VueScan

I've been using VueScan for over six years, and I can second everything other reviewers say, but the key reason I turn to it is that I often need to test old scanners with drivers too outdated for modern Macs. That's where VueScan shines most. If your scanner works well with your Mac out of the box, most probably the built-in Image Capture will do just fine.

don't use when image capture's around. or simple scan or not another pdf scanner

VueScan is an amazing piece of software and well worth the price.

I own a Nikon Coolscan 5000. For those of you not in the know, it is a $1500 prosumer slide scanner that worked well on Windows System 7. It's the kind of scanner that, if something goes wrong, you get repaired. They don't make them like this because they don't make them any more.

The existing software driver didn't work well with system 10 (old hardware, remember?) and I had limited options. The test version seemed to work well...really well, so I paid the price. And I am VERY PLEASED.

This software is easier to use than the original. Using their dust removal settings works way faster than the machine's Digital ICE (and I have to say with MUCH better results). The dedusting is awesome.

But the icing on the cake? The one price gives me software for unlimited scanners. So I also get software to run my flatbed scanner... or any scanners that I have. And I have a few. And the software always works well.

To those who complain about paying for software: that's how you rate software? Whether you have to pay for it. Great versatile software costs to be developed. Pay for value and do it happily. I;ve never had to pay again for the software I bought from VueScan, so I can;t figure out what people are complaining about.

VueScan looks promising, though I couldn't bring myself to purchase software where the author doesn't care about his use's experience. When trying contacting him via his website, using the latest version of Firefox causes errors on his contact page and prevented me from asking questions.

Also not possible to contact him about generic questions without installing his software and attaching log files. The contact form REQUIRES the log file and won't submit without it, yet the log files are so big that the contact form won't accept them. No way to contact the author. (I had to create fake log files just for the contact form to accept my questions!). When highlighting the problem to him, his response was "Try use a modern browser like Chrome", despite using the latest version of Firefox. Pointing out to him that Firefox is a modern browser, he says "I don't want to argue", shows no further interest in the conversation.

If this attitude is the kind of support I can expect when there's a price tag of about 80 Euro, I'd rather not risk it.

[Edited by io41, January 31]

If you don’t need a scanning software every day or the one furnished with your scanner is good enough for you, don’t take a look at **Vuescan**. Only the lifetime version is worth to buy and it’s quite expensive. If you need a better scanning program than your default one or your old scanner lacks any driver on **Win10**, it’s a great solution. I use it with **Epson**, **Canon** and **Mustek** scanners. Rich options, raw format, automatic repeat scans, level corrections, it’s a complete solution. I put 4 stars because it’s not the best ergonomic tool and you have to study the options to get the best. Support is fast and efficient.

Update in 2024 : I discovered that there is no more "lifetime licence with free updates" - only one year updates. These last years I never had problems with all the different versions but I suppose that Windows upgrades can break things. So, the new payment option is quite restrictive and expensive. If you need simple scans (files or pdf) with a recent scanner, choose something less expensive or free.