Photo Scanners Unveiled at TechXNY

Epson, Microtek unveil scanners with faster interfaces and new image management features.

Rebecca Freed, PCWorld.com

NEW YORK--New scanners with a focus on photo handling were unveiled on the eve of PC Expo/TechXNY here. Both Microtek and Epson displayed scanners at the Digital Focus/Mobile Focus imaging showcase Monday evening.

The new models have features designed to make photo retouching easier, speed up scanning, and simplify such common tasks as printing pictures.

ScanMaker's New Tools

Microtek announced the $400 ScanMaker 6800, which incorporates Applied Science Fiction's Digital ICE technology to repair flaws in photos quickly and simply. Digital ICE combines hardware and software to detect and fix scratches, cracks, and other imperfections. It has been used in film scanners from Minolta, Nikon, and other makers. The ScanMaker 6800 is the first flatbed scanner to use Digital ICE, and the first scanner to apply the technology to reflective photos, rather than transparencies or negatives.

"Negatives are the first things to get lost," says Maurice Osorio, a Microtek product marketing manager. "Photo albums are what's left and passed down, but often those old family photos can be damaged."

Digital ICE automates restoration tasks that are traditionally done by hand using an image editing program such as Photoshop. While the ScanMaker 6800 is a midrange to high-end scanner that's designed for professional photographers, graphic artists, and serious photo hobbyists (who might already know how to use an image editor), Microtek plans to expand its application of Digital ICE to other parts of the company's product lines.

According to Osorio, Microtek and ASF had a great deal of interest from photographers after they previewed the scanner at PMA in February.

The ScanMaker 6800 also scans slides and transparencies using a transparency adapter built into its lid. It has a maximum optical resolution of 2400 by 4800 dots per inch and can save images in 48-bit color. It supports USB 2.0 and FireWire connections, and the package includes a FireWire interface card and USB 2.0 cable. You can preview transparencies and slides using the miniature light box on top of the lid, and five quick-start buttons let you scan, copy, e-mail, use optical character recognition, and scan to the Web directly from the scanner. Microtek expects to ship the ScanMaker 6800 in August or September.

Epson Boosts Speed

Epson announced four additions to its flatbed scanner line at Digital Focus, and all are scheduled to be available August 1. Two of them, the Perfection 1660 Photo and Perfection 2400 Photo, support the USB 2.0 interface standard, which is billed as performing up to 40 times faster than USB 1.1. In early PC World tests, an Epson scanner ran 1.7 times faster using USB 2.0 than it did using USB 1.1.

The $179 Perfection 1660 Photo offers 1600 by 3200 maximum optical resolution and is capable of saving 48-bit color files. It includes a transparency adapter big enough for a film or negative strip; an optional adapter for 4-by-5-inch transparencies is available for $99. The scanner's four buttons let you scan, copy, e-mail, and scan to the Web directly from the unit.

The $229 Perfection 2400 Photo has a maximum optical resolution of 2400 by 4800 dpi and can save image files in 48-bit color. It also comes with a filmstrip-size transparency adapter and has four quick-start buttons.

Epson also announced the Perfection 1260 and 1260 Photo, successors to the company's 1250 and 1250 Photo. The new 1260 models both use the USB 1.1 interface. Both have maximum optical resolutions of 1200 by 2400 dpi, and both can save image files in 48-bit color. The Perfection 1260 will be priced at $99; the Perfection 1260 Photo, which includes an adapter for 35mm slides, is priced at $129.

Epson has also added some new functions to its Smart Panel scanning software. It now supports Epson's Print Image Matching for better color calibration with Epson printers. You can scan photos and send them to a PDA, or save a scanned file in PDF format.

For other PC Expo/TECHXNY product announcements and news, see PCWorld.com's ongoing coverage.