there's no preview, that makes sense. The software itself is OK. It works in a pretty unique way for scanner software. When you scan images they are accumulated in RAM, and are not written to disk unless / until you "save" them. For my Mac with 16GB, I get around 50 or 60 photos done before I get the warning about memory and have to save.
The auto rotate and de-skew works very well most of the time, including on the unevenly cut prints I pulled out of albums. A couple of times I've gotten some weird artifacts, and it sometimes incorrectly crops dark backgrounds.But overall it's a good thing not having to make sure you feed the photos in 100% parallel.
There's no internal color correction option - at least not automatically - so if you want to modify anything, you're doing it in your editor of choice. Other scanners I've used do a great job, and I'd appreciate having that option. But I can live with uncorrected images that maintain the 70s patina of early color film.
Edited to add : After scanning a couple thousand photos, I must report that the Mac software (both 32 and 64 bit versions) is "pretty flakey." When powered off or otherwise disconnected, the pairing issues I experienced initially can return and sometimes it takes me a bunch of flailing to fix the problem. I am extremely confident my computer's USB ports are functioning - I've never had any problem with my numerous other devices. I've tried multiple cables, so I don't think that's an issue. I'm almost positive this is the result of Plustek's software. Hopefully they will update from "1.0.1.1 (1697)" soon and fix this hassle.
Incredibly fast scanning at 300 resolution setting and in my visual comparisons of scans of new prints on a 24" HD computer screen, the results at 300 look at least as good, if not better than, the results at the much slower (but still acceptably quick) 600 resolution.
This is the first scanner my wife has declared easy enough for her to handle on her own the very first time she sat down at it.
Some hints:
1. Before you turn on the scanner the first time, be sure to remove the packing tape and foam from behind the bar across the front. Gently pull the bar away from the machine; it will swing down and away. Then push it back in place. Do this before you attempt calibration
2. Run back-to-back calibrations before you start scanning. Before proper calibration, I was getting closely spaced colored vertical lines throughout the scan output. The Calibration function is hidden behind the question mark icon toward the upper right of the software screen. Keep that white Calibration sheet safe for future use. You may well need it.
3. Use Maximum quality (100%) JPEG setting for best scan results. The resulting file sizes are modest my modern standards, even at 600 resolution.
4. Settings (gear icon) allows choice between 300 and 600 resolution and also allows pre-choosing a folder in which to auto save each scan. But you still have to select Save (floppy disc icon) for each scan. The scans are not auto-saved upon scanning; the "auto" part is auto selecting the proper folder in which to save each scan before you start scanning.
5. The auto crop/auto deskew function has worked very well for me so far.
This scanner is great for digitizing large quantities of old photos. It works very fast, easily, and produces high quality results at 300 resolution. No, the required proprietary software doesn't match the editing features of Photoshop, But what you lose in digital editing flexibility and quality, you gain back in huge dividends of speed and easy of use.
Scanner arrived on time and in great condition. Loaded software with enclosed CD, then found instructions for update, so I immediately removed the software and installed the update 'on the fly'. That worried me some because I'm no computer expert; however, it turned out just fine. Calibration was a snap, and I scanned one photo right away to check. It came out fast and perfect. A few days later I scanned 386 photos in no time and the came out perfectly. I am thrilled with this product. My Grandson helped me with the scanning by loading the photos while I configured the results into folder groups (I could have done it all myself, but this was faster and I got to work with my Grandson). Now my Grandson wants to get one for his Dad. I have many many more photos to scan and happily, it's not going to be the daunting task that I had feared.
I bought this scanner so that I could scan/digitize the thousands of pictures and several scrapbooks that my family has. For the most part, I'm happy with this scanner! It shipped very quickly and came packaged nicely. There is a nice sheet included that provides quick and easy details on how to start scanning. It's nice-looking and feels pretty sturdy and good quality, but it's not too heavy.
The scanner (and the included software) tend to be kind of finicky, though. Sometimes if I scan a photo, let the scanner sit for a couple minutes while I put the photo away, and then try to scan another photo, it won't scan. The blue light indicates that it's ready to scan, but when I try to put a photo in, it won't do it. I have to turn the scanner off and then back on again - sometimes twice. It's not a huge deal, but it does take up some time and becomes kind of annoying. I always feel like I'm in a rush to scan things as quickly as possible in order to avoid having to turn it off and back on again. The software is okay for basic things like rotating and cropping photos, but not much more than that. I don't like the fact that you have to scan your photo(s), hit the save button on the software, and THEN it saves to your computer. I've had a few situations where I scanned 45+ photos, hit save, and then the software crashed, the photos were gone, and I had to scan all of those photos again. Not fun. :(
PROS:
- Scans photos and documents well - the quality is good.
- It's pretty fast! You can whip through photos and documents quickly.
- You don't have to press any buttons or anything to start scanning a photo. You basically just place your item into the scanner and it feeds it through automatically.
- It's pretty quiet. There is a little bit of noise during the scanning process, but it's not too loud.
- It's lightweight and has a handle on the back that's easy to grab onto. Very easy to move around and use at different locations in the house.
- It's not an eye sore :)
CONS:
- Can be finicky (see 2nd paragraph above)
- It's very difficult to scan your photos/documents straight. They often scan at a weird tilted angle. The software has an arbitrary feature where you can attempt to straighten it, but it doesn't work very well at all. I find it easier (but more time consuming) to throw each photo into Photoshop to straighten it.
- The software isn't great.
- You HAVE to use the software in order to save the photos. I wish that I could just scan the photos directly to a file on my computer, but you can't - you have to go through the software.
SUMMARY:
It's a good scanner, but can be finicky... so if you're looking for a perfect, frustration-free scanner, I wouldn't recommend it. Overall, I do like this scanner and I'm glad that I bought it! But it's not for everyone.
Feature Product
- The easiest way to scan photos and documents. Supports 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 in sizes photo scanning but also letter and A4 size paper.
- Fast and easy, 2 seconds for one 4x6 photo and 5 seconds for one 8x10 size photo. You can easily convert about 1000 photos to digitize files in one afternoon and share with your family or friends.
- More efficient than a flatbed scanner. Just insert the photos one by one and then scan. This makes ePhoto much more efficient than a flatbed scanner.
- Powerful Image Enhancement functions included. Quickly enhance and restore old faded images with a click of the mouse. Advanced editing functions are also available when needed. (restore function need download V2 version)
- ePhoto Z300 works with both Mac and PC : Supports Windows 7/8/10 , Mac OS X 10.8.x to 10.14.x . User can download the latest version on Plustek website.
Description
The Plustek ePhoto Z300
- Fast, high-resolution photo scanner that allows you to digitize your old photos and share them on social media with the touch of a button.
- Cutting-edge scanning technology, coupled with an intuitive user interface
- Professional scan results that can be easily touched-up with the included software
- Easy, one-touch saving and sharing to social media
- Convenient scanning of other materials, from flat plastic cards to receipts and documents
- Sleek, modern design that makes it as much an appliance as a d-cor piece
- Perfect gift for photographers, for baby boomers, and those who want to scan receipts and use the latest organization tools.
- No more lugging around a clunky scanner. Unlike traditional flatbed scanners, you can simply feed your photos for a quick scan without hitting buttons.
- The compact design means you can keep it on your desk at all times.
- Single sheet photo and document scanner, specially designed to digitize photos very gently, avoiding surface damages.
- Amazing clarity and detail for further color restoration and image enhancement.
- Detects and scans photos or document instantly.
- Automatically recognizes the size of each photo or document, and corrects possible skew. The Plustek ePhoto Z300 comes with newly designed ePhoto software.
- The software's user interface is intuitive. Scanned photo images can be quickly edited with variety of adjusting tools, and also uploaded and shared to online albums or social networks - Facebook, Picasa, flickr and Twitter
I realized the common thread with all the other photo scanners was a lack of decent software coding, so I gave the Plustek scanner a shot. To date, I have scanned well over a thousand photos and it works perfectly. It straightens the ones I fed in a bit crooked, it is fast and produces a very good picture. This model is a great tool for cleaning out those shoeboxes of photos. I like the auto feed method too.
Hey, am I awesome or what? Despite the seller advising that you have to use their software with this scanner, I have got it to function with every other scanning software that I have, such as Abby fine reader, and a Microsoft scan utility that is free to download. All you have to do is make sure that you select this scanner in the application. It is a little awkward when you are scanning multipage documents because you have to and feed it with one and click the scan button in the application with the other. It sure would be nice to have a document feeder, but people in heck want ice water, too.
Another great feature is the fact that you don't have guide bars that you have to adjust with each different sized photograph. You just center them and drop them in.
So that makes this thing even cooler than I was expecting. It is a great little unit and there is nothing comparable for the price. I have already scanned 100 old photographs, and they all came out great. It auto crops them too, so that is pretty sweet and saves you photo editing time and effort.
Scanning at 300 dpi is very quick (a couple of seconds for a normal size print), and at 600 dpi it takes approximately 15 seconds for the same size. Certainly if you have the time and patience save at the higher resolution. I did a side-by-side check however and the differences are barely noticeable to the casual viewer. I have uploaded two identical photographs at the two different resolutions, which I won't identify, and you can make your own judgment.
If you are scanning a document in the product software you have to make sure that you select to save it as a PDF.
I have only had this a couple of hours now, so I certainly can’t comment on long-term reliability. It certainly seems to be well built and solid. I’m not crazy about the color but again I wish I had some ice water.
Even though I’m pretty awesome, I am also a dummy because I did not read the quick start instructions and did not at first remove some tape and foam covering over the rollers and so there was a bit of a problem at first until I figured it out.
I will certainly update this if any problems arise, but at this point I can wholeheartedly recommend it, and give it five stars.
Update #2: It took about 80 minutes to scan 160 pictures or about 2 per minute. BUT BUT BUT that includes time to slide the pictures out of an album and return them to the album. The actual scan time for a 4x6 at 300 dpi still seems to be about 2 seconds.
The other reviews cover all important points -- read them.. (BE SURE to remove the little strip inside the cover.) But let me give you the result of an informal test. I scanned the same three pictures on my old HP Scanjet G3110 flatbed scanner at both 300 and 600 dpi. Then I scanned them on the new Plustek at 300 and 600 dpi. Then I opened the images side by side in Photoshop at 400%. At both resolutions the quality of the images seemed about the same. The Plustek seemed a TINY bit darker which I felt was actually a little bit more accurate. But the sharpness was the same. The Scanjet images were MUCH larger data-wise than the Plustek images, sometimes 10x larger. Yet as I said there is no difference in appearance or pixel size or bit depth (24). Not sure how to evaluate that.
At 300 dpi the scans took about 2 seconds. I intend to use 300 dpi mostly. The 600 dpi took about 17 seconds.
Update: I have used the scanner for a while now: mostly for photos, but also for some PDF documents. I am very satisfied in every way. It is a load off my mind to know I now have a way to archive all these old family photos so our children and grandchildren will have them.
I used this scanner to convert over 10,000 pictures (that languished in boxes) in just a week and during my spare time while playing online!
Better yet, I had a driver compatibility issue (which is never fun) and tried debugging it myself. (I come from a tech background.) Frustrated, I called their help desk (expecting the worst) and instead of fishing through a phone tree, the phone actually rang .... to a person's desk ... who answered on the second ring. I wasn't even aware such things happened in real life. Seriously? When's the last time you called a company and someone answered? Right. She remote-accessed my computer. Zipped in. Fixed the problem. Boom. Best service ever.
Photo quality is good. In 300 DPI mode (adequate for most), it scans pictures in a few seconds. In the next highest mode, 600 DPI, it does take a slightly annoyingly amount of time, but most people don't understand that when you double the DPI, it's not just "double" the speed, you're dealing with data compression, software processing of image data and such (which usually results in significantly longer scan times). That said, it's still an option for the really good pictures you want to have stored in larger formats. (And if I need even larger scans, I still have a flat-bed for the stuff that needs that kind of attention.)
As the family archivist (and one who looked longingly at several boxes of pictures that I desperately wanted scanned but couldn't muster up the will-power to sit and slog through on a flat-bed scanner), this thing is a dream. It is insidiously easy to use (so much so that *ahem* other tasks got ignored while I zipped through boxes of old family pictures). It mostly flawlessly (mostly, but not always) perfectly scanned and cropped pictures into individual JPEGs in a folder of my choosing. Absolutely one of the best $200 I've spent in my adult life.
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