The Best Scanners for Artists

I’m ashamed to admit that, until this summer, I was using the scanner on my HP Laserjet to digitize my artwork. Despite what you may think, my art actually looked okay. However, it would require a decent amount of color correction on my end.

I’ve been making art regularly for 9 years now, so I fell into the trap of sticking with what works. I began to realize I was spending a lot of time editing my work and decided to do some research. I ended up purchasing a new scanner and I can tell you right now - I should have done it sooner. For beginners, it’s probably fine to use any old scanner. However, if you’re scanning in paintings as much as I am, consider making the investment in an art scanner.

Before I made my purchase, I fell into a hole doing tons of research. Below, I’ll talk about what I liked and didn’t like about each scanner option, and what I ended up buying.

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Canon Lide 400 Slim Scanner

• Price: $81

• Resolution: 4800x4800.

• Scan Bed Size: 8.5x11 inches

• Estimated Scan Time: 30-45 seconds

This scanner has everything you need and nothing more. If your art is bigger than 8.5x11 inches, you’ll just need to splice it together. It’s actually really tough to find a scanner that’s is larger than that, so I don’t see this as a big negative. My art is usually pretty small, 11x14 at the largest.

If you want to buy a scanner for a good price and literally never think about it again, this is the best option. It’s good enough, has decent reviews, and will get the job done much better than the scanner on your printer.

Epson Perfection V600

• Price: $350

• Resolution: 6400x9600

• Scan Bed Size: 8.5x11 inches

• Estimated Scan Time: 45-60 seconds

This is the one I purchased, and it is not a cheap scanner. I’d say it’s more “mid-range.” However, people rave about it online. This seems to be the most popular art scanner on the market. For more money, you are getting a lot more. It even comes with technology that removes dust and scratches.

I use my scanner so much, it was easy to justify spending more to get a better product. The more expensive options just didn’t seem worth it.

Major negative is that it’s thicker than the Canon slim. However, I have space in my studio so that wasn’t a concern for me.

Epson Perfection V850

• Price: $1300

• Resolution: 6400x9600

• Scan Bed Size: 8.5x11 inches

• Estimated Scan Time: 30-45 seconds

This scanner is quite the investment. And literally does everything the V600 does. Major difference is that it boasts better technology with a dual lens system and remarkable tonal range. However, people seem to like it just as much as the cheaper option. I couldn’t figure out how this technology would make my art look that much better.

The only way I would go with this option over the v600 is if I were a photographer scanning in negatives. It seems like photographers prefer this scanner over the v600.

Epson Expression 13000XL Archival Scanner

• Price: $3700

• Resolution: 2400x4800

• Scan Bed Size: A3 size (aka 12.2 in. x 17.2 in.)

• Estimated Scan Time: 20-30 seconds

Given the price, I expected this scanner to have all the bells and whistles. It must be better than the lower end models right? Not at all. The one positive to this scanner is the A3 size. While I must admit, that a larger scan bed would be so nice, I couldn’t justify the price. It only takes me 10-15 minutes to splice together pieces, and many of my pieces are smaller than 8.5x11. Also, the resolution on this scanner isn’t as good.

I would only recommend buying this scanner if you happen to create larger artwork and the size of the scan bed would change your life.

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I’ve been using my Epson v600 and loving it. The one surprise was that none of these scanners have wifi. You hook them up to your computer via USB. That’s because the file sizes are so large, the scan could be interrupted by spotty wifi and ruin the file.

Below is a comparison of an unedited scan from my laserjet and one from my v600. You can see the amazing difference and how much less editing I have to do.

Hopefully you found this product comparison helpful! Seriously, invest in a scanner and save yourself some time, even if it’s just the Canon Lide 400. I wish I did this sooner!

*Prices accurate for September 2024.