Product Description

Quality performance. Precision detail.

With the image quality of a dedicated film scanner, plus the flexibility of a flatbed scanner all in one affordable product, the Epson Perfection® 4990 Photo delivers a total digital scanning solution.

This powerful performer scans multiple slides simultaneously, as well as negatives and photos. And, with its built-in transparency unit, it accommodates film up to 8" x 10". Housed in a sleek outer case with an illuminated scan progress indicator, this scanner delivers intricate detail, due to an astounding 4800 x 9600 dpi resolution, 48-bit color depth, and 4.0 Dmax. And, it easily restores faded or damaged film and photos with Epson Easy Photo Fix™ and DIGITAL ICE™ Technology.

Features:

• Scan images with precision quality and detail
• Get high-quality scans from negatives and transparencies
• Automatically correct an image when scanning damaged film and photos
• Speed through every scan
• Epson Premium software bundle

Features

• Adobe Photoshop Elements, LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast SE 6
• USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces, PC and Mac compatible
• 4,800 x 9,600 dpi resolution, 4.0 Dmax, 48-bit color, 16-bit grayscale
• Adapters for slides, film strips, medium format, and 4-by-5 film
• Epson Easy Photo Fix and Digital Ice technology

Reviews (1)

RIGHT from the start
Seldom have I been so pleased with a purchase!

UNLIKE the Microtek scanner I previously owned that gave me nothing but aggravation from the git-go, I loaded the software, plugged the Epson 4990 in with the included USB cable and, using Photoshop as the platform, IMMEDIATELY scanned an 8 x 10 page of medium format negatives successfully.Eyeballing the colors, I did not think ANY correction was needed.I had NO PROBLEMS loading the software or with anything else.

I subsequently read the CD contained instructions and found that I had failed to use the 8 x 10 transparent media placement guide.It worked ANYWAY!

This scanner is particularly suited for "serious" amateur and professional photographers.It comes with negative holders for 35mm, 120 and 4 x 5 sheet film.In addition, as noted above, it will also scan the whole 8 x 10 inch area so you can do proof sheets from your transparent negative file pages.

I also scanned a music CD cover and liner, using Photoshop to convert the liner to black and white, and a 4 x 6 color photo.The scanner worked perfectly on all.The resolution of the four to six point type of the CD liner was crisp.This was a scan as a reflective image and NOT using OCR software.

I have only had it for a week and will update this review once I've tried its OCR capabilities. ... Read more

Features

• Up to 4,800 x 9,600 dpi resolution, 48-bit color, 16-bit grayscale
• Epson scan and productivity software, Adobe PhotoShop Elements 2.0
• Scans multiple 35mm slides, negatives, and medium-format transparencies
• Copy, scan, save, and scan-to-email directly from the front panel
• USB interface, cable included; PC and Mac compatible

Product Description

Real-world solutions so you can rest easy.

Quickly scan stacks of business cards or 4" x 6" photos. With the Epson Perfection® 2480 Limited Edition, it's easy to scan and organize important documents and snapshots, as well as slides and negatives. 2400 x 4800 dpi resolution offers consistently brilliant results. And, the included Multi Photo/Business Card Feeder makes scanning and organizing all your business cards and 4" x 6" photos a snap!

User-friendly software means anyone can work more efficiently and still achieve remarkable results. In fact, the Epson Perfection 2480 Limited Edition even includes Epson Easy Photo Fix™ for one-touch color restoration of faded photos, slides and negatives. And, this powerful performer speeds through every task thanks to Hi-Speed USB 2.0.

Features:

• Scan and organize stacks of business cards, or photos up to 4" x 6"
• Enjoy high-quality scans for brilliant reprints and enlargements
• Get more done with easy-to-use organizational software
• Restore faded color photos with just one touch
• Scan slides and film strips with ease
• Quickly scan photos and important documents with Hi-Speed USB 2.0

Features

• USB 2.0 interface; PC and Mac compatible
• Up to 2,400 x 4,800 dpi resolution, 48-bit color
• Scan and organize stacks of business cards or photos up to 4 by 6 inches
• Built-in film strip and slide adapter and photo/business card feeder
• Easy 4-button operation to scan, copy, email, and start

Reviews (9)

Great for batch scanning - except for the constant jams!
I have thousands of prints on all manner of different papers.This feeder rarely makes it for more than ten photos before it jams.Still, the scanner and the software are very easy to use, and the software saves each image with an individual file name.So far I have scanned over 1000 pictures since I got the machine last week.

My PC has a 3 Ghz chip and 1 Gig of RAM, and yet the Epson software responds slowly sometimes and seems a little buggy.I also agree with another reviewer's complaint that the Epson software insists on popping windows open on top of whatever else you are working on.

The bottom line is that, when everything is working perfectly, it's a great scanner/software combo for converting your old prints to digital images.Just be prepared to have some patience sometimes.

EDITED AFTER TWO WEEKS TO ADD that the feeder has been working better.Once you get the hang of this thing, you really can just load a bunch of pictures and walk away.

Nice but not perfect
Interesting, though I like this scanner, I don't rate it quite as highly as others. I didn't have much luck loading more than 8 pictures at a time without the automatic feeder jamming. On further testing however, I realized I wasn't loading the pictures exactly the way the scanner directed. If you lift the automatic feeder and stuff the pictures all the way down, I had much better luck loading larger stacks and jamming less frequently. I did figure out, as others did, that you can keep feeding the stack before it finishes the last one, which saves you from going through 3 verification screens for each new stack.

It had one slightly irritating habit of popping up a new scan window on each picture, so if you're doing something else on the computer, all of a sudden you're typing into the scan screen and hopefully not messing it up. But this wasn't too big an issue. If you don't use their SmartPanel app and go right to the lone "scan" utility, you don't get the popups.

One drawback is that at one point we apparently went through a 5" X 7" picture developing stage which the automatic feeder can't handle. We had quite a stack of these and only 2 will fit on the glass. On the nice end though, if you separated the pictures enough, the scanner was able to provide you with 2 perfectly cropped images instead of 1 big one. It was a nice surprise also to find that it automatically rotates images that are slightly misaligned.

So all in all I'm glad I bought this, it saved me lots of time, but it wasn't perfect. I scanned 1169 images in about 20 hours of time - though I was doing lots of other work while I did this so my time wasn't all eaten up managing the scanner. Could have been a lot worse.

Excellent and Versatile
Over the past 5 years, I have been scanning the family's photos.This involved a very manual process of laying out the pics on the scanner (an older epson), and then marking off the prints and scanning them.

I've been looking for an automatic scanner since I began - one with a photo sheet feeder.I've considered a few, but the reviews all seemed to indicate jamming problems.

When I saw this one for $169, I gave it a shot.

It works incredibly well.The photo feeder will pull in up to 24 pics, scan and eject them.You can define the folders and the scan quality for the process.With photos that are in good condition, I have not had a single jam - very impressive.

A number of photos I have were in albums, and after removing them are curled.The feeder did take these in too, but with occassional jamming.

The automatic feeder in general though is very impressive.

The process is not fast - probably about a minute per print.So this is not something to sit and wait for.Do something else and then come back to add prints, or set it up to do a stack at night.

The scan qualities are very good.Color and sharpness are fine.The quality of the scan is dependent on the quality of the original of course, so expectations can't be too high for pics taken 30 yrs ago on 126 cartridge film. (Remember that?)

I've also scanned using the flat bed - this works very well too.If you put multiple prints on the glass, and separate them with some space, the software will recognize them and scan them in as separate images.

Slide scans are very good - but only 2 at a time.

One note - the sheet feeder is an entirely separate cover for the scanner.To switch between flat bed scanning and sheet feeder, you have to switch these covers.Very simple to do though, and not an issue.

Altogether, this is very versatile, with good scan quality and I highly recommend it.

Awesome product
The automatic photo feeding capability of this scanner makes scanning lots of prints very easy.I bought the scanner two days ago and have scanned in 360 4x6 pics with very little problem.Out of the 360 pics I had no jams, and a few pics that did not scan correctly (mostly this meant that the pic was cropped in some way during the scanning process).Over all I am very pleased with the scanning quaility and speed of this scanner.Epson does warn you about scanning valuable originals as apparently there is a chance for the photo to scratched as it goes through the automatic feeder.I did not experience that problem.

Software is ok.Much better than what comes with the HP Scanjet 4070 and the software was much easier to install.

Do follow the directions that one of the other ppl posted about scanning in pics as a tiff and then using a program to rotate and convert them to jpeg.I used Picasa (free from Google) and it worked fine.

A good scanner with the unique feeder feature
Cropping issues:Any time you manually place a photo on the glass of a scanner, your placement is likely to be rotated slightly.My Canon LIDE 20 software addresses this conservatively, cropping none of the photo, sometimes resulting in a thin wedge of white at the edges.(To remove this, you need to crop it in a photo editor, or re-scan with correct alignment.)This may be the correct implementation for a platen-only scanner, but it can be disappointing when scanning in quantity.Accordingly, the Epson software crops all edges slightly, up to 0.1 inch, in "Full Auto Mode".Also, my test scans on the glass were cropped 0.2 inch (from the 4x6 original) on the edge that I had butted against the front edge of the glass. Butting against an edge is usual, to help get the angle right.Butting against the left edge instead, increased crop on that butted edge to 0.2 inch.My Canon scanner does not have this problem. The Epson 2480 scanner would probably not be my choice, except for the feeder.The crop may be a little less on feeder scans, and does not suffer from a bad edge.

Comparing TIFFs at 600 dpi on screen:I cropped a section out of some scans, and compared them, as well as the originals.The Canon, Epson (glass) and Epson (feeder) scans were all noticeably different.The Epson scans appear square - no noticeable difference depending on orientation of the scan, when then rotated to be the same for display. The scans from the Canon appear to be slightly out of square, but this could be a problem due to the age of the scanner.The Canon scans are softer and brighter, generally having more accurate color on screen, on my test photo.(Auto-levels in PhotoShop Elements 3 made the Epson scans at least as good, on screen.)To me, the Epson (glass) scans were very slightly better than the Epson (feeder) scans, in image quality (colors were the same).In "Full Auto Mode", you don't get to tweak any options that might brighten the images, etc.(It is worth noting that I cannot calibrate my LCD display - your mileage may vary.)

Lower resolution: Epson scans at 400dpi or Canon at 300dpi are perfectly acceptable on screen, hardly distinguishable from 600dpi.Scans of 4x6 prints will never be any better than the print.If you want an 8x12 of comparable quality, you need to go to the negative/slide, a medium that's meant to be enlarged.The negative/slide scanner is suitable only for occasional use, due to lack of Digital ICE.Get your compressed air ready, to clean those things before scanning - and re-scanning!Dust on the negative is a major issue.The quality of the scans is very good.

Print comparison:I usually use a web print service, but I did not have time to wait.On my Canon i950, I printed (1) Canon 600 dpi, (2) Epson feeder 400 dpi, (3) glass 600, (4) feeder 600, (5) feeder 600 with partial auto-levels from PSE.[All were on Canon Photo Paper Pro - I had to re-do two I had done on Plus paper, which was substantially inferior in color.] The only print that we judged acceptable [close enough to the original]was (4) Epson feeder at 600dpi.The others all were inferior in cropping, sharpness, and/or color.The Canon scan had brighter colors than the original, and was a little less sharp. The major cropping of the Epson platen scan, exacerbated by the Canon printing software, resulted in prints that looked less sharp than the feeder print, probably due to stretching to 4x6.The 400 dpi feeder scan was slightly less sharp than at 600dpi, but otherwise the same.We expect better print quality, with a professional print service.[All scans for this test, Full Auto].

Other:"Always use the document table to scan important, valuable, or one-of-a-kind photos....Dust, friction, or a feed jam may cause damage to the photo... if you load it in the feeder."My test print did eventually get scratched.There is no power switch - you will have to plug and unplug it.(The Canon is USB-powered, making this a non-issue.)When buying a scanner, be willing to pay a little more for a decent return policy - I bought mine at Amazon - they're great!

The Home mode appears useless.In Professional mode, scans require manual cropping, which is relatively easy at scan time.This eliminates the over-cropping problem, at the cost of quite a bit of time.No cropping was needed next to the edge of the glass, indicating a dead space there, though I forgot to check.

Important issue: 4x6 prints are inserted into the feeder 4-inch side first.This results in portrait orientation scans.Landscape (horizontal) scans need attention, to see them sensibly on the computer.Windows XP will rotate these for you, with the click of your mouse.However, if you scan JPEGs, this is a lossy rotation - every time you save a JPEG, you lose something.The compromise proposed by Chris Breeze is to scan TIFFs, rotate them (which is lossless), and then convert them to JPEGs.

I use BreezeBrowser Pro, which will perform lossless rotation of JPEGs.This works great for digicam images, where the image dimensions are usually an exact multiple of the 4/8/16-pixel tile size.However, batch scans from the Epson 2480LE (or most other scanners) do not have these perfect dimensions, so lossless rotation cannot work correctly.Here how I'm getting around this problem:

1. Insert the prints into the feeder face down.

2. Set the scanner to 400 or 600 dpi, for TIFFs, and scan the images to C:\My Pictures\Scans.

3. Fire up BB Pro, go to the Scans folder, highlight all the Landscapes (Ctrl-click as needed) and rotate them 90 degrees in the correct direction.(If the Portraits are 180 degrees off, rotate all pics once, and the Portraits again.)

4. Highlight all the pics.If they are in reverse order, use View - Image Order - Reverse Sort Order.Or, drag & drop as needed, to get the images in the desired order.

5. Use Tools - Batch Rename, As Displayed. I use yyyy-mm-ddd %n name, e.g. 2005-02-23 001 Neat Place.

6. Edit the TIFFs, as needed (select an image, then Ctrl-D, to fire up your configured image editor).

6. Ctrl-A to select all, then Tools - Proofs - Proof Selected, to convert all the images to JPEGs in the Scans\proofs folder (check no boxes).I chose to use 95/100, which resulted in files ranging from 650K to 1.5MB.

7. Delete all the TIFFs (one click) - I set BB Pro so that mine land in a Deleted folder, so I'll have to haul them away later (a real winner, on occasion).

8. Put the JPEGs where I want them....

Bottom line:We decided to keep this scanner.It was a close call, but we have thousands of prints to scan, and there does not seem to be any other affordable option.The Epson 2480LE is definitely at its best for this purpose. ... Read more

Features

• Crisp 2,400 x 4,800 dpi resolution, 48-bit color
• Built-in transparency adapter for 35mm slides and negatives
• 1-touch color restoration, Epson Easy Photo Fix technology
• ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR software
• USB 1.1/2.0 interface, PC and Mac compatible

Features

• 4,800 x 9,600 dpi optical resolution, 12,800 x 12,800 dpi interpolated
• 48-bit color depth, 16-bit grayscale; 3.8 Dmax
• Transparency adapter built into lid with 4 film holders
• Digital ICE and Epson Easy Photo Fix for color restoration and dust removal
• USB 2.0 and Firewire connectivity; PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (8)

Installation problems for Epson 4870 USB 2.0 Windows XP
The scanner works fine, but slowly in USB 1 ports. When connected to the USB 2.0 hub, although the scanner was recognized by Windows XP, there was no response from the scanner, although on and properly connected. Several hours of uninstalling and reinstalling its software and downloading USB patches and updating drivers from Viaarena.com did nothing to solve the problem. If the problem isn't cracked in the next day or so, the scanner is going back where it came from.

Love This Scanner!
I scan only 35 mm black-and-white negative film (including C-42). Scanning at 4800 dpi, 16 bit I get beautiful scans with great detail (about 58 MB files). Love the automation of scanning 24 negatives at once. It takes only about 70 minutes. Scan quality better than a pro-photo cd and close to the quality of a drum scan.

Setup was easy. Build quality is good. I'm quite happy. Would highly recommend.

Huge Stability & Reliability Problems
I just received my Epson 4870, and have just spent a frustrating 12 hours getting this thing to work reliably.

My observations so far:

1) The hardward and drivers are very unreliable. Half the time, neither the Epson nor the Silverfast are able to communicate with the scanner. Turning the scanner off and on and rebooting the computer sometimes helps, but I sometimes I have to reboot multiple times in order to get it to work. I am using the USB cable that came with the scanner.

2) After upgrading to Silvertfast to 6.0.2 to get ICE support, the software simply stopped working, freezing Photoshop.

3) When I am lucky enough to get the scanner to work, the Epson software often quits halfway through the scanning process, citing an inability to communicate with the scanner. This is very frustrating, as I am scanning 120 film, which takes a good 20-30 minutes per slide (with ICE enabled).

4) The scanner is S-L-O-W. If you are scanning medium format film, be prepared to spend 30 minutes or more on each scan (not counting retries due to the unreliable nature of the scanner).

5) There is no way the resolution on this thing is 4800 DPI. Although I haven't been scientific about it, my guess is the real resolution is closer to 2700 DPI.

6) The scanner does not come with a carrier that supports 120 film longer than 12 cm. Although I knew going in, I would have liked to have a carrier that accepts longer film strips, because I also shoot using a 6x17 panoramic.

7) Epson technical support is 9-6 Monday through Friday only. I work during the week, so my chances of getting any support from Epson are close to zero, unless I decide to take a day off work.

I am very unhappy with this purchase, and will be looking into returning my scanner back to Amazon, probably replacing it with a Canon 9900.

Scanning 2 1/4x2 1/4 transparencies......
There is no discernable way to scan these. Bummer!

To mister 'art_professor'
Digital ICE has never worked with normal B&W film. That has nothing to do with the Epson 4870. Probably something with the specifics of the ICE-workings. ... Read more

Features

• 2,400 dpi optical resolution
• 48-bit color, 16-bit grayscale
• Integrated 35mm film loader
• Epson Easy Photo Fix for 1-touch color restoration
• USB 2.0 interface, PC and Mac compatible

Features

• 4,800 x 9,600 dpi optical resolution, 12,800 x 12,800 dpi interpolated
• 48-bit color depth, 16-bit grayscale; 3.8 Dmax
• Transparency adapter built into lid with 4 film holders
• Professional software bundle including LaserSoft SilverFast Ai 6.0
• USB 2.0 and Firewire connectivity; PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (1)

Highly Recommend!
I shoot black & white 35 mm. Previously relied upon either a Polaroid SprintScan 4000 or drum scans. The 4870 produces gorgeous scans and is easy to use. I'm very happy with my purchase. SilverFast has proved to be a dissapointment for use with B&W negs. I would probably have purchased the regular 4870 vs. Pro version if I had it to do over again. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Epson Expression 1680 SE color flatbed scanner offers high performance for graphics professionals and photographers. Delivering trillions of colors with 1,600 x 3,200 dpi resolution and 48-bit internal color depth, it produces consistently sharp, vibrant colors with subtle highlights and shadow details. You can see a full-color preview in 10 seconds, scan 35mm slides at 1,600 dpi in approximately 65 seconds, and scan an 8.5-by-11-inch color photo at 300 dpi in approximately 23 seconds.

Epson's ColorTrue II Imaging System and MatrixCCD technology combine custom optics, a xenon lamp, and dynamic-range control to administer high-speed image processing--plus the advantage of dynamic ranges up to 3.6 Dmax for scanning transparencies. Epson's dual-focus mechanism and film holders eliminate Newton ring problems. The E1680-SE provides networkable high-speed image processing for increased productivity and scans images and text documents directly into almost any application, including e-mail and fax. It includes easy scanning software for consistent, quality output. Compatible with Mac and PC units, the scanner supports both USB and SCSI connectivity. It includes USB cable and EpsonTWAIN Pro scanner utilities. ... Read more

Features

• 1,600 x 3,200 dpi optical resolution
• High-speed scans and previews
• ColorTrue II imaging system and true 48-bit color depth
• Dual-Focus Mechanism
• Premium software bundle

Amazon.com Product Description

The 10000XL photo edition is a large-format flatbed scanner designed for graphic artists and other high-end users. With its high 2,400 dpi scanning resolution, 48-bit internal color depth, and 3.8 optical density, images are crisp and accurate, while the six-line alternated color CCD and auto focus optics system help to ensure that you get the best scans possible.

Scan speeds are as high as 2.7 ms/line at 1,200 dpi, while an optional automatic document feeder allows you to scan multiple pages at a time. An included transparency adapter lets you scan positive and negative 35mm and medium format transparencies and film up to 5" x 4", making it easy to get great scans every time. You can also zoom in 1% increments anywhere from 50% to 200%.

The 10000XL connects to your computer via its standard USB and Firewire ports, while an optional network adapter lets you use the scanner as a network resource. The AC 100-120V power supply consumes less than 55 watts during normal operation and about 6 watts while in sleep mode. The software includes EPSON Scan 2.2, MonacoEZcolor with reflective IT8 Target, Photoshop Elements 2, ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR, and LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast SE 6. Compatible with both PC and Mac operating platforms, the 10000XL comes backed with a one-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
Scanner, CD-ROM with software and drivers, power cable, user's manual and documentation, USB cable, transparency adapter ... Read more

Features

• 2,400 x 4,800 optical resolution; SilverFast SE 6 software
• 48-bit color depth, 16-bit grayscale
• A3 sized scanning surface for originals up to 12.2 by 17.2 inches
• Transparency adapter for slides and negatives
• USB 2.0, Firewire, optional networking; PC and Mac compatible

Amazon.com Product Description

For high-end users, the GT-30000 offers more quality and features than nearly any other consumer-level scanner on the market. The color flatbed is designed for high-volume office use, and it does the job admirably. An optical resolution of 600 x 1,200 dpi (9,600 x 9,600 interpolated), 36-bit color depth, and an array of embedded image processing features result in crisp, clean images, ideal for professional uses.

The GT-30000's real enticement however, is convenience. A 100-page auto-document feeder (with auto-document sizing) is capable of a very impressive 30 pages per minute and even supports duplex scanning. Networking doesn't get much easier, as the GT-30000 is networkable right out of the box. Both Twain and Isis drivers are provided for compatibility with a wide variety of scanning environments, while SCSI (and optional FireWire) connectivity ensures suitably fast transfer times.

While distinctly pricey, the GT-30000 offers high-end scanning and convenience that's hard to beat. It also comes backed with a one-year extendable warranty. ... Read more

Features

• 600 dpi optical resolution, 9600 dpi enhanced
• Large 11.7 by 17 inch scanning area
• 36-bit color
• 30 page per minute document feeder
• Auto document size recognition

Amazon.com Product Description

The Epson Expression 10000XL graphic arts edition is a large-format flatbed scanner designed for graphic artists and other high-end users. With its high 2,400 dpi scanning resolution, 48-bit internal color depth, and 3.8 optical density, images are crisp and accurate. The six-line alternated color CCD and auto focus optics system help to ensure that you get the best scans possible. Scan speeds are as high as 2.7 ms/line (at 1,200 dpi), while an optional automatic document feeder allows you to scan multiple sheets at a time. You can zoom in 1% increments anywhere from 50% to 200%.

The software bundle includes a variety of applications to help you easily achieve the best scan results possible. Titles include EPSON Scan 2.2, MonacoEZcolor with reflective IT8 Target, Photoshop Elements 2, and ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR. The 10000XL connects to your computer via its standard USB and Firewire ports, and an optional network adapter lets you use the scanner as a network device. The AC 100-120V power supply consumes less than 55 watts during normal operation and about 6 watts while in sleep mode. Compatible with both PC and Mac operating platforms, the 10000XL comes backed with a one-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
Scanner, CD-ROM with software and drivers, power cable, user's manual and setup documentation, USB cable ... Read more

Features

• 2,400 x 4,800 optical resolution, 3.8 Dmax optical density
• 48-bit color depth, 16-bit grayscale; 50% to 200% zoom
• A3 sized scanning surface for originals up to 12.2 by 17.2 inches
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, MonacoEZcolor with reflective IT8 Target
• USB 2.0, Firewire, optional networking; PC and Mac compatible

Amazon.com Product Description

The Epson Perfection 3200 Photo offers premium quality scanning and the versatility to handle virtually any photography application. With image quality and features comparable to that of more expensive scanners, this high-value performer produces sharp, high-quality results at lightning-fast speeds. It's versatile, as well--it scans everything from negatives, photos, and slides to transparencies, graphics, and text.

Delivering fine 3,200 x 6,400 dpi resolution, the 3200 Photo offers phenomenal clarity and detail, whatever the task at hand. With Epson's ColorTrue II Imaging System and 48-bit scanning, it consistently delivers vivid, true-to-life colors. Combining advanced imaging technology and a powerful software bundle, it provides a complete digital imaging solution. It even includes Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connectivity for Windows and Macintosh systems, plus a convenient built-in 4-by-9-inch transparency adapter. Epson provides a one-year warranty covering parts and service.

What's in the Box
Epson Perfection 3200 Photo Scanner, 4-by-9-inch transparency adapter (built into the scanner lid), 3 film holders (35mm slides, 35mm film strips, and medium format), CD-ROM with Epson Scan scanning software, Productivity Software, Electronic Reference Guide, CD-ROM with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, CD-ROM with LaserSoft SilverFast SE 6, USB 2.0/1.1 cable, scanner setup poster ... Read more

Features

• 3,200 x 6,400 dpi hardware resolution
• 48-bit color, 16-bit gray scale
• 3.4 dMax optical density
• Transparency adapter and 3 film holders
• USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces; PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (12)

What A Surprise!
I'm flabergasted over this scanner!!!! What a versatile piece this is. I can scan pictures, negatives, slides, and most of all, shooting in 4X5 format a lot, I can scan the negatives and transparencies from my 4X5 as well.

The clarity from this scanner, in my opinion, rivals scanners that are twice the price. Another big plus for me is the speed. Since it's USB 2, I can scan into my Sony laptop which is also USB 2 and it's done before I can decide on the next picture I want to scan.

I'll even go so far as to say that the software that comes bundled with this scanner is actually useful. Photoshop Elements 2.0 is a great program. Since I bought the "pro" version of the scanner (which I got for the non-pro price) I also got Monaco EZ color and Silverfast. Good stuff!!! However, if you have Adobe gamma loader on your computer, (which will be on the Elements CD), you don't really need to load Monaco. It's basically the same thing from what I can see.

The only addition that would have been a nice touch would have been the inclusion of digital ICE. Other than that, this is one dynamite scanner!!!!

Great Scanner, But Keep a Can of Compressed Air Handy...
I bought this scanner as an upgrade to my old Epson Perfection 610 Scanner. There was nothing wrong with the old Epson, but I wanted a scanner that could do 35mm negative scans.

I've had this scanner for about 4 days now, and it's worked great. The setup was effortless and the scans are great, rich in color. As I said, I primarily use it for film scanning and the tools they've bundled with it are terrific. You can scan 12 35mm negatives, or 4 slides, or even 120 medium format film. I've tried scanning at 3200 dpi, and it produces files which are around 800k-1.5mb in size with a resolution of about 10-12 megapixels. 2400 dpi is acceptable, but I really wouldn't go lower than that.

Also, when scanning in your negatives, you can do up to 12 35mm negatives at a time. However, I'd suggest doing just 6 at a time when using the higher dpi settings. That's because the top lamp tends to "cook" the negatives if you leave them on the tray too long. Maybe cook is too strong a word, nothing happens to them - it's just something to be wary about.

I've tried out both the Silverfast scanning software as well as the standard Epson scan software. It works great if you're only interested in scanning the pictures/negatives. However, the only drawback to it is that the dust removal software that's bundled with both are pretty much useless. It adds twice the overhead/time to the scanning process and does nothing to remove dust or scratches. I'd say get familiar with the Photoshop Elements 2.0 software that comes bundled with it, or use Photoshop 7's Healing Tool.

Because of the software's inability to remove dust, I keep a can of compressed air handy and give the tray and film a quick burst of air right before I scan them in. BTW, the Silverfast software is ugly and very unintuitively designed - it reminds me of an old Windows 3.11 app.

I'd say, overall, I'm very happy with the scanner. However, because of the software's limited functionality, I give it 4 out of 5 instead of the 5 out of 5 it could've gotten.

AVOID this scanner!!!
I'm glad that some people have had a good experience with this scanner, but I am not one. I own an Epson Perfection 2450 Photo scanner and have been very happy with it. I thought it's "big brother" would make a nice, economical additon to the office where I work.

Boy was I wrong.

Several people have mentioned dust issues. I haven't noticed that but I do have the problem others have mentioned in the professional photography forums on the internet. Some of these scanners come with glass that has not been treated properly and I got one of them. What happens is when you lay an image on the glass, especially a glossy photo, it "sticks" a bit and looks like there are watermarks on the image after it has scanned. It will do this every time and in slightly different spots and there is no way to keep it from happening. I've tried wipping the glass and photos and even cleaning them, but to no avail. I called Epson tech support and they said the glass was faulty and to return it for a replacement.

No thanks, I think I'll try another brand where it won't be a crapshoot as to wether I get a working one or not. I've always loved Epson products but this leaves me a bit disillusioned. They let quality control slide a lot on the production of this model.

There is a rebate on this scanner because it is being replaced by the newer, better and hopefully higher quality Perfection 4870. It has a Dmax of 3.8 over the 3.4 of the 3200, so it should be able to better capture image data from the dark areas of photos too. If you are interested in this scanner, I would try that or the 2450. I've also heard good things about the Canon CanoScan 9900F.

I was also not overly impressed with the color reproduction on this scanner. For some reason it is not as good as the older 2450. I'm a graphic designer and at work I have an 9 year old AGFA scanner that is A LOT slower than the 3200, but it's color reproduction was richer and more evenly balanced. Details in the shadow area were also more acurately reproduced. I tested both on the same photo to reach this conclusion.

Also, only get the "Pro" edition if you want the extra software, otherwise they are the same exact scanner.

Aside from this, I didn't test it's transparency capabilities. It is very fast and would be a good deal for the $ if you don't get a lemon. It's up to you if you want to take that chance. I know my time is more valuable than that.

Difficult to use Software
My objective in purchasing this scanner was to be able to place a scanned photo on the same page as some text. After several sessions,I have not found a solution. Scanning is not the problem; rather, sending a scanned image to another application such as word so that one can combine a word document with the image. The software gives no clue and reaching Epson's technical support is a joke. Consider another brand. I'm selling or giving this one away.

Scanning with perfection
This is an affordable professional scanner that rivals the quality of any negative scanner I have ever used. Its software is great, and is very straight forward. You will not go wrong with this scanner. I am a professional photographer, and have now made this the only scanner I use. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Perfection 1670 from Epson is a flatbed color photo scanner with a number of useful features and a reasonable price tag. With a 1,600 x 1,200 dpi maximum optical resolution and 48-bit color depth (16-bit grayscale), the 1670 delivers crisp, accurate, and true-to-life images perfect for a wide variety of home and home office uses.

Scanning speeds are as fast as 7.68 msec/line at 1,600 dpi and 5.12 msec/line at 600 dpi, while one-touch scan, copy, scan to e-mail, and scan to Web buttons help you automate these frequently utilized features. The included 35 mm transparency adapter accommodates both negatives and slides (up to three negatives or two slides), while the 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning bed supports originals up to letter size.

Designed with photo and slide restoration in mind, the 1670 comes bundled with a variety of software applications designed to help you get the most out of your scans. Titles include Epson Scan with Easy Photo Fix Technology, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, Epson Smart Panel, ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR, and NewSoft Presto! BizCard.

Weighing just 6.8 pounds, the 1670 has a small 10.8-by-16.5-inch footprint and connects to your computer via its USB port. The 1670 utilizes a white cold cathode fluorescent lamp and Epson's MatrixCCD line sensor and consumes 17 W of power. PC and Mac compatible, the 1670 also comes backed with a one-year limited warranty on both parts and labor.

What's in the Box
Epson Perfection 1670 Photo Scanner; 35mm transparency adapter (built into scanner lid); 35mm film holder for slides and film strips; CD-ROM with Epson Scan Software, Creativity and Productivity Software, and Electronic Reference Guide; USB 2.0/1.1 cable; AC adapter and power cable; scanner setup poster; warranty information ... Read more

Features

• One-touch color restoration with Epson Easy Photo Fix technology
• 1,600 x 3,200 dpi hardware resolution
• Built-in 35mm slide and filmstrip adapter
• Complete software bundle for photo enhancements and more
• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity; PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (12)

Unhappy with slide scanning
In interests of full disclosure, I was only interested in using the scanner to scan family slides, and I returned the scanner after one week.

On the positive side, installation was a breeze in Windows XP. Epson includes a high-speed USB 2.0 cable, which was a nice extra, as most companies skimp here. I was also intrigued by the "touch up old faded photos" software. I have had great experiences with Epson scanners before: in the past I have found Epson scanners to be among the fastest and most accurate, and they have, in the past, included the best OCR software free. I was disappointed that this scanner included ABBYY's OCR software, which is inferior to the OCR software Epson included with last year's scanners. (See CNET's reviews of OCR software.)

After hooking up, I scanned a photo using the included software and automatic settings. The scan went well. I was a little surprised that the automatic settings default to 300 dpi scanning (whether for photos or slides), but higher settings produce images so large in (initially uncompressed) megabytes as to slow down my relatively new Dell computer with 128 meg RAM. Scanning the photo went quickly.

Things did not go as well with the slide scanning. While the software is quite easy to manage, whether in automatic or manual settings, a few annoyances interfere with what could otherwise be quite a successful suite. First off, the scanning software uses overlapping windows for such (simultaneous) windows as the preview window, the scanned pictures window, and the manual settings window, but none of these have separate tabs or "buttons" in the Windows XP taskbar, so it is difficult to move each out of the way to find the other ones. I'm unsure how they even accomplished this, as I've never used a program in XP that didn't produce a button on the taskbar corresponding to an open window. At first this was an annoyance, but after three days, it was crazy infuriating, as it makes it difficult not only to deal with the scanner windows themselves which keep hiding each other, but it also makes very cumbersome to multitask with any other programs. When the scanner is scanning, its software window sometimes will not hide, and then when you do hide it, you can't bring it to the fore again without minimizing the other programs' windows, or it will bring to the fore the wrong window. How Epson can commission an expertly performing software application, but have it without corresponding window-tabs, is typical of today's rush-to-the-market user-unfriendly software. I suppose it doesn't matter when scanning the occasional piece, but it certainly ain't fun when you're scanning the family photo album.

But the final straw was that after hours of scanning various slides at different resolutions, I could not produce a scan that was not SLIGHTLY blurry. Since some of my slides were taken by professional photographers and look crystal clear on the wall, I scuttled my project and returned the scanner. Why spend a week converting the family slides for permanent sharing and archiving, and getting a blurry scan? I have read that this is a common problem with inexpensive scanners: I suspect that if you take the slide out of its white cardboard frame, so it can lay perfectly flat, they might be in focus, but I don't want to ruin my slides. Seems to me that if they can put an autofocus mechanism in extremely cheap cameras, they could have figured out a way to autofocus the slides in this slide-scanning scanner.

One fast! scanner
Let me start with a disclaimer- all I want out of a scanner is fast scanning of B&W/gray scale material in an office environment. I have bought/tested several suposedly fast scanners and I have been disappointed (the Canon I bought thinks about scanning for 45 seconds, then it scans!)Well the Epson delivers- scanning at 200 dpi I can do partial pages in 5-6 seconds and full pages in 12 seconds (that's from the time you press scan to the end) You can bypass the preview mode and send the scans directly to a program or file. The software has good (you can save all the scan settings for different scans) and bad points (it seems basackwards sometimes-ex. some features only activate after you do a preview scan)
Can't comment on other features i don't use but for $$$ this is a speed demon!

Terrible software, no 800 support
The Copy Utility software does not work in WinXP. Apparently there is a conflict with the twain and twunk files that Windows uses. After 7+ hours...on my dime...with advanced tech support they gave up and said they can't do anything about the problem. The copy program is unusable and they said "too bad".
They don't have an 800 number so you must pay to get their problems fixed.
The Abby OCR program only works half the time. Many documents come out with gibberish on them. Poor program.

Epson quality has definitely gone downhill. Will never buy another Epson product again.

I would buy it again!
I would buy this scanner again.... maybe it's not perfect but I'm happy with the scanner. Those who are crying about the 1670 should have spent $500 for a scanner instead of $125 if their standards are so high. It was easy to install (Win XP) and it does a good job scanning photos and documents. I'm surprised at how much I've used it. I haven't scanned any slides yet so I can't comment. It may not be a professional quailty scanner, but it's darn good for small business and home use.... a good buy for the money.

Good Value for Home Use
Working on a compact budget, I was looking for something I could use to scan photos, negatives, and slides that would approach quality amateur level.

For photo scans, I was impressed by the speed, the quality was average or slightly better than average.

For slide scans, I found that if you have an image with a lot of black or very dark space, the scanner/software gets confused and it took several tries to get it right; sometimes, it wouldn't happen at all. Otherwise, slide scanning was fine. Nothing to write home about, but adequate.

I've had much better luck with film negative scans. Colors come out rich and detail is fine. The higher resolutions take forever, but the results are worth it.

I tried playing with the three different software settings: full-on automatic, pro, and home use. I haven't bothered with the automatic mode, it was too restrictive. The professional setting is more trouble than it's worth, for the most part. Great if you want to play around with colors and such for the fun of it, but trying to use it for color correction was more of a hassle. The 'home' setting works best for me 95% of the time.

There are better scanners out there, but for the price, this is a fine little machine. ... Read more

Features

• 1,600 x 3,200 dpi optical resolution, 12,800 dpi interpolated
• True 48-bit scans for remarkable color accuracy
• Built-in 35mm filmstrip adapter
• Fast USB 2.0 connectivity
• Easy 4-button automated scanning

Reviews (40)

Fantastic for the common user
I am not a scanner buff by any stretch of the imagination, and have only owned one other scanner before this one, but I know what I like. I like the Epson Perfection 1660. From its crisp scanned images to its sleek design, this scanner is a winner. But, setting aside how it looks, or how well it scans, leaves you with software. Epson SmartPanel is superb. Push a button on the scanner, and the software launches automatically (you can run it by normal methods, too), giving you many options for the upcoming scan; whether you want to scan to a file, to an e-mail, to the web, to an application, or perform OCR on a document, this scanner/software combo can do it all. I was very impressed, and I think you will be, too.

One minor addition; for those who have had trouble with XP and the 1660, I just don't get it. I use XP Pro and had the most effortless and simple install imagineable. The scanner works flawlessly with XP's own scanner/camera wizard, and Smartpanel works perfectly. You folks are doing something wrong.

Get the CanoScan LIDE 30 instead.
I've installed this scanner under OS X (download the TWAIN driver, there's none included) and Windows 2000. I've also installed the less expensive Canon LIDE 30 under both environments.

I recommend the LIDE 30 for the reasons described below. In particular the Perfection 1660 has fine hardware, but the most abysmal documentation I've see in years. The installation is awkward and the software is unimpressive. Some of the software is specific to Epson printers, for example. Scan color under OS X has a bluish tinge, though that evaluation is complicated by the lack of Epson documentation on ColorSync settings. When you do a scan the progress box is immovable and sits atop all windows -- so you can't work during a scan. A minor point, but it illustrates how unrefined the Epson software is.

Additional comparison to the CanoScan LIDE 30 (emphasis is on OS X, but much of this is true for Win2K:

1. Image quality (color picture, 300 dpi, 24 bit)
Both seem to produce excellent color photo scans, though on the Mac the EPSON colors were a bit bluish.
CanoScan > Epson

2. Durability and reliability. The EPSON feels more rugged and
durable, as befits it's significantly higher price.
Epson > CanonScan

3. Convenience. The Epson seems to be about 4 times bigger and heavier than the LIDE 30. The LIDE 30 gets its power from the USB bus, the Epson needs yet another power brick (and we have no room to spare!). The LIDE can be stored on its side.
CanoScan >>> Epson.

4. Performance. The CanoScan is at least twice as fast with a USB 1.0 connection, and probably even faster with a 2.0 (though the images I'm taking aren't huge).
Epson >> CanoScan

5. Drivers (OS X). The CanoScan uses a PhotoShop Plug-In compatible with GraphicConverter, Canon's software, and PhotoShop like products), the Epson uses a TWAIN driver. I thought that OS X (in particular) would have native support for the Epson, but in fact this is no advantage. Without installation of the TWAIN driver Image Capture acquires only a very low res image (400K TIFF). After installing the
TWAIN driver Image Capture behaves exactly the same way, but
GraphicConverter will get an image. The image acquisition software seems similar, with the EPSON having the advantage of more control over embedded color tables and ColorSync use; but I'm not sure the ColorSync setting are doing anything! The EPSON is biased however to EPSON's peculiar proprietary color matching software. I didn't pay attention to the rest of the bundled s/w, but I thought the CanoScan had a slight advantage overall. The Epson OS X TWAIN installation should be straightforward, but for some bizarre reason one has to burrow through folders and extractions to fine a nice simple disk image. CanoScan installation was bizarre, but the front buttons work under OS X. The Epson buttons don't work under OS X (not that I would use them anyway!)
CanoScan > Epson

6. Cost. The EPSON is almost twice the cost of the CanoScan.
CanoScan >> EPSON (much better, not more expensive!)

7. Support. The Epson web site is fair. Tech support is by phone or mail. Canon has a very good web site.
CanoScan >> EPSON

8. Documentation. Excellent on the CanoScan, worst I've ever seen for the Epson.
CanoScan >>> Epson.

9. Bundled software. Epson has none for OS X, fair to poor for Mac Classic and Windows. CanoScan is fair for OS X, fair to good for Windows.
CanoScan >> Epson.

8. Other features. The EPSON has a negative scanner that's said to work (I've not tested it).
Epson >> CanoScan

Inexpensive to Buy - Quality is Better than Most
I bought this scanner in a hurry to complete a project. In turned into being a better scanner than my expensive one.

It installs quickly and the software that is provided with it is adequate or you can use your own software easily. If you are planning on scanning mostly text you may want to get a better OCR software product. The scanner does a great job and then it is up to the character recognition software to finish the job.

If you scan a photograph and print on quality paper it it does the job of a photo scanner. Everything I have scanned with this scanner from text to photographs is high quality.

I am considering buying a second one at the price that is offered. It's a DEAL.

A Real Workhorse!
I am 65 and after 40+ years of marriage, my wife and I had accumulated about 5,000 pictures and slides in albums, boxes, envelopes, etc. I have now finished scanning them all and have PhotoShopped, date-labeled, filed them in folders in "My Documents" and created CDs for the relatives. The Epson 1660 performed flawlessly! My conscience no longer nags me!

Based on my satisfaction, I looked to Epson for a combination printer/scanner/copier. (I left my scanner and printer at our Florida home) I bought the Epson Stylus CX5400 based on the very favorable user reviews and the remarkably low price. It too is a great product.

I will never ever buy EPSON again
First, I'm computer professional and I've been doing this stuff for years and years. The Epson software for this scanner is flaky. I've used it under Windows 2000 and Windows XP and it is not reliable. Sure, when it works it's ok. But, quite often it pops up modal or non-modal but very non-standard Windows windows that you can't get to with Alt-TAB and they are not in the Task Manager. Basically, you're hosed and you need to reboot. If you've scanned a bunch of images in and they have not yet been saved to file, they are gone. You've just wasted a little bit of your life. And installing the drivers is another time that Epson gets to steal from your life.

Epson used to make the ONLY printer in the old days, but I don't know what they are doing now. But I do know that I will never buy an Epson product for the rest of my life. ... Read more

Features

• 1,200 x 2,400 dpi optical resolution, 9,600 dpi enhanced
• True 48-bit color depth for rich scans
• 35mm adapter for slides and negatives
• Automated 4-button operation
• Convenient USB connectivity

Reviews (18)

Great price, good service, but not worth the bother!
I purchased this scanner from Dell, after doing my homework and looking at its good ratings, and I especially wanted the transparency adapter. It was supposed to be the model with the transparency adapter, but came without it. Dell would not even acknowledge my emails. The scanner did not work properly when scanning pictures. All scans were yellow and red! Epson was contacted and repaired the unit very quickly, but refused to replace it. It still makes weird sounds when scanning, but at least the colors are OK now. However, the software that came with the scanner is really weird and instructions are poor. Also, the OCR software is totally useless. It doesn't recognize text in columns, so each little section has to be scanned separately.

After using the Epson for a few weeks I gave up on it and have now purchased another brand.

A very good home-use scanner
This is my first scanner but it has been a pleasure. It has never caused any trouble and has always done what I asked. Sometimes I struggle to get the 35mm adapter to work (the optional attachment) but other than that, this scanner has proved to be a very good purchase.

What Junk-Software Sucks
What a waste of money. Purely a disaster. Lucky to get 2 scans without errors. Total frustration. messages:Scanner busy, scanner warming up; scanner not ready; scanner not available.
This makes the old Microtek look like a dream machine.
I have another Epson at home and the Smart Panel software is not so smart- there too- errors, lockups. I hope nobody else buys this garbage. Poor support terrible software.

Epson Perfection 1260
The quality of the picture is great. Unfortunately, the people that wrote the software for this scanner had created a great deal of glitches; the interaction (if you get any) between the software and the scanner is user unfriendly.

Beware...
When my HP Scanjet 3200C refused to work with Windows XP on my new computer, I decided to try the Epson Perfection 1260. The installing the scanner drivers were extremely easy. I didn't bother with the additional software since I have Photoshop 7. After quickly getting the scanner up and running, I noticed problems.

When pictures or color documents were scanned, they were usually a bit blurry. Sometimes they had a red line going through them, however, I didn't think much of it. I pretty much used the scanner for line art. That however should have been a warning sign as the quality of photos, magazine articles and covers I scanned seemed to get progressively worse. To make them look clear, I often had to clean up the lines in Photoshop.

Then came the final straw, when trying to scan a color drawing, the scan came out way too dim. Instead of a clear picture (or even a slightly blurred one) all I got was grayish fuzz. When I tried to scan a DVD cover as a test, all I got a lot of red and no color. All of this, and I've only had it for a few months, moderately using it from time to time. All in all, I'd say my money was wasted.

So far I'd say if you're looking for something easy to install and use, that also scans clean line art, then go for it. For anything and everything else, the low price isn't worth it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Epson Expression 1680 Professional Scanner offers high performance for graphics professionals and photographers. While delivering trillions of colors with 1,600 x 3,200 dpi resolution and 48-bit internal color depth, it produces consistently sharp, vibrant colors, subtle highlights, and shadow details.

Epson's ColorTrue II Imaging System and Matrix CCD technology combine custom optics, a Xenon lamp, and dynamic range control to administer high-speed image processing. You can see a full-color preview in 10 seconds, scan 35mm slides at 1,600 dpi in approximately 65 seconds, and scan an 8.5-by-11-inch color photo at 300 dpi in approximately 23 seconds.

Flexible in handling a wide range of originals up to 8.5 by 11.7 inches, the 1680 Pro Scanner also offers a transparency unit to accommodate 35mm to 8-by-10-inch transparencies. Epson's Dual-Focus Mechanism and film holder eliminate Newton ring problems. The 1680 Professional Scanner scans images and text documents into almost any application, including e-mail and fax.

The 1680 Pro Scanner provides networkable high-speed image processing for increased productivity and meets the critical values demanded by graphics professionals. Compatible with Mac and PC units, the scanner supports both USB and SCSI-2 connectivity as well as an option for FireWire (Epson part B808342).

The 1680 Professional Scanner provides easy scanning software for consistent, quality output. The premium software bundle includes MonacoEZcolor (calibration), Adobe Photoshop LE, NewSoft Presto Page Manager, LaserSoft SilverFast Ai5, and ScanSoft textBridge Pro with Epson Twain Pro scanner utilities. ... Read more

Features

• 1,600 x 3,200 dpi optical resolution
• ColorTrue II imaging system, true 48-bit color, 3.6 Dmax
• High-speed SCSI-2 and USB interfaces, FireWire optional
• Dual-Focus Mechanism; Premium software bundle
• PC and Mac compatible

Features

• 600 x 1,200 dpi optical resolution, 9,600 x 9,600 dpi interpolated
• 48-bit color depth, 16-bit grayscale
• Large 11.7-by-17-inch scanning area
• Instant startup with no warm-up required
• USB 2.0 and SCSI-2 connectivity, optional FireWire

Features

• 1,200 x 2,400 dpi optical resolution, 9,600 dpi enhanced
• True 48-bit color depth for rich scans
• Easy automated 4-button operation
• Simple to set up and use
• Convenient USB connectivity

Reviews (13)

Good scanner but ......
I have had a this scanner for a week and find it to be adequate for most of my scanning needs, however I did have a problem with the installation of the Epson Smart Panel software on my XP system. If I had not had to spend 45min manually editing my registry and destroying all traces of the software because the Install wizard would not properly uninstall the product (and yes, you can not install the Smart Panel software if the auto install program detects a previous version), I would have rated this product with 4 stars. It has a good value for the price if you are willing to deal with potential flaky install scripts.

Side note: I am not sure what flaming reviewers has to do with this product but as there is one here I feel compelled to state that my XP skill set is ADVANCED and RTFM would not have been of any help if first reviewer had the same issue I did (assuming of course that he followed the instructions to close all open programs and kill anti-virus scanners).

Good Deal
Nice scanner for the price. My needs were not major so it fits my need perfect.
The only minor problem I have had is making copies. Sometimes when I have several pages to copy, it stops after a copy. But I just power it off and back on and it's fine.

Piece of junk...
Really slow, low quality, crappy software and no power switch. And good luck getting technical support! My emails got bounced and I could not get through on the phone. Oh, and Epson offers you a "free" web space to post your photos... I read the fine print and it says that you lose your rights to pictures you post! Epson can claim your photos as its own and use them without even acknowledging you, let alone compensating you. So here's the summary: bad product, bad service, and they try to take your photos for themselves!

Great Scanner! Great Price!
Here is a quote from an earlier review of this scanner here..."I've liked Epson products. Not this one, though. I had great difficulty with the software under Windows XP. It would not install properly (so it told me) and the copy utility did not work properly."
Well I totally disagree with this opinion. If the installation is followed per instructions (that are perfectly clear), this scanner is very XP friendly. I found it very, very easy to install and I am not a computer geek!!! The scan quality is outstanding! The bundled software is very good and the scans are quick and quiet. I have had scanners that were of poorer results, and much more expensive. This is an amazing scanner at an amazingly low price. I give it 5 stars!!!

Everything I need
This is the third scanner I have used. The first was a roll-through Microtek that has long since died. The second one being a UMax Astra 610P that was exceptionally noisy and very flaky. I am pleased to report that this Epson is quiet. I can't hear it warming up and the scanning is about as loud as the Astra was warming up! All the utilities (OCR, scanning, retouching, etc.) have worked great for me. OCR has come a long way since my last scanner. Photos and text scan equally well. I haven't tried negatives yet and I doubt I will. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

With outstanding precision and a small footprint, the Epson Perfection 1250 provides excellent value for the serious imaging hobbyist. Connecting to both Macintosh and PC systems via a USB hub, setup takes just a few moments, so you'll be loading those photos on the Web in no time.

Four one-touch buttons allow you to quickly copy, scan, print, or e-mail your images. The rich 48-bit color and high 1,200 x 2,400 dpi resolution that are usually found in higher-end scanners keep your photos, negatives, and slides looking their best.

The built-in zoom feature provides a range of 50 to 200 percent, supplying plenty of options for enlarging or cropping your final prints. A cold cathode ray lamp is used as the light source, a powerful and economical choice that combines plenty of light with long-lasting efficiency. Maximum scan size is 8.5 x 11 inches, large enough for office documents as well as your family photos.

Included in the box is a USB cable and a software bundle that includes Epson TWAIN and several image editing and processing programs. Epson provides a one-year warranty that covers parts and labor. ... Read more

Features

• 1,200 x 2,400 dpi resolution
• Automated four-button scanning
• 48-bit color, 16-bit grayscale
• 50% to 200% zooming
• USB connectivity, PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (24)

excellent scanner for personal use
I'm quite pleased with the Epson 1250, I've primarily used the scanner for archiving old photos. For a scanner (in that price range), it provides excellent image quality at 1200x2400 dpi. Setup w/ Epson software and USB connection was a breeze, literally taking about a minute. The included software is quite good for most beginner to intermediate users. In addition to TWAIN capture software it includes OCR capability (text recognition), an image editor, and web picture hosting. More advanced users will make better use of Photoshop and other software, but you still can't beat the scan quality at this price point. Also, hardware seems to be fairly rugged and the scanner has small footprint and very slim profile. I compared various scanners in a retail store, the only ones that have a slimmer profile are the Canon CanoScan models (which cost about twice as much for 1200x2400 scan resolution).

Software from the Stone Age
As most of the previous reviewers have stated, it's a wonderful little scanner. But I just can't get over how poor the software is. In an age where Windows XP seems to anticipate my every move, working with the clunky software provided is really annoying. Here's the problem -- you don't get just one comprehensive program to do your scanning, you get ArcSoft Photoimpression, Epson SmartPanel, New Soft OCR, Epson TWAIN and Epson Film Factory Lite. Each of these looks entirely different and you can't move seamlessly from one to another. Want to enlarge that scan? Launch a program. Want to print the scan? Launch another. And each time you launch one, the previous one shuts down so you have to relaunch it if you want to continue scanning! Plus, it appears that none of the software designers has ever seen the standard Windows menu interface. These things visually look like some cheap game you bought in the $4.99 rack.

Unless I'm missing something, this software appears to believe that I bought the scanner to make only one scan -- ever. It seems to be saying "You REALLY want to make another scan? You already made one. Well, ok, but I'll make you wait while I re-launch."

Like I said, good scanner, tiny footprint . . . but I'd appreciate any suggestions for better software.

Gorgeous scans
After reading the poor reviews of the software that is included with this scanner, I decided to only install the Epson TWAIN software and not use the Smart Panel software at all (both TWAIN and Smart Panel are included on the software CD). The TWAIN software works wonderfully for me on my iMac running OS 9.0, and it allows greater control over resolution, quality and image size than previous versions of Epson TWAIN software once the "automatic" setting is turned off.
The most impressive element of this scanner is the stunning image quality. The colors are incredibly accurate and the scans are sharp and clear for every resolution I've tried so far.
This is by far the best scanner I have ever owned or used. I highly recommend it!

Copy Utility Stinks
I have had this scanner for over a year and between the problems I've had with this and my Epson printer, I will never again purchase an Epson product. My scanner will not copy an entire 8.5"x11" page. It invariably cuts off about an inch off the margin. I have to reduce the image to about 90% in order to get the entire page to print. I have tried saving to a file and then printing...same result. The entire image appears in the preview, but will not print. I have downloaded all the newest drivers for XP, and have spent many hours on the Epson Tech Support site, all to no avail. I had an HP scanner before this, and decided to try the Epson, because it was so cheap. I guess you get what you pay for.

Epson Perfection 1250
I have owned and used this scanner for more than a year now. Its intallation was very smooth and its output is always almost perfect, not rquiring any further adjustments. 1200dpi is a lot of resolution that is required for most line art publications. I have not used the software package as it is really functionally very limited, particularly the ocr software, but again I doubt that any scanner in the same price range comes with a respectable ocr software (as omnipage). The scanner's control panel is a very large program (about 150MB) and although it offers many options I have not required those. As a whole, I have been very satisfied with this product although I do not depend on the supplied software package. ... Read more