tonyrich@titanic.cs.wisc.edu (Anthony Rich) (03/22/90)
In a previous posting in early February, I asked: > Has anyone had any experience (good or bad) with the Microtek MSF-300Z > color scanner? How does its bundled software compare in ease of use & > flexibility with, say, the AppleScan software that comes with the > Apple scanner? What about scanned image quality? What compromises > did Microtek make that the REALLY expensive color scanners don't? I only received a few responses, but everyone who had one liked it. One person had some problems mail-ordering one from MacProducts. Here are the responses (condensed somewhat): ____________________________________________________________________________ We have a Microtek MSF-300Z scanner in our newspaper office and have had few complaints. The black & white scanning functions are well thought-out (through the scanning DA), and the package includes Digital Darkroom and a driver for ImageStudio. In color, it works well. The software is a trifle flaky, but it does what it has to do. By "flaky" I mean that sometimes color scanning doesn't work, and sometimes the color scan files are corrupted. Nothing consistent, though, and apparently it's been fixed with the most recent software upgrade. Black & white scanning is almost trouble-free. 24-bit scans look absolutely stunning. Using OmniPage, the scan time seems to be about 15 seconds for a letter-size page; recognition time (on a Mac IIci) ranges up to about 30 seconds. It *feels* like a fast scanner -- you really don't notice any delays, and when scanning color there's a progress graph (the color scan is a three-pass, so it takes about three times as long as the black & white). ____________________________________________________________________________ [This response was from a person who didn't have one yet.] According to the literature on the 300Z, one compromise they made is that an 8-bit B&W scan takes 10 seconds for a page, while a 24-bit color scan takes not 30 seconds (3 passes of 8-bits) but 120 (yes, 120) seconds! Heavy-duty users won't want to put up with this 2-minutes per page scan rate. I'd be willing to, but... ____________________________________________________________________________ I have the 300Z and it works great. It came with Superpaint, Digital Darkroom, and PhotoMac (I think PhotoMac Edit now). The MicroTek B&W and Color scan DAs work very well, and I am very pleased with both of the DA's scan qualities. The Digital Darkroom scan module is quirky, so I just don't use it. I've done OCR using OmniPage and get very accurate conversion. For color scans, make sure you have a big hard disk; it only scans color in 24-bit mode. I want to compare with the Howtek, but haven't yet. I suspect the higher-priced machines may have better consistency across the image (although as I said, I'm happy enough). The 300Z is backordered [in early Feb] for about 3 weeks from MicroTek and distributors. The distributor I deal with says they're expecting a 'bundle' that may include the Mac interface box for a new low price on Feb. 15. Wait until then, I suggest. At 300dpi and 24 bits per pixel, you use 270K per square inch (25MB for a full page). Actual file size depends a lot on the amount of white space in the image and the compression type you use (tiff, compressed tiff, pict). OCR'd files just become text, which is tiny. $1965 is what I sell it for (at least that's my university price) and includes the Mac interface. BTW, after thinking about the supposed 'bundle' it may be a price increase if it includes the software but not the interface (about $200 on the retail level). If it is the whole bundle though, my retail price would go to $1790. I'll keep you posted as I get more info on it. I have one of the TeacN50 150MB tape drives which is a real life saver for these huge files. --mike (internet: mikek@boulder.colorado.ed) ____________________________________________________________________________ Hello! I own a MicroTech 300-Z and like it. Unfortunately, I bought it through MacProducts (don't even think about buying it thru them) and they didn't send me that SCSI box (even though I paid for it). There are two things you have to buy: 1) The scanner itself 2) The SCSI adapter kit, which includes Digital Darkroom, PhotoMacEdit, SuperPaint 2.0 and all necessary DAs and inits. The scanner itself gives real neat images! The color is quite close the real thing (and is easily modifiable with PhotoMacEdit). I can't print in color (yet!). Oh well, I'd say 'Go for it!' ____________________________________________________________________________ [End of responses] -- ----------------------------------------- | EMAIL: tonyrich@titanic.cs.wisc.edu | | Disclaimer: I speak only for myself. | -----------------------------------------
JAH4@psuvm.psu.edu (03/23/90)
One thing that isn't mentioned that I have a question about is whether
the scan is RAM dependent or does it use the hard disk directly. We
are considering buying one here.
Jeffrey A. Hamman JAH4@PSUVM
Microcomputer Systems Consultant
Penn State Universitymikek@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Mike Kranzdorf) (03/24/90)
>One thing that isn't mentioned that I have a question about is whether >the scan is RAM dependent or does it use the hard disk directly. We >are considering buying one here. Both the B&W and Color DA's from Microtek scan to disk. The digital darkroom module scans to RAM I think (I don't use it) --mikek internet: mikek@boulder.colorado.edu uucp:{ncar|nbires}!boulder!mikek