Canon CanoScan N656U USB Flatbed Scanner
Details
- Availability:
- No longer available through SilverGelatin.net
- List Price:
- $99.00
- Average Customer Rating:
- 4.5 out of 5
- Manufacturer:
- Canon Computer Systems
Features
- Flatbed scanner with 600 x 1,200 dpi resolution
- Metallic finish
- Expansion top for scanning bulky items
- 1 cable for USB and power
- Ultra-slim--just over 1 inch high
Description
With its high-tech metallic finish and sleek new styling, the N656U CanoScan USB Flatbed Scanner - at just over one inch high - looks incredible on any desktop. But great looks are just the beginning, since this scanner was also designed for exceptional performance as well. High-quality scans now come at a truly great price.This scanner makes scanning simple. Connect the single USB/power cable to any compatible Mac or PC and you're ready to go. No separate power cord or bulky transformers are necessary. Push the convenient external scan button and scan photos, graphics, articles and more at a spectacular 600 x 1200 dpi. The scanner's 42-bit color capabilities give you a spectrum of more than four trillion possible colors for richer, more robust scans. And the software included helps you take advantage of it all, whether you want to optimize photos, manipulate images or simply integrate text or graphics into your projects. Canon's exclusive Z-Lid Expansion Top will change the way you scan bulky items, such as books and magazines. Many other scanner covers lift only at an angle and become uneven and awkward when scanning anything that isn't completely flat. The scanner's cover includes a special expansion hinge that lifts up to one inch vertically, allowing the lid to lie flat, creating the space needed for bulky items.
The Canon CanoScan N656U USB flatbed scanner scans as great as it looks. Housed in a high-tech metallic finish, this ultra-slim, 1-inch-high desktop scanner is ready to go anywhere. Simply connect the combined USB and power cable to either a Macintosh or PC, and you're done. Nothing else is required. No separate power cords or transformers.
Push one single button and you can scan photos, articles, or drawings at 600 x 1,200 dpi. With 42-bit color capabilities, this scanner treats you to more than 4 trillion possible colors for sharp and vibrant images.
Canon's exclusive Z-Lid expansion top means you can scan bulky objects such as books and magazines. The Z-Lid has a special expansion hinge so you can lift it vertically, rather than at an angle as with other scanners. The result is that your object can rest completely flat on the surface.
Special software for this scanner, provided by Canon, helps you optimize your photos, manipulate images, and integrate text and graphics into your creations.
The N656U weighs only 3.3 pounds and measures 10.2 by 14.7 by 1.3 inches. It comes with a one-year limited warranty and the Canon Extended Service Plan. --Linda Anderson
Spotlight customer reviews
6+ years and still kickin'
[ Posted: 2006-12-21 ]
One of the most used appliances in my entire home is still working just as flawlessly as it did the day I brought it home. I'm very impressed. She's outlasted 4 computers, 3 printers, 2 versions of "The Office" television series from both sides of the Atlantic and 1 never ending college career.
This scanner is very easy to install. It outputs more than enough resolution for any of my needs. From restoring 100 year old photographs to creating photo montages to scanning pages in old books using OCR to post online, I've never encountered any obstacles. This machine only facilitates my needs and is never the burden that nearly every other piece of electronic equipment ends up being. I love it.
Very Versatile Scanner-- Looks Great Too!
[ Posted: 2006-02-01 ]
This has been a wonderful scanner and works perfectly for anyone who is looking to scan family photos, documents or other items into their computer. I have been very impressed with this scanner and it has served me quite well!
Great starter OCR scanner
[ Posted: 2003-07-20 ]
I got one of these for Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
Setup was easy, but the scans are a bit slow. It does a good job of scanning photos for me.
The OCR output is about 93%+ for most documents. Books with tight bindings are sometimes difficult to scan accurately, but I haven't found any thing that does a better job in these situations. The image quality is very good, so it is generally easy to make out the correct 'reading' when the OCR can't make out the source. The OmniPage OCR is perfect for my purposes.
Slow. But cheap.
[ Posted: 2003-04-26 ]
Those looking for an inexpensive but versatile light-duty scanner need look no further than this CanonScan N650U device.
Some time back, I had been looking for just such a scanner for "occasional" use, and comparisons among those available were easily narrowed down to this unit.
The CanonScan 650U is a "universal" (PC/Mac) device using the now-ubiquitous USB interface. The bundled software (on CD-ROM) is easily installed, and provides a great deal of flexibility to how the scanner is used, the image-file formats in which scanned images may be saved, and the color (or gray scale) depth, resolution and sharpness of scanned images. The menu-driven features are largely intuitive for anyone not a total "newbie" to scanners, but the bundled software also includes very detailed and comprehensive documentation (in the form of Adobe Acrobat pdf files).
Results, in the form of scanned (and printable and/or transmittable) images, are superb, with excellent detail and resolution and accurate rendering of tonal and color scales. The design of the cover, with its clever "Z" hinge, permits scanning of pages of fairly thick books, if need be. A button on the front of the scanner, when pressed, will automatically launch the program so that a scan (or a "preview") can be made; alternatively, the program can be launched manually using a desktop alias or shortcut.
The image-manipulation menu allows for a very wide degree of control over how the scanned image can be "finalized." Tonal and color scales and image contrast can be extended or compressed, or distorted for special effects. Sharpness (separate from choice of resolution, in pixels) can be enhanced by degrees, or even thoroughly "customized." (A mild word of caution for those using these enhancement features when scanning half-tone images: It IS possible to create Moire patterns [fringing] if some of these adjustments are overdone. Some practice may be required, and then the best results saved as a template for future use.)
I wouldn't necessarily characterize the CanonScan 650U as a "frequent-duty" scanner. It is likely to be too slow for professional use. It is hardly as quick as a photocopier. But, if you, like me, need such a device only for occasional use and moreover need the image-manipulation capabilities that only a full-featured software program can provide, I can recommend this unit highly. It is very inexpensive for what it does and for the features it provides.
All of the above is provided in the context of Macintosh installation and use. Results for PC platform use should be expected to be the same, but installation and access and use of the features may differ slightly. I suggest that PC users interested in the CanonScan 650U read other reviews on this product page for a sense of what PC users have to say about this scanner.
Bob Zeidler
fashion meets function
[ Posted: 2002-05-26 ]
this is a great product. I use it with my PowerMac G4. It's not the fastest scanner but if you're not a professional in the graphic arts, this one is great. It's such a nice change from those bulky, gray monsters so commonly found in the consumer scanner market. It's powered by the USB cable itself so there's no need for the bulky power supply.