Canon CanoScan N1220U Scanner

Other products by Canon

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004Y66M
• Item model number: N1220U
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Electronics > Camera & Photo > Printers & Scanners > Flatbed

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Sleek, fast and ultrathin, the Canon N1220U draws power directly from your PC through the USB cable--no external power source is required. It's also a snap to use with a single, easily programmable button that allows for simple one-touch scanning. Plus, Canon's uniquely styled Z-lid gives you an extra inch of room for scanning thicker objects like books, magazines, or anything that's no larger than a letter-size document.

Setup was a breeze. We glanced through the quick-start card, popped in the CD, and followed the onscreen instructions. (The entire manual is on the CD-ROM.) Operation went just as smoothly as setup (with only one button, it's hard to go wrong). We followed the software driver's onscreen prompts to set color depth, gray scale options, and size with just a few mouse clicks.

In our tests, we scanned a variety of documents. At about 35 seconds for a color photo and 20 seconds for a monochrome document, the overall speed was quite acceptable. We did notice a slight loss of detail in shadowed areas of photos, but in general the resulting images were clean, crisp reproductions of the originals.

However, we were disappointed by the lack of a transparency option. Also, despite its slim size and energy-efficient design, the N1220U is by no means silent; chances are you won't want to scan while taking an important phone call. If you find yourself in need of technical support, free options are found either online or via an automated phone line, but talking to a live support person costs $10 per call. Still, despite these drawbacks, the N1220U is a good scanner that's easy to use and provides clear, sharp results. --Jill Lightner

Pros:

• Extremely easy to use
• Lightweight and portable
• USB connection is ideal for laptops
• Results are clear and sharp

Cons:

• Doesn't work with transparencies or slides
• Expensive technical support

Product Description

Impressive. Spectacular. Remarkable. There are many ways to describe this truly affordable scanner that delivers outstanding, high-resolution scans. And when you consider the CanoScan N1220U USB Flatbed Scanner's numerous innovations that make scanning fast and easy, you'll have to agree - this is one amazing machine.The slim N1220U scanner uses a single USB cable for power and connection to any compatible Mac or PC. With the simple push of its external scan button, you get superb scanning with the color depth and brilliance of more than four trillion possible colors. And its high-tech, metallic champagne finish makes this performance scanner look incredible wherever you put it. 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.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Upon reviewing the Canon canScanN122ou, December 2, 2000

By A Customer

This scanner is very definitely a five star item. We tried out many scanners. Some came with software that was difficult, or confusing in instructing the operator to use.If time is any consideration some seemed to poke along.Some were quick but the images produced were not always clear. Some scanners were noisy. Some bulky. This little baby is thin, sleek,easily portable,quick, and the 42 bit gives one excellent reproduction. If one has a digital camera, I think that is an especially important consideration.

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sleek and Sexy, With Brains - I Got More Than I Paid For!, February 2, 2001

By	D. Scott "D. Scott" (Athens, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This scanner is absolutely unbelievable. When it came out of the box, I was surprised to see that it really is just slightly larger than a pad of paper. Following the very simple directions, I plugged it into my USB port, ran the included software CD, and that was it - I was up and scanning in maybe 10 minutes!

The scans themselves look terrific, even at 75 dpi. When I scanned one picture at the maximum resolution (1,200 x 2,400 dpi) just to see what it would look like, it almost came out too well - it picked up my fingerprint and an eyelash on the glass!

With limited space on the computer desk, I especially like the stand that comes with this scanner, allowing you to store (and to actually scan with) the unit on its side, like a thin paperback book on your shelf. The software that comes with it is excellent as well - it includes Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Limited Edition, Omni Page Pro (for optical character recognition, to turn your scanned documents into text files for use in your word processor), and Photo Studio. All work seamlessly with the scanner, popping up automatically just when you need them.

Other great features about this scanner include the fact that it does not need its own power source (it gets its power from the USB plug), and that the lid is hinged in such a way as to allow you to scan thicker objects and books. The price is terrific too, being a good bit lower than that of many other bulky scanners offering much less resolution.

A few days ago I did have to call the Canon Customer Service number once, at midnight (I was surprised to hear a real human answer the phone). A nice Customer Service rep helped me very quickly. He didn't even laugh when I discovered that my problem was that I had accidentally knocked loose the USB plug connecting the scanner to the computer! (Uh, must've been the cat....) :)

It is a very nice surprise in this day and age when you feel that you actually get more than you pay for. Thank you Canon!

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe it, January 9, 2001

By	W. Jessup (Westfield NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just got this scanner a few hours ago and have scanned several images since I got it out of the box. I just had to stop scanning and write a review.

First of all, I was surprised when I saw the box, the box which the Canon N1220U arrived in is smaller then the Canon scanner I replaced. The only reason I replaced the other Canon scanner is because I purchased a new computer and the older scanner wouldn't connect to my new computer. This scanner is small, hardly no larger than the scanning area (8.5" x 11.7"). It is also thin (about an inch and a quarter high) and looks quite nice next to the new G4 PowerMac. It really makes the older scanner look like a dinosaur and the older scanner is just a little more than a year old.

Secondly, this scanner was so easy to set up, it virtually did it itself. All I had to do was to plug in the USB cable while the computer was on, there is no power cord to plug in, the power is actually supplied by the USB cable. Then I had to insert the CD which contained the set up software and click a few buttons, that was it.

I was off and scanning in no time, maybe ten minutes tops. The first scan took a little extra time because the scanner had to calibrate itself, but it only does this once and you can re-calibrate the scanner anytime you want to. The scanner is quite fast, faster than the one I replaced.

The software supplied to operate the scanner is fairly easy to use and understand. The scans turn out great, better than the original image it seems. I did have to adjust the way I place the image on the flatbed, the image should be placed upside down not rightside up. My first scan came out upside down.

To sum up, the scanner looks great, doesn't take up much space on the desk, doesn't add to my power cord clutter behind my desk, it is pretty fast, easy to set up and use, and comes with useful third party software: PhotoShop 5.0 LE ( I use this program often), ArcSoft Photo Studio, ArcSoft PhotoBase, and ScanSoft Omni Page.

I would recommend this scanner, even to my best friends.