Performance doesn't match appearance
Written: Sep 19 '01
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Pros: ultraportable and simple to use, no extra power cable needed
Cons: USB issues, poor scan quality, cost
The Bottom Line: Be weary of USB issues with this scanner as well as poor scan quality.
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| cslee's Full Review: Canon CanoScan N1220U Flatbed Scanner |
For a few years I had used an old HP Scanjet to do my scans, but it was big and klunky, and required SCSI. While I did like the speed of SCSI, after several blazing machines, I moved away from SCSI because of its cost. So, in looking for a new scanner, the CanonScan 1220U definately caught my eye. A superslim scanner, with NO powercable required. Seemed too good to be true. And for me, it was.
Setup definately was a breeze, simply taking the scanner out of the box, unlocking the scanning mechanism, and plugging in the USB. A quick driver install, and I was ready to go. I was up and scanning my first image within a matter of minutes. While the scan speed doesn't compare to a SCSI scanner, it was decent enough for my non-professional needs. However, immediate I noticed colored pixels strewn randomly all over the image. I checked the glass for dust, and didn't find any, so I tried scanning a different picture and got the same results.
Here I started to run into more problems. Whenever I tried to scan again, the scanner would halt during the process. A windows error message would pop up, and would then disable the scanner. I rebooted, tried again, and sometimes was able to scan once, before getting the same error. Thinking that it was possibly a Windows 2k issue, I tried the scanner in Win98, WinME, both with the same results. I tried scanning off my laptop, thinking it was a USB conflict with my computer, but the laptop also yielded the same aborted process. I did however manage to bring the super light scanner to my friends place, and it worked perfectly, although still produced those colored pixels.
Sadly, I repacked the scanner and promptly returned it.
All in all, the slim "titanium looking" design to this scanner will catch anyone's eye, if the price doesn't deter the buyer. However, even using the scanner for personal use, I was very disappointed in the scan quality. I also could not resolve the USB issues (note: I do have other USB peripherals that work flawlessly, and even with some/none of them plugged in simultaneously, the scanner did not work. This is why I do not believe the USB issue was my computer, but rather the scanners.) As much as I would like to recommend such a beautiful looking scanner to others, I cannot do so because of the above mentioned issues.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 199
Interface: USB
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Epinions.com ID:
cslee
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Location: Hinsdale, IL 60521
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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