I owned an Umax Astra 600p scanner for well over four or five years now. I've attached it to several computers, all of various speeds. Currently, it's connected to my P2 450Mhz computer, and is doing fine.
It's been around for a while now, but at the end of the day, technology in this area ... Read review
Advantages: Cheap, decent build quality, good picture quality Disadvantages: Slow, and old.
I owned an Umax Astra 600p scanner for well over four or five years now. I've attached it to several computers, all of various speeds. Currently, it's connected to my P2 450Mhz computer, and is doing fine.
It's been around for a while now, but at the end of the day, technology in this area hasn't improved significantly. This model, as the 'p' in the name indicates, is connected to the parrallel port. Everybodys first fear is then "Where ... ...dislogging the scanning head, though Umax (or rather Novatech where I bought it from) replaced/repaired it free of charge. Very nice of them.
It's not fast, but then most scanners aren't. At, it can be very prone to making some very strange and worrying sounds as the scanning head moves down the glass pane.
The software is certainly adequate. It uses VistaScan do the actual scanning, and does come with various graphics ... more
I owned an Umax Astra 600p scanner for well over four or five years now. I've attached it to several computers, all of various speeds. Currently, it's connected to my P2 450Mhz computer, and is doing fine.
It's been around for a while now, but at the end of the day, technology in this area hasn't improved significantly. This model, as the 'p' in the name indicates, is connected to the parrallel port. Everybodys first fear is then "Where does the printer plug in to?!?". Simple! It plugs into the back of the scanner. The printer performance doesn't seems to affected by this, just make sure that you have enough printer leads to join them all up. Alternatively, by a Parrallel to USB adaptor if you have any USB ports. It woun't speed up the connection much as it is still a 'parrallel' cable and device.
So, the scanner itself. It is quite big in comparison with most new ones, and although it doesn't look to bad, it does look very drab compared to the new ones, especially those that come with the currently fashinable 'iMac' colouring. It is a flatbed scanner, so you simply need to place your document on the glass panel under the cover, which need not be closed while scanning, so it can easily accomodate anything from a business card to an encyclopedia. Be careful with the weight you place on the panel though! Once, I pressed down a little to hard to try and flatten the spine of a book out, and ended up dislogging the scanning head, though Umax (or rather Novatech where I bought it from) replaced/repaired it free of charge. Very nice of them.
It's not fast, but then most scanners aren't. At, it can be very prone to making some very strange and worrying sounds as the scanning head moves down the glass pane.
The software is certainly adequate. It uses VistaScan do the actual scanning, and does come with various graphics programs that you can use to play around with the images. Personally, I'm a bit of a Paint Shop Pro fan, and so have never really used these products that are included. The VistaScan software though allows you to both preview and scan the document, and alter a multitude of settings. These include resolution, brightness, contrast, colour, and many more.
All in all, it can't be faulted. You'd probably be able to pick one up second hand for around £20, though having said that I bought it new all those years ago for just £59!
Advantages: Good value, great all rounder Disadvantages: Old technology now, slow parallel connection
...been carried over to current Umax scanners (most of which use USB connections and have higher resolutions).
The scanner is incredibly solid, with a lock that holds all moving parts stationary if you wish to move the scanner (in the car for example). My scanner survived being hit by my keyboard (when it fell off its shelf) with just a scratch. Thoroughly recommended. ...
Dunc 25.05.2001 (26.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Umax Astra 600p
Advantages: Good Quality, Fast Scanning Speed, Network Support Disadvantages: None
I have had my scanner now for a few years and have never had a real problem with it, it has a fast scanning speed and a resolution of up to 4600DPi. It came with 2 CD`s one was a driver and software and the other was free software. The advantage of this scanner is that i can use it on a network and alow other users to have access to it by a simple piece of software included. The scanner connects via the parallel port and has a parallel port built ...
Advantages: Little etter than my old one Disadvantages: Not great
I owned an old UmaxAstra600P scanner which seemed agonizing slow, though quality of the output seemed very good. I read about the Epson Perfection in PC magazine which gave it Editor's Choice award so I decided to give it a try since it was available at buy.com with a £20 off coupon. To my disappointment, it 's not much better than my old Umax scanner. Somewhat faster, but no better output on my HP 733c printer using premium photographic grade paper. Also, the accompanying software, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, would frequently crash the computer requiring a hard boot. (I'm using a new Dell 733 MHz computer and after using my own software the problem disappeared, so the problem was not the computer). Also, scanning at 1200 dpi takes FOREVER and the photo didn't look ANY better than at 300 dpi. ...
Advantages: good price, great selection of software Disadvantages: No
need to think twice occasionally when scanning, as to whether or not you really need 36-bit color, or 600 dots per inch, for a particular scan.
Now that the speed issue has been addressed, I'd like to comment on the scanner's good features, and they are substantial. First, it's a UMAX; that's a good brand name, and they make very good scanners. Second, you can get one at a great price; $70 including delivery is possible. Third, the UMAXAstra 2000P has good specs', including 600 x 1,200 dpi optical resolution, and 36-bit color. Fourth, it comes with a great selection of software, including an OCR package, a graphics program, and even a business card scanning utility. Fifth, the scanner even comes with a parallel port cable. Last, setup and installation is very easy; you can do it in 5 minutes out of the box.
How is the scanner in use ...
