Two models in the Ratings of all-in-one printers (available to subscribers), the HP Photosmart C8180 and the Canon Pixma MP970, can do something the others can't-scan 35mm negatives or slides. Scanning from film into a computer, which many flatbed scanners also do, produces a digital file with greater details than you get by scanning from a print of that image.

In our tests, both models produced images from film on par with machines in our Ratings of flatbed scanners (available to subscribers). But if you have lots of slides or negatives to scan, a flatbed scanner is still a better choice because inserting and removing many transparencies on the all-in-one printers is a bit cumbersome. A stand-alone flatbed is better designed for larger volumes.

The Canon all-in-one printer's maximum optical resolution is 4800 dots per inch, and the HP's is 9600. (Anything over 4800 is overkill.) Both were slower than typical flatbed scanners, taking about 30 seconds per slide at 1200 dots per inch, comparable with flatbeds we've tested at that resolution. And both all-in-one printers include LCD viewers that guide you through the scanning process.

Both models are pricey. The HP costs $350; the Canon costs $270. That's about the same as a flatbed scanner with comparable film-scanning quality.