Top 10 Scanners
The Epson Perfection 1240U Photo tops the SOHO chart, while HP's Scanjet 7450c earns the top Corporate spot.
From the September 2001 issue of PC World magazine
Posted Thursday, July 26, 2001
Scanner companies often release more than one version of a given model,
and deciding exactly which flavor best suits your taste can be quite a
challenge--especially when you're looking at indistinguishable differences in
the base specifications. Take a closer look, however, and you'll find an
assortment of different interface options, software bundles, and
accessories.
This month we reviewed three minor variations of scanners--from
Hewlett-Packard, Microtek, and Visioneer--that are veteran members of our Top
10 chart. Although only one, Visioneer's OneTouch 8820, performed well enough
to earn a position on this month's chart, all these units are useful choices
that answer a variety of scanning needs.
Versatile SOHO Scanner
The $200 OneTouch 8820 is a knockoff of Visioneer's $179 OneTouch 8800.
Both models scan up to 42-bit color depth, 1200 by 2400 dots per inch, and
letter-size (8.5-by-11-inch) documents. Both models have fine performance and
handy push-button controls. But the OneTouch 8820 adds a transparency adapter
lid, giving you the ability to scan film positives and negatives. For just $20
extra, it makes the OneTouch 8820 the better value of the two models.
Corporate Scanner Reunion
For corporate users, the $499 HP Scanjet 7400c is a more affordable
version of the powerful $700 Scanjet 7450c, which reigns as the Best Buy on our
corporate chart. HP knocked $200 off the 7450c's price by removing the 50-page
document feeder, so the 7400c is a better match for business users who are more
interested in scanning photos and other materials than converting volumes of
documents into editable text.
The other corporate scanner we tested this month is the $430 Microtek
ScanMaker X12USL Office Edition. The latest incarnation of the basic X12USL, a
former corporate chart Best Buy, features a 25-page automatic document feeder.
Both Microtek models have a maximum scan resolution of 1200 by 2400
dpi--relatively limited compared to the higher 2400-by-2400-dpi resolution
offered by the top-ranked HP Scanjet 7450c, but still serviceable for a host of
scanning jobs.
Richard Jantz is a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay
Area.
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