Scanner recommendation?

[algae]

Hi all,
I am purchasing a scanner in a few days and was wondering what type I should buy. This is just for home use and I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. Any recommendations?
Tia
Gary

 

[Oyeve]

I would recommend any of the new HPs and UMAXs. They are dirt cheap and have excellent scan quality. Make sure you get at least 36bit. I have a UMAX 2200 or something like that and love it. USB is much faster than parallel but still slow IMO. If you can, get one in the SCSI flavor, they are much faster. But then again, it could just be my scanner.

 

[RossMAN]

The best scanner is probably the Epson Perfection 1200U

If you're on a budget but still want a decent scanner with a good software bundle then consider the UMAX Astra 3400 here's a good CNET review

 

[Romaleos]

I saw the new EPSON Perfection 1200U at a friend's house. This was the one that won the PC Magazine Editors Choice couple of weeks ago (at $200 price range)

I liked it very much. Great output, Web development support, it goes up to 1,200-by-2,400 dpi.

Take a look at pcmagazine.com site.

 

[Adrian Tung]

Check out the Canon CanoScan N1220U. Scans are as good as the Epson Perfection 1200U (albeit slower), but it's so slim and lightweight, you could carry it around like a book or file. Furthermore, it doesn't need a power supply, it draws power directly from the USB cable.

BTW The Perfection 1200U is excellent too. I am using the scanner, BTW. However, I just got to review the Canon scanner this month... if I hadn't got my Epson then, I would have gotten the Canon instead.


atwl

 

[Wah]

I just got the canon N1220U. Its so small it fits perfectly on my desk right next to my monitor. You can also stand it upright w/ the stand that comes with it (haven't tried it). With my previous scanner, i had to put it on a shelf because it was so big. Some good deals with a buy.com $30 off $150. I got mine for $124. its $199 retail.
1200X2400dpi usb 42bit color

 

[dcdomain]

Epson's are the best scanners out there... but I'm not sure if you'll notice the difference in quality these days. So many other companies are coming out with great products. The lab back in highschool was strictly Epson. I personally have a Umax Astra 1220u, only because it was one of the first scanners to support USB.

If you want to shell out the cash, grab the Epson mentioned above. But I'm perfectly happy with my dated Umax. The 3400 is an awesome buy.

 

[Bling Bling]

Does any scanner have Win2k drivers? I have a microtek scanmaker 3600 which is pretty inexpensive (under $100) and gets the job done well. However, it does not have win2k drivers, so i'm still on win98.

I checked epson's site, and they don't mention anything about win2k. They just say "supports win98."


Hrrrmmmmph.

 

[algae]

Gracias guys

 

[Bling Bling]

<bump>

 

[JellyBaby]

I just bought the UMAX Astra 3400 from Onvia for $79 ($99, free shipping - $20 rebate). Tracking number was issued today.

Someone linked to that CNet review already. Basically, it looks like an inexpensive but fast scanner that works in all current versions of Windows including 2K, offers a great software bundle, and has a 1 year warranty. Even though I'm using Win98SE now, my feeling is that if it'll work under Win 2K, it ought to work fine under Whistler when that OS arrives. Older Umax scanners may not (which is why I avoided the 2100U model for $59-$20.

Also I liked the Copy button for instant copy to your printer...and the Power Saving button to turn off the lamp.

It all sounds great in theory but I've never used a scanner before so we'll see what happens. Hopefully the UPS truck won't slip off an ice-filled road getting to me and break the glass scanbed.

 

[Adrian Tung]

The Epson Perfection 1200U has Win2K drivers, which I'm using right now.


atwl

 

[Modeps]

get a high end microtek scanner, they are great.
Fantastic Scanner

 

[Kwad Guy]

I finally had a chance to play with an Epson 1200U. And I can
say that, on the whole, I prefer the HP 6300/6350 scanners. They're
a bit faster and IMHO generate better images.

The downside is that the 6300 series printers are going to run
you about $400. But these are VERY good scanners.

I'd stay away from consumer level Umax and Agfa scanners.

Kwad