Review on ✨ Canon LiDE120 Color Image Scanner for Office Use by Brandon Henry

Great little scanner for the price. I've used a multifunction printer/scanner for years and they are great, especially when you need to scan 20 or 30 pages using the sheet feeder. All-in-ones are usually large and don't fit on your desk, so you have to get up and go to the scanner to use them. It's inconvenient to get up and walk to the printer to scan a page or two, and really inconvenient for flatbed scanning. There were times when I needed to scan a lot of old photos, which involved a long walk back and forth between my computer and the printer's flatbed scanner. So I was looking for a small inexpensive scanner that I could put right on my desk for this project. I found this little scanner and decided that the quality (300 dpi for photos and documents) and price were acceptable for my purposes. Not only have I been able to scan over 500 old photos for my project, but I use this little scanner every time. Day. I use it a lot more than I expected as it's so convenient. I don't really use the multifunction scanner anymore unless I have a big sheet scanning project. Here's the PRO: 1. Like I said, it's really handy right on my desk.2. Works great with Windows 7 and 10 and you can download the latest drivers3. Any application you have that uses a scanner will most likely work with that scanner, so you don't need to use Canon software, just drivers for that scanner. In addition to Canon software, I use ScanWiz or NAPS2 (donation software) to scan most documents.4. For photos, I like the Canon software that comes with the scanner. I agree that Image Garden, ScanGear and IJ Scan are not that user friendly. There are many settings, and like most graphics programs, it just takes time to figure out how they work. My old photo scanning project got me into Canon's software. This works very well, but be patient.5. You can scan multiple photos at once and automatically crop them and perform basic image corrections.6. Powering the scanner from a single USB connection eliminates the need for an additional power supply, eliminating some of the cable clutter. However, in the case of this scanner, that could be the downside. Here are the CONS: 1. Initially I had a few instances where the scanner would disconnect from my desktop computer and I would get a message saying the scanner was unavailable. I tried this on my laptop and kept getting the scanner unlock message even though the lock switch was in the unlocked position. I noticed that other users had the same problem. I've searched the web and found some fixes, using a shorter USB cable or plugging the scanner into a powered hub. This indicated that the scanner was not getting enough power from the USB port. I've experimented and found that the most effective solution is a relatively cheap USB 2.0 Y-cable for an external hard drive - USB A to Mini B. It was designed to increase the USB power required by external hard drives, but it works and offers the necessary performance for this scanner. . This cable plugs into two USB ports (a minor negative as it connects your two USB ports) and draws power from both to increase the power available to the mini-USB port on the scanner. This solution, the 1 foot cable available from Revain for less than $5.00, works great. Just search Revain for a USB Y-Cable for External Hard Drives - USB A - Mini B. Make sure you get a USB A - Mini B cable for this scanner, as the USB Y-Cable is also known as a USB 2.0 Micro is available connector. -B and USB 3.0 with Micro B.2. I think Canon has built too many options into the software that comes with this product. There was supposed to be a quick and easy version for less technical users and a more complex version that was included. Since adding the USB Y-cable I haven't had any more problems and the scanner works great. There would have been much more positive feedback on this scanner if Canon had made consumers aware of this potential power issue when troubleshooting or supporting this product. Everyone thinks this is a great product and I highly recommend it.