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Let’s face it; the quality of our photos from some years back is nothing compared with the photos of today. That being said, we still want to be able to enjoy them. Most of us have an old box (or boxes of photos and negatives that need to be brought into the 21st century. To do so, you will need a photo scanner. The brand Epson is synonymous with photos and their photo scanners are exactly the quality you would expect. This article will focus on the Epson V550 vs V600.
The two photo scanners are incredibly similar, yet there are a few differences that might affect your buying decision. We are going to cover all of the photo scanners’ aspects including their functions, software, appearance, and value for money.
We will begin by covering the similarities of Epson V550 and Epson V600 before we focus on the differences.
Epson V550 vs V600 – Similarities
Scanning Options
With the Epson V550 and the Epson V600, you can scan photos, film, and documents. There is the option to scan to enlarge prints up to 17 x 22cm. You can scan 35mm films and negatives. To save time, you can also scan multiple photos with both.
ReadyScan LED
Built into the scanners is an LED light. This is another time-saving feature that means you don’t have to wait for either of the scanners to warm up. They are literally ready to scan straight away.
Digital ICE
When it comes to scanning old photos and film, you may find scratches or even a dusty appearance. The Digital ICE feature will remove such dust and scratches. However, it is worth mentioning here that only the Epson V600 has Digital ICE that will work on photos. They both have this feature for films and negatives.
Scanning Films and Negatives
In order to scan films and negatives, you need a transparency unit. Not all scanners have this so you would have to buy an additional unit. The Epson V550 and the Epson V600 have transparency units built into the lids.
Scanning Documents
Whether old letters or important documents, the Epson V550 and the Epson V600 are great solutions for scanning and saving documents in digital format. They both have ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint Plus OCR. Once your document is scanned, you will be able to fully edit the text.
Easy Photo Fix
The two scanners have 48-bit color depth. With just one touch of the Easy Photo Fix, photos and films will be brought to new life with rich and vivid color improvement.
Sharing
Once you have scanned your documents, photos or film you will be able to copy, save as a PDF or scan directly to your email. All of this can be done with the one-touch buttons. The Epson V550 has the added advantage of being able to automatically scan to cloud services.
Operating Systems
The Epson V550 and the Epson V600 run on Mac and Windows. The software for Windows is included. If you have a mac, you will need to download the software.
Read next: Canon 9000F vs Epson V600: Which Photo Scanner is Better?
What’s Included
Whether you choose Epson V550 or Epson V600, you will receive the same extras. They come with a setup poster with pictures that will help you get started. There is also the installation CD with the Windows software. You will receive a USB cable, an AC adapter, and a power cable. For the films and negatives, there are two film holders, a 33m film mounted sides and one for 6 x 22-inch medium format.
Video Comparison
After all of those similarities, let’s take a closer look at the differences between the Epson V550 and V600.
Differences Between Epson Perfection V550 and V600
Epson V550 vs V600: Appearance
Both have a sleek, black, modern design with the brand name and version number on the front. There are 4 buttons plus 2 lights to let you know that the machine is powered and if there are any errors. There is a tiny difference in size, but we really are splitting hairs here.
Epson V550
The dimensions are 19.1 x 11.2 x 4.6 inches. It weighs slightly more at 9.6lbs.
Epson V600
The difference is so small it could be a case of simply rounding down the numbers. It is 19 x 11 x 4.6 inches. It weighs 9lbs.
The Winner Is- A Tie
Read next:
- Epson V600 vs V800: Which Epson Perfection Scanner is Better?
- Epson v370 vs v550: Which Epson Perfection Scanner is Better?
Epson V550 vs V600: Software
The software that comes with a photo scanner ultimately defines what you can do with it.
Epson V550
As we have mentioned, it comes with ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint Plus OCR. Once you have scanned a document you will be able to edit the text.
Epson V600
As well as ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint Plus OCR, the Epson V600 comes with ArcSoft Photo Studio. This software will allow you to edit and further enhance your photos.
The Winner Is- The V600
Value For Money
Depending on the brand and the features, a photo scanner can cost anywhere from $100 to $1000.
Epson V550
This Epson photo scanner is a little cheaper. You might be able to save around $20, that being said, there is no information about a warranty. You can only assume that there is a standard Epson warranty of one year.
Epson V600
Although being just a bit more expensive, it does have a couple of extra features. Not only that, but it also comes with a one-year warranty.
The Winner Is- The V600
Epson Perfection V600
Pros and Cons
The last part of our article provides you with the final verdict. But before that, we will list a few pros and cons of the two Epson photo scanners.
Epson V550
Pros:
- This scanner does a brilliant job of auto-cropping each photo and separating multiple scans into individual thumbnails
- It’s a great choice if you are a novice to photo scanners, it’s easy to use yet with great results
- There are 4 scanning modes, full auto, home, office, and professional, so essential, you have more options
Cons
- The software for Mac isn’t the best
- Using the Digital ICE slows down the scanning process
Epson V600
- There is a massive difference when restoring photos, not just with color photos, but also black and white
- The ArcSoft Photo Editor is easy to use and a great bonus feature
- It also comes with a professional mode
Cons:
- Some people have noticed a few issues when using Windows 10 and some versions of Mac
- It also starts to run slower once you use the Digital ICE
The Final Verdict
Although the compatible operating system is extremely important, we are not going to base our final decision on this. When it comes to updates and software versions of both Windows and Mac, there are going to be a lot of variations.
There are so many things in common, it was a difficult decision for us to make. Some of the things that we loved about both of the scanners were the one-touch functions. You can line up various photos to scan and with one button, have them scanned to your email. With another button, use the Easy Photo Fix.
It is also great that the transparency unit is built-in. We know a few people who have bought a scanner only to have to buy a separate transparency unit to go with it. ABBYY Fine Reader Print Plus OCR worked flawlessly with the Epson V550 and the Epson V600.
The extras that come with the Epson V550 and the Epson V600 are exactly the same. And really, there is not enough of a difference in the size to choose one over the other.
Finally, we went for the Epson V600. For the extra few dollars, you know you have a warranty, so it’s a safer buying option. It was a shame that the V600 didn’t have the automatic scan to cloud feature, however, we felt that we could live without this, especially as you can still scan to PDF and scan to email with either.
Instead, we preferred having the ability to use the Digital ICE on our photos. The ArcSoft software is great for professionals and non-professionals. It really did boil down to a few small aspects. Nevertheless, if you have a stack of photos that need to be scanned and renewed, the Epson V600 is a fantastic unit.
Last update on 2024-08-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API