Not bad for a low end scanner...
Written: Jul 17 '01 (Updated Jul 17 '01)
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Pros: Inexpensive, acceptable quality, Win2K compatible
Cons: A bit tricky to set up in Win2K, very slow "warm up" period
The Bottom Line: with a little creative "finagling" this can be a reasonable Win2K scanner. A decent bang for the buck.
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| bwestman's Full Review: Visioneer OneTouch 7600 Flatbed Scanner |
My Story
After a bit of data collection on my part, I had enough justification to go to the boss and say "I need a scanner". I was given the okay with the stipulation that it not cost over $100. While that certainly limited my choices, it didn't keep me from getting what I wanted.
I have an old, large HP ScanJet at home that I am seriously in love with. When it dies, I may have an emotional breakdown. But that's another story...
My first thought, as I began my shopping, was to check for an HP. I found a nice little HP 2100C for about $50 and bought it. I checked thoroughly but there was no mention of Win2K. The minimum requirements called for Windows 98 but it didn'say that it wouldn't work in Win2K. Well, to make a long story short, it didn't. And HP has no plans to support it to make it do so. End of story. End of scanner.
Without knowing much of anything at all about Visioneer, I bought the 7600 USB model because it was cheap and it reported to be Win2K compatible.
When my scanner arrived, I carefully read through the documentation. There was no mention of special set up instructions for Win2K so I proceeded. The software installed quickly and painlessly and Win2K found the scanner on the USB port and all seemed well. But looks can be deceiving...Although Win2K found the scanner, it couldn't communicate with it. All communication efforts failed (sort of like my first husband).
Okay. Darn.
A quick trip to the Visioneer website netted me a new driver and a new set of installation instructions. After fully uninstalling the program and note, this is important, removing the scanner from the hardware configuration, I was able to use the new driver and install the software without a hitch.
ONE MORE QUICK NOTE: The instructions from the website direct me to copy a folder from the CD. The folder from the CD does not exist by the name in the instructions. The instructions call for me to copy the BASE folder from the VISION directory. No such animal on my CD...I did find, through a little deductive reasoning, that I needed to copy the SCANSOFT directory instead. Hope this little tidbit saves someone else the frustration I had.
Anyway, once that was all said and done (more done than said), my little Visioneer 7600 USB scanner works like a charm. One more quick trip to the internet... to get a Win2K patch to update the TextBridge Pro program that came with the scanner...and I was good to go. I have scanned all my documents with ease and even used the OCR program on a couple, just for fun.
Basic Details:
• This is a 36-bit USB scanner.
• The optical resolution is 600x1200 dpi.
• Maximum interpolated resolution is 2400x2400 dpi.
• Scans up to Letter size - no legal
• Weighs in at a mere 5.7 lbs (2.6 kg)
• Comes with basic Twain drivers and PaperPort software
• The unit is putty colored with 5 OneTouch buttons
• Measures 3.4"(H) x 11.4"(W) x 17.3"(L)
General Operation
Once you get it all installed (which I assume is much quicker and easier with Windows 98 than with Win2K), operation is breeze. The scanner keeps a small icon on the system tray, ready to run.
The scanner itself has 5 buttons on the front: SCAN, Copy/Print, FAX, Custom, and EXIT. These buttons can also be accessed from the system tray icon. A quick click on the system tray icon will bring up a graphical representation of the button bar on the scanner. Pressing a button, or clicking its equivalent on the screen will scan your document into PaperPort. If you don't use the PaperPort software, you can scan directly into your graphics program, such as Paint Shop Pro, using the Twain drivers.
Overall, I am pleased with the ease of operation, once I got it installed. No, it's not the "cadillac" of scanners like my old HP and it probably won't live as long as my 22 lb HP brick, but for the bucks I shelled out, it is not too shabby.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 60
Interface: USB
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Epinions.com ID:
bwestman
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Location: Maine
Reviews written: 240
Trusted by: 45 members
About Me:
I am hopelessly impulsive. I admit it.
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