Even though these people keep returning like a bad smell congrats to Ciao for a job well done on qui...
Even though these people keep returning like a bad smell congrats to Ciao for a job well done on quickly banning cheating members! BUT the rest of the site is just a nightmare - new layout is terrible & extremely problematic!
Member since:10.10.2002
Reviews:293
Members who trust:279
We use the CanoScan Lide 25 (which I'll refer to as Lide 25 from now on) at work and a handy little scanning tool it is indeed. It's very slim and lightweight and sits nicely on my desk, ready to jump into action whenever I need to scan a document or photo. You can copy directly from the platen (glass screen) to your printer or print or even email and it's very easy to set up.
AN ABUNDANCE OF FEATURES
The Lide 25 uses a USB connection so you don't need a separate
power supply which is very handy indeed - saving on energy is always a better option.
Unlike other home scanners I've used in the past the Lide 25 scans to a fairly high resolution of up to 1200 x 2400 dpi so when scanning photos you get very good quality images. The software that comes with the scanned allows you to scan documents to PDF too and you choose whether you want them in colour or monochrome or select the image quality you want from 75, 100, 200, 250, 300 or 400 dpi for PDFs files and a choice of up to 1200 dpi for single page images.
One thing I would mention is that when you scan something at the highest resolution, it does take a bit of time. I do feel that this feature could be somewhat quicker.
The Lide 25 also has an OCR feature which allows you to place a document on the platen and read the text so you can then edit it yourself. This feature has been around for years but so many people ignore it - I find it very handy myself and use it often with no problems.
When scanning images I find it really handy that I'm able to choose from a variety of image types but my preferred method is saving to JPEG format (i.e. files with a .jpg extension) as these do tend to be the most common format for images these days unless you're a graphics professional. Along with the option of saving BMP and TIFF images you can also set the software to save to your chosen directory. I find that being able to scan at 1200 dpi means it's very easy to make a 6 x 4 photo into an excellent A4 size poster - great results every time!
When scanning photos you also have this really exceptional feature (Multi-Photo Mode) which allows you to scan several photos at the same times on the platen and have them automatically and individually cropped so you don't have to do them one at a time. This is a great time saver and has been a particular Godsend for me when I've been scanning old photos in batches to keep them in digital format.
One thing I like about the PDF scan feature is that text is embedded in your documents you can actually search for specific text in the finished product.
The software supplied with the Lide 25 includes ArcSoft PhotoStudio image editing and OmniPage SE OCR both of which are very easy to pick up if you have an interest in graphics and OCR editing and enjoy manipulating photos or text to improve the end result. When you install the software you are given the option to have CanoScan Toolbox on your desktop which makes it easy to access the most needed features of the Lide 25. It certainly makes things much quicker for me having the icon ready on my desktop for everyday use. The CanoScan Toolbox has a user friendly interface which makes it easy to remember which button you need to click for your requirements.
QARE Level 3 is another handy little tool included which allows you to do print corrections. It is clever enough to automatically detect dust and scratches on photos or documents which works wonders when scanning pages from books or even from old photos which might have been damaged with age. As well as dust and scratch detection you can repair faded colour and poor exposure.
By the way, having used this scanner for over 3 years now I've still had no call to contact the manufacturer for anything so I can't really comment on how good or bad the manufacturer support is.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
Obviously the scanner itself is including in the box along with the relevant USB cable to plug in and get started quickly. There is an installation CD with quick start paper manual and installation instructions in many different languages. I always find it odd that a product being sold in the UK would have so many languages available for the instructions – it’s not as if we’re the cheapest country to buy electronic items in that people would buy something here to take abroad… Or are we?
WHAT'S THE DAMAGE?
I have seen the Lide 25 for roughly the same price at various sites (correct at August 2009), e.g. Amazon.co.uk is advertising it for £49.23 and Play.com has it at £49.99.
OVERALL RATING?
All in all I would rate the Lide 25 a strong 4.5 out of 5 for being a near perfect scanner for my needs.
NB: also published by myself on other sites under the same username
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
When you say it crops the photos individually all together on the platten together do you mean it saves them as individual jpg files as well?
. . thank you for sharing . . . ♥ jes ♥
TheChosen1 28.01.2009 20:03
Fab review
carcraig 21.01.2009 18:21
Sounds like a really good buy, good review, too, Caroline xx
Old family snapshots, your personal documents - whatever you re scanning or copying, the ... more
streamlined CanoScan LiDE 25 Color Image Scanner is a snap to use. Three easy buttons automate the entire process, letting you scan, send images to your printer fo...
Postage & Packaging: £1.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Old family snapshots, your personal documents - whatever you re scanning or copying, the ... more
streamlined CanoScan LiDE 25 Color ImageScanner is a snap to use. Three easy buttons automate the entire process, letting you scan, send images to your printer for...
Postage & Packaging: £1.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Jul 18th, 2008
(Aug 12th, 2009)
exceptional by (1%):
very helpful by (99%):
