Epson Perfection 3590 Photo

...35mm film. On the box Epson suggest this is "quick and easy". For once this claim is accurate, and even lives up to the Epson "Exceed your vision" hype.

Installation:

Everything comes on one CD, and the procedure worked first time. As ever, it's worth following the installation instructions to the letter, paying special attention to just when to connect the USB cable and switch on, as well as shutting ...
...feature of this machine. The Epson software has a "Full Auto Mode". In practice, what this means is that if you wish to scan a strip of 35mm negatives, the whole process is wonderfully easy. You just place the strip in the autofeeder - no need to position it carefully - and then press the "go" button on the Epson software. Automatically, the system recognises you are scanning 35mm film, aligns the film for scanning, scans it and ... more

Apart from being a good scanner, this product is aimed at anyone who also wants to scan 35mm film. On the box Epson suggest this is "quick and easy". For once this claim is accurate, and even lives up to the Epson "Exceed your vision" hype.

Installation:

Everything comes on one CD, and the procedure worked first time. As ever, it's worth following the installation instructions to the letter, paying special attention to just when to connect the USB cable and switch on, as well as shutting down every last bit of running software before starting.

There are four buttons on the front of the unit and their function is clearly marked - scan to pdf, scan to email, copy and start. On the top there is a small panel that is the 35mm film loader, and this opens in a controlled and very pleasing way. It's worth noting that in order to use this film feeder you must first remove the pressure plate that normally holds a document down. Again, good design means this plate can be fitted or removed in a couple of seconds.

Operation:

And here we come to a superb feature of this machine. The Epson software has a "Full Auto Mode". In practice, what this means is that if you wish to scan a strip of 35mm negatives, the whole process is wonderfully easy. You just place the strip in the autofeeder - no need to position it carefully - and then press the "go" button on the Epson software. Automatically, the system recognises you are scanning 35mm film, aligns the film for scanning, scans it and then shows you the results in it's own file management software. It really is that easy, and so far has never let me down. Scanning a strip of four negatives from scratch takes just under five minutes. A strip of up to six negatives can be scanned in one go.

If you prefer, there are two alternative modes - "Home", which basically allows access to some adjustments, and "Pro", which gives total control over everything.

The software includes two options that are particularly useful - colour restoration of old negatives and a dust removal option. Both of these are easy to use and give great results.

I've rather skipped over the scanning of photo's and other documents, largely because there's not a lot to be said - the software works well with the scanner, and the results are first class.

Other Features:

There is a holder that allows one 35mm slide to be scanned at a time.

The software bundle also includes a basic version of Abbyy FineReader for OCR, which although fairly crude does at least work effectively on most common type faces of a reasonable size. Anyone that needs are greater degree of functionality would need to upgrade (charged for) to the full package.

Also included is Presto! BizCard. Whilst I'm sure that there must be a group of users somewhere that find this application essential, I'm not convinced that it's inclusion in this package adds any value. In the absence of a document feeder, I reckon I could type the info from a business card with one finger faster than scan it.

In Conclusion:

A well thought out product that even a novice user could be up and running with in a few minutes, whilst allowing an expert access to all the features for even better results.

Although the 35mm film feeder works well, since it will only handle a single strip at a time, and processing four images takes five minutes, it is designed for the home market.

It's probably worth mentioning that Epson also sell a similar model - the 3490 - which has an indentical spec, but doesn't include the 35mm auto feeder. At the time of writing, the 3590 cost around £85.00, and the 3490 around £60. I really think the extra £25 is worth every penny, and then some. 

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