Canon Canoscan N1220U Flatbed Scanner 1200X2400DPI USB 42BIT Color

WHAT'S HOT: The slim and stylish Canon CanoScan N1220U features attractive scan quality, respectable performance (comparable to the other 1200-by-2400-dpi scanners on the SOHO list), and easy installation. It's also the first 1200-by-2400-dpi scanner on the chart to use contact-image-sensor mechanics rather than the larger, charge-coupled-device technology used by the majority of scanners on the market. Because CIS scanners require less power than CCD scanners do, the N1220U uses a single cable for both its Universal Serial Bus connection and its power supply, eliminating the need for an extra AC adapter and making it even easier to take on trips.

WHAT'S NOT: Although the N1220U is a 42-bit color scanner, the scanning software can save only 24-bit images, so you can't save the same amount of color information that you can with some other 42-bit units, such as the ScanMaker 4700 and ScanMaker X12USL from Microtek, and Umax's Astra 6450. The advantage in saving as much original color information as possible is that any subsequent adjustments you make can be applied to the most robust and pure version of the original (uncorrected) scan, rather than to what is already a smaller (corrected) version of the scan (namely, the watered-down 24-bit version).

WHAT ELSE: Unlike most SOHO scanners, the N1220U has a nonremovable lid, although the lid's hinged design lets you lift it several inches for scanning bulky items. The N1220U captured clear images with relatively accurate colors, but its focus quality varied, depending on the test. For example, scanned images displayed very sharp focus at the 75 dpi you would typically use for the Web, but they were slightly fuzzy at the unit's maximum 1200-dpi resolution.

The solid software bundle includes two image editors (Adobe PhotoShop LE 5.0 and ArcSoft PhotoStudio 2000), an image management application (ArcSoft PhotoBase 2.1), and a powerful optical character recognition tool (the full version of ScanSoft OmniPage Pro 9.0). The N1220U also sports a single button for quick-start scanning. No optional transparency adapter or automatic document feeder is available for this unit.