Sunday, January 3, 2010

My new photo scanner

I've been wanting a photo scanner for some time now. My three in one copier/scanner/printer just does not do a good job of scanning photos. We have 37 years of photos that I want to scan and get put on CDs so the kids will all have copies - they can print out or just keep the copies.

So yesterday we went shopping for a photo scanner. I had looked online and found what I thought I wanted - but no stores locally had anything close to what I wanted. Came home discouraged - decided to try and order online - and talked to Jamie about ideas for what I should get. Then it came to me - craigslist!!!! Did you hear the music playing - the bells ringing - the fireworks going off? craigslist!!!!!

And there, just posted a few minutes before, was a photo scanner. I emailed quickly and we made an appointment for us to see it at 4:15 - had to wait 2 1/2 hours. Drat - waiting - fidgeting - will the time ever pass???

Got there - talked to the man who advertised it - liked what we saw (the scanner, not the man - though he was nice enough) and bought it.

Now home - to try and install by myself. Got the software installed - and then discovered that the scanner is five years old and doesn't work with Vista. Go online and find the right driver - with just a tiny bit of help - and download that - and it works - IT WORKS - more bells, more fireworks!!!!

Here it is - Epson Perfection 3490 Photo scanner - what a pretty little thing you are!!

This is the inside - with the attachment for scanning slides and negatives - you lift that attachment out and you place photos on the flat part - easy squeazy!

And now - are you ready for this???? The price? You'd better sit down - oh you are already sitting down - then you might want to lie down and have someone read this to you. The scanner box had NEVER been opened (for some reason he had bought two and never opened this one) - so new out of the box - never touched - are you sure you are ready???? $10.00 - I almost fell over when I learned the price!! I was sure that when we got there he would say it was a misprint - but it was $10.00. Now I'm known as a frugal shopper, even a thrifty shopper - and perhaps bit of a tightwad - but come on - $10.00 for a brand new scanner? I've outdone myself!!!! I've even outdone my son and DIL - and they can SHOP.

Now let's look at some photos. . . . scanned photos . . . some photos that were just sitting in the studio - waiting to be scanned (and why were they not in the albums where they should be? Who knows)


A spider web in the early morning dew - this came out better in the scan than the original!!!


Our three sweet babies - Beccy's 6th birthday party. They had all been sick with the flu so the little kids had their jammies on. If they aren't the cutest things, I don't know who is.

Lori and Beccy - they had been baking a cake and they are looking at a photo I had just taken of them decorating the cake. Oh the days of Polaroid cameras.

Another baking photo. Beccy had just put the second pumpkin pie in the oven and when she did her pinky finger touched the hot rack and she pulled her hand back and spilled the pie upside down on the oven door - and all over her pants. What a mess - but we still had one pie.

I think these photos came out great - I can't wait to get into the dozens of albums we have full of photos and get them scanned. Don is going to help - he will take them out of the albums and put them back in after I've scanned - it will go much faster that way. Did I mention that I love my new photo scanner??


14 comments:

Pat said...

WOW...what a deal...and what a great idea to get the photos on disks for the kids!

Sharon T in Napa said...

This is an awesome story JoAnni!!! Kudos to you for searching and finding a true treasure. I just took a TON of old slides and movies to Costco to have them put onto CD. I had no idea there was even a scanner out there that could DO that!! I'm looking forward to creating a CD with music and all, to give to my Mom for her birthday with all those old slides on there. I need to research software for that.
LOVE your blog!!

Jocelyn said...

What an incredible deal for sure! Congrats on your craig list find :-) Or should I say SCORE!

SewCalGal said...

I think you found the first super deal on Craigslist of the year. It may retain that title for the entire year. $10 is a super deal. The stars certainly aligned on this for you! And your photos look great! Enjoy!

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

Lili said...

Oh, I'm so excited for you! It's wonderful how you can now preserve all those precious family photos. You were meant to have that scanner, I believe it always works out that way. Congrats!

Crispy said...

WOW that was a fantastic find!! The scanned photos really look great and a wonderful way to share with the kids.

Crispy

LINDA BYLSMA said...

As I pull myself up off the floor. . . .Wow, will you become my personal shopper?
I LOVE your pictures! Your kids all resemble you so much, they are so cute. The pie incident must be a favorite family tale.
You will be having so much fun with this.

Browndirtcottage said...

Wu-Ow...Woo Hoo...you lucky duck
you!! I just can not believe how
being at the right craigslist at the right time you were....what a scoop!!! What a marvy idea for
putting them all on discs....
hhhhmmmmm....I may have to look into this myself!!!

Christine Thresh said...

The best deal of 2010. You got it.
Certain things are meant to be.
You needed to do this project for your family and the equipment was available just for you.
I am sure your year will go along just like this.

Unknown said...

Oh wow! I am so happy for you. I use my scanner from my copier, then use picasa to tweek the photos but something like this would be awesome.
Gotta have one!
Are you ready for the Olympics?

Lila Rostenberg said...

Wow! You really found just what you needed and almost for free!
I use a scanner all the time...and of course, that's the only way to get the HOlga photos on the blog!

Have fun!

JoyceAnn said...

Wow JoAnn ~ That was a great deal , glad it all worked out. I've always been afraid to buy used electronics , maybe I'll rethink that concept.
Wonderful pics , and I love the spiderweb , it looks beautiful.

~ Warmest Blessings ~

Anonymous said...

How nice that you can see deer in your yard. This morning I am watching the squirrel try to get seeds from our "Squirrel Buster" feeder. He came up empty and actually fell off several times.

Congratulations to you on finding such a bargain and then being able to download the proper driver. Makes you feel like a "Techie" doesn't it? I have great plans to scan my photos but I have them tucked everywhere and I think what a mess if I drag them all out. I have way too many to put into albums. (Maybe my fondness of photographing my children is why two of my sons run away from me with my camera. One son is an actor and he poses every time!)

Becky said...

Wow, I'm so jealous. I've been looking and researching and reading about scanners. I want one for basically the same reason. Way to shop.