We purchased this scanner October 2003 - it was my wedding anniversary present -can you believe it! - well i did want one - but i would have preferred some perfume and flowers!
It cost £49.99 from PC World and was an absolute bargain - should have been somewhere in the region of £80-£90 from what i remember.
Anyway this was the second scanner we had purchased - the first was from Toys R Us - yes you read right - and was an absolute nightmare to install - so many disks and instructions - and anyway we couldnt get it to work - so we returned it and purchased the CanoScan 3000F on the shop assistants say so - it came very highly recommended.
Now we had the previous scanner for 2 days and for 2 days i tried to install with out joy - the Canoscan installed within 20 minutes of getting it home and was so simple to install and use i knew i would love it forever.
*****THE SCANNER****
Made by Canon - as the name would suggest - it is a decent sized scanner - 18" long and 10" wide - dark blue pinstriped top cover and grey base - the words Canoscan are written on the top cover.
****INSTALLATION****
Very simple - One plug for the wall socket and one for the USB port on the computer and just the one disk to insert into your hard drive and run.
The USB interface makes it compatible with Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP (home or professional).
Very easy on screen instructions to follow, just a matter of waiting for the next set of installation details to appear on the screen for every stage and clicking OK.
Even the novice could follow them - and at the time of purchase i was a novice - I was 33 and it was the first computer we had ever had in the house - but i managed to get it set up and running without any problems in no time at all.
****FEATURES****
The scanner not only copies documents and photographs but also has the facility to copy from film negative.
It comes with a special film adaptor into which you place your 35mm negative or slide - then just put this into the scanner as directed and scan - in no time at all your negative is there in front of you in all its full colour beauty - ready to save to the computer, email or print - must admit that this has come in really useful for some of our older photos which were a bit torn and tattered - we have been able to reprint them in all their original glory.
Its very difficult to go wrong with scanning or printing because each information screen you go through is simplified to the extreme - fools paradise!
Comes with a built in help index should you need it - can't say i have used it as yet.
****THE SCIENCE****
PhotoStudio is a full-featured and easy-to-use image editing program. By taking full advantages of Windows, PhotoStudio allows you to:
Acquire images from digital cameras, scanners, or other image input devices . Support BMP, TIF, PCD, PCX, TGA, and JPG file formats.
Convert images between a variety of data formats.
Visually organize your images into convenient photo albums.
Enhance the brightness and contrast or adjust the shadows, midtones, or highlights of an image and other enhance functions.
Modify hue and saturation to correct colour.
Improve image quality with smooth and sharpen filters and other special filters.
Create your special effects with over 20 build-in effects - for example turning peoples hair red or giving them a moustache and so on.........
Work with a complete set of tools for selecting, editing, retouching, painting and transforming images - you can edit out and birthmarks with a special cloning tool or make your eyes that little bit bluer..............
Print your image at any size and location on a page - allows to size down or enlarge the scanned item before printing.
***SOFTWARE****
The CanoScan 3000F comes with:
Arcsoft PhotoStudio for image editing, PhotoBase for image management - this is like an picture album built into your PC. Canon Toolbox for easy operation
****PHOTO QUALITY***
Obviously the quality of your prints will depend upon your printer and the quality of printing paper you use.
But the actual scanned item on the computer is of the highest digital quality.
****DISLIKES****
Only thing i didnt like was that there was no manual - all help instructions are built into the software - although there is a helpline number should you get stuck.- 0870 122 6543
Overall i am more than happy with purchase - a very easy to use, versatile little scanner - especially like the negative scanning and would definitely recommend.
More details
Ease of use
Very easy
Design
Good
Range of extra features / functions
Good
Instruction manual
Satisfactory
Manufacturer Support
Excellent
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