Butch & Tricia

13 de julio de 2026

Great Photo & Document Scanner

This is an absolutely awesome scanner. If you have a lot of photos to digitize, it can handle the job with no problem — it processes about one photo every two seconds. You can scan everything from 8×10 prints down to small 2×2 photos, as long as you sort them by size. It can even handle longer panoramic photos, though you’ll need to adjust a few settings to make it work. It also does a great job cleaning up and enhancing old, faded pictures, which is a huge bonus.You can set it up as a document scanner as well, including double‑sided scanning straight into a PDF.I’ve scanned around 14,000 pictures so far, and the only issue I’ve noticed is that once a single file reaches about 1,000 images, it starts loading slowly because of the large file size. The easy fix is just to start a new file and keep going. Other than that, it’s been fast, reliable, and incredibly efficient.Ver más

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Joseph Alexander

30 de mayo de 2024

Works Flawlessly -- By Far the Best Scanner I've Ever Used

This scanner completely lives up to its billing as "the world's fastest personal photo scanner." I had thousands of old photos that, because we're moving, I wanted to store electronically while throwing out the paper copies. After doing a fair amount of research, I landed on the Epson FastFoto 680W. It's pricier than some other scanners but well worth it. In two days, I scanned more than 4,000 photos without a hitch -- the scanner worked flawlessly across all different sizes of photos. It even enhanced the quality of the photos as I scanned them. One caveat: keep in mind that the super-fast scans (no more than a second per photo) produce photos that are 300 dots per inch; if you want to scan at a higher dpi, the scanner is a lot slower. As a result, I decided to keep copies of a handful of very special photos, while still being content to keep only digital versions of at least 95% of them. After scanning several thousand photos, I switched to document mode to scan hundreds of paper files that I also wanted to get rid of and it was even faster than it was for the photos because it scans even two-sided documents in no more than a second. My days of paper copies are finally over. In fact, I'm keeping the scanner on my desk so that every time I get a document that I want to save, I instantly scan it and then discard the hard copy of the document. Overall, this is one of the best products I've ever purchased and definitely the best scanner I've ever used.Unfortunately, after I wrote that review, and for no apparent reason, the scanner suddenly stopped working with my computer (a fairly new iMac). The computer simply stopped recognizing the scanner and nothing could get it to work, even after I uninstalled and then tried to reinstall the software several times. The software won't re-install unless the computer recognizes the scanner, which it won't. And the Epson customer support people were no help at all. So, while this is a magnificent piece of hardware, the software seems like it's still a work in progress.I'm updating my review to increase it to five stars. After the computer suddenly stopped recognizing the scanner, I finally tried replacing the cable connecting the scanner to the computer. Presto, the computer recognized the scanner again. So it wasn't the scanner that went bad; it was the cable that I was using. The scanner truly is phenomenal.Ver más

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T Hoff

5 de octubre de 2018

Saved my sanity

I bought this primarily for helping a friend digitize photo prints. Her mother had recently passed away, and this put a seemingly countless number of loose photos and albums into her possession. I had committed to helping her and brought my flatbed scanner, not realizing the magnitude of the task at hand. On the first day over the course of six hours, I captured and cleaned up fewer than 100 photographs this way — it clearly wasn’t a workable solution for the volume of prints needing to be captured.I started looking for a scanner with a document feeder before I even left, and among the options I found, the Epson FF-640 stood out. I read and watched various reviews, but then I found one that mentioned the newer second-generation FF-680W, which seemed like a substantial upgrade, so I ordered one.For scanning most photos, the FF-680W is incredible. With my flatbed scanner, I had to manually place each photo on the scanner, tell my image editor to acquire a scan, wait for the scanner to generate a low-resolution preview, crop and rotate the image, check image enhancements options, and then hit Scan and wait for a slower, full-resolution scan to be transferred. I then had to save the image using the image editor, giving it a name and specifying the format and image options.The FF-680W on the other hand can scan and clean up probably about 20 prints at 600dpi in the time it took my flatbed scanner to perform the pre-scan and scan of just one image. Realistically, it took me three minutes to capture and then process one image with the flatbed, all of which required tedious manual steps. When I initially started scanning with the FF-680W, I used the option of saving both the original scan and the enhanced version in separate files, but the results of the enhancements are so good that I no longer bother and keep only the enhanced images.I have experienced only a single misfeed, and that was with a photo that was glued into a heavy cardboard frame. I didn’t think it would go through the scanner and set it aside to be scanned with the flatbed, but curiosity got the better of me and I tried it anyway. If the paper path was more straight, the scanner would be able to take the place of a flatbed scanner in many cases.I find the option to automatically scan the back of the photos for handwritten notes useful, but it is overly sensitive. On some of the prints I scanned, a "Kodak" watermark on the back was often the only thing that was captured. Those errant scans are easily identified and deleted when looking at the thumbnails of the scans, but I wish the software handled this better.So far I have really only used the scanner and included software for photos, although I tested the ability to create a searchable PDF from a printed document and a form. The results were good but not perfect, as is usually the case when doing OCR.The F-680W is quick, quiet, and delivers high-quality results. If it fits within your budget, it deserves your consideration. To get the most out of it and avoid some frustration, I suggest watching Epson’s short videos about the scanner on Youtube.May 10 2019 Update:I have done quite a bit of document scanning lately, with very good results. This involved taking apart three-ring and spiral-bound manuals and scanning them into searchable PDFs. The fact that the scanners handles both sides at the same time (and can even drop empty sides of a page) and the high scanning speed makes quick work of such manuals.You get graphic images of the pages, with the text obtained through Optical Character Recognition (OCR) behind it, so you can highlight the text and copy-and-paste it, or search for it. It is very rare that the OCR software misinterprets a character.In addition to the option for dropping empty pages, the software also has a feature for removing the binding holes from the scanned image for a cleaner look, but this seems to be hit-and-miss -- on some documents this has worked very well and completely eliminated them, and on others it has been inconsistent, leaving behind one or two holes from three-ring binding, or dozens on some spiral bound pages.The document scanning handles jams very well when they do occur. I had issues with one spiral-bound manual that hadn't been read yet, and the pages were sticking together where the holes had been punched. The scanner would jam when it tried to feed pages that were stuck together, but it never damaged any of them. It also seamlessly carried on the scanning once the jam was cleared (which involves releasing a latch and tilting the front of the scanner forward, then removing the jammed page). Likewise, adding more pages after all the pages have been scanned is a simple matter of clicking on a "Scan more" button and selecting single-sided or double-sided, so you can mix both types of pages in one scan.One thing that's missing is the ability to save the scan results in more than one format. Currently the software prompts you for a output format, and once the document is saved the scans from which the document is created are discarded. I would prefer being able to go back to the format selection so that I can save a document as both a PDF as well as a Microsoft Word document for example.August 5, 2019 Update:I just discovered the "Text Enhancement" option under the Advanced scan settings -- I had seen it, but hadn't tried it until yesterday. I am blown away by the difference that it makes when scanning documents into searchable PDF format. It has a substantial impact on scan times (each page takes two to three seconds to scan with "Text Enhancement" set to "Standard"), but the text is crystal clear and uniform, and to me the increased scan time is a small price to pay for the quality improvement in the output.I scanned a 292-page technical manual at 600 dpi with "Text Enhancement" set to "Standard" into searchable PDF format, and the only thing that gives a clue that the document was produced from a scan are the punch holes (which can be eliminated with another scan settings option). Other than that, it looks typeset.

9 de marzo de 2025

'Fast' is no joke. Great quality scans. Easy! Time saver.

I watched this model's predecessor stay at the top of reviews for years, until this updated model came out to replace it. I'm so glad I finally purchased it.The multi-photo feeder works flawlessly with standard-thickness photos. Thicker (card stock) or very small photos require individual scanning using the provided vinyl sleeve. That worked for the few old Polaroid snapshots and for the our son's extra-thick senior year photos.The included (downloadable) software worked perfectly on my MacBook. There are versions for Windows and Linux too.Though I'm not interested in a photo capture business, with this model you could certainly do that as a side or part-time gig. Archival (600 dpi), 4x6 prints scan speed is about 2 seconds per print.Tips:1. Take the time to setup the file autonaming convention first. Use the year element in the name instead of depending solely on the year in a folder title. That will make it easy to tell roughly when photos were taken, in the event you later send or move copies of photos outside of ther folders. Experiment with a few prints to be sure the files are (a) going where you intend and (b) are named as you intend.2. Organize each packet of prints into two batches: portrait orientation and landscape orientation. Put them in reverse order from how you want them numbered. (The feeder pulls from the back of the stack.)3. Feed one orientation stack (for example, landscape images) first, then the other, so the sliding side guards can stay in one position for a whole stack. This will save you a lot of time.4. Select the auto-improve function without saving the unimproved original scan. Test a stack of photos to be sure you like the image improvements. This will save you hours of later fiddling in a separate image editing app.5. Using a photo annotation pen, mark the back of each scanned photo with an 'S' or other symbol that will remind you the print has been scanned.6. Backup your scanned images to more than one destination. If long-term durability of local media is a concern, burn to Blu-Ray disc and be sure to have a stand-alone high-reliability Blu-Ray writer / reader. Another strategy is to use one or more reliable online backups, such as iDrive. I use iDrive, Dropbox, and iCloud. I don't trust Google after it corrupted several thousands of my photos. (Fortunately, I don't trust any one platform completeley, so I had other backups.) I also backup to a high-quality flash drive and to DVDs. Keep in mind that the stability of data on those media is rated in years, up to 10, after which the data tend to decay, which is where Blu-Ray comes in, with a 100-year estimated data reliability, assuming the hardware to read it will still work in 100 years. I'm not going the Blu-Ray route, but would if I couldn't stand the thought of my descendants not having access to my photos.

Stephen T. White

Great little scanner

While this Epson FF-680W photo scanner is pricey at $630, it is an amazing little machine. It’s very fast, auto corrects, does both sides, scans at 300/600/1200 DPI, is wireless, batch scans up to 36 photos at a time, and stores in separate folders. The FastFoto software is easy to use. Epson is a quality company; I have a flatbed scanner and combination printer and like them both.This scanner does have two little quirks: (1) some photos scan upside down for no reason even when put in correctly, and (2) it sometimes gives a “bummer” code even without a jam requiring a reload.It is supposed to upload to a Google Drive, but I haven’t tried this yet. It does not do 35mm slides or slide negatives which is a downside and for the high price should have been engineered to do.For the high price, quirks, and limited functionality for slides/film I give it 4 stars, but of the 5 scanners that I’ve had over the years this is by far the best.Ver más

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Chris

28 de diciembre de 2025

Quality and Speed

I was a little hesitant to pick this up after reading over some of the reviews but it was the best recommendation of the research I did. I actually really like it and the design is great.I went with direct USB connection so I cannot rate or review the wifi connection option. The installation on a Mac was super easy, just go to the website and download the software. After installation it just connects to the printer.The only issue I ran into was a few pictures that had an additional picture or something taped or glued onto them. This does NOT like changes in width and immediately jams. Not a deal breaker as I only had maybe 2 or 3 of those and used an old flatbed scanner for those. The jams on this are SO EASY to fix, you just pull the button to open the entire unit in one smooth action.One thing I noticed going through piles of old photos was some of them were a little dirty/dusty. Not like really dirty or anything, but for very sensitive scanning equipment you may want to blow a little air or something over your pile(s) before scanning them, depending on how you stored yours (some of mine were out but most were securely stored in boxes). Not a big deal for me but if yours are a little dusty you may want to clean the inside a few times during your time using this magic machine. This dusty may be what resulted in a few of the commenters lines showing up on their scanned images as something on the scan screen will streak across the scanned output.And is "magic machine" actually a true statement... Yes, yes it is. I burned through a pile of several hundred pictures in NO TIME AT ALL... I was absolutely shocked how quick it went, and I was using the 600dpi vs the quicker 300 so about half the speed but so much better picture quality. I attempted to scan photos a few months ago and miserably failed because it ended up being SO time consuming trying to use an old flatbed scanner.The machine unfolds like a transformer. I like this because it makes it perfect for travel, making it more compact and less likely to break anything. This will be used the next time we visit family to quickly scan a few of their piles of pictures. The design was very well thought out.The software "corrective" features are so so, they end up making most pictures just too grainy, making them look worse. This is I assume why they have on by default the "keep original and make a copy for corrections" feature. Some of the pictures did work out so it wasn't a complete loss and it didnt take any extra effort or time.This is a beast of a scanner. I would highly recommend it for anyone with a massive amount of pictures to scan in. It's also great for lower resolution scans of documents so it can keep its worth after you get through your pile of pictures.