My current scanner is a Canon, and I too have never had a problem with it and like it just fine. Yes, I've been to every website known to humanity but Canon simply don't make the driver and I have not been able to make the Twain thing work either.

Interesting to note that people seem to be less than enamoured of HP's, which is something to bear in mind. I love my reliable old workhorse HP duplex printer, and my old HP laptop still works though it's very slow these days; but it always performed like a Trojan. I don't have a prejudice against a 3-in-1 itself, just at paying for capability that I don't need. But it sounds as though I should look beyond HP.

I had a Canon photocopier which was OK but pooped out sooner than it should have. Took it to all the repair places (remember there is not a huge amount of choice locally) and was told by all of them that they couldn't get parts because Canon was not well supported here. That's what they SAID, however true it is or isn't, but the net result was that I couldn't get it fixed. So I'm not anxious to repeat the experience of investing in hardware that gets left high and dry if it goes wrong. Will look into Epsons and some of the others tho.

Very helpful thread, thanks folks!