If you’re selling sportscards on eBay, then you already probably know the importance of having good images for your product.
Now, you might be in favor of taking photos of your cards with your phone or camera, which is fine for the most part.
But if you want to get the most out of your cards, then you might want to invest in the best scanner for raw sports cards possible to show off your cards.
Having good images for your listing is an important step of being able to sell cards better and for more, which is where a dedicated scanner for sports cards comes in.
Table of Contents
Don’t Want to Wait? Here’s Our Favorite
| Image | Title | Offer Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
Top
Top | Epson Perfection V600 Color Photo, Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner | Check Price on Amazon | |
Top | Canon CanoScan Lide 300 Scanner, 1.7" x 14.5" x 9.9" | Check Price on Amazon | |
Top | Canon CanoScan 9000F Color Image Scanner | Check Price on Amazon | |
Top | Epson Perfection V550 Color Photo, Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner with 6400 DPI Optical Resolution | Check Price on Amazon | |
Top | Epson Perfection V850 Pro scanner | Check Price on Amazon |
My top choice is the Epson Perfection V600. We like it because it produces high-quality scans, it’s easy to use, not too expensive, and offers a nice range of advanced features for all types of users.
Epson Perfection V600 – Best Overall
- Create extraordinary enlargements from film: 6400 x 9600 dpi for enlargements up to 17 Inches x 22 Inches. Maximum Scan Area 8.5 x 11.7 inches. TPU 2.7 x 9.5 inches
- Remove the appearance of dust and scratches from film: Digital ICE for Film
- Remove the appearance of tears and creases from photos: Digital ICE for prints
- Restore faded color photos with one touch: Epson easy photo fix included
- Scan slides, negatives and medium format panoramic film: Built in transparency unit
- Achieve greater productivity: Energy efficient Ready Scan LED light source means no warm up time, faster scans and lower power consumption
- Convert scanned documents into editable text: ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus OCR
- Take your photos further: ArcSoft PhotoStudio included, to help edit and enhance your digital images
- Quickly complete any task: Instantly scan, copy, scan to email and create PDFs with four customizable buttons
The Epson Perfection V600 is the best scanner for raw sports cards overall at the moment. It will provide you with high-quality images with resolutions of up to 9600 while also being large and compact enough at the same time to accommodate larger cards. It also gets the job done quickly.
Review
When you’re choosing a good scanner for raw sports cards, there are a few things you want to keep in mind.
The most important thing is the quality of the image that your scanner will produce. And that is an area where the Epson Perfection V600 shines. It will create images of up to 6400 x 9600 dpi, which is fantastic quality for the money.
This scanner will help you achieve various tasks, as it has a surface area that is large enough to accommodate documents and items of up to 17 inches x 22 inches. This is more than enough for sports cards, even the larger ones.
It also offers some more advanced features, like the Digital ICE feature, Epson easy fix, and a built-in transparency unit for negatives and medium panoramic films. Now, you might not need all of those for your cards, but they can come in handy for other tasks you might use the scanner for.
There’s also the OCR technology, which lets you convert images to written documents in a matter of seconds.
Overall, the Epson Perfection V600 strikes a sweet balance between image quality, performance, and price.
Pros
- Fast scanning speeds
- Good image quality of up to 6400×9600 dpi
- Basic and advanced features
- Versatile
- Decent enough software
Cons
- Not MAC compatible
Canon CanoScan Lide 300 – Best Budget Option
- Scan documents quickly and easily with fast scanning up to 10 seconds
- Digitize documents and images thanks to 2400 x 2400 dpi resolution, and with image enhancements, such as fade correction and dust reduction, your photos will continue to look great
- Enjoy ease of use with 4 EZ buttons. With auto scan mode, the Scanner automatically detects what youre scanning; Built in PDF button, easily scans and saves pdfs that are editable and searcha
If you’re not willing to spend several hundred bucks on a scanner for raw sports cards, then the Canon CanoScan Lide 300 will be a great budget option for you. At the expense of the highest possible image quality, you get an awesome scanner that is more than good enough for most collectors out there.
Review
Scanners come in all shapes and sizes. You’ve got scanner + printer combinations, which are usually the largest of all of these devices. Then you have slightly smaller scanners like the Epson V600 we’ve seen above. And then you have smaller scanners for smaller documents, perfect for raw sports cards like this Canon Lide 300 scanner.
Since this is a budget option, you will probably expect this device to cut corners in one way or another. The truth is that perhaps the only area where you’ll see a noticeable difference is the resolution of your scans.
If you don’t need the latest & the greatest, then you will probably be fine with the 2400 x 2400 dpi resolution offered by this scanner. Granted, it’s not as good as the 9600 dpi resolution of the Epson V600, but it’s still good enough for most card collectors out there.
The scanning area of the scanner is 14.5 x 9.9 inches, which is enough for most types of sports cards. Another commendable feature is that it will not take longer than 10 seconds for the scanner to scan your cards.
You’ll get quite a lot of scanning for not too much money.
Pros
- Great budget option
- 10-second scans
- 5 x 9.9 inches scanning area
- Good enough for most collectors
Cons
- Not the highest resolution
- Not for larger scans (not as versatile as Epson V600)
Canon CanoScan 9000F – Best Image Quality
- Fare Level 3 delivers automatic dust and scratch removal as well as fading, grain and backlight correction
- Zero warm-up time and lower power consumption with White LED
- Auto Scan Mode automatically adjusts settings by detecting what you are scanning
- Maximum Document Size: 8.5 x 11.7 Inch (21.6 x 29.7
The Canon CanoScan 9000F is the right option for you if you need the best image possible. It can produce scans with resolutions of up to 19200 dpi, which is at a very high level. In addition, thanks to the dust and scratch removal tools, it will create clear images so that you’ll be able to show off your raw cards.
Review
The Canon CanoScan 9000F would have been our top pick if it was not for the clunky software that comes with the scanner. Out of all scanners, it has the best resolution possible. At 192000 dpi, you’ll be able to showcase all the details of your card, which is key when scanning raw cards.
This scanner also has the performance to back the high resolution up. All scans are done instantly as the scanner has zero warmup time. It will also not consume a lot of energy thanks to the low power consumption LED system.
Using this scanner is also a breeze thanks to the EZ buttons on the scanner, which allows you to quickly choose the function you need to use and start scanning. There’s also the Auto Scan Mode, which allows the scanner to automatically pick the mode based on the document you’re scanning.
Overall, you’re getting a very good product for a sensible price, especially if you intend to use it for different means other than scanning cards. One of the bigger downsides is the clunky software that comes with the scanner, but that can be overcome with a bit of trial and error.
Pros
- Pristine image quality of up to 19200 dpi
- Fast scanning time
- Available for a good price
- Versatile
- Advanced features
Cons
- The software could be more user-friendly
Epson Perfection V550 – Best Alternative Option
- Create sharp, vivid reproductions 6400 dpi optical resolution1 for enlargements upto 17 x 22 inches
- Scan 35 millimeter slides, negatives and film built in transparency unit
- Achieve robust photos restorations Digital ICE technology removes the appearance of dust and scratches on film
- Bring faded photos back to life easy photo fix for one touch photo restorations
- Achieve greater productivity with ReadyScan LED technology fast scanning, no warmup time, no mercury
- Scan multiple photos at one time auto edge detection crops each image and saves it as a separate file
- Convert scanned documents into editable text ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus OCR
- Brilliant, true to life colors amazing, 48 bit color depth
- Do more Hi Speed USB
Now, we’ve already featured the newer cousin of this scanner, which is the V600. However, the Epson Perfection V550 also offers some fantastic features, and it could easily have overtaken the V600 for the top spot. However, there are some features of the V600 that are better than with the V550.
Review
The V550 shares many similarities with the V600 model. It is almost of the same size (19.1 x 11.2 inches), and it is appropriate for documents of sizes of up to 17 x 22 inches.
One of the key differences here is the resolution of the scans, which is slightly lower with this V550. The highest resolution that the scanner will produce is 6400 dpi, which is not too shabby at all, just not as good as the newer V600 model.
However, one could argue that the V550 will produce more vivid scans than the V600. The rest of the features are vastly the same – it also has the Digital ICE feature, as well as the ReadyScan LED feature which lets you start scans almost instantly.
Overall, the Epson Perfection V550 is a great alternative to V600 where you don’t compromise a lot on quality. The resolution is slightly lower, but the vividness of the colors is slightly better with the older V550 model.
Pros
- Vivid colors
- Resolution of up to 6400 dpi
- Advanced features
- Versatile
Cons
- Even though the resolution of 6400 dpi is great, it is not as good as with the V600
Epson Perfection V850 – Best Large Option
- Pro quality color & detail - get unparalleled scans W/ 6400 dpi resolution & Adv
- Remarkable tonal range - 4.0 Dmax for smooth gradations & fine Shadow detail
- Exclusive dual lens system - selects from 2 lenses for optimum results
- Operating systems: Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows XP professional x64 Edition and Mac OS X 10.6.X, 10.7.X, 10.8.X, 10.1
If you don’t like the idea of printer scanners but you’d still like to see some features of that model, you’ll probably like the Epson Perfection V850 scanner. It’s slightly larger than most other products we’ve taken a look at so far, but it’s still compact enough for quick scans for your sports cards.
Review
The main feature of the Epson Perfection V850 that makes it stand out is the dual-lens scanning, which lets you scan more documents at the same time thanks to two different lenses. This is the main advantage of the larger size of the scanner.
The scans you’ll make are also of a high level of quality. You’ll be able to create scans with resolutions of up to 6400 dpi (4800 dpi in fast-speed mode), which allows you to showcase all the details of your raw sports cards.
If you need a scanner for something else than only cards (let’s say photos or larger libraries of photos), then you’ll benefit from the larger size of the scanner. But even if you only intend to scan cards only, it will serve you well as a good versatile option if you intend to use it for other means in the future.
The downside of this scanner is that it is slightly larger, which means it will take up more space in your home. It’s stuck somewhere between a printer scanner and smaller scanners we’ve seen above, which might not suit everyone.
Pros
- Dual-lens scanning
- Resolution of up to 6400 dpi
- Great for photos as well as cards
- Versatile
Cons
- Slightly larger than most other scanners
- Quite expensive
Scanner for Raw Sports Cards Buying Guide
Still not sure which scanner for raw sports cards you’re going to buy? Then read this buying guide to get a better idea of what to look for in your cards.
1. Image Quality
One of the first things you’ll want to take a look at is the image quality.
Most scanners offer a quality of up to 6400 dpi, which is much better than most printer scanners. This makes these dedicated scanners more appropriate for sports cards since you’ll be able to show off details of your cards, which is not possible as easily with larger scanners.
You’ll want to have the highest possible resolution for scanning your cards. If you’re on a budget, then a resolution of 2400 dpi will also do well, but ideally, you’d want at least 6400 dpi.
2. Size
In terms of size, there are two aspects that we need to talk about:
- Product size
- Flatbed size
The flatbed size here is crucial since you want to have one that is large enough for your cards.
Potentially, if you want to use the scanner for other things, then you’ll benefit from larger products. But know that a larger flatbed also means a larger product size, which will take up more space than usual in your home.
3. Versatility and Ease of Use
If you’re going to use your scanner for different purposes than only scanning cards, then you’ll want to have as many features as possible in your scanner.
In this case, having a larger flatbed is also nice, which might allow you to scan more photos at the same time. In this respect, the Epson Perfection V850 does really well.
Also, the easier the product is to use, the better. You don’t want to have complicated software, which can slow down your process significantly if you have many cards to scan.
4. Budget
Lastly, take a look at the budget you have to spend on your scanner.
Our best budget option is the Canon CanoScan Lide 300. The downside of getting this scanner is the slightly lower image quality (2400 dpi).
FAQ
Do I Need a Sports Card Scanner?
If you want to sell your cards in the best way possible, then you’ll benefit from using a scanner. Some people swear by using their phones for creating images of their cards, which can work, but you need to be very precise.
The scanner will just do a much better job of taking an image of your card. You’ll be able to showcase all the details of your card, which can help you reveal the true condition of the card. And that is absolutely crucial with raw cards.
Can I Use a Printer Scanner for Scanning Cards?
You can, but you just won’t get the same quality as with a dedicated, smaller scanner.
Larger scanners usually have a much lower resolution than the scanners we’ve featured here, which can make it slightly harder to sell your cards. Also, they’re a bit clunkier to use and it’s harder to get your scans right with a printer scanner.
