I'm looking to buy a new scanner... what do I look for?

[GregUofMN]

I'm looking to buy a new scanner for my new 15" AlBook. My old scanner that I used with my old PC would need an adapter to hook up to my new mac laptop. And even then, I don't know if the 7year old scanner is even mac-compatible.

But, I don't know a whole hellava lot about scanners. I do know that I should look for one with...

-a high resolution
-high color depth

But is there anything else??? Which models do you all recommend? By the way, I am NOT interested in one of those all in one models (ie, scan, copy, fax, print )

Thanks,
Greg

[GregUofMN]

PS: I'm an architecture student so I want something with a large surface bed area for scanning.

[Dippo]

I would suggest a Canon CanoScan LiDE 80. It has a good resolution and is very thin. It uses the USB2 cable for both data and power which makes it very good for laptops. I have one and it works great.

I am not sure if the flatbed is big enough for you, and I don't know how good Canon is on Macs, so someone else would have to answer it

Here's a link:

http://www.usa.canon.com/html/conCprProductDetail.jsp?modelid=9374&item=9439&section=10218

[absolut_mac]

Originally posted by GregUofMN
PS: I'm an architecture student so I want something with a large surface bed area for scanning.

Like you, I needed a legal sized scanner too. At that time HP was my only option. I got the HP Scanjet 7400C. Incredibly good scans in both B&W and color. Very fast, but a little on the noisy side when doing high resolution scans. Because of it's speed, the noise doesn't bother me too much.

I don't have the automatic document feeder, but some people have reported a lot of jams with them.

Although it comes with an attachment for scanning transparencies, you are always better off with a purpose built one due to the high magnification of the original. Something like a Nikon Coolscan because it comes with incredibly sophisticated software to eliminate dust, fingerprints and most other surface defects.

Microtek also offers legal sized scanners now, but I don't know anything about their quality. Almost all hardware today is both PC and Mac compatible, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Good luck!