Difference Between CIS Sensors And CCD Sensors On Scanners ...

JackWESQ

I recently purchased a HP All-In-One (Printer, Scanner and Fax Machine). My brother stopped by over the weekend and asked how it was working. I said the printer and fax works well, but the scanner is SIGNIFICANTLY poorer than my AGFA Snapscan 1212u (which is a couple of years old). I showed him and, indeed, the older AGFA produced much crisper scans than the new HP. As an engineer, this really puzzled my brother.

So he went home, did some research, and advised me on CIS Sensors versus CCD Sensors. Most multi-function devices (like the HP) use CIS Sensors which have poor Depth of Field ("DOF") and this can result in difficulty in scanning a crisp image. This is important for cards because, as you know, the lettering on the flips and cards themselves are not perfectly flat on the scanning glass. They are slightly "raised" due to the cases. Older scanners (like my AGFA) and some current dedicated scanners use a CCD Sensor and, as such, can scan images up to one (1) inch off the scanning glass.

This link on Example of Depth of Field characteristics for CCD vs CIS Sensors really demonstrates the difference.

/s/ JackWESQ

P.S. I apologize if you already knew this or if you found this to be useless information.

Edit: For grammar.

brianwintersfan

CCD elements handle depth better, so if you scan a lot of slabs you will want that. Read the specs before you purchase. Here is one of my favorite scans from my HP

neenish

I use the Canon 8600f and bought my ex and 8500f for her scanning. Great scanner for both cards and comics.

schr1st

CIS is smaller and cheaper, hence why it is used in all in one devices (some of the super thin cannon scanners). If you are scanning text, you should be fine. Anything else, you really want a CCD scanner. IMHO, standalone CIS scanners are an utter waste of money, and all in ones just get you hooked into buying ink carts for the rest of your life. Buy a nice CCD scanner, laser printer, and kodak photo printer (if you need it), and you'll be all set with the best of all worlds for only a slight bit more $.

divecchia

I had the same problem when my wife bought an all in one. Scanning documents, it works great. Scanning slabbed cards not so good. After doing some research I found out that a scanner needs a CCD Sensor to scan 3-D images. Great info.

Donato