Connecting a Scanner the Old Way and the New Way

Home Office Computing, May, 1999 by Joey Latimer

Epson Perfection 636

Score: 7.3
V   7
P   8
E   7
S   8

Requirements        Win 95/98/Mac OS 7.0 or higher, 16MB of RAM,
                    50MB of hard disk space, CD-ROM drive,
                    PCI slot for SCSI card

Est. Street Price   $300

Manufacturer        Epson, 800-GO EPSON, www.epson.com

Umax Astra 1220U

Score: 8.3
V    9
P    8
E    9
S    8

Requirements        Win 95/98/Mac OS 8.0, 16MB of RAM, 170MB of
                    hard disk space, CD-ROM drive, USB port

Est. Street Price   $150

Manufacturer        Umax, 800-562-0311, www.umax.com

EASE VERSUS SPEED: THAT'S the argument for choosing a flatbed scanner with a USB interface over one that plugs into a SCSI controller. Both the Umax Astra 1220U and Epson Perfection 636 offer fast 36-bit scanning, excellent software bundles, and useful features that make scanning easy and accurate; but setup for the USB-based Umax was much simpler than the hoops we jumped through with Epson's SCSI scanner. However, the Epson's scans were sharper.

Installing the Astra 1220U was as easy as plugging the supplied cable into our desktop's USB port and sticking the CD-ROM into the drive. By contrast, installing the Perfection 636 obliged us to open our PC and install a SCSI card, tweak Windows 98 to recognize the card without conflicts, connect the scanner cable, and then install the software before closing the computer. The job took over an hour compared with 15 minutes for the Umax.

Moreover, an error message reading "No pushbutton scanner detected" popped onto the screen each time we booted our PC with the Epson connected, even though the scanner worked fine. We saw the same message on three different systems; Epson's tech support staff said each PC was processing other startup information when a scanning check occurred. USB is friendlier, SCSI is faster: The Epson's average scan times were about 25 percent faster than the Umax's. The Astra also required a longer warm-up time before scanning, which could be annoying on deadlines.

Each scanner comes with a complete collection of software. Umax offers Presto PageManager and PhotoAlbum, Caere's OmniPage OCR software, Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.1, a copier utility, and superb scanner drivers with options for both beginning and advanced users. Epson's bundle includes Presto PageManager, Adobe PhotoDeluxe Business Edition, and Xerox TextBridge Classic OCR software. The Perfection 636's scanning software can perform batch scans, separate text from backgrounds, and define different settings for certain areas of a scan.

So how were the scans? Technically, the Epson boasts an optical resolution of 600 by 2,400dpi to the Astra's 600 by 1,200dpi. Its scans appeared slightly more vibrant to our eyes, but the difference in scan quality wasn't noticeable without looking closely on different monitors. Either product would be fine for scanning documents and low to medium resolution scanning projects.

Which scanner is right for you? It all depends on your needs: Does your work require high-quality precision digital scans, or do you need a scanner that won't have you reaching for the aspirin bottle?

Serious graphics users will appreciate the Epson Perfection 636's extra speed and sharper scans, but we pick the Umax Astra 1220U for being a breeze to set up and for saving money. If you were smart enough to buy a PC with a USB port, then go right ahead and take advantage of this time-, sanity-, and headache-saving method of connecting finicky hardware.

RATINGS

HOME OFFICE COMPUTING'S
product scores are weighted
averages of 1- to 10-point
ratings for: Value (30 percent
of total), Performance (30
percent of total), Ease of Use
(20 percent of total), and
Suitability for Home Office
Use (20 percent of total).

KEY

V = Value
P = Perfomance
E = Ease of Use
S = Suitability for Home Office Use

Epson Perfection 636

PROS Fast, vibrant colors

CONS Tough to install and use

Umax Astra 1220U

PROS Low-cost and friendly

CONS Slightly dimmer colors and slower scanning