Microtek ScanMaker 5900

Author's product rating:   

Speed	Fast
Colour sensitivity	Satisfactory
Resolution	Good
Ease of Installation	Good - quick to install
Value For Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Spec for price
Disadvantages:	Its apparent design fault

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

Please note: I'm a Mac user so the software issues here are Mac-specific and I'm unable to comment on how the 5900 runs with a PC; however, the hardware issue is machine-non-specific!

I bought my first Scanmaker 5900 from GHQ Computers, a reputable store in Britain which specialises in Apple software and hardware. I'd tried several computer superstores locally to no avail. It cost £125 + VAT from GHQ (online) in May 2004.

My choice was governed by budget and special requirements, i.e. I needed 4"x5" transparency scanning. Many scanners provide 35mm film adaptation, but most of those that offer large format fall into the very expensive, 'arts professional' bracket. Up until that point, I'd had a Scanmaker X6 with Light Lid and been reasonably happy with it, though its output quality had certainly declined over the 4 year period. My decision to replace it was forced because Mac OSX does not support a driver for the X6.

My first 5900 arrived with the glass smashed to smithereens. This could have happened to any scanner, naturally, in transit. GHQ reimbursed me and I tried a French company, Computerbench. The cost here was 230 Euros all inc.. They delivered very promptly; unfortunately the glass was not stuck to the plastic housing all the way around, meaning that the camera arm complained loudly as it passed over that section and produced a jittery image at that end. After a seemingly-interminable wait, calls (to no avail) to Microtek themselves, and some expense on my part, Computerbench replaced the scanner.

Installation was quite straightforward; the instructions were pretty clear, although - again a Mac problem, though I'm not sure if some Microsoft OS's may be similarly left out on the software CD - I had to pay an extra £2.99 in order to download the driver for OSX, which was by no means a new OS at that point. The scanning software supplied was Scanwizard 5, together with another CD containing Adobe PhotoDeluxe 4.0 (for Windows) and Adobe Photoshop 5.0 (for Mac). Since I already had a newer version of PS installed, this raised further questions about the up-to-dateness of the machine! Also enclosed was a freebie virus scanner called Titanium - again, only for PCs - with a 'win a mouse' competition included.

All appeared fine with the third scanner and I enjoyed several months of almost problem-free use. I say 'almost problem-free' because I'm used to minor 'oversights' on the part of developers of generic equipment; to have to reinstall the software several times (as I have with this) is no big deal but, that said, it's a nuisance. Also in common with many peripherals, not all the functions it boasts are available for the Mac; some cause it to crash. It's been a learning curve.

For its price, this really does look like a good deal. My requirements are mostly for images for web use and b/w CDs, so maybe they are not so stringent when it comes to colour reproduction. If you went and bought (and physically checked) this in a shop, you may have no cause for complaint - but I would certainly advise a thorough check of the adhesion of the housing to the glass, which seems to be a persistent fault.

Two weeks ago, I made the mistake of putting a slightly-thick document into the scanner. It made an old and too-familiar noise; the glass had come unstuck at one end. I have yet to work out how to rectify this without risking cracking the glass, and I have no desire whatsoever to go through the returns process again. At the moment - for my purposes, i.e. I really only need the trannies to be perfect - it's working OK, but obviously is far less than ideal.

What else can I say?The control panel is reasonably user-friendly, though the 'advanced' mode is strangely cached and causes my screen to freeze for several seconds before the new panel loads. The text scanner does (in my case, did) a good job. It looks good for the price, and I'm sure if you can get all the instant-function buttons on the front (scan, email, copy, OCR, Scan-to-Web) to work - which may well be the case with a PC - and avoid the software glitches, it would suffice for many seeking a budget instrument. It's certainly fast enough for most purposes.

To conclude, whilst there's a big price gap between this and other models for large transparency scanning, if all you need is very high quality photo, document and 35mm reproduction, I'm sure there are much better alternatives for a little more money.