I am shopping for a flatbed scanner. I want a scanner that can perform one step (one pushbutton) consecutive scanning that can preferably be set to create .png files. The scanner should automatically store the .png files titled in a consecutive order and saved automatically in a folder in the USB attached PC. Since I cannot get Cannon sales persons to answer this question. Does the CanoScan LIDE 300 and / or CanoScan LIDE 400 work in this manner?
Johnsey Glad to finally get a response from someone. Some ads still claim that their scanners are intended to be used for photos too. I can't imagine what good a .pdf file is for photographic files. I recall that the vast majority of older scanners at least could create .jpeg files. So now the makers of scanners for some unfathomable reason scraped .jpegs for .pdf's. Go figure. I have been searching for .pdf user manuals for the two I mentioned for the last week. Pdf user manuals for don't seem to exist anymore, even on the Canon website. The makers seem to be trying to keep their products out of reach by undermining their own market share. Company suicide. Tnx for your input.
Manual is here for dowmload on the Canon website. https://www.canon.co.uk/support/con...300.html?type=manuals&manualid=tcm:14-1740492
It doesn't explicitly say what settings are in the auto scan button but you would think the output type is one of them. I only knew the the automated button has leaned to pdf from personal experience, and to be honest usually when I scan something its a document i need to email or upload somewhere so PDF is exactly what I need.
Johnsey Thanks for the tip on getting the Canon pdf manuals. It never would have occurred to me that they would not be available on the Canon U.S. website, but instead we are expected to gaze into our crystal balls to find out that you have to go to the Canon United Kingdom website. At least i now have copies of their .pdf manuals. Unfortunately the problem does not end there. The manual states on page 55 "Selectable formats are PDF, JPEG, TIFF and PNG". Apparently if you read other portions of the manual, you use the AUTO SCAN mode. It does not explain what format it chooses to output into the folder. It also does not explain why the photo or document determines which format it's going to select an why it's automatic and not the operators choice. Oddly the "Selectable" claim gets discredited by the fact that the manual has nothing included that explains how the user can make any format selection at all. It seems that Canon is still determined to kill it's market share. Maybe they are expecting for the planet to be hit by a killer asteroid and their wont be anyone left to try and buy their products an anyway. Thanks again for your help.
The manual is kept rather generic, and I assume that is by design. The manual does say location and other changes can be setup in auto scan settings for advanced options. So you can select where the images go, I imagine the output type is also an option since they have a dedicated PDF auto button. I imagine creating a detailed manual every time the update the software or printer version on an inexpensive scanner is not high on any company priority list. It may be easier to youtube a video of someone walking through the software and see what setting there are. I would argue the idea of the auto button is so you don't have to make decisions. You can always open and manually dial in what you want it to do. Or program the settings on the auto button so its a "one touch" auto scan. My suggestion is to buy one of the scanners you like best here and if it doesn't give you the settings needed return it. They do indicate there are advanced settings on the auto scan button, some of which may have been update in newer firmware updates. Another reason to stay vague in the user manual
"The manual does say location and other changes can be setup in auto scan settings for advanced options" Looking in the screen shots of the options don't show that type of option/. "I imagine the output type is also an option since they have a dedicated PDF auto button". That's obvious the picture clearly shows a pdf button. Imaging and knowing are two different thing. Knowing qualifies the scanner as being actable sable and worth buying. Where are the buttons for the other three formats JPEG, TIFF and PNG" or in the screen shots ofany of the menu. "I imagine creating a detailed manual every time the update the software or printer version on an inexpensive scanner is not high on any company priority list." OK, how much would it have costs to put a simple disclaimer in the generic manuals. It could be something like "The operation outlined may be subject to change." or "Some functions mat not be available and may vary on some models" or" Some models may require software upgrades not included with the scanner software to perform all the functions specified". "It may be easier to you tube a video of someone walking through the software and see what setting there are." Been there, done that. "I would argue the idea of the auto button is so you don't have to make decisions." I also could argue that, I can equally argue the opposite. It just depends upon what your crystal ball may be able to tell us. "They do indicate there are advanced settings on the auto scan button, some of which may have been update in newer firmware updates." Again I ask where is the disclaimer about needing updated firmware. This would add a paltry couple o lines to the manuals chump change to a multi million dollar company like Canon. Before I worked in electronics I had a job in retail. There use to be a joke that went: "It's never a problem when it's somebody else's problem". Canon seems to operating with that joke as their business model. I think it's time to resume looking at Epson and HP. Again thanks for your help and have a Covid free Happy Thanksgiving
"I think it's time to resume looking at Epson and HP." Good, I hope that means the whingefest is over.
I'm sorry that I offended you. I meant no ill intent. I just wanted to get the information needed to judge the best buy. It's not my fault that canon took such a careless misleading attitude in its advertising of its products. Yesterday I learned that Epson had managed to display evidence that their scanners could perform as advertised. In one of their pdf manuals. They had several screen shots showing a pull down menu for the setting 'Image Format / Type". Thus Epson has earned my respect and trust that it can be counted on now and in the future to support its products and its users. Consumer advocates I am sure would say that this is one of the reasons Epson can claim they are the top selling makers of scanners. I guess we will just have to agree to disagree.
I'm not offended, and obviously I can't speak for John. I can say you seem very passionate about documentation on a basic consumer grade scanner. Likely I would have trusted the ability to select the output type of the auto button, and bought the scanner I was hoping to buy and not fretted it so much. I can say both Canon and Epson make both inexpensive as well as professional hardware and I have found both to have pretty darn good documentation generally.
Thank You for your reply concerning Canons apparent willfulness in withholding relevant information about it's very own product. Yes you could say I am compassionate about the scanners true capability. Compassionate would not be the word I would use as the issue is out of necessity as those functions are the functions that caused me too shop for another scanner. Without knowing the answers to those questions makes the canon scanners impident as a possible supplier. Just blindly purchasing a scan just on the guesswork of the canon cheerleaders is a wasteful of time and money for both canon and the consumer. That leaves the time wasting task of just continuing to use Photoshop to convert the scans from JPEG to PNG format. The best case scenario is to continue using the current time wasting process of using my existing more costly HP printer/scanner to do what canon wont explain how to perform their process advertised. Since canon willingly practices the old belief “that it's never a problem if it's someone elses problem”. In effect canon has made the decision for me and others. They make it clear that the best choice is not to buy from them, but to by from Epson instead. I and many other consumers would be foolish to spend any sum of money knowing at the time of purchase canon will not after the purchase provide the necessary knowledge. This task being the root cause that began the task the shopper was motivated to start. In spite of canon being unwilling to state officially (via the products electronic and print documentation) and unofficially (via the verbal documentation by Canon and its loyal cheerleaders) the purchase should proceed. Ironically, canon would have been my choice as it claimed that it was png capable and the Epson is not. Claiming something is not the same as providing information on doing. I'll take a moment to editorialize to emphasis my belief. Canons lack of performance bears a bizarre resemblance to the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The occupant in my opinion could be the poster boy of everything that's wrong with the capitalist system. Like canon in this case he denies responsibility and the consequences for anything he and his administration has done. For instance his cutting funding of The Center of Disease Control and The World Health Organization. I have to wonder what percentage of those 250,000 people died because of his negligent actions. That includes my sister who passed away in June. As I read you stated that you had confidence that canons products would be able to perform the type of scanning in question. You go on to say you are a current owner of a canon scanner and plan to acquire a second scanner. I conclude that you should have received the print documentation of the incomplete electronic version posted on their United Kingdom website with your first purchase. Additionally I find it strange that you did not share you actual knowledge of the procedure in question as proof that a way exist to select the output format. I have to suspect you did not get documentation about performing the functions in question. Additionally I did not see you or the canon cheerleaders proclaim that any of them had actually ever attempted to select to scan that type(.png) format scan.. To HP,s credit they opted to just get out of selling consumer grade scanners. Maybe canon should follow their lead if they no longer are interested in making a sincere effort. This being the case Epson is the winner. Ironically, just minutes ago the new Epson scanner was just delivered. Thus the questions needing answer are no longer relevant. Happy Turkey Day
https://ugp01.c-ij.com/ij/webmanual/ScanUtility/W/LiDE 300/1.1/EN/SU/su-309.html was the first search result and indicates that not only JPG but TIFF and PNG are formats. User manuals are available on the US site.
Good luck with your purchase it sound like you are quite happy with it, and that is all that matters. Epson is a great brand and actually maybe some day I will buy one of their high end film scanners, i did not share this info before, so I am confused where you got the idea i was buying multiple scanners. I also do not see how my MG7120 has anything to do with your scanner my drivers and application are different. I simply tried to help out with some suggestions since the document did not tell you what you wanted to see in a way that made you feel sure about the purchase. I see no harm in buying and returning same day a product that does not work as advertised, so that was my suggestion rather than spending days searching online and buying a product that doesn't have the feature or output desired. This forum is a group of photographers who own canon gear and want to share experiences, discuss topics, and help each other out. We are not a direct affiliation with Canon .
