If you want to be sure as much detail as possible is captured during scanning, add 600 DPI scanning for an additional 13¢ per scan. If you want files that are easier to work with, 300 DPI scans would be a better choice.
In the same way, is it better to scan or photograph old photos?
Taking pictures of print photos on a smartphone creates mediocre digitized images that look unprofessional and sloppy, and if your priority is the preservation of the quality of the original image, you'll be disappointed with a smartphone camera shot. ... With scanned images, the quality is clear and precise.
Yet, is 300 dpi good for scanning photos? Most printed images are printed at 300 DPI. That means if you're scanning your image at 300 DPI, you're getting all of the details out of the image that you possibly can. If you scan the image at more than 300 DPI, you're trying to get more details out of the image than it has.
Beyond, what is a good scanner for old photos?
Compare SpecsThe Best Photo Scanners for 2020
Our PickRating
Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 $109.70 at Amazon
Editors' Choice 4.0 Review
Epson FastFoto FF-680W $599.99 at Amazon
Editors' Choice 4.0 Review
Epson Perfection V39 $99.99 at Amazon
Editors' Choice 4.0 Review
Canon CanoScan LiDE 300 $71.56 at Amazon
4.0 Review
Is 600 or 1200 dpi better?
Some common examples are 600 x 600 dpi or 1200 x 1200 dpi. Higher dpi numbers correspond to smaller dots when printing an image. In general, devices with higher dpi can produce finer lines and more detailed output. ... A device outputs pages slower in 1200 x 1200 dpi mode than in 1200 x 600 dpi mode.
BESTSELLER NO. 1 in 2023
Epson FastFoto FF-680W Wireless High-Speed Photo and Document Scanning System, Black
World’s Fastest Personal Photo Scanner(1) scan thousands of photos as fast as 1 photo per second at 300 dpi(2)
Preserve your priceless photos safe touch technology for worry free scanning upto 8.5 inches wide, plus postcards, Polaroid photos and panoramas
Second Generation Epson Fast Foto Software Scan, Restore, Organize and Share precious memories; Offers intelligent file organization tools
Flexible scanning offers modes for easy sharing (300 dpi), archiving (600 dpi TIFF) and enlarging (1200 dpi(4)); Handles multiple sizes in one batch
Powerful Document Scanning includes Epson ScanSmart Software with OCR; Scan receipts, tax records, wills and more, upto 45 ppm/90 ipm(5)
Easy to Connect includes both USB and wireless connectivity for flexible placement; Perfect picture imaging system bring new life to old photos with auto enhancement, color restoration, red eye reduction, de skew, crop, rotate
Easy Auto Upload and Backup instantly share your memories as you scan via Dropbox and Google Drive
Single Step Technology capture both the image and any handwritten notes on the back in a single scan; Operating Temperature: 41degree to 95 degree F (5 degree to 35 degree C)
BESTSELLER NO. 2 in 2023
Photograph Restoration and Enhancement: Using Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 Version
BESTSELLER NO. 3 in 2023
Magnasonic All-in-One Film & Photo Scanner, 14MP Resolution, Converts 4x6 Photos, 35mm/110/126 Film & 135 Slides into Digital JPEGs, Vibrant 2.4" LCD Screen, Fast Scanning (FS60)
BRING BACK THE MEMORIES - Quickly and easily convert 4x6 photos, 35mm/110/126 film, and 135 slides into 14MP resolution digital JPEG files
SCANS FROM THE BOTTOM - No need to remove photos from your photo album, simply place on top of your favorite picture to scan directly to the scanner
SD CARD STORAGE - Save your scanned photos directly onto the included 4GB SD card.
NO COMPUTER NEEDED - No complicated photo-editing software or driver installation required, adjust the brightness right on the scanner
QUICK & EASY SCANNING - Simple setup for frustration-free operation and effortless scanning of your photos, film, and slides
BESTSELLER NO. 4 in 2023
Plustek Photo Scanner - ephoto Z300, Scan 4x6 Photo in 2sec, Auto Crop and Deskew with CCD Sensor. Support Mac and PC
The easiest way to scan photos and documents. Supports 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 in sizes photo scanning but also letter and A4 size paper. Optical Resolution is up to 600 dpi ( PS: two setting: 300dpi/ 600dpi).
Fast and easy, 2 seconds for one 4x6 photo and 5 seconds for one 8x10 size [email protected] You can easily convert about 1000 photos to digitize files in one afternoon and share with your family or friends.
More efficient than a flatbed scanner. Just insert the photos one by one and then scan. This makes ePhoto much more efficient than a flatbed scanner.
Powerful Image Enhancement functions included. Quickly enhance and restore old faded images with a click of the mouse. Advanced editing functions are also available when needed. (restore function need download V2 version)
ePhoto Z300 works with both Mac and PC : Supports Windows 7/8/10 , Mac OS X 10.8.x to 10.15.x . User can download the latest version on Plustek website.
BESTSELLER NO. 5 in 2023
Epson Perfection V39 Color Photo & Document Scanner with Scan-To-Cloud & 4800 Optical Resolution,Black
High quality scanning for photos and documents : 4800 dpi optical resolution (1) for amazing clarity and detail
Preserve priceless memories: Restore, archive and share family photos for generations to come
Scan to Google Drive and other cloud services (2): Epson Document Capture Pro and Easy Photo Scan software included
Convenient: Easy to use buttons for scan jobs, plus a space saving built in kickstand for vertical placement
Scan over sized prints, documents and artwork : ArcSoft Scan n Stitch Deluxe 2 included (3)
Restore color to faded photos: With one click, Easy Photo Fix technology makes it simple
Scan books and photo albums: High rise, removable lid
Remove dust from scanned photos : Advanced Digital Dust Correction
Convert scanned documents into editable text: Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software included
USB powered: No AC adapter required
BESTSELLER NO. 6 in 2023
Magic Wand Portable Scanners for Documents, Photo, Old Pictures, Receipts, 900DPI, Scan A4 Color Page in 3sec, 16G Memory Card Included, MUNBYN Photo Scanner for Computer, Laptop
♫ Easiest Way to Digitize Document/Photo: Document wand scanner Supports different size photo and document scanning (8.5" wide and up to 9.8") in color or black and white as JPG or PDF. 3 resolution setting for quality of scanning copy (300/600/900dpi).
♫ Impressive Clarity & Speed: Thanks to optional 900dpi setting, convert your picture or document into digital file with high clarity. 300 dpi ideal for scanning receipt/business card in 3s, 600 dpi for scanning document/book in 4s, 900 dpi for scanning photo in 5s. More efficient and convenient than a flatbed scanner
♫ Ultra Compact & Convenient: 9.5 inches in length and only about 0.44lbs in weight, available to fit this device virtually anywhere. Work with 2A batteries, wireless and easy to scan your full-color A4 page in just 5 seconds at up to 900 dpi. 👉 Instruction Video: https://bit.ly/IDS001-video
♫ Go Paperless Easily: you can easily connect the scanner to your PC with USB to get your file at anywhere and anytime, even where there is no outlet available. Compatible with Mac, Windows 7/8/10/XP, Linux. 👉New User-friendly Version of Instruction: https://bit.ly/3hxnCrX , 👉 video of extensive calibration process: https://bit.ly/IDS001-calibration
♫ Comes with 16G SD Card & OCR CD Driver: With included 16G SD Card, mini scanner supports storing 25280pcs(300DPI)/ 8800pcs(600DPI)/ 2500pcs(900DPI) scans. With OCR tech, easily organize and create editable multi-page PDFs, or transfer files into word/excel format. Notice: The scanner works with 2A batteries. 👉Noitce: The OCR software only support Windows, not for Mac.
Create extraordinary enlargements from film: 6400 x 9600 dpi for enlargements up to 17 Inches x 22 Inches. Maximum Scan Area 8.5 x 11.7 inches. TPU 2.7 x 9.5 inches
Remove the appearance of dust and scratches from film: Digital ICE for Film
Remove the appearance of tears and creases from photos: Digital ICE for prints
Restore faded color photos with one touch: Epson easy photo fix included
Scan slides, negatives and medium format panoramic film: Built in transparency unit
Achieve greater productivity: Energy efficient Ready Scan LED light source means no warm up time, faster scans and lower power consumption
Convert scanned documents into editable text: ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus OCR
Take your photos further: ArcSoft PhotoStudio included, to help edit and enhance your digital images
Quickly complete any task: Instantly scan, copy, scan to email and create PDFs with four customizable buttons
BESTSELLER NO. 8 in 2023
ClearClick 20 MP QuickConvert Photo, Slide, and 35mm Negatives to Digital Converter with PhotoPad Software & 8 GB Memory Card
Quickly & Easily Convert Your Old Photos, Slides, and Negatives To Digital Photos at 20 MegaPixels (Interpolated)
Works with 35mm Negatives, Slides, and Photos (3x5, 4x6, and 5x7 Sizes) - Works Standalone, No Computer Required
Super Quick Conversion - Takes Only 2-3 Seconds To Convert a Photo, Slide, or Negative To Digital
Bonus 8 GB SD Memory Card (Holds Over 2,000 Photos) & PhotoPad Image Retouching Software (Professional Edition) Included
Full 1-Year Warranty & Tech Support From ClearClick, a USA Based Company
BESTSELLER NO. 9 in 2023
J-Tech Digital Scroll Endurance Wireless Mouse Ergonomic Vertical USB Mouse with Adjustable Sensitivity (600/1000/1600 DPI), Removable Palm Rest & Thumb Buttons - Reduces Hand/Wrist Pain
Unique ergonomic design with removable palm rest to reduce hand and wrist pain
Two thumb buttons can be used for back/forward browser navigation
High-resolution optical sensor with adjustable sensitivity for accuracy and responsiveness
Receiver Distance:10 meters Nano Receiver; The receiver is attached to the bottom of mouse.
BESTSELLER NO. 10 in 2023
Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1500 Color Duplex Document Scanner with Touch Screen for Mac and PC (Black Model, 2020 Release)
Double-sided scanning with advanced paper feeding system. Scan your documents, business cards, receipts, and photos.
Large, easy to use 4. 3 inch touch screen allows you to easily scan to your preferred destinations. Scan to Google Drive, Dropbox, desktop folder, and more
Connects via USB cable or Wi-Fi (2. 4 and 5 GHz). You can scan via Wi-Fi to your laptop, tablet, or smartphone device.
Built in software organizes and cleans up your documents with automatic cropping, blank page deletion, and more.
Scanning speed of up to 30 ppm, with 50 page automatic document feeder (ADF). Optical resolution of up to 600 dpi.
The quick answer is that higher resolutions lead to better scans for reproducing your images. 600 DPI scans produce much larger files but help ensure every detail in your print is recorded in digital form. ... If you want files that are easier to work with, 300 DPI scans would be a better choice.
Quick Scanning With a Smartphone Smartphones work well as a surrogate for a dedicated scanner. While there are many apps out there for this task, one that is fast and free is an app from Google called PhotoScan. It's available for Android and iOS.
At 300 DPI you turn your 4x6 photo into the same size: 4x6 digital image. That's because when your photos were printed in the photo lab, they use 300 dots per inch to print your photo. So at 300 DPI, you're getting an exact copy of your original photo.
Best results for paper photos are generally achieved within a range of 300 dpi (sufficient for most photos) to 600 dpi (if you want to enlarge the image).
If the original photo is small, scan at 600 dpi or higher. If you scan a 2×3-inch photo at 1200 dpi, for example, it will become a 16×24-inch digital image without losing quality.
For general purposes, a bit depth of 24 bits works well. You may consider a 30-bit scanner if you want higher quality. For scanning monochrome or black and white photos, a higher bit depth will give you a better image. Look for a high bit depth in both color and gray (i.e., 30-bit color 12-bit gray).
We call this 1200 dpi, and for all purposes it is, because at the glass bed, 10200 pixels / 8.5 inches = 1200 dpi. A 35 mm film scanner uses a different optical lens which covers only the 0.9 inch film width instead of 8.5 inches. 4000 dpi over 0.9 inches is 3600 pixels, instead of 10200 pixels.
Color images and documents are the most common scanned objects. Color photographs should be scanned at 600 DPI, however; scanning at a DPI of 1200 will ensure archival-quality photographs. Scanning above 1200 DPI is overkill and not necessary. When scanning for the web, color photos should be scanned at 300 DPI.
If you set the scan to 4x6 inches at 300 dpi at 200% scale, it will scan the 4x6 inches at 600 dpi (will create 2400x3600 pixels), but will set the image files dpi resolution value to the specified 300 dpi so that it will print 2x size or 8x12 inches size on paper at 300 dpi.