Epson Perfection 1640SU Scanner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've read the reviews and they weren't very flattering on this scanner. But after careful re-readings it became apparent that most of the complaints dealt with either incompatibility with printers and/or installation of the supporting software. I've run into these problems myself in the past and slowly, but surely, have discovered that they were due mainly,on my part, by not reading the instructions thoroughly. I decided to put my computer know-how, 3 years of playing around with it, to work and see for myself how 'awful' this product may be. (Amazon has a return policy-thank god)
After receiving the item i decided to put everything aside initially and just go over the installation guide, noting any ambiguous or difficult to follow passages. The only discrepancy was noted when the guide notes instructions for only Window 95, 2000 and Mac operating systems. (I have a Window ME) I decided that i will follow the instructions for the Window 2000, as it is supposed to be nearly the same product as the millenium edition. It may be just me but the instructions weren't very difficult. The only minor complaint is that the manual didn't contain any detailed instructions on using the 'TWAIN' software and its properties. This can only be found in the actual software manual on the monitor. (go to start button, go to program, go to epson smart panel for scanner, go to user's manual)
After the initial read-through i began the installation of the hardware, its connections and finally the software installation. But before i did this i made sure the hard-drive on my dell pentium 2 was defragmented(using the comupter system tools) to organize and clear up any unused space, followed by a restart. I followed the instructions for the Window 2000 on my Window ME thoroughly, noting there was some minor differences in the process but nothing confusing. After the hardware calibration and software installation, i by-passed the optional softwares for now, it prompted me to restart the computer.( It is also noted in the manual guide that the scanner should always be turned on first before the computer itself.) After restart, i started the program,just installed, and the rest was history. Everything ran fine, including the software. The included extra, photoshop limited ed., was really useless since you can't save any changes of the image to your hard-drive.( you can only do that with an upgrade at an additional cost!) After playing around with some of the setting i found the 'TWAIN' as well as the smart panel program to be very novice friendly and efficient.(advanced users will probably feel contempt for this simple program)
My first scan was at a resolution of 97 dpi at 100% size of the scanned item. ( 1:1 ratio ) The results were pretty outstanding! At higher resolution the images were so huge and sharp that it used space up to 600 mb on my harddrive! For folks who want to scan and send pictures to friends via emails, a 97 dpi is more than you will ever need, really!. it's as sharp and big as the original print you just scanned. At 300dpi, the image is sharp enough to detect dust and paper texture of the scanned item. At 1200 dpi, the image requires so much space and processing power that it takes more than 10 minutes for the single scan! ( only useful if you are a graphic artist or want 8"x10"s or bigger prints out of your printer. the size of the image on your monitor does not translate equal size in the printed product.)
After careful reading of the software instructions found in the program itself, you will find simple steps to save the scanned images to your hard-drive.(e.g. after the scan, close the twain panel. you will see the index panel pop up with a icon image of the scan. click twice on the small icon image to see the full-sized image. this new window has a file button where you can save it to any application or hard-drive of your computer in many different formats, including jpeg and bmp.)
All in all, i found this scanner to be of excellent value and image quality. All i can say is to take your time in the installation and prepare ahead of time to get acquainted with the manual guide. who really cares if it take you an hour or two, just as long as it gets done right the first time. i've had this product for several days now and so far have made approximately 80+ scans without a glitch.
If you are one of those types who can't stand reading through a manual then you will most likely skip or reverse a procedure and cause error messages to fly around. remember, a computer functions on exact sequential commands and so it's often necessary to follow the directions to the letter.
If you are looking to scan images for emails, collecting images on your hard-drive or CD and web-site auctions, this scanner is actually an overkill. the epson 1240 will more than fit the bill for casual users. Hope this helps out anyone out there looking for a good value.

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The Epson Perfection 1640SU is a high-performance flatbed scanner that is ideal for general image and document scanning. The 1640SU color scanner boasts resolutions of up to 1,600 x 3,200 dpi with low-noise CCD. It uses Epson's Micro Step Drive technology for optimum speed and consistency in a workgroup scanner. It has a maximum interpolated resolution of 12,800 dpi.
The 1640SU features a large scanning area with high-speed capabilities. The start button can be customized for easy one-touch scanning. For optimum color images, the 1640SU offers 42-bit internal and external color depth. It can capture 440 billion colors and 16,384 shades of gray, making even the most subtle color changes vibrant. The 1640SU is perfect for artists, professionals, and graphic designers. For even more advanced workgroup needs, you can purchase the optional film adapter and automatic document feeder.
The 1640SU comes with SCSI or plug-and-play USB connectivity for ultimate versatility. The 1640SU features a bundle of useful software. Adobe PhotoDeluxe allows you to enhance and edit your images with ease, while Xerox TextBridge Pro offers OCR editing. Epson TWAIN software will let you simplify those complex setup procedures and implement automatic scanning. The 1640SU also includes Epson Smart Panel which enables scanning to e-mail, OCR, and photo-editing applications. --Megan Dugan

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