Canon combined several advanced technologies, including those for optics, mechanics, electrical and electronic engineering, and software, to develop a 4,800-dpi high-resolution scanner. Not only documents, but also printed photos and 35 mm film can be converted into high-grade digital data. In addition to its CCD scanner models, Canon has equipped its slim CIS scanners with an extensive array of functions, offering complete digital imaging support.

Canon offers two types of flatbed scanners: CCD and CIS.

CCD models incorporate high-precision optics and high-density CCD line sensors, which illuminate the document with a strong light source, to deliver sharp, high-resolution images. CIS scanners are slim-bodied, energy-efficient models that utilize a three-color RGB LED as the light source and read documents with a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) of the same width as document originals.