I just bought a CanoScan 8600F scanner. It looks like Canon has given up on it completely and no longer supports drivers for the mac or windows 10? Is there anyway I get to use this scanner, or am I out of luck? I don't really care to purchase Vue Scan, when I just bought a scanner. Help?
Image Capture shows no camera or scanner connected unfortunately. It's worth noting that I know the scanner works because I downloaded a free trial of Vue Scan and it successfully scanned the image.
I noticed a past user had this advice. I tried replicating it myself but haven't had any luck.
I searched for the Scangear program, which is part of the Canoscan Toolbox package, and found that Scangear on its own is available for all MacOSs up to and including High Sierra. But on the Canon download page, there's also a note stating that ICA drivers must be installed in order for Scangear to work, and there are ICA drivers for High Sierra. So I installed just the driver, then installed the old version of Canoscan Toolbox, which supposedly only supports Lion, and bingo, it works like it always did on High Sierra.
This is where the driver lives on the Canon Canada support site:
https://canoncanada.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1011497
VueScan does not require any Canon drivers or software to drive this scanner. Without compatible Canon drivers, or Canon software requiring those drivers, you are done without paying for VueScan. There is a lesson in purchasing a 13 year old scanner without first checking Canon driver availability for it.
By the time you exhaust your efforts in seeking a Canon software solution, your opportunity cost (if you consider what your time is worth) will have paid for VueScan several times over.
Does Image Capture see it & work?
VueScan won't quit working for you, Developer is quite lenient.
Sure, it's more of the principle. I didn't buy a scanner with the intent of paying for a subscription to use the scanner. Is there a way where I can use it the way it was intended, without having to pay a third party?
I won’t deny that, I guess I should not have assumed. Seller stated they did not have the software drivers, but ensured that they can be downloaded online. I didn’t think anything of it. Why wouldn’t I be able to download the drivers online?
From my research after experiencing difficulties, it seems that Canon deliberately took these drivers from people who were currently using them, thus forcing them to buy a new scanner or to fork over money to a third party. I get that they want people to be buying new equipment from them, but turning perfectly good equipment into a lemon isn’t a business decision that has the customer in mind. I’ll never buy a scanner from them, new or used again.
All scanner and printer vendors reach a point where they stop producing drivers and supporting software for older product models. Even if you had purchased a five year old device, you might be in the same boat. Vendors have to introduce new products to stay in business, and need their developers working on new product drivers and software.
This is why VueScan supports over 6000 scanner devices, and why I can still use a pre-2010 Canon scanner with the current VueScan Professional. I have owned VueScan Professional since 2010 and have never paid an upgrade fee.
Canoscan 8600F and High Sierra
