The Canon CanoScan N670/676U is a mid range USB flat-bed A4 scanner. I’ been around for nearly a year and is still in Canon’s current range. The scanner retails for about £60, but in March, I purchased a refurbished on for £45 (from Special reserve url: ukgames.com, though I bought it from ... Read review
Advantages: Best scanner you can get if you can find it for £45. Looks, general quality of the product, size, simple operation, good scan quality. Disadvantages: Speed and options available not first class, can’t scan large items at high resolutions, age (USB 1,1 as opposed to 2.0), software line-up, doesn’t make the best noise in the world. Question marks as to why there are so many refurbished ones.
The Canon CanoScan N670/676U is a mid range USB flat-bed A4 scanner. I’ been around for nearly a year and is still in Canon’s current range. The scanner retails for about £60, but in March, I purchased a refurbished on for £45 (from Special reserve url: ukgames.com, though I bought it from a shop and not the website).
•Basic specs:
This is a mid range USB 1.1 (not the superior USB 2.0) CIS scanner capable of scanning at 600x1200 ... ...old top of the range Canon home scanner) is pretty good, it guides you through the installation process step by step, and I had no trouble with it. Also you find the one year warranty, which is pretty standard (even with the “approved” refurbished one I got).
•Operation
The most important thing I think is a scanner that does what you wish to do, and efficiently without stressing your PC too much, and by in large, the N670U achieves ... more
The Canon CanoScan N670/676U is a mid range USB flat-bed A4 scanner. I’ been around for nearly a year and is still in Canon’s current range. The scanner retails for about £60, but in March, I purchased a refurbished on for £45 (from Special reserve url: ukgames.com, though I bought it from a shop and not the website).
•Basic specs: This is a mid range USB 1.1 (not the superior USB 2.0) CIS scanner capable of scanning at 600x1200 dpi (dots per inch) featuring 48bit input and 24 bit output. It’s compatible with all windows versions (including Win XP if you use the Win 2000 drivers) and MAC it requires a USB port; that also supplies it with power, basically if your PC has a USB port, it’s good enough to handle this. Also 10 (min) - 200 (max megs of hard drive are required to install the scanner. The cable is about 1 meter long, which is acceptable.
The reason I bought this scanner was first of all because of it’s price relative to it’s quality. Secondly this scanner looks very sleek and attractive, it’s one of those slim ones, and it comes with a stand so it can rest vertically while scanning. It also has a “Z-lid” which on paper is very innovative as that means when scanning thicker items the cover wraps itself over the object to be scanned and you don’t put excessive pressure onto the cover. In practice, it’s pretty useless.
It also features some useless quickscan buttons on the front, which I doubt many people use as you are unlikely to get what you want. These allow you to scan the image, to email it, or to print it, better than not having them I suppose. You need to have the supplied software to make use of this though, and I am not going to waste my time with it. Also there is no 35mm negative/positive scanner as you would find with other scanners.
The package comes with Arcsoft PhotoStudio 2000 (Editor), Arcsoft Photobase (Album programme), ScanSoft Omnipage Pro (Text recognition software), and Adobe Acrobat Reader. Which is a very average line up (none of which I installed; except Omnipage, which I have only used once, plus I have the full version of acrobat anyway).
•Installation The manual (which is also for the N1240U; the old top of the range Canon home scanner) is pretty good, it guides you through the installation process step by step, and I had no trouble with it. Also you find the one year warranty, which is pretty standard (even with the “approved” refurbished one I got).
•Operation The most important thing I think is a scanner that does what you wish to do, and efficiently without stressing your PC too much, and by in large, the N670U achieves it. The interface (i.e. what you see after you click scan on whatever programme you use) is pretty standard.
First of all you choose the media you are scanning, you can choose from B/W, Grayscale, Colour Documents, Colour Photos or Text Enhanced. That’s a pretty small choice compared with say the Epson one which has about a dozen, but never mind that. (Obviously options are saved after you leave the programme).
The first thing you do is click preview, this starts a preview scan which takes about 15 seconds (and maybe a calibration which takes a minute), you choose the resolution of the resulting image, from 75 to 2400 dpi and then play around with some more advanced settings if you wish to (like clearing bits of dust etc).
Then you choose the section you wish to scan, the scanner can do that automatically if you wish, just click the align button as many times as required. With this scanner, you can also put more than one item into the bed, and it will automatically align them and scan for you, pretty clever.
Scanning a full colour A4 page takes about one and a half minute, either way, longer than an Epson scanner. During scanning you can use other programmes (well you’d expect that with a Pentium 3 with 320 megs of RAM right?), but it takes a few goes to see the progress, the interface is fiddly!
Overall the operation feels second class, especially compared to an Epson scanner, but on the flipside, it’s miles better than the Afga scanner I used a while back. I’d love to know how good USB2.0 scanners are though…
Another thing that annoys me a little is the noise generated by the scanner during its operation, instead of an efficient buzz, it sounds like a painful push, something you just don’t want a machine so beautifully delicate to go through. The product is pretty solid but because of it’s size, there’s just the unjustified feeling of fragility.
•Scan quality I believe that all scanners can scan images of the same quality. To be honest, you will rarely scan images at over 300dpi, and if you ask the scanner to scan reasonable size items at over 700 dpi (sometimes 600 dpi) it says that the object is too large to scan at that resolution, so something to bear in mind if you are solely purchasing a scanner to scan large items at high resolutions.
•Conclusions That’s about all you need to know really. Overall for £45 this is as good a scanner as you can get. This is not the best scanner in the 600x1200 dpi range, but you can do a lot worse, and looks do matter at the end of the day.
The scanner is very good, but it’s let down by the fact that it can be better in many departments, it can scan a little faster and also the interface just lacks a few options here and there and is a little fiddly.
However I would not pay the retail price of £60 for this, I would simply take a risk on another brand (Packard Bell do a similar looking/spec one for £45 retail) or just spend a little more to get an Epson one.
My scanner is an official refurbished one, and there are lots of these about, this is worrying for consumers who may wish to purchase a brand new one, now I don’t know if this is common, but it’s certainly worrying.
For more info visit the Canon website
Recommended alternatives: CanoScan N1240U or the newer version of that if you can get it for less than £80, or the Epson perfection series which costs a little more.
Advantages: For the price the resulting scans are excellent and it looks cool Disadvantages: The irritating noise it makes in operation
...being such a convenient size, Canon has also added a graphic designer or two to their team, as it looks impressive too. The bottom half is grey in colour and is complemented by a stylish blue lid that gives it a modern trendy look.
Ease of Installation
The beauty of USB is evident in the installation. In the past installing scanners involved connecting them up to one of the ports in the back of your computer and then trying to sort out where the ... ...and multi-plug adapters, with the almost certainly result that one or more expensive pieces of equipment would come crashing to the floor when the wrong wire was inadvertently pulled. USB is simply though, one end in the scanner, the other in the USB port on the main box (or keyboard, monitor etc where they often appear). The one cable links the equipment and supplies power avoiding the necessity for that troublesome extra power lead.
Once connected ...
Mercury 16.08.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Canon CanoScan N670U
Advantages: small and compact, easy to use, cheap Disadvantages: only USB connection
Most people will recognise the Cannon brand and will associate it with photography and with good reason, as they produce very good cameras. Over the past few years Cannon has also got into producing other imaging products such as Digital Cameras, Printers and Scanners. All of these products I would say are among the best in the world. This review is going to be about one of their latest scanners, the model name is N670U. This wont mean much to anyone, ... ...those people who sell Cannon products... but any way it's just another number to the average person! Hopefully this review of the Cannon N670U Scanner will not be too boring or techy... ** Software/Installation ** Well as you would expect with most computer peripherals these days it is extremely easy to install! The scanner itself connects to the computer via a USB port (this is the only way, there is no parallel connection). This is good because ...
ia_young 01.04.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Canon CanoScan N670U
Advantages: A neat little scanner which stands vertically to save desk space. Disadvantages: Vertical scanning is a big let-down!
When your old, chunky parallel port scanner packs up, you'll be spoilt for choice when you go out to buy a USB replacement. Chances are, the average home user needs something that will scan and reproduce an item accurately - and any sub-£50 scanner should suffice. So...
WHY THE 670U?
I won't go through all the features on this scanner in detail, because if you've seen one low-end model you've really seen them all. Colour reproduction is excellent, ... ...is that everything has to be absolutely flat or else it will blur.
A USB connection can also cause some slow operation and noise, because the scanner is designed for low power consumption. This has never bothered me; it's not much faster than my ancient blocky scanner, but I don't use it much, so it's not a problem.
I do like the 'Copy' function which allows a 1-click photocopy (colour or mono) to be sent to the printer. Copies are good quality, ...
antsss 12.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Canon CanoScan N670U
Advantages: Cheap, reliable, good software, USB-powered Disadvantages: Basic, no parallel connection
...is up to the normal Canon high standards.
It is also very well built - I have dropped it on the floor from 3-4ft above several times and it has not sustained any damage. As it is also very light, thin and takes its power from the computer, it is a good choice to go with a laptop. ...
tcumming 04.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Canon CanoScan N670U
Advantages: quick, easy basic functions Disadvantages: average quality output
...to copy the documents. Canon scanner to the rescue! I placed all the documents on the plate and easily sent a copy direct to my HP printer - it printed as quickly as if the documents had been on my hard drive.
My only negative comments would be that it is a fairly basic scanner - if you intend to manipulate photographs, you'll need extra software and the picture quality isn't brilliant for photo's either. The scanner connects to your computer via ... ...easiest installation there is! In my case, I had to buy a USB hub as I'd run out of ports.
Overall, if you want a cheap, easy to use scanner that also works as a great little photocopier - get one of these! Mine is a couple of years old now and still working well. ...
barmybint 31.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Canon CanoScan N670U
The CanoScan N670U scanner is a truly remarkable addition to your home or workplace. Its intelligent, state-of-the-art features save you time, and the unbelievable price can save you money. Its sleek styling looks great on any desktop. And the results you'll achieve are simply spectacular. At just over one inch high, the N670U scanner is one of the smallest flatbed scanners in the world. It's also one of the easiest to set up and use. Connect with just a single USB cable to any compatible Mac or PC - no power cord or bulky transformers are necessary. Then scan, copy or e-mail your images in just one step using the three convenient external buttons. You can even burn complete photos onto CDs with ease. So it's easier than ever to take advantage of this scanner's full capabilities: remarkable 48-bit and 600 x 1200 dpi resolution that gives you over 281-trillion possible colors for richer, more robust scans. The accompanying stand allows you to stand up the N670U scanner to make room on your desk, and still use it to scan at anytime. Canon's advanced Z-Lid Expansion Top will forever change the way you scan bulky items, such as books and magazines. Other scanner covers lift only at an angle and become uneven and awkward when scanning anything that isn't completely flat. The N670U scanner cover includes a special expansion hinge that lifts vertically and lays flat to create the space needed for bulky items, and to help ensure clear scans.
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