Canon CanoScan LiDE90 Color Image Scanner (2167B002) Reviews

• Great for most uses, could be better for scanning books

  
  By AI0BCEWRE04G0 on 2007-09-20
  With a few caveats, this is a great little scanner. The best part is that it actually fits in my Targus computer case WITH my laptop. It weighs only 2-3 pds, and runs off USB power---no converter brick to haul around. Scans are sharp and fast.
  
  Unfortunately, the particular design of scanner is that (unlike most fat desktop scanners) it cannot scan 3D objects, therefore text near the spine of a book, which is not in actual and absolute contact with the glass, is very blurry. Nor can you just press down the book---this seems to warp the glass causing blurriness elsewhere on the page, and may even jam the scanning mechanism. Also, the lid is non-removable, which means that you may be out-of-luck if you need to scan part of a large object.
  
  Despite these limitations, the price and exceptional portability may make this series of scanners the choice for scanning books---because books which need to be scanned are usually non-circulating items in libraries or archives.
  
  Compared to other scanners the "frame" framing the glass surface is low and only ca 3/8" wide on the right side. So, if you have a circa 1/2" inside margin, and place the right side of the scanner at the edge of a table, you can scan many books easily. You can get in tighter by using a peice of stiff, 1/16" thick, cardboard, ca 8 3/8" X 11", placed behind each page before scanning---it is a pain, but it works.
  
  Your original must be ABSOLUTELY flat. Since the lid is light, a weight placed on top of the lid can help insure that the original is in full contact with the glass. A ca 1" thick book is about the right weight.
  
  The foam "pressure pad" in the lid is a bit too soft to insure that some originals are pressed sufficiently flat. When scanning magazines etc., a 8 1/2" X 11" piece of stiff cardboard between the magazine and the pressure pad can help---and of course, the weight of a book on top of the lid.
  
  Although some reviews imply that books thicker than 1" cannot be scanned, because the "EZ-lid" only adjust to accomodate items up to 1" thick---in fact, and despite the instructions, it is not essential to close the lid at all---so there is no practical limit on book thickness.
  
  Other reviewers have complained about not being able to scan at greater than 1200 dpi. If you want to scan at, say 2400 dpi, you have to type the value in manually in the driver software. However, such scans are slow, and I have found no improvement.
  
  (35mm type) microfilm can be scanned, ca 6 frames at a time, and produce readiable documents. Scan the image, image (dull) side against the glass, at 1200 dpi, save as tif files, and (if necessary) mirror-image the image with your graphics editor
  
  It is true that the scanner draws power only when scanning. That is NOT a great advantage when used with a portable computer as one reviewer implies. At least with my ThinkPad---scanning to a portable running on battery-power very seriously slows down scanning. Plan on having your portable plugged into an AC outlet if you plan to scan more than a few pages.
  
  The scanner is not intrusively noisy in an office---but may be in some tomb-like libraries with noise-reflective surfaces.
  
  If you want the best possible scans, you should save to tif---but the only tif files the scanner driver produces are huge uncompressed tif files. Solution: scan from a graphics program which allows you to save files as loss-less tif (LZW compression) which will produce files at 1/4 to as small as 1/20 the size with no loss in detail. JPG files are always degraded by compression. PDF images generally default to ca 300dpi highly-compressed jpg, or jpg-like compression---acceptable for most photos, but not for text. Solution: scan as tif files and use Adobe Acrobat (or other pdf editor) to convert the tif files to pdf. Acrobat (and most other pdf editors) allow you to select the graphics quality---select "highest quality"--or a specific dpi--or disable "downsampling".
  
  If you scan half-tone (screened) photos from books, magazines, etc. You can use Gausian blur (in your graphics editing program) to improve (descreen) them for viewing and printing. Use the lowest possible value which eliminates the dot pattern. At 1200 dpi, I usually use "4 pixels". If you have a "remove moire" function, that may work even better, particularly with high quality halftones scanned at 600 dpi or lower. Again, use the lowest value which does the job.
  
  The very best scans are produced by setting the tone curve manually. Using "custom settings" to define tone curves for your particular project makes the process a little easier.
  
  Don't panic about the scary "unlock the scanner before using" notice in the instructions. If you try to scan with the scanner locked, it will tell you, "unlock me". If so, just unlock it.
  
  Suggestion to the Canon designers: If the frame was flush with the surface of the glass, and the frame was a little narrower, at least on one side, this would be a great book scanner. A driver which can (automatically or manually) record different components on a page as most appropriate for each (automatically or as specified by the user) would be very welcome. Such components include: continuous tone and half-tone black and white and color images, single-tone black & white and single tone color images, and text (for pdf etc). Control over pdf quality, the amount of descreening, etc. would be appreciated.
  
  
  

• The perfect laptop scanning companion

  
  By AP5G98E0BE0MC on 2007-09-16
  The CanoScan LiDE 90 is small, light, and portable. It's no wider or longer than my Dell Insperon 6000, so it fits nicely in my laptop case. It can easily be hidden in a desk drawer. All power is through the USP, so there is no need for an electrical socket. The scanner is on only when it is scanning, so it does not run down the laptop's battery. The color photo scanning is quite accurate. The supplied OCR worked surprisingly well. Images can also be saved as PDF files. This affordable scanner covers the scanning basics well, and will prove to be a real time saver for me.
  
  

• Good value

  
  By AHS6PX6H22WW1 on 2007-11-26
  Got this to replace my 4-year-old Visioneer scanner. My visioneer scanner works with my paperport verion 9.0, but it won't work with the latest Paperport version 11.0. So, I have to find a new one. This LiDE90 is a good balance choice between price and performance. Got it from Amazon for $69.99.
  
  Pro:
  1. Powered by USB directly. So, I now don't need to power it up/down between scanning jobs any more.
  2. Very thin. And is smaller than my visioneer scanner.
  3. Work with the latest Paperport software (ver 11).
  4. The scanner driver provides quite some options. Good for fine tuning.
  5. Scanning speed is good (depends on resolution).
  
  Con:
  1. The lid can be raised about 1 inch for book scanning. But, can not scan think books.
  
  Some people may complain about the squeezing noise from it. But it's not too loud. And it seems all low-price scanners have similar type of noise when scanning.
  Overall, I am happy with this purchase.
  
  

• Not for your everyday artist...

  
  By A1TPXS3X3QJIEO on 2008-01-18
  As an artist or mainstream illustrator, the quality of your work comes as good as the quality of your materials and medium you apply yourself to; such is the case with this scanner. Ever wonder why some graphic design businesses have printers and scanners that they got 10-20 years ago and never replace them? Besides the idea that "it's old Betsy" or "why bother with routine?" or "it works... we don't need to waste our money..." these reasons are true, but mostly it's because when you wanted something then, it MATTERED and what was offered was the best money could buy and still is if they're still using them up to that point on and probably still planning to.
  
  How do I fit into this category? I've had a different scanner which I'd actually recommend much better off than this one, the CanoScan FB630U, which actually performs on a quality scale much better than this LIDE90. The performance margins are incredible though, an updated featurette for quicker scanning processes, it soars through scans like you wouldn't believe, even at 300 DPI settings the LIDE90 will fly past them and you can keep feeding it, however that's probably the only perk I have about it, but it also being the most overbearing one that diminishes the one thing I'm looking for as an illustrator, quality.
  
  At first I was amazed at how fast the LIDE90 scanned some of my images but then once I took a look at them... something was diminished about them... I wasn't sure what I was looking at but I FELT there was something wrong. That's when I got the good ol' FB630U out and scanned the same exact image. Opened up photoshop, did an image side-by-side comparison... and the results were as clear as night and day. Seriously, check the link for yourself I compiled:
  
  http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j194/Aardcore/Scannercompare.jpg?t=1200695748
  
  As you can clearly see, the LIDE90 had a quality mark to, yes, scan the image but in such a hindering way it didn't even FEEL like my drawing anymore, which bothered me. Then compared to the FB630U... the comparison is flawless, the FB630U actually outperfoming the LIDE90 as far as picking up deeper contrasts, richer image sourcing and picking up a smooth, natural look to the image... the LIDE90 turning it pixelated, hindered and reducing alot of the contrasts-- NOT ARTISTRY FRIENDLY.
  
  If you're looking for a scanner that'll get the job done and willing to pitch the price tag for what it says... go ahead and buy this scanner like I did; I will keep it around, probably looking to find some other use for it, but definitely not to assist me in my artistic endeavors (please don't critique the image either... it's several years old and the only one I had lying around, the point I'm making across is the quality the scanners were meant to do, as such I presented).
  
  I'm not even sure where to go with this except that if you're looking for something cheaper than the rest of the flatbed scanners you've seen out there that price 2-5 times higher than this one, then get this scanner but if you're willing to pay for a scanner that does alot more for you and you know it will, then pay for what you want, seriously. However if you have an 'old Betsy' lying around and she's still running a good amount of miles for you, keep her around by any means necessary because there's nothing wrong with commitment, routine and knowing what you have is good... don't cop out for something that's 'new and improved' I see the improvement... which is in speed of scanning an image or source, but nothing new about it except the fact it pissed me off at how much it's hindered and hurt my images, greatly appreciating how aware I've become of this now before it was too late to settle.
  
  Here's a bit of knowledge to throw into this review for some people to get a heads up of what I'm going for. The LIDE90 was released mid 2007 and supposedly good for all the updating you'll need, ready for Vista, 'new technology' and just an overall played up concept on the original idea to just 'scan' an item in. The CanoScan FB630U however, I've had mine since 2000 and has been an absolute Spartan when it comes to getting the job done, if you've seen the link I posted, you'll see what I mean. Comparing this new LIDE90 to a 7 year old champ like the FB630U? Not a chance... but like I said, get what you want, but I hope I've shed some light on a very misleading shadow.
  
  

• Excellent step up from the Lide 25

  
  By A3F1M6POIKYFLX on 2007-11-05
  I purchased and used a Canon Lide 25 scanner for about 2 weeks. While browsing a local office supply store and seeing this unit I wondered if it would work better/easier, so it came home and was setup. I'm scanning hundreds of photos and a number of 8.5 x 11" documents. The Lide 90 software is much better; this scanner is USB 2.0 compatible and therefore much faster producing output. The BIG difference is the software; directly Vista compatible, easier to use, nicer interfaces. I recommend this scanner over the model 25, especially if you have a large amount of scanning work ahead. My scanning output has more than doubled by switching to this scanner.
  
  
• Nice little scanner
  By AEYFT74X5CGG7 on 2007-09-26
  I started out mad, but ended up liking the scanner. I was mad because the box (shipped UPS 2nd day) looked like it had been delivered by Jim Carrey (kicked up the driveway). OS X specific gripes---Apple says you can run scanners from Preview, etc., but the resolution is not adjustable, and it is terrible. I had counted on using VueScan, but it just would't work, even after installing all the bloated Canon software (in addition to the driver), not to mention the request that you run under Rosetta...they haven't been doing anything for the past 27 months, I guess.
  
  However, the Canon application is much nicer than I had been led to expect, it is very usable and I recommend it. Scans run fast, the window layout is nice, it seems very thoughtfully designed. As advertised, the scanner is lightweight, but not flimsy. The specs are probably wrong, the maximum resolution I could find was 1200 dpi, but that seems plenty for me. I scanned 25 high-quality B&W images in about 40 minutes. For the price, it is a fantastic bargain.
  
  
• Scanner is nice when using VueScan
  By A2DP1QSM81YIR5 on 2008-01-05
  Regarding software for Mac OS X: I am running OS X 10.5. This Canon scanner software is the most dreadful scanner application I have ever seen. Words don't do it justice. It is painful to experience. The scans looked fine after I got them out. But the software is a strong, very strong, reason NOT to buy this scanner for a mac.
  
  If you buy this scanner then you will need the VueScan software package. You can Google VueScan and will find it directly. This is an excellent scanner driver. Scans come out quickly with this driver used instead of the Canon software. It is intuitive to use with lots of options and both easy and expert modes.
  
  I usually don't like to read gripes that people have about a product when they go into detail of what steps they go through. In this case, I am going to give you a flavor just to see how bad this user interface really is. I got a stomach ache just trying to do a couple of scans. Here goes: You go through multiple screens before you can start scanning. After you finally have some scans done you close the window, only to find the scans are not really saved, but are in a temporary area and are then given the opportunity to save the scans. If you save a few scans, do some more scanning, and then want to save a few more you have to watch for tiny little checkmarks. These need all to be unchecked or you will resave everything.
  
  Again, the Canon supplied software is terrible. I usually write positive reviews of stuff I like, but people deserve to be warned about this. Stay away from the scanner if you have a Mac don't want to buy additional software. If you are willing to buy the scanner driver from VueScan you will be pleased that this little scanner turns out nice scans, albeit a little slower than pricier cousins.
  
  
• Device Drivers need work
  By A2D0MFG4FSOYUJ on 2008-01-20
  I wanted to like this scanner. I think the USB powered is a great idea in that it saves cord clutter and also energy. Unfortunately, I could never get this scanner to work with 2 of my 3 computers. It worked fine with my new Vista desktop, but my older Windows XP machines would recognize the USB device, but when I would go to scan, the scanning software would complain that it couldn't talk to the scanner. Frustrating. Even downloading new device drivers from Canon web site would not help.
  
  
• P.O.S.
  By A1MQD5GOM4WGXY on 2008-01-10
  I used to love the Canon low-end work horse scanners because a)they were the smallest scanner available (to fit in my carry-on luggage), and b) they were durable and reliable.
  
  The new model is inferior in every way. Scanner won't work properly through a USB hub, though previous models did (Canon tech support helpfully offered that even though they used to work, "they weren't designed to.") The new scanning software is clunky and unintuitive, runs slow, and the calibration can't even adjust white paper to white. They really jumped the shark on this one. And the scanner housing is bigger, for no good reason. I'd recommend getting an older model on ebay.
  
  
• Sleek, Compact and Nice Photo Quality
  By AXPZ2OZ3TLU9C on 2007-10-17
  This scanner is sleek, light weight and has nice scan quality. I like it as it doesn't require the power cord. Both the data and the power is connected through a single USB cord. It has nice photo quality and very accurate OCR conversion result.
  
  
• CanonLiDe90
  By A2J8A0YMP76IAM on 2007-10-30
  Good scanner, pleased with PDF capabilities and being able to add pages to the PDF document as they are scanned. A bit noisy as other reviewers have commented on, but nothing to worry about. "Magazine" scan mode is good and removes imperfections especially from older magazine prints. Would recommend.
  
  
• Canon LiDE 90 Scanner -- good quality & compact
  By AIMUX8ATQDOOO on 2008-01-27
  After a month I've scanned a lot of things, photos, clippings, booklets.... The scan quality is great. The software that came with it is kind of clunky to use -- too many steps between scans -- so that will slow you down if you have a lot to scan. However, I have mostly scanned directly into Adobe Acrobat and that works out pretty well.
  
  
• A Great Macintosh Scanner
  By ABYM465K2VDMU on 2008-05-31
  I needed a low cost scanner for making copies and creating PDFs from scanned documents -- but I use a Macintosh, and most comments from Mac users were very negative. There are, however, very few low-cost scanners remaining -- and they all received equally bad Mac software reviews. I decided to try the LiDE 90. Before buying the hardware, I went to the Canon website and downloaded / installed the Leopard drivers. When I received the scanner, I simply connected the usb cable, and everything worked perfectly. Although the software interface is not "pure Mac" -- it simple, attractive, and functional.
  
  
• Wonderful scanner
  By A3FIDRNMSFR77P on 2007-10-30
  It is very good scanner. It works without power cord, just plug to your laptop (in my case) or desktop and you have it fully functional. It is very quiet, slim and nice. I really recommend it. My wife already scanned all her tutoring books (more than 1000 pages) in a week or so and it is still working smoothly.
  
  
• Great Little Scanner with a Couple of Drawbacks
  By A3IS8WRHXJUK50 on 2008-01-21
  Office Depot had only one truly portable flatbed scanner, and the price was right, so I took the plunge. The software is wonderful - you can easily edit photos and make PDF files from photos and other sources. The single USB cord eliminates much cord clutter. The programmable quick buttons on the front will thrill picky users like me who want their gear to work the way that THEY work.
  
  I have gotten excellent results from photos, books and photocopies of old typed text, but have needed some workarounds for my frustrations:
  
  1) Although the scanner LOOKS large enough to accept legal sized originals, it will not. You can stitch multiple shots of the same original, but it is not practical for a large number of pages.
  2) Copying images from books does not look good without enhancement. This may be the case with all scanners, but there is a solution. Gaussian Blur in the photo editor (experiment with the slider to get the best setting)is a very effective remedy.
  3) This may also be the case with all scanners, but I found that black-and-white or greyscale images sometimes come out significantly better with color or greyscale (for b&w) settings.
  4) Though I have not tried to scan large books that some users are complaining about, I have successfully scanned photocopies of large books.
  
  Aside from my gripe about the legal sized originals, I would definitely give this five stars for price, portability, results and software.
  
  
• Good 2nd scanner
  By AV4TSEXB1ZSZR on 2007-11-22
  I purchased this scanner to take along with my laptop for research projects. When I find a document, I can scan it directly to the laptop instead of making a photocopy to be scanned later. The quality is then higher and you save the photocopying cost. The scanner is light and about the same dimensions as a laptop. Being USB powered was a key feature. I also like that the scanner automatically "re-aligned" photos, that were not correctly aligned. The resolution is good enough and the scanner serves as a "backup" to another higher resolution unit.
  
  
• Great value!
  By A2DFXCECH4UDTF on 2007-12-06
  I just bought this scanner yesterday- I am scanning dozens of old family photos so I can color correct them and put them in an album for my parents. Anyway- I went looking for the 25, but it was not in stock, so I went ahead and got the 90. I am extremely happy with it so far. It's very fast, and the quality is better than I expected for the price. Installation was easy, and the software is self-explanatory. And I love that it doesn't need a separate power source.
  
  One piece of advice- don't know if this is just me, but I was unable to get the scanner to work when I plugged it into my USB hub. I had to plug it directly into my machine.
  
  
• Very good basic home scanner
  By AQROYQTV0YHYW on 2007-12-21
  This Scanner works with only one USB plug (no bulky power adapters).5 volt so it has very low power consumption, and very easy hook up to the computer. The scanner is a touch noisy but I will not count that against it, because it is fast easy to use and has great software with it. My first copy was made with one push of the of the scanners copy button and was printing out on my printer within 15 seconds of pushing the button. Also this scanner will create PDF documents, so you can send/email any multiple page documents to anyone all in one PDF document (this alone is worth the price of the scanner). This scanner will not copy Slide photography so don't buy it for that. One important thing to note is that (unlike most hardware)YOU MUST INSTALL ALL SCANNER SOFTWARE BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT TO PLUG THE SCANNERS USB PORT INTO YOUR COMPUTER. I have Vista home premium but this scanner should work equally well with XP.
  
  
• Great product!
  By A3CM422EIHSUYZ on 2008-01-02
  I was looking for reliable scanner for a while and friend at Canon recomended to check their products I liked this one and decided to buy it. I was right choosing this model. It is easy to use, scanned document`s quality is excellent. Very satisfied with this purchase and would recomend this product. If you think about buying scanner for home office purpose, this one is for you.
  
  
• Nice size scanner with no AC power block
  By A2HP545JKADPF9 on 2007-10-31
  
  I have enjoyed using the Canon LiDE 90 scanner. Because of the size I can even fit the scanner in my laptop bag. The quality of the scans for documents has been just fine at 300 DPI. This scanner is quiet to operate and no need to turn the power on and off. I have a high end Epson to do my film and slide scanning but this scanner will be fine for making a copy of a printed photos, PDF & OCR documents along with e-mail.
  
  
• Great Buy!
  By A1OJCGI4QCEKSD on 2008-01-03
  This scanner works great! I was able to scan old photos and restore them to a much better quality! It's super light and easy to manage. It is also great because it doesn't require an outlet plug-in!
  
  
• Canon Scanner
  By A1U1HV134TDKZ8 on 2008-01-18
  This scanner is so easy to use, even the most novice computer person would be able to do it. The pictures come out clear and it gives you several options on how you want to use it. Excellent!!!
  
  
• Some Good -- Some Bad
  By A2H7878HZGMKEJ on 2008-04-23
  I bought the Canon CanoScan LiDE 90 scanner because I restore family pictures. People often (and for good reason) don't like to hand over irreplaceable pictures on a promise you'll return them. So, I needed a scanner I could take to family reunions and to people's homes. This scanner seemed to fit the bill.
  
  Pros:
  * The portability aspects are as advertised. It's light and operates entirely (power and data) by way of a USB port.
  * I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the scans. Without rigorous testing, to my eye simple scans compare favorably with my more expensive and highly rated Epson scanner.
  * I installed the supporting software on both an XP desktop and on a Vista laptop without a hitch. I've read other reviews complaining of installation problems - I had none.
  
  Cons:
  * Material must be in direct contact with the platen (scanner glass). If it is lifted slightly form the glass focus/sharpness declines quickly. This means it is not possible to scan a picture while it is still in its frame. For more than one reason this is sometimes necessary in what I do.
  * The literature that comes with is it almost non-existent. It lists this little plastic thingy in the list of what's in the box and never tells you what it's for. It turns out it is a stand that lets you position the scanner on its side (see pictures I posted with this review). Tech support didn't know whether this was for storage or use. I think it's a risky thing to use. It seems like a precarious position and if you accidentally bump it over it's probably bye-bye scanner.
  * The Help/Online manual is poorly designed. It has no index, and it's designed as a "How To". It will tell you how to enable "Auto Tone" but give you no idea what it does.
  * The ScanGear software is not intuitive. If you know little about scanning and image editing and expect to give the scanner complete control over the scanning process this may not matter. But, I set up my scanning in my own way and this software doesn't make that easy. It's version 1 of the software and has bugs. Some features keep flipping back on or off after every preview forcing you to reconfigure manually between every scan.
  * I've owned about 7 scanners. I've never seen one that didn't let you select an area of a scanned picture and zoom-scan in to preview that area. This scanner/software won't do that. It will zoom a selected area but without rescanning it so it just makes it into a big fuzzy image.
  
  In summary, I've been trying to make piece with this scanner for a week and the jury is still out on whether I'll keep it, but the odds are I will even if I can only use it occasionally.
  
  
• Brief Encounter w/LiDE 90
  By A1U23Y2TKEBIE9 on 2007-10-02
  When I discovered this product would not scan slides I returned it for the Canon 4400F.
  
  I am completely satisfied with the 4400F and did not even connect the LiDE 90.
  
  Sorry.
  
  
• Good value. Compact and efficient.
  By A1KTG3O5S2Z3L1 on 2007-12-27
  Good scans. Fairly quick. USB powered, so no seperate power cord. OCR software is decent but doesn't seem as easy to use as the last version. The image is upside down from the orientation on the scanner so I have to remember to put the item in upside down or rotate it afterwards - a very minor inconvenience. Good price/value.
  
  
• scanner LIDE90
  By A2PJH18W4XHTZW on 2008-01-27
  The scanner is very good but the software while working on Windows is poor on Mac PC. The buttons on the scanner will not work correctly with Mac but using the toolbox manually will suffice.
  
  
• Scanner
  By A2TPLPICPJG9FR on 2008-02-13
  I am not real computer savy, but this scanner does an excellent job. Am scanning all my photos since some of them are now fading and I am very pleased. Strongly recommend.
  
  
• A great little scanner for the low price!
  By A17BMBZJPH452G on 2008-02-28
  This scanner does a terrific job. It is easy to set up and use. It is quiet and works great with Vista Home Premium. It doesn't take up much space and I like that it plugs into the computer so you have one less electrical cord to plug in. Just follow the instructions in setting it up and you should have no problems. I also like it because it is an Energy Star product. I highly recommend this scanner.
  
  
• LiDE90 Canon Scanner
  By A1CJCGZ05IQM3N on 2008-03-08
  This product did not come up what it was suppose to do, The resolution could not get to 4800 as it was suppose to do.
  In fact HP Scanjet Scanners are better then this one.
  
  I rate this as ( 1 ) (1 poor to 10 best )
  
  Thank You
  Ed
  
  
• Works with Vista 64bit
  By A3RFAOPJ6O288V on 2008-06-16
  Great item. Works great with Vista 64 bit. It's nice not having to deal with a power cord. Great product.
  
  

• 10FT USB 2.0 Extension Cable USB A Type M/f
• Belkin F3U133-10 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Cable (10 Feet)
• Transcend TS8GSDHC6 8GB SDHC card (SD 2.0 SPD Class 6)
• Cables To Go 7 Port USB 2.0 Hub
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition