With a heavy heart, I had to part with my loyal Plustek scanner last month. The resolution of the device was simply no longer sufficient for my needs, since color images and statistics were simply no longer feasible. As a successor, I have chosen according to several different PC magazines the Canon CanoScan 3200F, which was able to convince both in an issue of Stiftung Warentest and in the PC world. Nevertheless, not all gold shines, as I had to realize after four weeks.
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The scanner is packed in a handy box with holder handle and is packed really very safely. During the transport, which in my case went across the Federal Republic of Germany and Switzerland, not much can go wrong. The scanner is packed between Styrofoam and cannot stir a millimeter. A film protects against water and other moisture. Yes, not bad Canon, I know that differently from HP.
Freed from all the packaging materials, a true beauty of flatboard scanner comes to light. The time of an ugly gray block is over, the Canon design is dark blue. At least the cover is kept in this color and is made of plastic. The surface is matted, so that smaller scratches do not immediately spoil the sight. Quite centrally, the black Canon logo stands out, so that you always know which company you owe the successful copies. The case itself is again held in grey, but overall the scanner makes more than the usual standard model. The case also looks very massive and very well processed on me, which I am basically used to from Canon. The weight alone speaks volumes. Since the Canon took the place of my Plustek directly, I could compare well and the CanoScan was much heavier. A good sign like I mean.
•••••• Installation and configuration ••••••••
Before the pleasure, the PC God unfortunately set the work. So it was first to completely clear the carton and to deal with two manuals (including in English, German and French), a USB 2.0 cable and a power supply.
Since the scanner is located in the lower price range, you can probably live well with a power supply operation. Then it was said to crawl under the desk on all four. Unfortunately, it turned out that the 2.0 meter USB cable under Murphy’s law was about 20 centimeters too short. A problem that I was probably not alone with. Here a five-meter cable would have been better, luckily I had such a thing on hand. Connecting is a no-brainer. Connect the USB cable to the intended port on the PC, connect the power supply to the scanner and the power supply and already my good old Windows 98 recognizes that something has happened on the hardware front.
The first thing I noticed is that Canon has completely dispensed with LEDs, legendary four buttons adorn the dark blue side of the device. In any case, the scanner was already ready for use without installing the additional drivers of the supplied two CDs. However, I would still recommend everyone to install the software, otherwise you can not unfold the complete ability of the scanner. The installation is a breeze thanks to a reliable routine. I was less enthusiastic about the fact that the “Canon Toolbox” inserted itself unasked into every conceivable function bar of my operating system. Also included in the Canon package is the text recognition software ScanSoft Omnipage 2 and the image processing program ArcSoft Photo Studio 5.5.
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In addition to the usual DIN A4 sheets, the device can also scan and copy smaller formats. For this purpose, the sheet must be placed at the bottom right in the support. Our hobby photographers and nostalgics were also thought of. Thus, the CanoScan also has a transmitted light unit, which makes it possible to digitally read negatives and framed slides.
The optical resolution of the device is 1200 x 2400 dpi, which is so in the green range but does not travel to jubilees. Interpolates thanks to the ScanGear drivers as much as 9600 dpi in it. The color depth is internally 48 bits and externally 24 bits, grayscales are represented with 16 bits. This is more than abundant and better quality than any digital camera. Optical pixel errors or coarsenesses are therefore not to be expected. Particularly outstanding on the scanner is its speed. The CanoScan devours black and white lines at 300 dpi in 2.6 ms. For color copies with 1200 dpi, the whole takes 3.6 ms. In practice, this means that you hold a passable black-and-white copy in your hands in 8 seconds and a lively color copy after about 11 seconds. Quite a blessing if you want to make copies on the assembly line. Although the device does not replace a copier, but for the narrow wallet is quite an alternative. A prescan takes 2.6 seconds at standard settings.
The device is operated using the USB 2.0 interface, whereby the older version is also compatible. A conventional power supply is responsible for the power supply, which is quite a block by the way. The power consumption is a maximum of 15 watts in operation and 5.3 watts in Stand By mode. An on or off switch is not present.
The scanner has the exact dimensions of 259×474.4×74.7 millimetres and is therefore slightly flatter than my retired Plustek. The weight is 2.7 kilograms, about 500-1000 grams more than HP’s competitor available on the market.
The following system requirements are specified by Canon for operation:
Operating system: Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP ; Mac OS 9.1, 9.2, X
Interface: USB 2.0 or 1.1
CPU: Intel Pentium 3,4, Celeron; AMD Athlon, Duron (from 566 Mhz)
Memory: min. 128 MB, better 256 MB
•••••••• the software ••••••••••••••••
As a buyer of a CanoScan, the most you have to do with the Canon Toolbox. The toolbox is a small bar that does not fill the screen. Here you have all the functions of the four function keys available at a glance and can individualize them. For example, you can set which type of copy/scan should be read in with how much dpi. With which output device it is to be processed and with which color depth it is to jump out. Really very practical and clear.
I have to blame the text recognition of ScanSoft. Actually, I use the text recognition very little, but with a new purchase it is also a mandatory task to try out these possibilities once. Unfortunately, the software did not recognize my black and white copies of the Lexmark Z42 or the Samsung ML-4600 to my satisfaction. The result was only a letter salad and that in a commonly used font such as Arial. The operation is very easy, but unfortunately leaves little room for adjustment possibilities. The text recognition software is thus not very mature in practice.
The image processing from ArcSoft is also rather useful. Here you can edit scans or even conventional images in the usual formats (*.jpg *.bmp *.gif … etc.) or provide them with effects. This means you can rotate the pictures as you wish, change the size or border. However, the functionality is rather meager, so I prefer to use Corel Draw, which also supported the scanner right away. For beginners and people who use the scanner only for copies, however, the software should be enough.
Overall, Canon has saved a little too much here. In my opinion, the software is inferior in quality. Especially text recognition is a joke. The toolbox is a ray of hope, but actually on devices of more recent date standard.
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Printed text is really not the challenge for a branded flat-board scanner, but the Canon is a bit out of frame. Text requires about a setting of 300 dpi. It shines with a tremendous speed. A whole 8 seconds takes a scan. Normally, however, I prefer to scan with 600 dpi, for security reasons. There is hardly any loss of time. The result speaks for itself and is equal to the original if the sheet is inserted correctly in the lower right corner of the scanner. Stop with unclean edges. Only a clean glass surface in the scanner should be paid attention.
The real challenge for the CanoScan is the color copies. Here I once drew out a color photo of recent date from the stadium San Siro in Milan (see second picture). I hope that the quality is still recognizable despite the compression for admin-center. The image of a small camera was drawn up by me on an entire DIN A4 sheet, which means two button presses using the software. The result on the screen was overwhelming and far exceeded my expectations. Stop all the grainy scans I was used to from Plustek in this situation. No, on the contrary, the less perfect recording was automatically upgraded by light balance. Bombastic, it looked like a glossy picture. The expression, on the other hand, is less meaningful, since my printer is no longer behind. But also here the result for simple 80 grams of paper was quite passable.
Is still missing the transmitted light unit, which has exactly the size of a slide. However, since these were in use before my time, I had to resort to a copy of my parents. So to speak, a hardness test, because the things acidify for 25 years in the rear living room closet. And I really didn’t get much out of Mum and Dad at Yellowstone Park in the US. Depending on the settings, the images were either too dark or too bright. There was no help playing around with the contrast settings of the software. The device is, as it was with the Plustek, completely unsuitable. Apparently this is more of an alibi, so you could claim to have installed something like this. The question is whether mine can expect a high-quality device for the price of 99 euros. I don’t think so, but it should be halfway usable. If you want to digitize slides, there is probably still no way around one of the expensive special scanners.
Overall, however, I am deeply impressed by the results. For my purposes, the scanner is completely sufficient.
•••••• User-friendliness •••••••
Here, Canon has even thought of the users who came into the world with two left hands. The cover is quite heavy, which at first glance is rather a disadvantage, but the typeface certainly improves. Unfortunately, the cover is not provided with a lock or the like, which would have made sense for the optimal positioning of the sheet, especially if it is not DIN A4. I also noticed the lack of all LEDs. Neither the on/off status nor the operating activity is displayed. The latter can be determined very well with the ears. Although the scanner is not as loud as a pneumatic hammer, but a slight whirring is already visible.
Positive remarks were made with the Z-hinge made of metal. The hinge is optimal for scanning thicker objects. Especially for me as a student, who has to copy a page from a thick ham every now and then, this is a blessing. Since this hinge is one of the wear parts number 1 on such a device, metal is certainly an advantage. When the cover is constantly opened and closed, the hinge is subjected to a heavy load. It is good that Canon has turned intensively to this weak point.
•••••••• Support •••••••
On the German Canon side you will find a well-functioning trouble shooting. Unfortunately, this is only operated throughout Europe, so the text is in English. Current updates can be found on the German-language page of Canon. For the 3200F, the last driver is dated 25.11.2003. Furthermore, you will find a list of contract workshops where you can find help in case of a guarantee. In my case (residential Ulm) that would be in Reutlingen. So about 90 km away. Repair orders can be submitted online. A hotline is also available, but Canon can shell out 12 cents per minute.
However, since I have not had any trouble with the device so far, I cannot judge the competence of the team.
Address Head Office:
Canon Deutland GmbH
European spruce shark A10
47807 Krefeld
Hotline:
0180/5006022 (12 Ct. per minute)
Monday to Friday from 8 to 17:30
••••••• Final judgment ••••••••
Overall, I am satisfied with the performance of the CanoScan 3200F. Although there are some weaknesses, such as the missing LED or the lid construction, but you can overlook this. I think the software package is really bad. Canon has been working on saving flame, long live the Corel Draw as a replacement. The typeface is great except for the transmitted light unit, you can not complain. Canon offers a 1a quality, I am also enthusiastic about the high-quality workmanship. The device looks really very stable, which also underlines the extra weight. Overall, I can advise to buy, but not for slide fans or professional photographers.