Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The first thing we noticed about the PANSCN06 scanner was its small size. The scanner is about the size of the cardboard tube used for a roll of paper towels. The unit is amazingly powerful and versatile considering its small footprint. We scanned a family album of 50 various size snapshots from the 1950s and 1960s by placing the scanner in front of the keyboard with the usb cord attached to the computer. Then we got going and placed photo after photo into the scanner slot, with the dual rolls of the scanner doing the work by pulling each photo through the front and out the back. The scanning of 50 photos required less than half an hour. Most of the time was spent removing the photos, then reinserting them back into the family album once scanning was complete. Because we elected to scan directly to the computer rather than the SD card, we got immediate feedback by observing each scan on the monitor screen in near real-time. Thus we could tell if a photo had been scanned to our satisfaction, or needed to be re-scanned due to cockeyed orientation or some other reason. As others here have observed, there are two scanning resolutions, 300dpi and 600dpi. We have only used the lower resolution, but have no complaints. The scans on the computer screen are at least four times larger than the original photos, which renders detail sufficient to blow us away. There has been an issue with Pandigital scanners regarding lines appearing in the scanned image. We experienced no such problem after 50 scans. Reviewers on other websites have suggested opening the scanner case to clean the scanning glass of baked-on dirt or debris which cause the lines. We are prepared to attempt this remedy if needed, but only after the warranty expires. There is one important issue about old photo scanning that needs to be brought to light here. This scanner is proficient at revealing details, some wonderful and some not, which are not obvious in the original photos. Thus, that hairy facial mole on Aunt Matilda's face in 1956 will once again be front and center on your computer screen, even if it was not that apparent in your little 2 x 3 print from the Eisenhower administration. In our case, we grew up with a large active family that abused photos. Thus, after scanning we found ourselves using the eyedropper and paintbrush in Photoshop to restore images. We removed a wrinkle caused by a puppy teething on a print. We digitally blotted a red raspberry jam stain from my sister Susan's nose. We whitened the image to remove yellowed aging appearance. And so on. Bottom line: great value, quick way to archive your treasured family moments from yesteryear.