Is a scanner better than a multi-function printer/scanner?

The scanner part of our 12-year-old Epson Workforce 845 multi-function printer/scanner is having problems. The printer still functions well. So I am trying to decide whether to get another multi-function printer/scanner or just a scanner. I am retired, so I no longer need a high-resolution scanner or a high-speed printer. My guess is that the scanners in the better multi-function devices are more than good enough for my needs and that would give us a backup printer as well. So I am inclined to get another multi-function printer/scanner.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks

I have a Canon Lide 210, I've had it for years so there will be newer models.

It sits in the cupboard until needed. I use the Windows generic Drivers.

Suits me fine.

I'd get a HP OfficeJet all in one.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

I have a Canon Lide 210, I've had it for years so there will be newer models.

 

It sits in the cupboard until needed. I use the Windows generic Drivers.

 

Suits me fine.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

For some strange reason, I have a separate scanner and separate printer...probably because I use either very, very infrequently and each still functions when I use.  I suggest that infrequent use suggests a financial decision...I see no point in buying high-quality peripherals that just sit for extended periods of time.

Louis

Check your local charity shop / thrift store - you can often find second hand all-in-one's for pennies.

I got my Cannon Pixma for £5 (about $6), I don't print much these days so only use it for scanning.

Of course a scanner only will usually not be as big as a printer/scanner, but if it's a flatbed then it will still use about the same desk area.

Edited by Nukecad, 09 February 2024 - 07:43 AM.

For some strange reason, I have a separate scanner and separate printer...probably because I use either very, very infrequently and each still functions when I use.  I suggest that infrequent use suggests a financial decision...I see no point in buying high-quality peripherals that just sit for extended periods of time.

 

Louis

I don't use the printer as much now as I did before I retired, but I still use it a fair amount and I use the scanner a lot more to save copies of tax documents, medical documents, etc.

Check your local charity shop / thrift store - you can often find second hand all-in-one's for pennies.

 

I got my Cannon Pixma for £5 (about $6), I don't print much these days so only use it for scanning.

 

Of course a scanner only will usually not be as big as a printer/scanner, but if it's a flatbed then it will still use about the same desk area.

Quality and reliability is far more important to me than price.

Quality and reliability is far more important to me than price.

Oups!  I was going to suggest that if you don't print documents that you scan, you could use the camera of a mobile device (phone, tablet, ...).  But I won't make that suggestion now.

 

Quality and reliability is far more important to me than price.

Oups!  I was going to suggest that if you don't print documents that you scan, you could use the camera of a mobile device (phone, tablet, ...).  But I won't make that suggestion now.

 

That's actually an interesting suggestion. In order to get a clear, well-aligned photo, I'd probably need to buy a phone tripod, but that night just work.

Thanks

Oh, and why couldn't I print a document I scanned?

why couldn't I print a document I scanned?

You can print from a photo (or a scan), but if you usually don't need to, just taking a photo is super quick and easy. The disadvantage are lens photo artefacts, like the appearance of curved corners of the sheet of paper. If you don't need to print it, who cares as long as the relevant info is captured? Right?

PS: No need for a tripod, lens photo artefacts are always there, and motion blur can be avoided if you hold your breath for a second while taking the photo.

Edited by Dominique1, 10 February 2024 - 01:32 PM.

I use the HP 1500 cheap all in one.  Scanner does 4800 DPI and print the same.  Not a big fan of using as a copier.  Retailed $50.  Cartridges $20 each, black and tri color.  I have a dedicated scanner for negatives and slides at 3600 DPI.  I only use the black ink and refill the cartridge monthly.  I keep a new color and black for photo printing as this 1500 has a pretty straight paper path and can handle thicker paper stock.  I have an old and still running like new HP Laser Jet Series One.  A monster and just black and part of the small business network.  It's so old, it has a Pentium 3 CPU on IBM mobo to interface  the ethernet to serial.  The series two had a network option.  Real hard working units, nothing out today matches that performance.  Lower prices don't mean less performance or reliability but a little care can make any unit exceed normal ratings.

 

why couldn't I print a document I scanned?

You can print from a photo (or a scan), but if you usually don't need to, just taking a photo is super quick and easy. The disadvantage are lens photo artefacts, like the appearance of curved corners of the sheet of paper. If you don't need to print it, who cares as long as the relevant info is captured? Right?

PS: No need for a tripod, lens photo artefacts are always there, and motion blur can be avoided if you hold your breath for a second while taking the photo.

 

 The phone I have, which is not a particularly high end one (a Xiaomi Mi 11) and a few years old now, has a document capture mode in the camera app.  This seems to automatically correct some of the normal problems you have photographing documents like distorted edges.  It's quite clever really.  Things like forms, letters etc. captured with it are completely fine for most uses.

To answer the OP I think AIO scanners are perfectly fine for general purpose scanning - and can be good for high volume use as well in some cases.

The main features I'd consider is whether you want a flatbed scanner (document scanning is entirely manual, put the paper on the scanning bed and scan each page one at a time, which can be very tedious if scanning large quantities) or one with an an automatic document feeder which pulls in multi-page documents automatically.  In the latter case, most of the lower cost AIO's with an auto document feeder are single sided (with manual dual sided options - in which you turn the "stack" over and scan the other side with a second pass) but some of the more sophisticated AIO's have automatic duplex scanning, which will scan both sides in a single pass.

I use the HP 1500 cheap all in one.  Scanner does 4800 DPI and print the same.  

That number is almost certainly hype. It's likely software interpolated/extrapolated, not native scanner resolution. I could be wrong.

I don't often run it with that maximum resolution unless its a photo.  That maximum setting yields some very, very long scan and print times, on the order of six to seven minutes.  Many moons ago, I had a BlackShip 486 based CPU and the only scanner on the market had parallel port so I bought a SoundBlaster CD burner driven by an IDE card and a parallel port output.  Only scanned at 1200 DPI, an upper limit at that point in time.  1992

Edited by mjd420nova, 21 February 2024 - 09:03 PM.