Top 5 Best Scanners For 2024

More often than not, we only realise how invaluable printer features are until we actually start to use them on a routine basis. And once those features do become a staple in our everyday work processes, we realise that we can no longer live without them. This is the reason why many of us find ourselves flocking to the web to search for the best home printers and scanners.

But for many office environments or even home office workers, having a multifunction printer with scanning capabilities is different to having a dedicated scanner. For starters, multifunction printers may have to be shared between a wider department or even an entire floor in a multi-level office space. Contrastingly, a good document scanner can sit on your own desk and be used solely by you. After all, the best scanners are those that take up little to no space or can blend in seamlessly with all the other work essentials on your desk.

Having your own personal flatbed document scanner can also allow you to make file-sharing a breeze. A scanner allows you to create high-resolution digital copies of photos and documents with just the tap of a button. And from here, scanned documents can easily be emailed or sent via instant messaging to your colleagues.

Top 5 Best Home Printer Scanners in 2024

Today, we’ll be sharing our top 5 picks for the best home printer scanner, best document scanner, best photo scanner, and two more winning categories in the wonderful world of flatbed scanning. Read on to learn more about the best scanners you should consider adding to your home office set-up.

1. CanoScan LiDE400 Flatbed Scanner
2. Epson EcoTank ET-2850 Inkjet Printer
3. Epson WorkForce DS-360W Scanner
4. CanoScan LiDE300 Flatbed Scanner
5. HP ScanJet Pro N4000 snw1 (6FW08A)

1. CanoScan LiDE400 Flatbed Scanner

Best Photo Scanner

Price: $477.07 (+ Free Delievery)

Sometimes the best scanners are those that aren’t accompanied by a plethora of bells and whistles. Minimalism in design and functionality can make for a highly streamlined scanning experience. And when you’re scanning photographs that are bursting with colour, you don’t need that same level of showmanship from your equipment.

That’s precisely why Canon developed their CanoScan LiDE400 Flatbed Scanner. One of the best low-cost scanners on the market, the LiDE400 has a resolution of 4800 x 4800 dpi and is able to scan a high-resolution image or document in 8 seconds and under. The LiDE400 scanner’s streamlined interface also makes it easy to complete upright scanning jobs and even produce multi-page PDF documents. The scanner actually has a button solely for initiating multi-page PDF jobs!

On top of all this versatility, the LiDE400 also provides smart connectivity via a USB-C connection to your device – and no need for a power outlet either. This makes the LiDE400 an ideal photo scanner for photographers who are often on the go.

Need to print photos too? Check out some of our best photo printers here.

2. Epson EcoTank ET-2850 Inkjet Printer

Best Home Office Printer Scanner

Price: $161.34 (+ Free Delievery)

Let’s face it – our home offices never seem to have adequate space for all of our office essentials. That, and you likely won’t be sharing your office printer with a dozen other employees. So why not splurge and invest in a multifunction printer that comes fitted with a high-performance scanner instead?

And you don’t even need to scour endless lists of tech specs to find a suitable printer model here either because we’ve done it for you. The Epson EcoTank ET-2850 inkjet printer is our top pick for the best home printer scanner combo that you can add to your home office set-up.

This innovative all-in-one boasts a CIS flatbed scanner with an optical resolution of 2400 dpi. This allows it to read for both documents and photos with ease. And like all Epson EcoTank printers, investing in an ET-2850 will allow you to save hundreds of dollars on your printer ink over the long term. This is because the EcoTanks use high-yield ink bottles over your traditional replacement ink cartridges. Talk about a win-win!

3. Epson WorkForce DS-360W Scanner

Best Wireless Document Scanner

Price: $161.34 (+ Free Delievery)

Although the Canon LiDE400 is capable of producing multi-page PDF documents, this compact scanner is missing one crucial feature for document scanning and that’s duplex or double-sided scanning. The best document scanners must have duplex functionalities to be worth their spot on your office desk. And better yet, you should invest in a scanner that can work without needing a power outlet either.

That’s what makes the Epson WorkForce DS-360W Scanner our top pick for the best wireless document scanner on the market today. With a 20-page auto-document feeder and scanning speeds of around 25 pages per minute, the Epson WorkForce DS-360W Scanner is true to its name – this WorkForce is a workhorse!

The WorkForce DS-360W Scanner also has smart features that allow users to scan documents directly to their Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and other cloud-based file storage systems. This is mobile document scanning that’s smarter than ever before.

The only thing that the WorkForce DS-360W seems to be lacking is a resolution that rivals the Canon LiDE400. With just a 600 x 600 dpi scanning resolution, the WorkForce DS-36oW is a great document scanner, but not one that we’d recommend for photo sharing.

4. CanoScan LiDE300 Flatbed Scanner

Best Budget Scanner

Price: $132.00 (+ Free Delievery)

And speaking of photo scanning, you don’t need to shell out big bucks in order to enjoy a higher scanning resolution. Canon proved that with the LiDE400, but they also did so with its lower cost counterpart, the CanoScan LiDE300 Flatbed Scanner.

Truth be told, the LiDE300 isn’t very different from the LiDE400. The only glaring difference is that the LiDE300 has a scanning resolution of 2400 x 2400 dpi and scanning speeds of around 10 seconds per job. The multi-page PDF button that was on the LiDE400 is also absent on the LiDE300. Everything else seems to be the same, which means that you’re getting a high-performance photo and document scanner for a fraction of the cost of all the other models on this list.

The real question is: should you buy a LiDE300 or a LiDE400? And as you may have expected, the right answer varies depending on your intended use for the scanner. Most printer users who are looking to scan photos aren't likely to take advantage of the multi-page PDF functionality of the LiDE400. Similarly, the 4800 x 4800 dpi is only really valuable for highly detailed photography like aerial photos or intricate landscape shots. But then again, the price difference between these two models is also a mere $10 or $20. So why not shell out a little extra for that additional resolution alone?

5. HP ScanJet Pro N4000 snw1 (6FW08A)

Best Duplex Scanner

Price: $718.74 (+ Free Delievery)

Finally, if the 20-page ADF in the Epson WorkForce DS-360W falls a bit short of your scanning volume requirements, then this next monster unit is the pick for you. The HP ScanJet Pro N4000 snw1 is a mammoth of a document scanner with one of the most intuitive duplex scanning features we’ve seen this year.

This duplex scanner has scanning speeds of around 40 ppm, which is almost double the speeds boasted by the Epson WorkForce DS-360W scanner. This model also provides a 50-page auto-document feeder, allowing you to produce scans of up to 100-page documents with its duplex scanning feature.

Once again, the only downside to the ScanJet Pro N4000 is that it only has a scanning resolution of 600 x 600 dpi. This is, however, more than enough clarity for duplex document scanning. If you’re working in an office environment that requires a scanner with a higher than average volume, then the HP ScanJet Pro N4000 snw1 surely won’t disappoint.

What’s The Best Overall Scanner?

So, all things considered, what is the best printer scanner for home use in 2024? If you’re looking at a scanner that’s attached to an all-in-one printer, then it’s highly likely that it’s going to be an Epson EcoTank like the ET-2850 or perhaps even a Canon Endurance printer.

If you’re looking for one of the best scanners that do nothing but scan to an impeccable standard, then we’ll have to recommend the Canon LiDE400 flatbed scanner. Its 4800 x 4800 dpi resolution, fast scanning speeds, innovative features, smart connectivity, and mind-blowing low price make it the ultimate choice for any looking to snag the best document or photo scanner of 2024.

Did you find these best home printer scanner suggestions helpful? Then, take a look at our other best article recommendations including:

1. Best Photo Printers in Australia
2. Best Printers For Mac & iOS Users
3. Best Office Printers in Australia
4. Best Printers For Small Business Owners
5. Best Printers For Artists