Canon CanoScan LiDE 20 Flatbed Scanner

Canon, in general, makes some of the very best graphic accessories you can buy. For what it is, the LiDE 20 despite its age is no exception.

For those unfamiliar, the LiDE scanners are very thin, lightweight and run on USB power only. Because no external (AC) power source is available, the LiDE 20 sometimes draws insufficient power from USB hubs, but works great when connected directly to the PC. Most importantly, its ability to run from USB power (rare for a scanner) lets it bypass different voltages, making it an asset for international travel.

Though I didn't expect great scan quality from the LiDE 20, it's surprisingly crisp on simple office documents and isn't even bad on more elaborate or colorful subjects, capturing decent detail albeit with some occasional lines. The quality is fine if just above average, and more than passable if you're not looking for A+ results. Despite its graphical limitations, the LiDE 20 isn't a fast scanner. I imagine such things could make this scanner seem unappealing, but this isn't a scanner to bank on for scan quality or speed (as there are plenty better for that), but instead for the great practicality that it offers.

Regardless, the LiDE 20 really is flawed with regards to its installation and drivers. Don't expect Canon's USA website to help much, as the downloadable installs rarely give Windows XP the correct drivers. My best successes usually come from running Canon's automatic install (a Java application located on Canon's support site site), which I remember using on Canon USA and Canon Australia. I've never used the LiDE 20 on a Mac, but understand it's possible. I did once lend it to a friend for their OSX Tiger, but got nothing but complaints about the install. I've also never tried to install the LiDE 20 in Vista, though there's always an off chance Canon released normal drivers for that... (I'm quite skeptical.)

Its driver issues are all that've stopped me from going out of my way to configure the LiDE 20 on multiple PCs for swapping. But as I've had to do this out of necessity a few times (all in XP), this scanner used to be a staple of mine in quite a few PC environments, including notebook PCs.

So, would I recommend this product? Well once it's installed, absolutely. If you can get it on the cheap and need a compact scanner for travel or to store for less frequent scanning, the LiDE 20 is an excellent choice with mostly reliable results. If you want better quality scans or faster speed with all the benefits of the LiDE 20, simply compare the LiDE 20 against the newer CanoScan LiDE models and see what works for you.