FastFoto FF-680W High-Speed Duplex Photo and Document Scanner

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.

Yes, it is expensive. I bought this 3 years ago to scan thousands of family photos, and it generates excellent .jpg or .tiff photos with just the right amount of correction. Is it as good as a flatbed scanner, not really. Can you scan the front and back of hundreds of photos an hour on this? YES! So no complaints. It was a strategic purchase specifically for scanning photos. My pleasant surprise was how awesome this is at scanning documents. It lives on my desk and makes document scanning easy. Ths software is a little clunky, but you can set it up to scan directly to a cloud storage service like Dropbox. I hate keeping paper, and this allows me to scan things really, really fast. I just checked, and I'm at 19,000+ scans so far with only about 50 paper jams (mostly staples or accidental double feed). No complaints, would buy again. (I also bought a $$$ flatbed for the most important photos in my collection). Pro tip" buy a dust cover.

Oh Yeah! Very nice. It arrived in a day and had it up and running in just a few minutes. Easy peasy! Set it on highest resolution, 1200 dps, and each print took about 3 seconds. My HP flatbed scanner, on my HP printer, took 3 to 4 minutes plus time to save each. Very very good. Scanned 4000 photos in 4 days. If there was writing on the back of the photo it printed that also. And did some corrections. So for each print I got 3 items. Original scan, touched up photo and info written on the rear in about 3 seconds. I thought at one time of sending all my old pics to a professional scanning company but this saved me lotsa bucks.And it's still kicking after 4k of pics. I am curious if there are any user replaceable parts I should look out for. I had some 8" X 16" panoramas Worked great. I will take anything up to 8 3/4" wide. And perhaps really long ones but I had none to try. It says it'll take a stack of 36 but if all the prints are the same width I just keep adding more just before the last few photos are scanned. I did hundreds at a time. It will comfortably hold prints down to about 2 inches wide but anything smaller it was necessary to revert back to the flatbed scanner. Not a real problem because I could stick about 25 or 30 really small one on the flatbed at a time and do it while the Epson was still scanning. Worked just as good on ancient black & whites as on new color pics. And it took up about 1/3 the space of my flatbed scanner. All in all it's a good deal. I'm a happy camper.

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.

I will probably sound like a shill, but this thing is pretty great. Yeah, the interface can be the slowest thing at times, but I always intended to just get the pics digitized and unto my computer, then have more dedicated software organize them. I was fully intending to scan as many photos as possible, and if not pleased, return the scanner. I am not returning the scanner. In the past thirty days, I have scanned approximately 2000 photos, I may have had to unplug and restart the scanner and/or computer two, three times at most. The rest of the time it just hummed along with my batches of photos, often 30 at a time. I would "blow out" the insides with some compressed air after every 300-400 pics, that was the extent of my cleaning. I have zero scratches nor lines on my pics, many of which are glossy finish. A pleasant surprise? The "back camera" that pics up any handwriting, often dates, on the backs of the pics without having to reload the scanner. It's really special to have the information in my grandmother's handwriting! Tidbits and workflow... my photos were roughly time organized in photo albums. I removed and stacked according to events (birthday party, Paris trip, high school, etc). Within each such batch, I would separate into sizes; the scanner likes to batch scan similar sizes. I would create, name, and if concise enough, include the year of the event in the scanner software, then press scan. And away it went. When that stack was complete (maybe one second per print), it would ask if I had more for that event (this is where the differing sizes would come into play). I would answer yes or no as appropriate, then continue on. I found 600dpi best. 300 was noticeably degraded, 1200 added nothing to my eye. The built in auto correction only benefitted very old or very badly exposed pics. Most "modern" pics were not helped and I stopped using the function around the 1980s. The on-device "scan" button never did anything, I always reverted to the software button. This worked for me best anyhow, as I would do other work, then periodically load another batch of photos. I spent way more time removing photos from albums and organizing them, then the scanner spent scanning. I think I would be justified in returning this (a couple of lock ups, scan button non-responsive, just overall rudimentary software) but it really did exceed my expectations in speed and quality of scan. Stacking 30 photos and watching them zip through (plus automatically pulling a copy of the back when its sensors detected writing) is pretty damn impressive. Would I recommend my friends or family buying one? It's really kinda pricey. But I wouldn't hesitate to loan it out to them!

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.

I am a 67 year old guy for whom photography has been a hobby since my 30's. I, regretfully, have never taken any formal photography classes but have self studied and worked at it continually. I had thousands of prints before i started using digital cameras. I also had the family photographs going back to the 1940's. Therefore, thousands of prints that needed to be digitized for preservation and posterity. You can send them off to mail in processors but there is always the chance that what is irreplaceable could be lost. Then there are the local processors which average about 33 cents a print. I found this cost prohibitive. This machine is not cheep but if you want a quality scan and do not want to invest the enormous time into a scanning prints one at a time on a cheeper machine, I think it's the best option available. You can insert 30 prints at a time and it feeds them though at lighting speed. You can set it at 300, 600 or 1200 DPI. I recommend 600DPI which gives you plenty of resolution at a good copy speed. The automatic enhancement features do a terrific job with the exception of the red eye removal on random scans which you are going to have to later do manually with the very easy to use basic photographic tools that come with a windows or MAC operating systems. I used a MAC PC which has a very good standard editing tool that comes with the operating system. The scanner does an incredible job on polaroid prints actually giving me a better scan than the actual print. There is a separate setting that you can easily toggle to for black and whites. You can feed them directly into the feeder unless they are really deteriorated and fragile. In that case, the scanner comes with a film jacket that you can insert anything fragile to be scanned one at a time. This is rarely necessary. Prints from the first generation of color cameras that were processed commercially will not turn out better than the original print, sometimes grainy or blurred or the colors not true. I have not seen what a commercial copy company can do but imagine that they would be the same. The prints from better cameras obviously are better and the scans are better than good. One issue will have to decide up front is whether you want to put your prints in some kind of order which, of course, can be very time consuming as I can verify. You can just scan them through in batches out of your collection but they are going to, of course, be in that order in the digital file. It is a lot more time consuming, in my opinion, to try to order them after scanning because I am not aware of any way to drag them and drop them in any order in the digital file. You can change the file number but that is very time consuming and confusing. I found that the only practical way is to sort them out in the order you want them to be in and them scan them in. This scanner rarely to never jams if you put prints of the same size in each batch. You can pass it around to family and friends who want to digitize and when you're done it works as a great scanner for your everyday documents into your computer. I never had to use technical support so I can't comment. Good Luck!!!

This has potential with its speed and ease of installation and easy to use. I heard it permanently puts track marks on the original photos, so I chose 8 duplicates to scan. I scanned each on my flat bed scanner first. On the FF-680W, the 6 matte finish scanned well and left no discernible marks. The two glossy photos scanned well but both now have permanent black track marks on them. I scanned a glossy first in the stack, then 4 matte and the other glossy finished photo last. I couldn’t see marks on the matte but the two glossy photos had noticeable black track marks on the top-center going down about 1/2 an inch. This scanner is good for scanning photos you want to throw away afterwards. If you want to keep them you’re better off using a flatbed scanner. The FF-680W comes with a protective sleeve to scan photos you don’t want ruined but that makes this no better than a flatbed since you have to carefully insert the original in the sleeve before scanning. They also recommend cleaning it after a certain number of scans, like 100 or so. I only scanned eight photos and two were ruined. Also , I was charged $100 from Amazon to return this hunk of junk because I opened it. This will cost you if you want to test it yourself.

Oh! My! Gosh! This product arrived quickly and I set out to scan 100 years of family photos. I'm not a very technical person but this was easy to install and use. Once you work out how you want to catalogue our photos (ie I did mine in family groups/ events etc), just place the photos in the scanner (a huge bunch at a time- I never counted plus you can manually add if you time it right) and within a minute they're all scanned The machine scans as is and ENHANCES - the enhancing of ancient photos phenomenal! The resolution is amazing and the photos look beautiful. If you write a little bit of info on the back of each photo you end up with a family history because the scanner scans and records both sides! It's all done now and purchasing this worked out exceptionally cheaper than having it done professionally (plus this way YOU have control of your groupings) . Amazing machine!!! It does everything it says it does.

Lo único que le falto es digitalizar credenciales !!

This is one of the few scanners that has a auto feed to scan stacks of photos at a time. Much faster than using a flatbed scanner. Therefore I bit the bullet and bought this. Turns out it's worth every penny! - Scans BOTH SIDES of photos at the same time. If there are notes on the backs of the photos, they will be scanned. - The quality is excellent. I scanned the same set of photos on my HP all-in-one printer/scanner and this scanner. This scanner captures much more detail from the photos especially the shadow areas. - Files can be saved in lossless .tif format (or lossy .jpg format) - FastFoto app can apply auto adjustments to pictures (colour, brightness, and redeye), and save these adjustments in a SEPARATE file, preserving the original scan in case you want to edit it later using more "advanced" apps like Photoshop. - Scanner itself is compact and folds up for storage. It's sitting on my mom's desk right now, and it takes up less than half the space than the flatbed scanner she had. - It is FAST. Takes a few seconds to scan each photo at 600dpi. (there are also 300dpi and 1200dpi options) - Files are automatically put into folders and numbered. When adding more files to the same folder, the numbering continues from the last picture. - File numbering corresponds to the order you load the photos (with the front photo being #0001). It actually scans them in reverse order but the file numbering will be correct after scanning. Helps with my OCD making sure that photos are in the order taken. - Can scan documents as well as pictures. I did notice some etching of glossy photos like some reviewers mentioned. The etching results in some streaks in the scans, and those get blown up by some AI photo editing tools. I would say this is a minor annoyance because the image quality is so much better than flatbed, and it's so much faster to scan hundreds of photos. I don't plan to keep the originals and I will look into removing the streaks in the editing workflow.

So far an excellent product. Easy to set up and get working. Scans and enhances photo prints in batches of up to 30 prints and completes the job in about 30 seconds. This is impressive. The initial cost is high but it should save us lots of time and effort. After the scanning job is done, then what? We will have to share the machine with relatives and friends.

I used this scanner to convert over 7,000 photos to digital and worked very well as advertised. It costs a little more than other scanners but the extra software features it includes, it's well worth the difference. The majority of our old photos contained dates and other important information on the back and this scanner scans both sides at the same time producing 2 files with the same number as A & B. It also adjusts the photo quality which is very handy when scanning old darker photos. It comes with many essential software features installed separately from the Epson website and an extra accessory for damaged photos which would cause the scanner to stop otherwise. Special attention is required to setup and pair with Wi-Fi on modem. Instructions must be followed carefully to guarantee functionality. I highly recommend this scanner.