Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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Look at the Canon Lide 700F, for exceptional high res scans.
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I have an Epson V600 Photo, and the only thing I do with it is scan stamps. 
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=B11B198011
You can see the results at...
bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com
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I have a Canon Canoscan 4200F that is probably 15 year old, but which works pretty good, although it can be a problem finding the right drivers for the latest Windows versions. Plug and play does not work.
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06:48:52am
I agree that the Canon LiDe 700F is the best scanner for stamps and covers that we have used over 15 years (currently using 3 of them), however I believe it is no longer a current model.
All of the Canon Lide series work great. The 220 model is current and can be purchased for under $100 (currently $99 Canadian at Staples). It will do the job very nicely and in my opinion, Canon has the best and simplest driver/user interface.
Roy
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I can't speak to the Canon recommendation, but a couple of years ago, when I needed a new scanner, I contacted people who posted what I thought were the best stamp images, and the Epson name came up a lot.
I got the Epson Perfection V500. I've been very happy with it. (And I was so unhappy with my HP one before that.)
A couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to get a large-format scanner, so that I could completely scan album pages without having to worry about deciding which part of the page to cut off. I ended up again with an Epson, this time the Epson Workforce WF-7610. Very happy with it, too.
No matter what you decide to go with, I would recommend getting a later model that has wireless (wifi) capability. It transfers the data far more quickly to my computer than using a USB cable (but my computer doesn't have USB 3 capability). A feature that I didn't think I would use, but love!
Good luck with your decision!
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"I have a Canon Canoscan 4200F that is probably 15 year old, but which works pretty good, although it can be a problem finding the right drivers for the latest Windows versions. Plug and play does not work."
Which is why you should invest in the ONLY program that is compatible with over 3000 scanners.
If you get the lifetime pro edition updates are regular and free
Vuescan Supported Scanners
There is nothing else that compares & it allows for scanner color correction and output in just about any format desired. The software that comes with the scanner does not compare
It will put you one step away from scans that look like this (Taken at 300DPI)
BTW - my scanner a $59 Canon LIDE 210 - I have had higher end Epson , Mustek and others
Canons are hard to beat for the $$ and Epson is a close second. I have had to return 2 V500 series as the optical scanner would rub against the glass - maybe just bad luck.
Of course, you could invest in a professional Epson for $4000 which for scanning stamps won't make any difference
Also wireless or USB3 is nice, the Canon I use is powered by the USB so a nice feature
AND - don't get the "all-in-one" scanner/printer/fax. Most are JUNK for scanning - only good for making a copy of your tax return.
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The optics on my Epson XP-800 is poor, and all scans need sharpening. Cheap, but drinks printer ink...so I only use it as a scanner, and I am about to junk it. I think Consumer report had a good study on scanners and printers, which you may want to consult. I really miss my old (non wifi alas) HP bed scanner.
rrr...
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Thank you everyone for the responses.
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Hi JW1950;
I like your advice about all-in-ones, they really are just cheap consumer junk, and are not purpose build for artsy-fartsy creative folks like us.
I'm curious about the VueScan software drivers from the VueScan site. Do you know if they are backwards compatible for older versions of Windows. There are still users that have Windows 95. And between that older version, and Windows 10 there are about 9-10 different versions out there.
Your scans are kick ass, and obviously you are very hip about graphics. Are you aware of IrfanView image editing software. Many members on here have given it great reviews including Roy. I checked out their site, and the one thing that impressed me the most was that they claimed to be compatible with WIN/95 thru WIN/10 and everything in between.
I messaged their tech support and asked if each version that has been tweaked to be compatible will all versions of Windows, have all the exact same menus and commands and did they all work the same way. Their answer was a big YES.
Because of our generally specialized uses of scanners, I think we should all get this free software application. There is no reason not to. Then when beginners ask questions about graphic editing, the experts can walk them thru it step-by-step!
Is there a way to get in touch with VueScan to ask about such issues? I did not see a "contact us" link there.
EDITED by TuskenRaider; I just e-mailed support at VueScan, and will reply back here with what I find out about this software. It sounds like it may be of use to users who have all-in-one scanners also.
Thanks for your reply to this post, it is very helpful to those of us that are not so computer literate.
I have added this thread to my favorites and will send a link to a member who I am helping to learn the art of scanning and uploading, so they can see what your scans look like.
Just chillin'....
TuskenRaider
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I just read through the thread and I don't believe anyone has asked, "What are you going to do with these scans?"
If your intent is to sell things on this board, any scanner will do. The size of the scans allowed here are minimal. eBay scans are a bit higher (anyone else notice when you take pictures from eBay you have to reduce the size to post them here?) And you are also limited by screen resolution. There is a maximum that will be displayed on Internet posts, no matter how intense your scan.
There are scanners that are designed to scan photographs. If indeed your intent is to have high end scans to print large photos of, that may be the way to go.
Me? I have a Canon Mx452 combination scanner / fax / printer. I bought it on a mega-sale at Staples and believe I paid about $65 for it. These units are near free these days.. but the advise I give everyone is to check out the ink prices as they are evaluating a unit. The cost and number of cartridges used in different units varies greatly! Often replacing the cartridges is more than you paid for the printer!
Most units still have fax, which puzzles me since it's really an obsolete technology. I cannot think of the last time I faxed anything. In fact, in business if a person tells me their company doesn't have email but I can fax them something, I don't do business with them. It tells me they are dreadfully behind the times.
I use my scanner for business so one of the important features is the multi page loader. I can put a stack of papers in it and it will scan them all into one PDF file. So as you expand your horizons, you will find this feature useful even in the hobby. Say someone has a loose leaf catalog you'd like a copy of? Either paper or a PDF computer file? That multi page scanner will do that for you.
In short, scanner technology has come so far, nearly any scanner on the market will do what you want to do.
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I've been using pro/semi-pro scanners for about 25 years now. The first was from a German company that hasn't produced scanners in many years, but it was a great scanner back then. My second and third (current Epson V700) scanners have been Epsons. My research many years ago led me to Epson as the best for my work, but my scanners would all be overkill for scanning stamps. I'm not familiar with the current Epsons, but I'm guessing the V550 or V600 would be the best choices from that company. In recent years, Canon has come on strong in the scanner market. I haven't used a Canon scanner, but my impression is they're going to be in the same league as Epson and may exceed Epson capabilities in some regards. I don't know the Canon models, but I think choosing the right scanner from either of these two companies' lines would serve you well.
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Following JW1950's post, I tried and then bought the standard package. I particularly like the 'descreen' function, which reduces moire. Although I've still got my learner plates on, it's impressive so far, except for one aspect; it's slower than my standard driver software.
I've got one of those HP Photosmart all-in-one thingies (but dedicated to scanning only), which is connected through a (slow) USB port. Although the beast has Wi-Fi capability, I've not tried it so far. Perhaps this might improve performance.
I would have liked to have seen the ability to supply more user defined filename variables, when just scanning to Jpeg files. It seems to be limited to just a YYYY-MM-DD-nnnn type imbedded variable.
Perhaps others might know better.
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Epson V500/V550 scanners with Vuescan as the scanning software = as close as you can get to perfection without spending a fortune, IMO.
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"I would have liked to have seen the ability to supply more user defined filename variables, when just scanning to Jpeg files. It seems to be limited to just a YYYY-MM-DD-nnnn type imbedded variable."
I do not remember what the standard edition does. I bought the Pro with life time upgrades a few years ago. It has multiple & custom file save choices. The other options are numerous - it is a learning curve using all the features.
There is also a 32 or 64bit option so speed may be dependent on the format you downloaded.
The app works with any windows version although for Win 10 I reverted back to the 32bit as the 64bit had a pdf issue
"If your intent is to sell things on this board, any scanner will do"
YES and NO
Any properly calibrated scanner will do but you will sell many more stamps if you provide quality scans. Most of what you see on bid sites is crap- although it does hide the vast amount of fakes out there.
A good picture SELLS..
The scans I posted are in the 175Kb size range. I could have reduced them to 1/2 that much without any noticeable loss.
If you link your images to file sharing sites many will downgrade the quality to save space on their servers. The best known ones are the worst for this. Roy or someone else can comment on this, but I see no difference in what I upload and what shows up here.
I sold for many years on the main sites and my sales % was very high. Would you buy decent stamps from someone who provides dark, blurry images??
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Very valid points regarding images used for selling. It would seem though that not everyone has mastered the basics, such as cropping out extraneous black (or white) space. Even a cruddy scanner would produce a usable image, if attention was paid to the crop function. See the bottom two scans on this screenshot:
This drives me mad, although I have actually seen worse on eBay such as this daft attempt:
:
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"Are you aware of IrfanView image editing software. Many members on here have given it great reviews including Roy."
Irfanview has probably been on my desktop as long as any other.
I do use it frequently for some things.
Overall very good and simple for most users
However it has 2 major weaknesses
If you rotate or align an image, it looses quality - try rotating an image a few time and you will see the issue
Also it does not upsize or downsize an image very well without losing detail.
The sharpen feature is not adequate
Gimp
Pixlr
Photoscape
All have free and decent editing features, particularly photoscape
I do/did a lot of commercial work so if I need to really do a good job I will use
Photoshop CS6 with specific plugins but that's overkill for stamp collecting not to mention $$$
Serif Affinity Photo is in the class of photoshop for a lot less
There is one thing about basic flatbed scanners that most don't know. They come in 2 types.
One (the most common) basically has a flat field of view and the other has depth of field so that embossed stamps really stand out but again probably too much for most needs.
I personally have used raw macro photographs to capture image depth with stunning results - another tale for another day.
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Hi Everyone;
JW1950 said:
"Which is why you should invest in the ONLY program that has drivers for over 3000 scanners.
If you get the lifetime pro edition updates are regular and free
Vuescan Supported Scanners"
This is the reply to my e-mail inquiry to Ed Hamrick the developer of this VueScan product:
"I regret to say that I only sell VueScan, I don't
sell "drivers".
Also, VueScan doesn't work with any parallel-port
scanners.
Regards,
Ed Hamrick"
So there are no drivers available at all, and VueScan doesn't support any parallel port scanners.
Just sortin'....
TuskenRaider
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"So there are no drivers available at all, and VueScan doesn't support any parallel port scanners."
As I understand it, Vuescan does provide with the vendor application. Some will say this app provides a driver. The difference is VueScan is not product specific but installing it does not make other scan apps work either.
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I have finally decided to join modern society and get a scanner. I know there have been several threads about scanners, but I am not interested in printing, faxing or anything other than scanning stamps. With all the new technology available today I want to know which one will be best.
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
Look at the Canon Lide 700F, for exceptional high res scans.
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
I have an Epson V600 Photo, and the only thing I do with it is scan stamps.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=B11B198011
You can see the results at...
bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
I have a Canon Canoscan 4200F that is probably 15 year old, but which works pretty good, although it can be a problem finding the right drivers for the latest Windows versions. Plug and play does not work.
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BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
01 Sep 2016
06:48:52am
re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
I agree that the Canon LiDe 700F is the best scanner for stamps and covers that we have used over 15 years (currently using 3 of them), however I believe it is no longer a current model.
All of the Canon Lide series work great. The 220 model is current and can be purchased for under $100 (currently $99 Canadian at Staples). It will do the job very nicely and in my opinion, Canon has the best and simplest driver/user interface.
Roy
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
I can't speak to the Canon recommendation, but a couple of years ago, when I needed a new scanner, I contacted people who posted what I thought were the best stamp images, and the Epson name came up a lot.
I got the Epson Perfection V500. I've been very happy with it. (And I was so unhappy with my HP one before that.)
A couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to get a large-format scanner, so that I could completely scan album pages without having to worry about deciding which part of the page to cut off. I ended up again with an Epson, this time the Epson Workforce WF-7610. Very happy with it, too.
No matter what you decide to go with, I would recommend getting a later model that has wireless (wifi) capability. It transfers the data far more quickly to my computer than using a USB cable (but my computer doesn't have USB 3 capability). A feature that I didn't think I would use, but love!
Good luck with your decision!
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02:06:22pm
re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
"I have a Canon Canoscan 4200F that is probably 15 year old, but which works pretty good, although it can be a problem finding the right drivers for the latest Windows versions. Plug and play does not work."
Which is why you should invest in the ONLY program that is compatible with over 3000 scanners.
If you get the lifetime pro edition updates are regular and free
Vuescan Supported Scanners
There is nothing else that compares & it allows for scanner color correction and output in just about any format desired. The software that comes with the scanner does not compare
It will put you one step away from scans that look like this (Taken at 300DPI)
BTW - my scanner a $59 Canon LIDE 210 - I have had higher end Epson , Mustek and others
Canons are hard to beat for the $$ and Epson is a close second. I have had to return 2 V500 series as the optical scanner would rub against the glass - maybe just bad luck.
Of course, you could invest in a professional Epson for $4000 which for scanning stamps won't make any difference
Also wireless or USB3 is nice, the Canon I use is powered by the USB so a nice feature
AND - don't get the "all-in-one" scanner/printer/fax. Most are JUNK for scanning - only good for making a copy of your tax return.
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
The optics on my Epson XP-800 is poor, and all scans need sharpening. Cheap, but drinks printer ink...so I only use it as a scanner, and I am about to junk it. I think Consumer report had a good study on scanners and printers, which you may want to consult. I really miss my old (non wifi alas) HP bed scanner.
rrr...
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
Thank you everyone for the responses.
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
Hi JW1950;
I like your advice about all-in-ones, they really are just cheap consumer junk, and are not purpose build for artsy-fartsy creative folks like us.
I'm curious about the VueScan software drivers from the VueScan site. Do you know if they are backwards compatible for older versions of Windows. There are still users that have Windows 95. And between that older version, and Windows 10 there are about 9-10 different versions out there.
Your scans are kick ass, and obviously you are very hip about graphics. Are you aware of IrfanView image editing software. Many members on here have given it great reviews including Roy. I checked out their site, and the one thing that impressed me the most was that they claimed to be compatible with WIN/95 thru WIN/10 and everything in between.
I messaged their tech support and asked if each version that has been tweaked to be compatible will all versions of Windows, have all the exact same menus and commands and did they all work the same way. Their answer was a big YES.
Because of our generally specialized uses of scanners, I think we should all get this free software application. There is no reason not to. Then when beginners ask questions about graphic editing, the experts can walk them thru it step-by-step!
Is there a way to get in touch with VueScan to ask about such issues? I did not see a "contact us" link there.
EDITED by TuskenRaider; I just e-mailed support at VueScan, and will reply back here with what I find out about this software. It sounds like it may be of use to users who have all-in-one scanners also.
Thanks for your reply to this post, it is very helpful to those of us that are not so computer literate.
I have added this thread to my favorites and will send a link to a member who I am helping to learn the art of scanning and uploading, so they can see what your scans look like.
Just chillin'....
TuskenRaider
Login to Like
this post
re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
I just read through the thread and I don't believe anyone has asked, "What are you going to do with these scans?"
If your intent is to sell things on this board, any scanner will do. The size of the scans allowed here are minimal. eBay scans are a bit higher (anyone else notice when you take pictures from eBay you have to reduce the size to post them here?) And you are also limited by screen resolution. There is a maximum that will be displayed on Internet posts, no matter how intense your scan.
There are scanners that are designed to scan photographs. If indeed your intent is to have high end scans to print large photos of, that may be the way to go.
Me? I have a Canon Mx452 combination scanner / fax / printer. I bought it on a mega-sale at Staples and believe I paid about $65 for it. These units are near free these days.. but the advise I give everyone is to check out the ink prices as they are evaluating a unit. The cost and number of cartridges used in different units varies greatly! Often replacing the cartridges is more than you paid for the printer!
Most units still have fax, which puzzles me since it's really an obsolete technology. I cannot think of the last time I faxed anything. In fact, in business if a person tells me their company doesn't have email but I can fax them something, I don't do business with them. It tells me they are dreadfully behind the times.
I use my scanner for business so one of the important features is the multi page loader. I can put a stack of papers in it and it will scan them all into one PDF file. So as you expand your horizons, you will find this feature useful even in the hobby. Say someone has a loose leaf catalog you'd like a copy of? Either paper or a PDF computer file? That multi page scanner will do that for you.
In short, scanner technology has come so far, nearly any scanner on the market will do what you want to do.
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
I've been using pro/semi-pro scanners for about 25 years now. The first was from a German company that hasn't produced scanners in many years, but it was a great scanner back then. My second and third (current Epson V700) scanners have been Epsons. My research many years ago led me to Epson as the best for my work, but my scanners would all be overkill for scanning stamps. I'm not familiar with the current Epsons, but I'm guessing the V550 or V600 would be the best choices from that company. In recent years, Canon has come on strong in the scanner market. I haven't used a Canon scanner, but my impression is they're going to be in the same league as Epson and may exceed Epson capabilities in some regards. I don't know the Canon models, but I think choosing the right scanner from either of these two companies' lines would serve you well.
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
Following JW1950's post, I tried and then bought the standard package. I particularly like the 'descreen' function, which reduces moire. Although I've still got my learner plates on, it's impressive so far, except for one aspect; it's slower than my standard driver software.
I've got one of those HP Photosmart all-in-one thingies (but dedicated to scanning only), which is connected through a (slow) USB port. Although the beast has Wi-Fi capability, I've not tried it so far. Perhaps this might improve performance.
I would have liked to have seen the ability to supply more user defined filename variables, when just scanning to Jpeg files. It seems to be limited to just a YYYY-MM-DD-nnnn type imbedded variable.
Perhaps others might know better.
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
Epson V500/V550 scanners with Vuescan as the scanning software = as close as you can get to perfection without spending a fortune, IMO.
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10:35:25pm
re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
"I would have liked to have seen the ability to supply more user defined filename variables, when just scanning to Jpeg files. It seems to be limited to just a YYYY-MM-DD-nnnn type imbedded variable."
I do not remember what the standard edition does. I bought the Pro with life time upgrades a few years ago. It has multiple & custom file save choices. The other options are numerous - it is a learning curve using all the features.
There is also a 32 or 64bit option so speed may be dependent on the format you downloaded.
The app works with any windows version although for Win 10 I reverted back to the 32bit as the 64bit had a pdf issue
"If your intent is to sell things on this board, any scanner will do"
YES and NO
Any properly calibrated scanner will do but you will sell many more stamps if you provide quality scans. Most of what you see on bid sites is crap- although it does hide the vast amount of fakes out there.
A good picture SELLS..
The scans I posted are in the 175Kb size range. I could have reduced them to 1/2 that much without any noticeable loss.
If you link your images to file sharing sites many will downgrade the quality to save space on their servers. The best known ones are the worst for this. Roy or someone else can comment on this, but I see no difference in what I upload and what shows up here.
I sold for many years on the main sites and my sales % was very high. Would you buy decent stamps from someone who provides dark, blurry images??
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
Very valid points regarding images used for selling. It would seem though that not everyone has mastered the basics, such as cropping out extraneous black (or white) space. Even a cruddy scanner would produce a usable image, if attention was paid to the crop function. See the bottom two scans on this screenshot:
This drives me mad, although I have actually seen worse on eBay such as this daft attempt:
:
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10:56:39pm
re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
"Are you aware of IrfanView image editing software. Many members on here have given it great reviews including Roy."
Irfanview has probably been on my desktop as long as any other.
I do use it frequently for some things.
Overall very good and simple for most users
However it has 2 major weaknesses
If you rotate or align an image, it looses quality - try rotating an image a few time and you will see the issue
Also it does not upsize or downsize an image very well without losing detail.
The sharpen feature is not adequate
Gimp
Pixlr
Photoscape
All have free and decent editing features, particularly photoscape
I do/did a lot of commercial work so if I need to really do a good job I will use
Photoshop CS6 with specific plugins but that's overkill for stamp collecting not to mention $$$
Serif Affinity Photo is in the class of photoshop for a lot less
There is one thing about basic flatbed scanners that most don't know. They come in 2 types.
One (the most common) basically has a flat field of view and the other has depth of field so that embossed stamps really stand out but again probably too much for most needs.
I personally have used raw macro photographs to capture image depth with stunning results - another tale for another day.
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
Hi Everyone;
JW1950 said:
"Which is why you should invest in the ONLY program that has drivers for over 3000 scanners.
If you get the lifetime pro edition updates are regular and free
Vuescan Supported Scanners"
This is the reply to my e-mail inquiry to Ed Hamrick the developer of this VueScan product:
"I regret to say that I only sell VueScan, I don't
sell "drivers".
Also, VueScan doesn't work with any parallel-port
scanners.
Regards,
Ed Hamrick"
So there are no drivers available at all, and VueScan doesn't support any parallel port scanners.
Just sortin'....
TuskenRaider
Login to Like
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re: Best Stamp Dedicated Scanner
"So there are no drivers available at all, and VueScan doesn't support any parallel port scanners."
As I understand it, Vuescan does provide with the vendor application. Some will say this app provides a driver. The difference is VueScan is not product specific but installing it does not make other scan apps work either.
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