Smartphones are the most popular way to take photos right now which makes photo scanners look like a relic from the past, photo enthusiasts and family archivists would tell you otherwise.

It is a handy tool that can help you digitize images and create backups without relying on finding a print store.

Many scanners include software to retouch scans and improve image quality, making it the perfect device for photographers who prefer to shoot on film. If you want to quickly convert photos, slides, and negatives into digital format, you will need a quality photo scanner.

Don’t worry, we have created a curated list of the best photo scanners with an in-depth guide to help you make an informed decision.

10+ Best Photo Scanners of 2022

1. Epson Perfection V600 — The best photo scanner in 2022 overall (Editor’s choice)
2. Plustek ePhoto Z300 — The best budget photo scanner
3. Canon CanoScan Lide 400 — The best value photo scanner
4. Epson Perfection V850 Pro — The best photo scanner for professional use
5. Epson FastFoto FF-680W — The best photo scanner for speedy results
6. Doxie Go SE — The best portable photo scanner
7. Canon CanoScan 9000F — The photo scanner with the best resolution
8. HP ENVY Photo 7855 — The most versatile photo scanner
9. Xerox XD-COMBO — The best photo scanner for macOS users
10. KODAK Slide N SCAN — The best scanner for film

What is the Best Photo Scanner?

When you’re looking for a new photo scanner, the options out there can be mind-blowing. In our minds though, the best photo scanner is the Perfection V600 from Epson . If you looking for more information on some of our other top picks, check out our comparison table below.

How to Choose the Best Photo Scanner

It is important to do your homework before purchasing a photo scanner. Once you identify your purpose for buying a scanner, this guide will walk you through the technical aspects to consider when buying a photo scanner.

Type

• Flatbed Scanners

High–resolution flatbed scanners are the easiest to use and common scanners available. It works like a copy machine and can scan documents, books, photos, and even magazines. Flatbed scanners are suitable for personal and commercial use as they provide high-speed and high-quality scans.

It is usually bundled with a set of adapters for scanning transparencies, slides, film, and negatives and photo enhancing and correction software.

• Portable Scanners

The main object of a portable scanner is to scan text or data when you are on the go. These pocket-sized machines are perfect for business trips when you have a small number of images to scan. You can transfer the data from the scanner to the computer via a USB or a wireless connection.

• All-in-one Scanners

Every all-in-one printer comes with a scanner. Most all-in-one printers have a high-quality scanner that can go as high as 1200 dpi. If you already have one at home, you might not need another specialized scanner for your needs.

• Sheet-fed Scanners

A sheet-fed scanner works similarly to flatbed scanners, but it is meant for scanning one page at a time. A document or photo is fed into the scanner’s automatic document feeder (ADF), rather than being placed on top of the platen one photo or document at a time.

Sheet-fed scanners are mostly fast, portable, and come with different features for capturing and processing data.

Resolution

A scanner’s resolution is defined as dots per inch (dpi). Scanners with a higher resolution can capture more details from an image than a scanner with lower resolution, resulting in high-quality scans. A scanner with 300 dpi resolution is good enough for scanning photos, but 1200 dpi or higher is recommended for exceptionally high quality.

Speed

Depending on workload, the scanner’s speed might be crucial. Speed isn’t that important if you use a photo scanner once or twice a day. However, if you use it for commercial purposes and need to scan photos in bulk daily, you will have to check the time it takes to scan pages per minute (ppm) and images per minute (ipm) of a scanner.

Color/Bit Depth

The bit depth of a photo scanner is the amount of detail it can capture per pixel. A scanner with a higher bit depth has a better image quality with improved details and depth of color. Scanners with 24-bit or 36-bit color depths are sufficient for producing high-quality photo scans, and some latest scanners even come with a 48-bit depth.

Software

A scanner’s software is the most overlooked component despite being incredibly important. Depending on the software utilized by a photo scanner, it might have additional color calibrating, image-editing, and optical recognition (OCR) functionalities. All photo scanners are not bundled with the same software, so it is important to consider them while buying one.

Connectivity

Most scanners are compatible with data transfer via USB, but you will have to look for a photo scanner that supports WiFi if you want wireless connectivity.

10+ Best Photo Scanners of 2022

1. Epson Perfection V600 (Editor’s Choice)

Epson Perfection V600. Image credits: Epson / Amazon.

The best photo scanner in 2022 overall 

Scan resolution: 6400dpi | Interface: USB | Dimensions: 19 x 11 x 4.6 inches | Weight: 9 pounds

If you’re looking for a perfect all-around option for scanning photos, then we highly recommend the Epson Perfection V600 . With an impressive scan resolution of 6400dpi, it delivers high-quality scans from photos, film, slides, and other everyday documents for enlargements up to 17 inches x 22 inches.

The Digital ICE technology on the Epson Perfection V600 offers one-touch color restoration. It removes dust, creases, and scratches from older photos, making a great difference if you want to preserve photos. Also included in the software bundle are some other features such as an image editor, scan to email, and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) that converts scanned documents into editable text.

The Epson Perfection V600 can handle just about every size and format, including 35mm filmstrips, mounted slides, and full panoramic medium-format film, and comes with two film holders that make positing easy. It also has a resizable preview window so you can check all scans in minute detail. For an affordable price, it is an incredibly versatile device that can scan just about anything in fantastic quality.

Pros Cons ➕ 6400dpi resolution is excellent ➖ Large and bulky ➕ Supports a wide range of film formats ➕ Digital ICE removes imperfections

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2. Plustek ePhoto Z300

Plustek ePhoto Z300. Image credits: Plustek / Amazon.

The best budget photo scanner

Scan resolution: 600dpi | Interface: USB | Dimensions: 11.4 x 6.3 x 6.2 inches | Weight: 3.36 pounds

The Plustek ePhoto Z300 is one of the few sheet-feed scanners designed primarily for handling photo prints and if you are looking for something budget-friendly, this photo scanner tops our list. Its main function is to convert printed photos to digital form, and it does a great job every time.

The 600 dpi resolution on the Plustek ePhoto Z300 produces detailed scans, and the image enhancement functions allow you to quickly enhance and restore old faded images with one click. It is affordable, easy-to-use, and it can also be utilized to scan documents.

Pros Cons ➕Pocket-friendly ➖ Manual and slow ➕ Automatic size recognition of documents ➖ Can’t scan multiple photos at once ➕ Easy-to-use ➕ Designed to prevent damage to photos ➕ Can scan letter-size and A4 documents

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3. Canon CanoScan Lide 400

Canon CanoScan Lide 400. Image credits: Canon / Amazon

The best value photo scanner

Scan resolution: 4800dpi | Interface: USB | Dimensions: 14.5 x 9.9 x 1.7 inches | Weight: 3.6 pounds

Looking for a high-resolution photo scanner? Then you will appreciate how detailed the scans on the Canon CanoScan Lide 400 are . With a straightforward design and simple workflow, it is an ideal choice for personal and work use.

You can preserve old photos in incredible detail thanks to the 4800 dpi resolution, and with image enhancements, such as color restoration and dust removal, your photos will look better than ever.

The CanoScan Lide 400 is incredibly convenient to use. It is capable of scanning photos in as fast as eight seconds, and with five built-in ‘EZ’ buttons, scanning photos is as simple as pressing a few buttons. You can also scan documents, and the auto scan mode automatically detects and adjusts the settings according to what you are scanning.

Pros Cons ➕Great resolution ➖No WiFi connectivity ➕Scans photos and documents in as fast as eight seconds ➖Not the best option for professional photo scanning ➕Fantastic image enhancement capabilities ➕Can directly send files to cloud storage ➕Affordable

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4. Epson Perfection V850 Pro

Epson Perfection V850 Pro. Image credits: Epson / Amazon.

The best photo scanner for professional use

Scan resolution: 6400dpi | Interface: USB | Dimensions: 12.1 x 19.8 x 6 inches | Weight: 20.9 pounds

The Epson Perfection V600 might be our top overall choice but the Epson Perfection V850 Pro is our favorite pick for serious professionals. It tops out at an incredible 6400 dpi for film slides and photos and 4800 dpi for photo scanning. The Perfection V600 also comes with a dual-lens setup that automatically selects the optimum lens based on the image you are scanning for the best results.

It features a high dynamic range for accurate reproduction of tonal range and gradation in addition to Digital ICE technology, just like the Perfection V600 that can remove dust and scratches automatically from photos and film scans. The pre-installed software also allows you to control highlights and shadows, gradations, descreening and can restore faded color photos to their original charm with incredible accuracy.

The Epson Perfection V850 Pro might seem overkill for some but with the features on offer, it is hard to beat regardless of price. If you are serious about film and photography, you won’t find any better.

Pros Cons ➕Superb resolution ➖Large and bulky ➕Excellent editing software ➖No WiFi ➕ Suitable for prints and film ➕Dual-lens system ➕Quick warmup time

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5. Epson FastFoto FF-680W

Epson FastFoto FF-680W. Image credits: Epson / Amazon.

The best photo scanner for speedy results

Scan resolution: 600dpi | Interface: USB, WiFi | Dimensions: 6.7 x 11.7 x 6.9 inches | Weight: 8.2 pounds

If you need to digitize a ton of photos at once and you don’t want to spend hours doing it manually, then we recommend getting the Epson FastFoto FF-680W . Touted by Epson as the world’s fastest personal photo scanner, it certainly lives up to its name and can be loaded with up to 36 prints to scan at a time, thanks to the automatic document feeder (ADF).

It is a top-of-the-line photo scanner that works in three different modes for easy sharing (300 dpi), archiving (600 dpi), and enlarging (1200 dpi). The lower the resolution is, the faster the Epson FastFoto FF-680W can scan photos, with 300 dpi images taking just one second to scan. This can massively speed up the process of digitizing images, especially if you are working with full albums and not just a few pictures.

This multi-functional scanner can also scan a range of other items up to 8.5 inches wide, including documents, artwork, bills, receipts, and more. Unlike most photo scanners on this list, you can upload scans to a computer via USB or directly upload them to the cloud via WiFi. It also comes with FastFoto software, making it easy to edit images quickly.

Pros Cons ➕Fast performance ➖Expensive ➕Premium design ➖Can’t scan film ➕Multiple resolution options ➕WiFi connectivity ➕Capture both sides of photos ➕Great for scanning multiple photos at once

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6. Doxie Go SE

Doxie Go SE. Image credits: Doxie / Amazon.

The best portable photo scanner

Scan resolution: 600dpi | Interface: USB, WiFi | Dimensions: 12.25 x 2.25 x 1.75 inches | Weight: 1.98 pounds

Scanners tend to be large and bulky but if you need something that you can carry on the go, Doxie’s streamlined photo scanner is an excellent choice. The scanner’s portable design means that you can easily fit it into any bag and forget that it is even there. 

Despite being compact and diminutive, the Doxie Go SE doesn’t fall short in terms of features. It can scan full-paged documents and colored pictures at 300 or 600 dpi resolution. The best part is that it can scan full pages and deliver crisp, clean copies in as fast as eight seconds.

It runs on a powerful battery that can scan up to 400 photos once fully charged, while the internal memory ensures that you can store up to 4,000 scans before needing to sync. The in-built memory is sufficient for bulk operations. Still, if you ever run out of storage, the Doxie Go SE has expandable memory, and it is also WiFi-enabled, so you can sync files across the cloud or share them to your smartphone with just one tap.

In short, if you want a portable scanner that can scan both photos and documents in incredible quality without the need for a computer, the Doxie Go SE won’t disappoint. 

Pros Cons ➕Compact and portable ➖No photo editing capabilities ➕Can scan without a computer ➕Wi-Fi connectivity ➕SD card included ➕Integrates and syncs with your favorite cloud storage apps with just one-touch ➕Fast performance

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7. Canon CanoScan 9000F

Canon CanoScan 9000F. Image credits: Canon / Amazon.

The photo scanner with the best resolution

Scan resolution: 9600dpi | Interface: USB | Dimensions: 18.9 x 10.7 x 4.4 inches | Weight: 10.1 pounds

If the resolution is something you can’t compromise on, the Canon CanoScan 9000F ticks all the right boxes of high-quality, high-resolution scanners. Unlike the Canon CanoScan Lide 400 which is suitable for basic use, this photo scanner is built to get the most out of your images with a whopping 9600 dpi resolution. With a 48-bit color depth and over 281 trillion possible colors on offer, the results will always amaze.

In addition to scanning photos, and included adapter allows you to scan film and slides. It also does not require any warm-up time, and the auto-scan technology with cloud integration makes it simple to set up and use. The Canon CanoScan 9000F is compatible with Windows as well as Mac, making it ideal for those working with large files that need lossless detail.

Pros Cons ➕Excellent resolution ➖Only USB connectivity ➕Zero warm-up time ➖Heavy ➕Can scan a wide variety of media ➕Auto-scan ➕48-bit color depth

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8. HP ENVY Photo 7855

HP ENVY Photo 7855. Image credits: HP / Amazon.

The most versatile photo scanner

Scan resolution: 300dpi | Interface: Bluetooth, WiFi, USB, ethernet | Dimensions: 17.87 x 7.6 x 19.33 inches | Weight: 16.72 pounds

If you want a device with more than one function, the HP ENVY Photo 7855 might just be the choice for you. This versatile printer can scan, print, copy, and fax photos and documents. You have an all-in-one printer that also doubles up as an efficient photo scanner.

It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) that lets you scan multiple files at once, and the color touchscreen on the printer enables you to view, edit, and print the scans directly if you insert a USB or SD card. Add to that the Bluetooth, WiFi, USB, and ethernet connectivity that lets you scan, print, and backup photos directly, and you have a device that has been designed for optimum convenience.

Another special feature of the HP ENVY Photo 7855 is wireless mobile printing. By downloading the HP Smart app on your smartphone, you can manage printing tasks and scan photos directly through your phone anytime, anywhere. 

Pros Cons ➕Can print and fax photos in addition to scanning ➖Lacks photo enhancement features ➕Lots of connectivity options ➖Not compatible with negatives or films ➕HP Smart app lets you print, scan and fax through your smartphone ➕Scans multiple photos at once

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9. Xerox XD-COMBO

Xerox XD-COMBO. Image credits: Xerox / Amazon.

The best photo scanner for macOS users

Scan resolution: 600dpi | Interface: USB | Dimensions: 15.8 x 13 x 5.5 inches | Weight: 5.95 pounds

Although the options are endless when it comes to photo scanners, only a handful of them is compatible with Mac. If you are a macOS user looking for a photo scanner, you can’t go wrong with the Xerox XD-COMBO . It is a flatbed/sheet-feeder combo scanner compatible with both Mac and Windows, making it an ideal choice for scanning photos.

This compact scanner can scan up to 50 photos per minute at 300 dpi and features Visioneer Acuity image processing tech that uses advanced algorithms to fix imperfections, increase OCR accuracy and improve the visual clarity of scans. To speed things up, even more, the bundled software’s Capture SE and Organizer AI applications make it easy to scan, edit and deliver documents directly to cloud services.

Pros Cons ➕Flatbed and sheet-feed options ➖Average resolution ➕Compatible with macOS ➖No WiFi ➕ Can scan up to 50 images a minute at 300dpi ➕ Comprehensive image enhancement and management software

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10. KODAK Slide N SCAN

KODAK Slide N SCAN. Image credits: Kodak / Amazon.

The best scanner for film

Scan resolution: 3048dpi | Interface: HDMI | Dimensions: 5.27 x 5.35 x 3.74 inches | Weight: 1.17 pounds

Even though printing images have been popular for decades, some photos only exist in film. You will need a special photo scanner that works with film to bring those images to life, and the KODAK Slide N SCAN is an ideal choice if your primary goal is to digitize film. It allows you to scan 50mm, black and white, and even color negatives and comes with additional adaptors for 135, 110, and 126mm films.

All you have to do is feed the film into the scanner, and you can preview and edit the images by using the scanner’s 5-inch LCD. The display’s gallery mode also allows you to use the photo scanner as an elegant picture frame at home or office. The KODAK Slide N SCAN scans images in 14MP and 22MP resolution, and for added convenience, you can save scans on an SD card.

The best thing about this scanner is the ease of use. It comes bundled with everything to get started right out of the box. This includes a cleaning brush, different adapters, USB and HDMI cables. Plus, there is an intuitive system for photo enhancing that both beginners and pros will appreciate. The KODAK Slide N SCAN is hard to pass on if you dabble in film photography or if you want to restore old films.

Pros Cons ➕5-inch display for viewing and editing ➖Only compatible with film ➕Portable ➕Easy-to-use ➕Doubles up as a picture frame ➕ Bundled with lots of useful accessories

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10+ Best Photo Scanners of 2022

Old films and photos can invoke a sense of nostalgia, but they are always under a constant threat of damage and deterioration over time. Digitizing those treasured memories goes a long way in preserving them, and a high-quality scanner will help you backup your old images and albums so you can view them anywhere anytime.

Whether you are buying a photo scanner for personal or professional use, we have selected a device for every type of user in this list. We hope that you find your next scanner from this article.