Editor
When thinking of a scanner, most people imagine a device attached to a printer or photocopier; a flat plane of glass with a moveable lid, allowing you to digitise printed media. All you need to do to use it is place a document on the bed, and press start. However, there are scanners that don’t need to be attached to a printer or photocopier: flatbed scanners. Affordable and versatile, flatbed scanners allow you to reliably convert important financial documents, precious photographs and more into digital files for easier storage, or sharing online. Yet with so many different flatbed scanners available to buy, it can be hard to know which is right for you. That’s why we’ve reviewed a range of flatbed scanners from across the market, against the criteria that matter: size, resolution, compatibility, connectivity and value. Here’s our list of the top five best flatbed scanners for home and business in 2022.
Product Comparison Table: Best Flatbed Scanner
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | Plustek ePhoto Z300 Scanner | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best for Home | Amazon |
 | Plustek A3 Large Format Flatbed Scanner | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best for Documents | Amazon |
 | Canon CanoScan Lide 300 Scanner | $ | 4.5 stars | Best Value | Amazon |
 | Xerox DocuMate 4700 Flatbed Scanner | $$$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best for Business | Amazon |
 | Epson Perfection V600 Color Scanner | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best for Photos | Amazon |
Plustek ePhoto Z300 Scanner
The Plustek ePhoto Z300 Scanner prides itself on being easy to use; all you have to do is insert photos one by one, and press scan. Unlike conventional flatbed scanners, there’s not even a lid to lift, as the bed is concealed as part of the sealed unit. The internal bed is large enough for 3×5, 4×6, 5×7 and 8×10 photos, and documents up to A4 size. It works fast, too, taking only 2 seconds per 4×6 photo, or 5 seconds per 8×10. This speed is with the 600dpi optical resolution setting, however there is also a 300dpi setting if necessary. Lastly, it comes with Image Enhancement included, allowing you to restore old or faded photos on your computer. This software is compatible with both Mac and PC, using operating systems later than either Windows 7 or OS X 10.10.
Pros
- Supports a range of paper sizes
- Innovative concealed bed for easy use
- Fast scanning speed
- Comes with image enhancement software
Cons
- Not the highest resolution
- No conventional lid and bed setup
Verdict
The Plustek ePhoto Z300 Scanner is our top choice for home use, excelling at the tasks required in most households; scanning and preserving photos, digitising receipts, and scanning important documents. Although the resolution isn’t the highest, it’s more than enough to get the job done. That said, this machine could quickly irritate more tech-focussed users as it’s primarily designed to be simple, rather than feature-rich.
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Plustek A3 Large Format Flatbed Scanner
Also from Plustek comes the A3 Large Format Flatbed Scanner, offering the largest scanning bed of any machine on this list. With this flatbed scanner, you can take advantage of a huge 11.69 x 17 inch scanning area. An LED light source means you save energy and don’t have to wait for the machine to warm up, while a pre-set one-touch function button speeds up the process considerably. There are two scanning modes available: 48 bit colour and 16 bit, achieving a resolution of 300-1200dpi. As for speed, tabloid size takes only 8 seconds, and you can save to a variety of file formats or e-mail.
Pros
- Large format scanning bed
- One-touch function button
- No warm-up time, energy saving LED
- Fast scanning speed
Cons
- Low scanning resolution
Verdict
Whether you need a scanner for home, the office or even a more specialist environment like a school, college or library, the Plustek A3 Flatbed Scanner is the best large format document-scanning option you’ll find. Although the resolution should be good enough for monochrome documents, it’ll struggle with detailed imagery or colour photos. If you’re willing to trade off quality for scale, this is the one for you.
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Canon CanoScan Lide 300 Scanner
The Canon CanoScan Lide 300 Scanner is a great value, slim and compact machine; however, don’t let its small size fool you. It can scan as fast as much larger, bulkier machines, achieving a speed of up to 10 seconds per A4 document. 4 “EZ” buttons allow you to access all the machine’s functions with one touch, including a built-in PDF button to automatically create and save editable, searchable PDF versions. Best of all, it offers an extremely high resolution: images and documents are digitised at a massive 2400 x 2400 dpi. Plus, fade correction and dust reduction help preserve photos exactly how they look to the naked eye. Everything (both connection and power) is provided via a simple USB cable.
Pros
- Great value low price
- Simple button interface
- High resolution and corrective features
- Slim, compact design
Cons
- Only connects via USB
Verdict
The Canon CanoScan Lide 300 Scanner is our best value flatbed scanner, coming in at a fraction of the price of its competitors. This little machine’s compact frame belies some serious capabilities; the resolution and scan quality is seriously impressive, especially considering the price. If you need an entry-level machine you can trust, you won’t get better than this.
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Xerox DocuMate 4700 Flatbed Scanner
At the other, higher end of the market sits the Zerox DocuMate 4700 Flatbed Scanner. This machine is packed with features that will suit even the most hardworking business office. This flatbed scanner scans large format documents and images up to 11.7 by 17 inches at a rate of 2.5 seconds per page – lightning speed for this scale. The resolution is a solid 300dpi, and it can handle a duty cycle of up to 1000 pages a day. Plus, with Visioneer OneTouch and Acuity, you can scan documents using your preferred settings, instantly improve image quality, and save them to virtually any application, folder, or device–all with the touch of a button. Great for archiving and production tasks, this flatbed scanner is compatible with PCs using included drivers. It’s even backed by a three-year warranty.
Pros
- Large format scanning ability
- Superfast scanning speed
- Visioneer One Touch function
- 3-year product warranty
Cons
- Very expensive
Verdict
When investing in good business equipment, you’re willing to spend big to get the quality you need. That’s why, for the target market that will need it, the Zerox DocuMate 4700 Flatbed Scanner’s expensive price shouldn’t be a barrier. The super fast speed and huge duty cycle make this ideal for workspaces that handle lots and lots of scanning. Plus, the three-year warranty means that even if things don’t work out, you’re covered.
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Epson Perfection V600 Color Scanner
The Epson Perfection V600 Color Scanner allows you to not only scan, but create enlargements from film, photos and documents; a built-in transparency unit can scan from slides, negatives and even medium-format panoramic film. Best of all, the resolution is incredibly high at 6400 x 9600 dpi, even when enlarging up to 17 x 22 inch. For comparison, that’s even bigger than A3. You can also remove creases, tears and visible damage from scanned photos using DIGITAL ICE for prints, or use DIGITAL ICE for film to minimise dust and scratches. The included software – Epson Easy Photo Fix – also lets you restore faded colour photos instantly at the touch of a button. However, be aware that is known to occasionally have some compatibility issues with Macs.
Pros
- Scans film, negatives and slides
- Advanced image retouching tech
- Enlarges larger than A3
- Very high resolution for professional quality
Cons
- Some compatibility issues with Macs
Verdict
The Epson Perfection V600 Color Scanner lives up to its name; you won’t find a more perfect photo scanner than this. Even at a relatively low price, this flatbed scanner achieves professional results on even the most specialist media formats. The automatic image retouching is also extremely useful for those who aren’t Photoshop-savvy enough to do it externally. Compatibility issues on Macs (always the most popular operating system for artists and photographers) could be a real pain, however some users have noted no issues – just make sure you’re running the most recent Mac OS.
