Canon Lide 300 Scanner (PDF, Autoscan)

I purchased a Canon all in one printer because I needed a new scanner. The software was so bad I had to send the unit back twice. Scans were so light they were useless. Research showed this is a known issue with this brand, which used to be superior. It wasn’t the equipment, it was the software (long story there). So in looking for a scanner, this model kept rating as best affordable scanner among users, professional reviewers and artists scanning artwork. I was skeptical of Canon after the all in one experience, but I gave it a try. I installed the drivers from the disk onto Windows 10. Well, the disk has no drivers. It’s an installation wizard which goes to the website and retrieves the drivers. Then I downloaded them from the website and used the download to install to my Windows 11 unit. Again, NOT THE DRIVERS! The download unzipped and the .exe was the same installation wizard that the disk gives you, and it went to the website to download the drivers. What happens 5 years from now if I ever have to reinstall the drivers? I don’t have them. Will they be available from Canon or will the scanner then be unusable? Anyway, the installation was easy and worked on both Windows versions. It’s the same scanner user interface on both computers. You go through and set all the settings for each option. I find scanning to desktop easiest, and it was doable. There is no power button, it’s plug & play and powered by your USB connection. It works, and in my opinion is very quiet compared to videos I saw of the unit. It works from the scanner to the computer by the front buttons and from the scanner interface itself, which has more controls. You still have to set the settings on the interface to scan from the buttons on the unit anyway. The depth of color seemed normal as opposed to my previous experience above. In the past, I scanned on 200 dpi and had good scans. This used 300 dpi which makes a bigger file and I got good scans of documents and ok scans of pictures. Attached is a sample of a scanned document with pictures on it. The picture quality is somewhat degraded. I tried the COPY button which copies to your printer and you can see, it completely changed the colors and changed the text size and clarity, but the same copy to print to pdf instead of to the printer created a very clear document in the correct colors and clear text onto the computer, which then printed out nicely. I tried calling about the copy to printer function inverting all the colors, only to find there is no tech support for this product. You cannot be connected to a human. It’s FAQ’s and “online ‘support’ “ only, which means you’re completely on your own. Anyway, there are ways to make it work if you experiment. Scan Gear helps but when you get to color adjustment forget it. You need a digital image editor instead. Scan Gear is where you can adjust to the highest possible resolution. Regular settings only let you do 600 dpi. As far as scanners go, I’ve used many, when they used to make them well as opposed to now, I’d say this is pretty good if you’re using it now and then. All scanners change the original image slightly. Text documents are very good. Hopefully it still works after a year. Other reviews say it stops working after a period of time. Nothing is good anymore. Price wise, it’s a bit high for the craftsmanship of the unit. Treat it gently. The stand is a bit baffling. Why would you scan with the unit standing on its side and the cover opening up? Why would you use the stand to store it that way either? The rules have always said that that’s bad for the electronics in anything.

I am not paid or anything. I bought this product in a moment of desperately needing official docs scanned and in less than an hour i got setup from scratch and got the whole job done so nicely. Scan Quality is AMAZING. I loved the ease of use. I used a Win 10 system . I am very grateful to their team . Thank you for this product!!

I needed a flatbed type portable scanner I could use with my laptop when away from home. This one seems to meet that need for me (I haven’t traveled with it yet).

Since I use Linux Mint, the Canon software wouldn’t work (shame on you, Canon, for not making Linux compatible drivers!), so I can’t comment on how well the scanner works with Canon’s software. I already use Hamrick’s VueScan software on my other two scanners, a Canon 9000F flatbed scanner, and a Fujitsu ix500 duplexing, ADF scanner (both of which are NOT what I would consider portable!) and it works well with this scanner once I updated it. I haven’t tried to use any of the scanners buttons since Vuescan easily and conveniently does it all from within the software.

When I first tried to use the scanner with Vuescan, I went nuts trying to get the software settings to work the way I needed. It then dawned on me that I hadn’t updated VueScan in quite a while since “nothing was broke so don’t fix it.” After I updated Vuescan (although the .deb version would probably work, the tarball—.tgz—version, when extracted, had a simple to use installer that automagically updated the current installation without changing the settings), everything started working perfectly.

Another reviewer reported getting good results with the free to use xsane.

The first time I used it, I noticed that it was hard to slide paper over the platen. I lightly moistened a microfiber cloth with water and gently wiped down the platen. After that, paper easily slides across the platten.

The stand for the scanner is a joke. Trying to position a document or whatever on the scanner while it is in the stand will be awkward at best. One will have to be really hard up for space to find it useful. I put mine in the drawer of items that will never see daylight again.

Also, my Canon 9000F uses the upper right corner has “home” for locating documents on the platen. The LiDE 400 uses the lower left corner as “home”. This will take a bit of getting used to.

Now for the pros and cons.

Pros:
1. Inexpensive
2. Compact for a flatbed scanner that can handle up to letter size documents.
3. Lightweight
4. Runs off USB power so no power cords needed. (Canon says USB 3.0 is necessary for this scanner but I was able to run it just fine off a USB 2.0 port on my laptop; your “mileage” may vary.)
5. When using VueScan and the settings have been sorted out, it’s easy to use.
6. Good quality scans.
7. 48″ long USB cable

Cons:
1. Anything being scanned must fit flat on the platen to be fully in focus, unlike my Canon 9000F which can focus on parts that may be as much as 1/2″ from its platen (for my intended use, that will not be a problem).
2. It’s noisier than my other scanners (not a big deal for me).
3. The lid is flimsy. This will be a problem when transporting the scanner since the lid won’t be able to protect the glass platen unless precautions are taken to protect them (I’ve ordered a larger laptop bag so I can safely carry the scanner in the same bag with my laptop).
4. The lock slide on the bottom is stiff to move. It has to be locked when transporting the scanner and unlocked when using it. Being on the bottom of the scanner, it will be easy to forget to reset it every time the scanner is transported and set up for use.
5. 48″ long USB cable (whether that is a pro or con will vary from person to person).

For me, the cons were not enough for me to remove any stars from the rating. It should perfectly meet my needs. I do a lot of scanning (including some hard to scan items) so I wouldn’t want to use this as my go-to flatbed scanner at home, especially since my old 9000F is still going strong but, for occasional use, the LiDE 400 should last me a long time.

BTW, the description is wrong; it’s 1.75″ x 9.875″ x 14.5″.

muito bom, facil de usar e muito eficiente.