Selecting A Flatbed Scanner

Scanners can be more or less grouped into three categories: high-end, midrange and entry level. The boundaries between these categories are blurry, and exceptions abound. Still, they will help bring some order to the scanner selection process.

Also keep in mind that drum scanners are often rated independently of flatbeds, and that desktop "film and transparency" scanners are frequently treated as a separate category. There are also the document and halftone film scanner categories for creating digitized workflows from old hard copy or analog jobs—like the CREO Renaissance II copydot scanning system. These specialty scanners will have to be left for another day and another discussion.