I've been using the Epson Perfection 3490 Photo for about six months. Having used an older model Epson for several years I was happy to stay with the brand.
This is an A4 flatbed scanner with good software which can be used to scan at the press of a button, there are in fact four buttons Start, ... Read review
Advantages: Excellent value, great results Disadvantages: No off switch
I've been using the Epson Perfection 3490 Photo for about six months. Having used an older model Epson for several years I was happy to stay with the brand.
This is an A4 flatbed scanner with good software which can be used to scan at the press of a button, there are in fact four buttons Start, Copy, Scan to Email and Scan to PDF. Although Professional mode seems to put some people off, it just gives you the means of altering the various parameters ... ...quality results there is 3200dpi optical resolution. Scanning items at low res. for the web or to print quality photos to A3 the results are impressive.
A useful feature is the built-in Transparency Unit for scanning slides or negatives. This is basically a slide holder that sits on the base, you then have to take out the reflective plate. This is all a bit fiddly if you have to swap between the two modes regularly. However if you mainly want ... more
I've been using the Epson Perfection 3490 Photo for about six months. Having used an older model Epson for several years I was happy to stay with the brand. This is an A4 flatbed scanner with good software which can be used to scan at the press of a button, there are in fact four buttons Start, Copy, Scan to Email and Scan to PDF. Although Professional mode seems to put some people off, it just gives you the means of altering the various parameters and is relatively easy to use.
For quality results there is 3200dpi optical resolution. Scanning items at low res. for the web or to print quality photos to A3 the results are impressive. A useful feature is the built-in Transparency Unit for scanning slides or negatives. This is basically a slide holder that sits on the base, you then have to take out the reflective plate. This is all a bit fiddly if you have to swap between the two modes regularly. However if you mainly want a flatbed scanner and want to scan in a few old slides - it's ideal, the alternative - a dedicated slide scanner is much more expensive. The software makes scanning straightforward and includes basic restoration facilities. Unfortunately it has no off switch, so unless you disconnect or switch off from the mains, the little light on the scan switch continues to glow. Apart from that everything else gets full marks, despite heavy use it keeps churning out excellent results.
If You are a general user then this is deffinately the scanner for you.
It is incredibly easy to use, no hassle, no fuss.
It has three basic options:
Full auto mode
This mode, is as it suggests, automatic. It assumes what is being scans and choses the recommended settings, for photos and documents, it is all you will ever really need.
Home mode
If you know how to dabble in this mode you can choose things such as the resoloution and coulour ... ...make minor image adjustments such as contrast.
Professional mode
You can change pretty much anything in this mode.
The scanner gives clear, crisp scans, no dust specks or the like.
I was moving my conventional photos (who uses those anymore?) to my computer and it was slightly slow on the higher resoloution setting but i am used to a higher spec (more expensive) scanner, which really isn't needed. One usefull feature is the ability to turn negatives ...
mudmank 21.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Epson Perfection 3490 Photo
Advantages: Good Quality images Disadvantages: Seems to take ages to scan high detail items
...I'm really impressed with Epson products and the quality of the work that you can produce from them. This scanner is no exception. The only thing I can complain about is the length of time it takes to scan at high resolution - I don't think this is a design flaw though - I'm just really impatient!!
Overall - this is a good piece of equipment that won't break the bank. ...
Brini 18.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Epson Perfection 3490 Photo
Product Information for "Epson Perfection 3490 Photo" »
Scanner
Input Type
Colour
Grayscale Depth
16-bit (64K grey levels)
Colour Depth
48-bit colour
Colour Depth (External)
48-bit colour
Optical Resolution
3200 dpi x 6400 dpi
Interpolated Resolution
12800 dpi x 12800 dpi
Scan Element Type
CCD
Bulb / Light Source Type
Xe-gas cold cathode fluorescent lamp
Scan Density Range
3.2D
Scanner Speed Details
15 sec/scan - black & white - A4 - 300 dpi
2309 sec/scan - colour - A4 - 600 dpi
8 sec/scan - preview
Manufacturer's product description
With the Epson Perfection 3490 Photo, anyone can quickly scan and restore cherished photos and film, or preserve important documents. True 3200 x 6400 dpi resolution and a 3.2 Dmax make brilliant reprints and enlargements possible - even from slides and negatives! The scanner's built-in transparency unit offers convenient scanning of both slides and film strips with remarkable detail, while Epson Easy Photo Fix one-touch color restoration renews faded originals. This versatile performer also provides fully automatic scanning, plus creative software titles such as ArcSoft PhotoImpression and ABBYY FineReader Sprint, so remarkable results are easy to achieve. In fact, when used together with an Epson Stylus ink jet printer, this model presents the perfect solution for creating long lasting, 8" x 10" or larger, frame-ready photos. With Hi-Speed USB 2.0, the Epson Perfection 3490 Photo speeds through every scan, allowing you to quickly digitize images or negatives from your family album for use in many creative applications, including StoryTeller Photo Book Creator, a fun, easy way to produce your own glossy photo book at home. And, with Easy Photo Fix, you can even restore faded photos before adding them to your book.
