Need a flatbed photo scanner to use with MacBook Air

I have been using an old CanoScan 8600F flatbed scanner for a family photo project. The scanner recently stopped working. Can someone recommend a good flatbed scanner that will work with a 2025 MacBook Air that I plan to purchase?

MacBook Air (M4, 2025)

Posted on Jun 30, 2025 07:45 AM

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7 replies

Jun 30, 2025 08:03 AM in response to Vuillard

Vuillard wrote: … a good flatbed scanner

That depends, of course, on your definition of "good," and how much money you have.


My CanoScan died a couple of years ago, and I got an EPSON Perfection V39-- there seems to be a V39 II, and I'm not sure which I have. It looks like it's about $100 to $120 at Amazon. I think I bought mine at Office Max, or something, because I wanted it immediately. I've done quite a bit of scanning with it, and it works great.


I use the app Image Capture to run it rather than Epson's software. It didn't require any drivers-- it just worked.

Jun 30, 2025 02:12 PM in response to Vuillard

If you have just printed pictures and not negatives or slides, the Canon CanoScan LIDE 400 flatbed is affordable (< $100) and may be useful. I have one. Apple's AirPrint supports it without vendor drivers and it can be used with ImageCapture or VueScan Professional.


The market for flatbed slide and negative scanners is drying up and largely dependent upon vendors continuing to provide drivers in pace with new releases of macOS. VueScan Professional will support the Epson V700 - 850 scanners without vendor drivers, but not the V600.


I have a bunch of slides and some negatives and I purchased the Pacific Image Electric Primefilm XA Plus scanner. It has its own Cyberview X scanning software that works on Sequoia v15.5 on Apple Silicon and Intel. But as of this post, they do not include an Apple Silicon compatible module that VueScan requires to drive this film scanner. Promised but not delivered (yet). So the scanner is connected to my 27-in 2020 iMac running Sequoia and scans of slides and negatives just work.


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Need a flatbed photo scanner to use with MacBook Air

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