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Andrew Carrao photo
Zimbabwe, Harare
1 Level
696 Review
54 Karma

Review on πŸ–¨οΈ Efficient Epson FastFoto FF-680W: High-Speed Wireless Photo and Document Scanning System in Black by Andrew Carrao

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Damage Photos: Scanners and Accessories

This is for FF-680W (NOT refurbished). Like another customer, I bought and received the device quickly. Installing the software was extremely easy and photos are scanned very quickly as advertised. I used 600 dpi resolution and the quality seemed normal (not amazing) but good enough to put online and give to my parents. After reading about photo damage I have a large stash of 4x6 and 3x5 glossy photos to pre-test. I did a few tests and actually noticed that on all tests a few lines appeared in the photos, similar to another customer's complaint. I've noticed that the black plastic rollers (pictured) inside the machine have a pronounced ridge around the edges that appears to cause scratches and etching. If you're going to buy this machine, do a few test runs with photos you're going to throw away beforehand. I have sent the car back and am waiting for a new one to make sure my unit is not defective. I will update this review when a new machine comes out and post the results. @Epson - Please check this machine issue as it looks like a quality control issue that will end up ruining someone's photos. -- UPDATED -- I quickly received my second FF-680W and started testing with a few test photos. I have included 2 photos with this review to show before and after several runs on the machine. The first photo always comes out fine BUT machine scratches are visible on the glossy paper after the first pass. On the second and subsequent passes, the scratches progressively get worse, and even on the second pass, the scanner detects scratches. The second photo shows a straight line down the middle. A visual inspection of photographic paper would reveal dozens of scratches. I will contact Epson and return this unit for a full refund. I would not recommend this device to anyone as it will permanently damage your photos. -- UPDATED 1/27/2020 - I have now returned the second unit as I have tested it with different cards and glossy/non-glossy paper. Epson confirmed by phone that the second unit I received could also be defective. The only photo that wasn't scratched was a matte photo from the early 1980s. All other photographs, including slightly shiny postcards, were scratched from a few to dozens. I'm back to tediously scanning photos into my tablet. I really wanted this product to work but it doesn't seem to work without damaging the original photos.

Pros
  • One-Step Technology - Scan both an image and all the handwritten notes on the back of a photo in one scan
Cons
  • Almost OK