Customer Reviews

Epson Perfection V30 Color Scanner

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I just got this and have been trying it out. As I surmised, it is identical to the V300 except there is no negative holder in the box. The driver CDROM and all documentation lists both models. I'm using this with Photoshop and Indesign to make personal studies for portrait drawing practice, using art book and magazine images for source material. I was holding my breath to make sure the TIFF file type is included with this version, and it is (in the professional scan mode.) Fabulously smooth images made from ordinary newspaper color ad inserts using only 800 dpi. You can select various destination image types, including up to 48-bit color and up to 12,800 dpi (in professional mode). TIFF files are rather large, but I plan to dump them as soon as I print the cropped images. (After I draw, I no longer need the images.) Of course, also does jpeg format (default) and has a tremendous range of custom formatting before saving, as well as ultra simple 'point and shoot' scanning. Also has customizable presets for home mode (email scanning, etc.) and office mode (RGB value settings, for example). I haven't tried this yet, but it makes PDF files in all but full auto mode, without purchasing Adobe Acrobat, unbelievable. (I have a Fujitsu document scanner that outputs to PDF, but it cost several times more.)

There is the same user selection option for film as a document type as on the V300 so I don't see why you can't scan slides and negatives, using a homemade holder or even just guessing where to position film in the center strip of the scanner bed. I don't plan to scan many film images or I would have gotten the V300, but it was not available for prime shipping. I do have some favorite Velvia slides I will eventually try to scan and see what happens. Will let you know how it goes when I get a chance. Superb scanner, incredible price, and arguably unbeatable Epson reliability, per my previous experience with color inkjets going back to windows 3.1 that just never stopped working well. I based my purchase on all the high praise for the V300/V200 and the assumption that this one uses the same scan engine and software, which it does, the only difference I can tell being the missing film holder. If anything, the V30 is more recent and probably has higher specs than the V300. If you don't need a film holder, or if you just need to update your flatbed scanner, this is a total no brainer. Forgot to mention, top is hinged and lifts/flips back out of the way.

The Epson V30 does a nice job of combining an easy-to-use scanner for those who don't want to have to tweak - just scan please! - with a scanner that has the bells and whistles for those who want to do more.

I used the scanner to scan photos and documents (as a jpeg and also as a PDF). I did not use the email feature (as it basically uses Outlook and I don't use that email package on my home computer).

Photo Scanning

I tried the Epson with a variety of photos. Photos consisted of several photos of Bryce Canyon in winter (contrast of snow and colors), your basic Grand Canyon photos, a couple of typical people photos (a couple of people standing in a dark room and also photos where the light was more evenly distributed). I also had some photos that had spots in them (black marks in the sky) to test the dust removal option and an old yellowing photo (40+ years old) of a couple to test the color restoration features.

Epson's default mode is Full Auto mode. If you don't have any issues with the photos, don't want to preview them, don't need to change the size and you just want to scan them, use this option. As in all other modes, there's no warm-up needed - photos scan quickly and the Epson does a nice job. By default, all photos are saved in your My Pictures directory. (Select Customize and then select the File Save Settings option to change that - you can also change the default name). You can also use this mode if your photos do have issues (dust marks or need the color restored). Select the Full Auto mode, select Customize, select the options - Dust Removal and/or Color Restoration and even for those photos with issues, you can have the Epson give its best shot. I used this option with my "problem" photos to see how the Epson would do. I found that the Epson did a decent job - all of my dust "spots" were gone. My yellowing photo was nice and clear - no yellowing, and a crisp clear photo. As far as the color restoration, I'd give it a B+. It did a nice job of removing the yellow tinge that was in the photo, though personally, I would have liked to see more color put in the photo (which I could do myself in the other modes).

If you want to do more than just scan in the photo - you want to do some tweaking yourself - use one of the other modes that are provided. Office Mode is for scanning documents and previewing the documents (more on that below). Home Mode allows you to customize the settings and preview the photo. It's a nice in-between option between the Full Auto mode where the scanner does it all and the Professional Mode where you need to figure it out - it gives you the ability to tweak, but doesn't give you so many options that you don't know what to do. Professional Mode on the other hand, gives you total control - you tell it about the original, the destination, and the adjustments you want to make. As someone with little experience in tweaking photos, I found the Home Mode the mode I would use most often. I think the Professional Mode is something I would use only occasionally or after playing with this tool a lot.

Scanning documents
I also tried the Epson V30 to scan documents - scanned as jpeg images and also as a PDF. The document was a tax form with my signature on it. I used the Full Auto mode and the Office mode and found in both cases, it was easy and quick to use. Office mode gives you more options - I could tell the scanner the resolution, orientation, and make any adjustments to the image. I could also use Full Auto mode to create the PDF. Very easy.

ArcSoft MediaImpression came with the Epson scanner. It's another tool that (among other things) allows you to tweak your photos after you've scanned them. It works with "all media files" though I only used it for my scanned photos. It's a photo tool which you can also use to email and archive items. It's a pretty basic tool that's easy to use. A nice addition to the scanner.

Documentation that comes along with the product consists of a Quick Start page (English, Spanish, and French versions) and an online User Guide. All were well written and helped me to use the product.

All in all, I recommend the Epson scanner if you want to quickly and easily scan your photos and documents. I like how you can have the scanner do it all, or when you're ready, have the ability to tweak it yourself. Nicely done!

I love my Epson Perfection v30 scanner. It replaced a trusty Epson Perfection 2400 Photo that I have had for about 3 years. The quality of scanned images is better with this new scanner, thanks to the higher DPI rating. And, thanks to the new LED scan technology, there is no longer any warm-up time at all and, on top of that, once the scanning starts, It scans faster than my Perfection 2400 Photo. Finally, it is quieter. It is a winner on all three of these counts compared to my old scanner, no doubt.

Plus, at just under 1 ½" high it is less than half as tall as the Perfection 2400 Photo. This, coupled with the fact that the top opens across the width of the scanner as opposed to along the length, means that this scanner works much, MUCH better for me on the wall-mounted shelf in my home office where I like to put a scanner. This alone has me sold on this scanner as a replacement for my old one, which was always a little hard to get to and kind of "clunky" to use on the shelf.

Finally, this scanner works great with both Mac OS X (v10.5.6) & Windows Vista 64-bit (SP1). I have both a Mac & a PC in my office, and I use a USB switch to switch the scanner back and forth between the two systems. The supplied driver works well on both operating systems - the interface is even the same. And, as a bonus, the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software with the strange name (ABBYY FineReader Sprint) that comes included with the scanner works great (Windows only, however - there is no Mac version of this OCR software).

Finally, at the incredibly affordable price being charged for this scanner, I think it is an awesome deal. For anyone with less-than-professional scanning needs who wants a fast, quiet & capable scanner for either Mac OS X or Windows, I cannot recommend this scanner highly enough. I'd give it 6 stars if I could!

...the placement of the usb and power ports is such a glaring design flaw. If you don't use the buttons, or you expect to have this only on the right side of your desk and against the wall, it might not be a big deal. Maybe that's being picky, but it bugged the heck out of me.

Image quality was solid for this type of slimline (CIS) scanner, I'd say a touch better color rendition than a Canon Lide 30 I tried. Also seemed a bit faster, probably due to needing it's wall wart (power brick), vs the Canon which is USB powered. Software installation no problem (Mac OS 10.5), and I think Epson's drivers are much better than Canons on the Mac.

Ultimately though, these simple standalone scanners need be be priced less. After all, one can routinely find refurb or even new Epson All-in-one devices for not much more. Hence, value for money isn't quite there, in my opinion.

The Epson v30 does a great job of scanning both photos and blk & wht documents on both Win XP and Mac OS X 10.6. The Epson software is both intuitive for the beginner, and allows for deep tweeking for the more advanced user.
The only problem, and it is a BIG PROBLEM, is that the install disk includes ArcSoft software. These 2 programs are extremely intrusive, showing pop-ups on both Windows and Mac OS. Uninstallation was easy on the Mac side but I still haven't figured out how to completely remove off of Windows. The OS uninstaller doesn't do it. It just hangs up, and the crappy software doesn't come with an uninstaller. After searching all of the forums that I could find, I still can't get the Arcsoft crap uninstalled.

I had recently bought the Canon CanoScan 4400F, and wish I had waited. I mean, I just got it, and it's no longer available. The cost was 20% more, and worth 40% less than this V30. The main difference between the two is that the Canon is bulky, in the way, and annoying to connect. The only appeal to the Canon is that it can scan negatives. But, if that is something you don't need, this is the one to get. If a negative something you do need, simply spend a few dollars more for the Epson Perfection V300 Photo Color Scanner

The V30 does quite a bit for such a little investment. It's easy to setup, use, and store in a home office. It also replaces a need for fax, photo copier, as well as additional pdf creation and photo editing software. It does it all for you.

I am a web designer so I use many devices for many things. This comes in handy due to it's portability. I can actually take this with me to a client and scan items while there. Using my other scanner as such would not be possible. So this is a welcomed second scanner, that has become my primary. And I cannot believe I am saying that for something that costs so little.

Most scanners have that one button claim, and you know very well that you always have to do more than click that button, and tweak something, or do something just the right way all at the same time. The difference here is that you literally just click the one button and it turns it on, scans and it's done. There is hardly any warm-up involved either. The power saving aspect of this is great too since you don't have to worry about it being left on.

I primarily use this for photos, and it is best for photos. The fact that I can put multiple photos on at once, and still click that one button, is enough for me to rave. It actually automatically separates each photo into it's own file. I don't do much document copying but was able to test using books, flyers, etc, and export to an instant PDF file. Or, you can print, send email or fax. As long as you have a standard browser email method, it works effortlessly. If you use something web based, like Gmal etc, then there are some extra steps obviously.

For personal photo use, with many items to scan, you can do your scrapbook and album projects much faster with multiple image scanning and photo restoration all at once. The resolution at 4800 x 9600 is more than enough for most anyone. The only reason you would need anything higher was if you were going to create an image larger than 13" x 19", in other words, you could scan a photo, and enlarge it for frame use as large as 13" x 19". The largest photo I ever printed was 11" x 17", and that's pretty huge.

There are additional and optional software included, for extended photo editing and other tools, but the only software you need is just the setup disc. Put the disc in before plugging it in. Run and follow the disc easy instructions, and you are up an running. There is no need to start software to use the scanner. As long as your computer is on, you don't have to worry about the hassle of doing a "quick scan"... as this is actually a quick scan... you find a photo, a bill, a receipt, page of a book, magazine article etc etc. put it on the bed, press the scan button and leave. Go back to it at any time as the unit will be off and the image on your desktop.

This is the one to get. Even at it's list price.

First, the scanner works beautifully, looks beautiful, great value. But...

If you have Windows 7, you're going to be greatly disappointed. NONE of the extra software works under W7, and worse, the quick buttons don't work either (confirmed with Epson tech support). To be fair, the Epson Scan software which is the essential software, works great under W7.

I'm willing to overlook the freebie software, less happy about no buttons, but at least there's hope they'll update the button software at some future date to be W7 compatible. I doubt the freebie software will ever be available. (The OCR software had file dates from 2005...think they'll update that anytime soon??)

If the OCR scanning software, buttons, etc. are essential for you on your W7 system, look elsewhere for a scanner. If you don't care about that, this is a really nice scanner.

UPDATE: Newest drivers have fixed the buttons issue! Woo-hoo! But, the extra software (OCR, image manager, etc.) remains unusable via incompatibility w/W7. Have bumped to 4 stars.

Immediately after installing the scanner, I was disappointed by the ArcSoft software that had been installed. It continued to generate a pop-up window that demanded that I set the text size for it's windows, even though I'd never started the software myself. Worse, the setting apparently did not save -- the window kept re-appearing. What's sad is that that software is not even something I wanted to install. It was not described in the physical documentation, was not documented in the electronic manual, and I had to comb through forums to find out even *where* it had been installed. That's an indication of poorly designed and poorly delivered software with total disregard for the user. Epson should at least have provided more information about it before it was installed, and in the manual so that it could be trouble-shot. It sure soured my experience of their scanner, regardless of how good the equipment is. Including software that they keep such poor track of is a mistake.

As well, the user guide is a loosely linked set of one-sentence blurts about the name of what window comes up when you push a button. It's a long way from a fully descriptive document about the ways in which the scanner can be used, the processes for doing so, and more importantly, the reasons for doing so. The sentences are so short, it's as if they don't want you to read the manual. I still have no idea how to create a scan of multiple pages into a single file, even though several "out-take boxes" seem to indicate it should happen. Why is key information in such a manual left to "out-take boxes"? Also very disappointing.

I've had this scanner for a couple of weeks and am pleased. Pretty much exactly what it claims to be, which is not as common these days as you might think.

Pros: LED illumination, so no warm up (I don't scan all that often, so this is very helpful). Resident software has a small footprint and uses few computer resources. Image quality is good for a low end scanner and scan times are reasonable.

Cons: None significant. Lightweight and obviously not a heavy duty unit, but seems better built than several other scanners in the same price range. Also, the power and USB connectors are poorly located, but I can live with that.

Update: The scanning software is poor, and recent updates make it worse. Every time you start the PDF scan function, you have to change where it stores the files. EVERY SINGLE TIME. It always defaults to the wrong place and won't change. Also, it sometimes randomly starts with a new paper size, so you scan turns out to be envelope size when want letter size. Highly exasperating. Epson support blew me off, with the equivalent of "get a life". Not helpful.

The software is also very slow. Slow enough that I have to wonder if this was deliberate, so as to encourage you to buy a more expensive unit. A perfect example of all that's wrong with software (and arrogant lazy programmers) these days.

Final analysis: Good hardware, lousy software, lousy support. My rating changes to two stars.

received package in 3 days, free shipping. box was light, since scanner was light. hooked up scanner to power outlet and connected USB cable to laptop running linux ubuntu 8.04 Hardy.

download drivers for the Epson Perfection V30: Google for "epson linux driver", find the site "Linux driver | Avasys Corporation"; go to Download Epson scanner; select "Perfection V30"; Distribution Ubuntu; Distribution version 8.04; Country/region; Connection environment for using printer: Scan with local scanner; Location for the product; click Next. found 2 debian 32-bit packages: iscan_2.20.1-1_i386.deb (362,624 bytes) and esci-interpreter-gt-f720_0.0.1-2_i386.deb (156,404 bytes).

UPDATE, 3 May 2010: The iscan program had a newer version iscan_2.24.0-4_i386.deb; the esci-interpreter-gt program remained the same, i.e., esci-interpreter-gt-f720_0.0.1-2_i386.deb.

installed these 2 .deb packages on laptop. no problem.

launched command iscan to start the scanner; worked. tested by scanning a hardcopy color photo with the default 300 dpi; the scan (in .png format) looked great; file size about 5 MB. tried higher resolution 1200 dpi; file size was much larger, but not better quality at regular photo size. scanned write-on transparencies written with color marker pens (black, green, red, blue) as color documents; results (in .png format) were great. even at 50 dpi, the scans of these transparencies were nice. the file size was small, about 300 KB, allowing for quick upload to mediawiki.

it appears that there is no option to scan into pdf under linux; a work-around approach would be to use openoffice, import the .png files of the scans, then export the resulting openoffice file into pdf format.

UPDATE, 3 May 2010: Actually, you can scan in 5 different formats: Run iscan, place document on scanner, click Preview, click Scan, another window pops up, then you can select the "File Type", i.e., file format; there are 5 different formats: PNM, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PDF. The difference between iscan and the Epson scanning software under Windows is that you need to concatenate the separate pdf files into a single document later, using pdftk for example. You can write a script to do that. You can also scan into PNM format, then convert to DJVU format, which is more compact than the PDF format for the same resolution.

painless and relatively quick installation even under linux.

there were more choices of resolution (under linux) than with the CanoScan 8600F (which was used under Windows XP, not linux compatible). an annoying problem with the CanoScan 8600F was that the scans were often skewed (rotated) by a few degrees, i.e., not straight up and parallel to the margins; the problem had to be corrected by skewing (rotating) the original in the opposite direction to straighten up the scans. did not encounter any such problem with the Epson Perfection V30; all scans were perfectly straight up.

have not tried to install and use this scanner under Windows XP in dual boot with linux ubuntu yet; will do in the future. expect no difficulty (should be even easier than under linux); scan into pdf format should be possible under Windows XP.

UPDATE, perhaps Oct-Nov 2009: i also installed the scanner software under Windows XP; real easy, no problem.

when not in use, scanner can be disconnected from laptop to place on a shelf to save space.

was torn between the Canon LiDE100 scanner (a little less expensive, NOT linux compatible) and this Epson (a little more expensive, but linux compatible); now i know i made the right decision. the scan quality of the Epson was also better, with more choices of resolution.

excellent product; painless installation; easy to use; excellent quality.