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1993-04-27
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UC630
Color Scanner
by Tony Curro
At times we associate a name with a specific product: Epson for dot-
matrix printers, HP for laser printers and scanners, etc. With all
the companies releasing products we have to look at the overall
picture, not just the "standards."
I have looked at HP ScanJet IIc, which was reviewed a few months
ago, and I have looked at two UMAX scanners. My money is on UMAX.
UMAX owns all the technology it uses in its systems, which means
they do not have to license it from another supplier. This has
several effects: by developing the technology, they are more
familiar with the whole system, and can better incorporate this
technology; it can change or adapt the technology quicker and
easier. And, since UMAX owns the technology it does NOT pay
licensing fees and can therefore pass the savings on to you, the
user, with lower prices, and newer technology faster, than its
competitors. UMAX optical assemblies are self-aligning. The mirror
can actually be removed for cleaning, and the assembly will
automatically realign. I will list information about the complete
line of scanners at the end of the article, but for the one I
tested, which was a 600dpi color scanner vs. the HP 400dpi color
scanner, the list price for UMAX was $400 less. Street price
difference is $200-500 depending on where you are pricing it. Can't
you do something with that extra money? If not, you can always send it
me!
UMAX has three color scanners. I worked with the UC630. This is a
flatbed scanner, capable of 24-bit color (16.7 million colors), and
resolutions up to 600x300 dpi. Through software interpolation the
UC630 now offers a resolution of 1200x1200 dpi.UMAX supplies updated
drivers for ALL major OCR software packages so they will work
smoothly with the UC630. Also included is Image-In Color. For
scanning and editing color images, a 256 color or true color (24
bit) display is recommended.
UC630 requirements are: 2MB memory (4MB recommended) for editing
color images. You also need sufficient disk space to store a scanned
image. The larger the resolution, and the more color you use, the
more disk space you will need. A 2MB image can use 4-6MB of disk
space for editing.
In addtion to the color capabilities, UC630 can scan 256 grayscale
images. I scanned a 35mm color photo, in both color and grayscale.
Both images were sharp and crisp. I then loaded it into Image-In
Color, and personalized the picture.
Using the software you have complete control of you images. You can
resample, resize, rescale, flip, rotate or slant an image. With the
added tools: pen, text, brush, airbrush, stamp (duplicate part of an
image), special effects, smudge, gradient fill, bucket (fills),
drawing tool (curve, rectangle, ellipse, etc.), eye dropper and so
forth. Once an image is loaded, your imagination is the only
limitation you have.
Scan Mode: Lineart, Halftone, Grayscale, Color.
Open: TIF, PCX, BMP (WIN3, WIN2, OS/2 PM), MSP, IMG, GIF, PNT, TGA,
RAW, JPG.
You cannot save in OS/2 PM BMP format. You can, however, save in all
the above including EPS.
I did scan text, and had it converted to ASCII file. I was pleased
with the speed of the UC630 in scanning both text and graphics and
was especially impressed with the speed when handling 24-bit color
graphics. My one problem was that I ran out of disk space when
trying to do a 24-bit 600 dpi image.
As we went to press, I received the ScanOffice. As mentioned, it is
a grayscale scanner. Other, than the color, I got the same quality
from this scanner. This scanner also is fast, and has the below
mentioned products, which make it a good buy for those who do not
need color.
UMAX is a name that you should look for. Several of the OCR packages
I have do recognize it, and I think it should get a following.
The following is a list of the UMAX line of scanners. Prices listed
are suggested retail price:
Model Price
UC630 (24-bit, 600-1200 dpi color) $1795.
UC840 (24-bit, 800-1600 dpi color) $1995.
UC1200S ( 30-bit, 1200-2400 dpi color) $4600.
ADF ( Automatic Document Feeder) $495.
UTA (Transparency Adapter) $895.
All scanners work with IBM and Macintosh. PC scanner includes
Image-In Color. MAC scanner includes PhotoShop 2.5.
ScanOffice (grayscale) $999.
ScanOffice for MAC includes: Publish It! Easy 3.0, One-Step Scanning
Software, Light Source Computer Images, and TypeReader 1.0.
ScanOffice for PC includes: MS Publisher for Windows, Windows Draw
LE v3.0 and Picture Publisher LE v3.1, and TypeReader.
If you are in the market for a scanner, I urge you to check out the
UMAX line. I do not think you will be disappointed.
Product Information
See Products and
Prices Above.
UMAX Technologies
3170 Coronado Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95054
800-562-0311
408-982-0771