Selecting A Flatbed Scanner

It is interesting to note that few of the judges in Pixel Perfect, all of whom are considered highly qualified, agreed in their rankings. This shows how subjective color and quality are, and how difficult they are to quantify.

New high-end X-Y scanners can achieve the optical resolution they claim anywhere on the scanner bed and for all sizes of originals. On the other hand, midrange and entry-level models can achieve optimum optical resolution only on a relatively narrow band, called the sweet spot, that runs down the center of the scanner bed. High-end X-Y scanners also enjoy more direct light paths that further ensure the integrity of image quality and detail resolution.