VueScan 9.8.45

Overview

VueScan 9 is a powerful image scanning/optical character recognition application that is compatible with most flatbed/film scanners and printer/scanner combos. This software makes it easy to produce the highest-quality custom scans by providing a user-friendly interface in which you can adjust various aspects of the finished product. Having been downloaded more than 10 million times since its inception in 1998, VueScan is one of the most widely used scanning software available.

Installation

At a surprisingly compact file size of approximately 7 MB, the download and installation process for VueScan takes no more than a couple of minutes. In fact, on the official website the "Try VueScan Free" button is followed by the phrase "Click to download and you will be scanning within 60 seconds.” This software can be installed in all major distributions of Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, but will focus on the Windows version in this review.

Interface

The simplistic user interface is neatly organized into six main tabs – Input, Crop, Filter, Color, Output, and Preferences. There are also six menus located at the top of the main window – File, Edit, Skinner, Profile, Image, and Help.

Pros

• Compatible with more than 1850 hardware devices, including the majority of HP, Epson, Nikon, and Canon scanners.

• You'll receive regular free updates, with new editions being released just about every week that contain additional features.

• Made by the developers of VueScan Mobile Free – a free application for iPads/iPhones that lets you quickly scan images/documents to one of the aforementioned portable devices.

• Ideal for novice and advanced users, as the interface can be displayed in two modes – Guide Me (provides a step-by-step wizard style menu) and Advanced Mode (provides access to more powerful features that will give you total control over the scanning process)

• Capable of outputting scans in a plethora of formats, including JPEG, TIFF, and PDF

• Can automatically create multipage PDFs using multiple images/documents

• Includes a free copy of the VueSCan Bible, a comprehensive overview of how to use the software to get most of your scans

Cons

• Interface is not the prettiest. Considering the power and prestige of this software, one would expect to see something more futuristic.

• Nominating file allocation can be a bit of a hassle sometimes.

Alternatives

Considerable alternatives to VueScan include Scan2PDF (Windows), Simple Scan (Linux), Scanitto Pro (Windows), and XSane (Linux). Of these alternatives, Simple Scan is the most popular for Linux, while Scanitto Pro is the second-most popular for Windows, behind VueScan. Nonetheless, none of the aforementioned software provide the level of control that VueScan does which explains why it has become the industry standard in third-party scanning software during the last decade.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a robust software that can replace the default application that was included with your scanner, VueScan offers a variety of additional features that will give you the ability to customize the output of your scanned images/documents in an unparalleled way.