Brother iPrint&Scan vs FilmBox by Photomyne

Brother iPrint&Scan lets owners of supported Brother machines print from and scan to the machine using mobile devices or computers. On mobile, it can print photos, documents, and web pages; the Android FAQ also lists Gmail and cloud services. Depending on the platform, scans can be saved to the device or cloud storage, emailed, or opened in other apps. The iOS listing names Dropbox, OneDrive, and Evernote for printing, and iCloud as a scan destination. On supported newer models, mobile features may include image editing, fax sending and preview, copy preview, and machine status. Windows and macOS provide detailed scan controls, and users can save settings as reusable Workflows. The app is free, with listed output formats of PDF and JPEG, and support for OCR and ADF. Brother lists Windows 7 or later and macOS 10.10 or later. Printing and scanning are not available on every Brother machine; mobile devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the machine.

FilmBox by Photomyne turns film negatives into digital photos with a smartphone. The app guides users to hold a strip vertically in front of a backlight and capture it; its scanning algorithm reverses the negative colors and enhances the image. A computer screen can supply the light, or users can open Photomyne’s web backlight source. FilmBox supports iOS and Android, and Photomyne says photos can also be accessed on a computer. A free option covers limited scanning, with the App Store listing describing the first few photos as free. Paid memberships add unlimited scanning, saving and sharing in print quality, backup, enhancements, and access on other devices and online. Membership is billed yearly; the One-Shot plan is a single upfront payment valid for two years. Photomyne says most information is saved to the cloud for backup, using AWS systems in the United States and Ireland. Support is listed at [email protected].