Epson Perfection 2400 - It's pretty close to perfection
Written: Aug 15 '03 (Updated Sep 22 '03)
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Pros: Easy Installation. Auto and Manual operating modes.
Cons: You have to find the space for it.
The Bottom Line: This scanner suits my needs and works well. I ordered mine from Newegg.com. They had the lowest all-in cost.
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| leveleth's Full Review: Epson Perfection® 2400 PHOTO Flatbed Scanner |
The EPSON Perfection 2400 Photo Flatbed Scanner is a scanner that offers more functionality than some of the other scanners I looked at. It will scan not only photographs and other paper images, but also 35mm negatives and slides. In conjunction with the software provided, it will scan using optical character recognition. This allows you to scan in a document and edit it with your word processor. The scanner accepts paper up to 8.5”x11.7” and will act as a copier by scanning directly to your printer.
Scanning negatives and transparencies in the 120/220 (6 x 9 cm) and 4 x 5-inch (101.6 x 127 mm) formats requires the Optional Film Adapter. Other than that, everything you need is included in the box.
The scanner can be operated manually, or in auto mode. In auto mode, the EPSON TWAIN driver recognizes the document source (paper, negative or slide) and optimizes the image. For basic scanning, this is a pretty foolproof process. In manual mode, you can set parameters such as document source, image type, and destination. Manual mode also lets you tweak aspects of the image such as resolution (dpi), brightness, contrast, color, and tone.
Set – up & Installation
I am including a fairly detailed description of the installation because it is the part that I was the most concerned about. I am not particuliarly technical, and have never actually installed any periperals before.
The setup was very straightforward. The box included clear, easy to understand instructions. I started with the instructions on how to unpack the scanner. Step #1 is a list of the seven separate items that should be included in the box: 1) the scanner, 2) AC adaptor, 3) power cord, 4) USB cable, 5) film holder, 6) CD-Rom with EPSON TWAIN driver, and 7) Adobe Photoshop Elements CD-ROM. As simple as this step might seem, I really appreciated it. I immediately knew that everything that was supposed to be in the box was in the box.
Included with the instructions was a message to Microsoft Windows XP Users. It stated that XP users must check their current version of XP to determine if they were running ”Service Pack 1”. Any user running this service pack will need to download a patch from Microsoft prior to installing the scanner. Using the instructions provided, I checked the status of my system. Since it was the affected service pack, I proceeded to download the patch (again using the instructions provided with the printer). This left me ready to install the scanner.
The installation instructions are very clear that you must install the software before you connect the scanner to the computer. They also inform you that the software installation may take up to 15 minutes. It took me about 5 minutes. First I installed the “Photoshop Elements” then I installed the scanner software. Software installation instructions for Windows and Macintosh are totally separate sections. Since I am using Windows, I cannot speak to the Mac instructions. The Windows instructions were totally explicit and complete. Once the software was installed, I was ready to connect the scanner.
Connecting the scanner was a piece of cake. While I have installed software before, I haven't physically connected any of the hardware. The pictures provided with the instructions were very helpful. I installed the hardware in less than three minutes.
I would like to note here that the ease of installation for the hardware is a major plus. The scanner’s footprint is approximately 18” by 10”. If the scanner is something you will use everyday, you need to find a place for it near the computer. If the scanner is something you will use in batches, you can easily disconnect it and store it.
The setup instructions then walk you through your first scan of a photo. The instructions are again easy to follow, and my first scan worked without a hitch. For slides and negatives, they refer you to the on-screen Scanner Reference Guide.
Operation
So far, I have been able to do everything I have wanted to with this scanner.
Scanning images from paper, slides and negatives is quite easy. I scanned each of these on my first try. The help functions are not the best I have seen, but they are acceptable.
The quality of the scan and the time required for the scan are inter-related. When you are operating the scanner in auto mode, the scanner will chose the resolution for you. When you are operating in manual mode, you are able to specify the scanning resolution – anywhere up to 2400 dpi. The lower the dpi, the faster the scan. For scanning an image to email or the web, Epson recommends a dpi setting of between 72 and 150 dpi. When you are scanning an image for printing, the dpi setting must be much higher. The actual setting depends on the image type.
An average 4x6 photograph takes approximately 5 seconds to scan at Epson’s recommended dpi (400). With this dpi setting I do not see any significant difference between the original and the scan. If you want to enlarge the image, a higher dpi is required. Increasing the dpi to 600 more than tripled the time. Increasing the dpi also increases the file size.
The optical character recognition (OCR) works well. The OCR defaults to the language to which your word processor is set. It will recognize 41 different languages. (Note for Mac OS X: You can only select English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, or Simplified Chinese.) This will not scan legal size paper (the scanner bed is not long enough). The OCR software has that as an option, but will not let me choose it.
The copy function works as promised, although it is a bit slow. If what you really need is a copier, this is not the solution. But, if your copying needs run around two pages a week, then this is better than having yet another piece of equipment on your desk.
With the purchase of this scanner, EPSON provides free access to a website that allows you to post images. This is convenient if your intention is to share photographs with friends - you don't need to clutter your disk with large files.
A copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements is included with this scanner. This is a subset of Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop Elements lets you edit your image once it is scanned. You can crop, resize, adjust the color, and get rid of red-eye, among other things. There is most definitely a learning curve with this software if you have not used photo-editing software before, but once you’ve played with it for a while it gets easier. Some excellent reviews of this software can be found here: Adobe Photoshop Elements
Conclusion
This is a scanner aimed at the consumer market. The installation was easy and the operation is straightforward. It will scan paper, slides and negatives. These images can be scanned to the web, an application, a file, a printer, or an email. If you intend to edited the images, there will be a learning curve with the Adobe software that is included. Without the editing, I was up and running in half an hour. It does everything I need.
****Note: There is a $30 mail-in rebate available for Epson Perfection 2400 Photo scanners purchased between 8/1/03 and 1/31/04. Details and mail-in forms are available at a number of online retail sites. Do a Goggle search on "Epson Perfection 2400" +rebate and you will find the forms.****
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 174.00
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Epinions.com ID:
leveleth
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Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 34 members
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