Top SOHO scanners

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The Epson Perfection 1200S scanner is a top choice due to its fast scan speed

by Richard Jantz

(IDG) -- The big news in scanners comes on the SOHO side of the street, where new models from Hewlett-Packard and Umax have made quite a splash. Both units incorporate features that effectively up the ante in terms of what you can expect in an entry-level scanner. The Epson Perfection 1200S, however, still holds down the top position on the SOHO chart this month.

Entry-Level Prices, Advanced Performance

You can use the $149 HP ScanJet 4300C as a personal copy machine, which according to IDC research is one of the hottest trends in the current scanner market. To use this feature, you must have the PC turned on, but most of the action takes place on the scanner itself. The ScanJet's push-button control panel, which includes an LCD screen, prompts you to select both the copy quantity and quality (color or black and white) and to complete the job--all without using the PC itself.

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The ScanJet 4300C also offers direct "Scan to Web" capability, via the scanner's TWAIN driver (HP PrecisionScan LTX). With this handy feature, you can scan photos directly to one of the free photo-sharing Web sites that Hewlett-Packard supports (such as MyFamily.com and Zing.com). For users in need of a simple way to share photos on the Internet, it doesn't get much easier than that. We anticipate seeing more new scanners offering similar direct-scanning features in the coming months.

Low-cost scanners are continuing to add features that can help deliver great-looking results. The new Umax Astra 3400 is an excellent case in point, offering true 42-bit color through hardware processing rather than software enhancement (interpolation). Equipped with a 14-bit analog-to-digital converter, the Astra 3400 can capture more color data than the standard 12-bit A/D converters commonly used by 36-bit scanners. (As with resolution, the greater the color depth, the more image data a scanner can capture, which generally results in images with finer details and more accurate color.) Another plus: The Astra 3400's TWAIN driver (VistaScan) can automatically detect the document type, assign an optimum resolution, and crop and straighten an image for you.

Umax also makes news this month with changes in prices and support for its Astra family of SOHO scanners. The legal-document-capable Astra 4000U now costs $299 (down $50), and the Astra 2200, a former chart resident, drops to $179 (down $20). Live technical support on weekdays has also been extended for all Astra models--good news for first-time scanner buyers.

Umax Astra 4000U: What's Hot

Umax's Astra 4000U is the only scanner of the SOHO bunch that features a cardless Universal Serial Bus interface (no SCSI adapter needed), a legal-size scan bed, and toll-free automated technical support. This model also boasts a higher resolution than the SCSI-based Astra 2400S model that predates it (1200 by 2400 dpi, up from 600 by 2400 dpi), plus a lighter chassis (9.9 pounds, down from 14.6 pounds).

What's Not Like most USB models we've tested, the Astra 4000U's scan speed fell well short of the similarly featured Epson Perfection 1200S, the top SCSI unit on the SOHO chart. The lack of an optional automatic document feeder limits this scanner's ability to serve as an optical character recognition workhorse.

Summary By default, the scanner software settings produce warm, color-saturated images, but users demanding exact scans can easily make adjustments. An optional $149 transparency adapter unit is available for scanning batches of 35mm slides and other materials up to 8.5 by 11 inches.

The Astra 4000U's high resolution, large scan bed, and formidable extra-cost transparency adapter make it an excellent choice for scanning all kinds of graphics, both large and small.

Epson Perfection 1200S: What's Hot

The Epson Perfection 1200S's blazingly fast performance, combined with its 1200-by-2400-dpi resolution, gives it more scanning muscle than the other models on the SOHO chart. It delivers great-quality scans with sharp detail and accurate color, and it comes with Epson's excellent scanning software.

What's Not The Perfection 1200S's scan bed can't accommodate large documents. At $299, this unit costs about $125 more than the average SOHO unit, but it offers features comparable to what you'd find on some corporate models.

Summary Epson offers an optional transparency adapter ($99) for scanning materials of up to 4 by 5 inches, as well as a 20-page automatic document feeder ($199) that allows you to scan legal-size sheets. Epson's live technical support is a toll call for users; however, Epson also provides free, automated technical support, 24 hours a day.

The Epson Perfection 1200S would be a smart choice for some corporate users as well as for SOHO users. With the optional attachments, this scanner turns into a workhorse capable of handling almost any scanning task.

Top 7 SOHO Scanners Compared

  • Best Buy: Epson Perfection 1200S
  • Price: $2992

  • Overall score: 95

  • Scan quality: Good

  • FEATURES: SCSI, 1200 by 2400 dpi, 11.3-by-16.8-by-3.5-inch case,3 9.9 pounds, 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area, optional transparency adapter and automatic document feeder.

  • SUMMARY: Epson's SCSI unit offers sharp resolution and high-quality color and runs a bit faster than the USB model--but costs $50 more.

  • New Umax Astra 3400
  • Price: $99

  • Overall score: 92

  • Scan quality: Good

  • FEATURES: USB, 600 by 1200 dpi, 11.6-by-18.1-by-3.2-inch case,3 5.7 pounds, 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area, no optional transparency adapter or ADF.

  • SUMMARY: Impressive newcomer features speedy performance, 42-bit color, easy push buttons, generous support, and a bargain price.

  • Visioneer OneTouch 8600
  • Price: $200

  • Overall score: 91 Scan quality: Good

  • FEATURES: Parallel and USB,4 600 by 1200 dpi, 16.7-by-11.7-by-3.7-inch case,3 4.0 pounds, 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area, optional transparency adapter and ADF.

  • SUMMARY: This versatile model has a handy seven-button front panel, ample software, and good color accuracy on its maximum-resolution scans.

  • Acer 640U
  • Price: $90

  • Overall score: 90

  • Scan quality: Good

  • FEATURES: USB, 600 by 1200 dpi, 12-by-18-by-3-inch case,3 8.8 pounds. 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area, no optional transparency adapter.

  • SUMMARY: This scanner produces fast color scans of admirable quality, offers an abundant software bundle, and has around-the-clock tech support.

  • Agfa SnapScan Touch
  • Price: $99

  • Overall score: 90

  • Scan quality: Good

  • FEATURES: USB, 600 by 1200 dpi, 12-by-18-by-4.1-inch case,3 14 pounds, 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area, no transparency adapter.

  • SUMMARY: Impressive scan quality, easy-to-use push buttons, and toll-free support. Makes a good choice for entry-level scanning tasks.

  • Umax Astra 4000U
  • Price: $299

  • Overall score: 89

  • Scan quality: Good   • FEATURES: USB, 1200 by 2400 dpi, 11.3-by-16.8-by-3.5-inch case,3 9.9 pounds, 8.5-by-14-inch scanning area, optional transparency adapter.

  • SUMMARY: A $50 price drop makes this legal-document-capable scanner a deal. No speed demon, but has splendid scan quality and generous tech support policies.

  • New HP ScanJet 4300C
  • Price: $149

  • Overall score: 86

  • Scan quality: Fair

  • FEATURES: Parallel and USB,4 600 by 1200 dpi, 12-by-19.5-by-3.5-inch case,3 7.5 pounds, 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area, no optional transparency adapter or ADF.

  • SUMMARY: Five push buttons and a unique LCD panel aid this unit's copy center function. We saw the 4300C's best scans on lower-resolution tests.

How We Test

All scanners are tested with default settings under Windows 98 on a Gateway GP7-550 (Pentium III-550) PC with 128MB of RAM, using each scanner's bundled software. Overall score is based on scanned image quality (25 percent), scanning speed (22 percent), ease of use (17 percent), features (16 percent), support (10 percent), and price (10 percent). Speed tests are timed from start of scanning until cursor control is regained. Data based on tests designed and conducted by the PC World Test Center.

For an unabridged version of the article with capsule reviews, click here.

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