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I’m researching a new scanner purchase to replace a busted Epson Expression 1640 XL. A similar workstation has an Epson Expression 10000 XL
What we want:
* Good D-range. We’ll be scanning pictures from various sources, often crappy C-prints from cheap point-and-shoot cameras or even inkjet prints of digital images (I know!). We’d like to be able to preserve as much dynamic range as we can.
* >24 bit. Again, to preserve dynamic range and give us as much original data to work with as possible.
* Calibration. The Epsons come with Lasersoft Silverfast AI. Not bad, but a shabby interface that’s long overdue or a fix. Buggy, too. I’ve experienced bugs with every version, and there seems to be little incentive to fix them. Still, it’s better than any manufacturer’s software.
* Not Hewlett-Packard. Man, do their scanner suck, and the software is the rock-bottom worst scanning software I have ever used.
* Windows XP compatible (dammit), and Photoshop plug-in compatible.
* Batch scanning. The Epsons have a 12×18 scanning bed and, with Silverfast, I can preview and scan 8 4×6 photos in one batch. Nice, and a must-have feature.
* Firewire, preferably. USB 2 otherwise.
* Transparency adapter would be a nice plus, but I have that with the 10K, so not a huge deal.
What we want:
* Good D-range. We’ll be scanning pictures from various sources, often crappy C-prints from cheap point-and-shoot cameras or even inkjet prints of digital images (I know!). We’d like to be able to preserve as much dynamic range as we can.
* >24 bit. Again, to preserve dynamic range and give us as much original data to work with as possible.
* Calibration. The Epsons come with Lasersoft Silverfast AI. Not bad, but a shabby interface that’s long overdue or a fix. Buggy, too. I’ve experienced bugs with every version, and there seems to be little incentive to fix them. Still, it’s better than any manufacturer’s software.
* Not Hewlett-Packard. Man, do their scanner suck, and the software is the rock-bottom worst scanning software I have ever used.
* Windows XP compatible (dammit), and Photoshop plug-in compatible.
* Batch scanning. The Epsons have a 12×18 scanning bed and, with Silverfast, I can preview and scan 8 4×6 photos in one batch. Nice, and a must-have feature.
* Firewire, preferably. USB 2 otherwise.
* Transparency adapter would be a nice plus, but I have that with the 10K, so not a huge deal.
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