Visioneer's thin and light OneTouch 7300 flatbed scanner is a great option for home users who want an easy-to-use, low-cost scanning machine.

Since it's USB-powered, the 7300 just needs to be plugged into a computer's USB port--no AC adapter is necessary. This slim device weighs only 3 pounds, making it a great scanner for moving between machines. Once you have the software installed on multiple PCs, all you have to do is plug the scanner into an available USB port and it's ready to go.

The 1,200-dpi resolution of the 7300 is lower than a lot of other scanners, as many of today's entry-level models start out at 2,400 dpi. However, the 7300 delivers great image and document scans even with the lower resolution. Its 48-bit color depth is up there with the best of scanners, providing rich details in photos.

The 7300's special hinged lid makes it easier to scan thick books and 3-D objects on the full 8-1/2 by 11-7/10-inch screen. Even though the 7300 is USB 2.0, scans are a bit on the slow side, often taking more than a minute for completion. There's also no capability for scanning transparencies, an omission that might discourage some potential buyers.

Visioneer includes an excellent software bundle with the 7300, including ScanSoft PaperPort for managing documents and images, TextBridge OCR for converting scanned-in documents to editable files, and ArcSoft PhotoImpression for image editing.

There are five buttons on the front of the scanner that let you quickly send a scanned item to a specific destination. For example, if you want to e-mail a digital photo to a friend, press the e-mail button and the 7300 will find the edges of the photo, perform a high-resolution scan, and then attach the image to a message ready to be sent.

There are also buttons for copying documents through a printer or converting text via OCR, as well as a custom button that can be used for quick faxing or image editing. The included documentation is very detailed about the 7300's capabilities and bundled software.

Users looking for an unobtrusive, easy-to-move scanner for a nice price could do much worse than Visioneer's OneTouch 7300.

Pro: Great price, USB-powered.
Con: Slow scans.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visioneer
5673 Gibraltar Drive, Suite 150
Pleasanton, CA 94588
925-251-6398
http://www.visioneer.com

Warranty
1 year limited