New Scanners for Q1 of 2000

The trend in scanners is clearly toward USB. We continue to recommend against parallel-connected units, although those still using Windows 95 or Windows NT may have to resort to this trouble-prone method of connection for compatibility reasons. A number of currently available units include both parallel and USB ports, providing compatibility with multiple operating systems. Most scanners also include optical character recognition software and image editing tools.

Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd. on Feb. 1st announced several new products, including photo-quality printers and a new 1,200-dpi scanner. The new scanner, dubbed the ScanJet 5300C, sells for approximately C$449 and is compatible with Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 Professional. It offers USB and parallel ports and the setup program automatically detects which installation option is best for a user's system and provides a step-by-step utility that guides users through the installation process. The company also offers a range of other models, including several, such as our previously reviewed ScanJet 5200C model, that are compatible with Microsoft Windows 2000.

The company also recently re-committed to the Macintosh market and says it will support its new USB-equipped models on that platform. Details at http://www.scanjet.hp.com.

We performed some further tests of the Agfa 1212U unit, previously reviewed here. Our results were interesting, to say the least. The unit, which comes with several translucent coloured snap-on handles in iMac-friendly hues, is touted as compatible with both Windows 98 and the Mac OS. So, we tested it with machines on both platforms. Under Windows, the installer asked for our Windows system disk and, when we clicked cancel, the installer program crashed and displayed an error message (?) in an unreadable gibberish best described as "Klingon." (A subsequent installation, once we found and inserted our Windows CD, was successful. Image quality, as previously noted, was excellent for a scanner in this price range.)

Our tests on the Mac were even more trouble-plagued. We tested the unit on the iMac DV, a 400 MHz unit running Mac OS 9. Unlike a Windows 98 PC, which displays a "found new hardware" dialog and prompts you for a driver disc if necessary when the scanner is connected to the computer, the iMac does nothing -- it is up to you to read the instructions and install the necessary drivers. Oddly, when we did this, the installer didn't seem to work, and the scanner couldn't be accessed by the demo version of Color-It for Mac (not much of an image-editor!) that comes with the Agfa unit. Our big mistake was double-clicking a file on the Agfa installer disc called iMac Update 1.0, which one might casually assume is an update required for iMac compatibility (it is, but only for early models running system 8.1). This completely crashed the Mac OS hard, effectively preventing the computer from booting from its hard disk, and forcing a reinstallation of the whole Mac operating system.  Again, a clean installation into a fresh operating system worked correctly.

For further reading:
HP ScanJet 5100C review and tests.
SCSI-based scanners A look at SCSI models from Hewlett-Packard, Epson, Agfa, Microtek and UMAX.
Epson Expression 636
Q&A reports

• "All-In-One Input/Output Solution From Epson Hits Even More Attractive Price: EPSON Stylus Scan 2000 Now Sells for $299 Making Versatility More Affordable Than Ever" Business Wire
• "Microtek ScanMaker V6 UPL All-Purpose Scanner Offers One Complete SOHO Scanning Solution: First Sub-$150 Flatbed Scanner Featuring a Full Legal-Size Scan Bed And Dual Interfaces for Expanded Capabilities of Today's and Tomorrow's PCs" PR Newswire
• "Microtek Unveils New $99 Digital Imaging Solution for Home User: ScanMaker 3600 Color, Flatbed Scanner Delivers Exceptionally Fast Scanning Speed and High Image Quality for Under $100" PR Newswire