yohanan@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Steven J. Yohanan) (09/21/90)
I am in the market for a flatbed scanner for my IBM system. I haven't been able to find any articles which give a product-by-product breakdown of scanners. I don't even really have a grasp on the price ranges of these machines. I would be very appreciative if anyone could give me advice regarding models, dpi, color vs. b&w, prices, and (maybe) good dealers to buy from, etc.... Basically, any information regarding how the market stands on these device would be great. Thanks in advance... = steve P.S. I'd be interested in anyone with a used one also....
clouds@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Kathy Strong) (09/25/90)
In article <6502@uwm.edu> yohanan@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Steven J. Yohanan) writes: > > I am in the market for a flatbed scanner for my IBM system. >I haven't been able to find any articles which give a product-by-product >breakdown of scanners. I don't even really have a grasp on the price >ranges of these machines. > > I would be very appreciative if anyone could give me advice >regarding models, dpi, color vs. b&w, prices, and (maybe) good dealers >to buy from, etc.... Basically, any information regarding how the >market stands on these device would be great. At least once a year, both Publish (formerly Publish!) and Personal Publishing magazines do comparative reviews of scanners for IBM and Mac systems. Alas, mine are packed up, so I can't give you stats on the latest gee-whiz systems, but I can give you this from memory: The HP ScanJet seems to be a good low-end system for grey-scale scanning. For color scanning, the Sharp (this model number may be wrong) JX-450? is a good high-end machine. It does 11x17" 256-color scans; however, its software (the scanning portion of PC Paintbrush) is pretty lame. DPI is pretty easy: 300 suffices for anything you're likely to be using a desktop system for. Generally, dpi need not be more than one to one- anna-half times the screen frequency (LPI) you desire. (Newspaper photos are usually 65-85LPI; quick-print halftones, around 100LPI; magazine photos, 120-133LPI; and high-end reproduction (art books and the like) up to 200LPI.) You probably don't want a color scanner unless your final product is pictures on a monitor rather than print--the technology just isn't there yet for doing four-color printing from desktop scans. On the other hand, if you're doing desktop video, presentations, etc., a color scanner is definitely a must-have. Price ranges (very vague here): $2K to $7K and up. I'll try to unearth a recent magazine review and summarize. Till then, good luck in finding Publish or Personal Publishing... Not a library in Austin carries the latter, and only one has the former. If you know of a DTP usergroup or SIG in your area, they're your best bet. You might also try contacting any Lino service bureau--they're usually up to the minute on product info (though they'll probably try to persuade you to use their scanner rather than buying your own!). Kathy Strong clouds@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu