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Microtek 5900 Scanner - user's experience
For what it's worth, I just returned this scanner and will not ever buy another
Microtek product -- not because of the product, but because of the lack of clear documentation. Lots of PDF files, but no "real" instructions or descriptions of the features for this one. I won't bash Microteck, since others have had good luck with their products, but if you do a quick search at google for my email address and microtek, you will see the difficulties I have had in setting up this scanner. I gave it a 40-day trial and finally gave up. For scanning black and white, garden variety work, it did an excellent job. Same for color prints. The scans actually looked better than the original prints to me. My problem was in scanning 4x5 negatives. I never could get a decent scan, following all of the instructions and the generous help from others answering my postings. The scanner got a good review at pcworld.com, and for the money and doing basic scanning, it did a fine job. But if you are looking for a scanner to scan B&W negatives (as used in offset printing) or color slides, I wish you better luck than I had. I will not buy any Microtek products again. Not because of the products, but because of the lack of clear instructions. Lots of PDF's but no "real" how-to instructions. No replies please. I have already returned the scanner. |
#2
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Too bad you returned the scanner.
My current project is to scan in 4x5 B&W negs of my high school = graduation annual, you know the kind, all your friends signed and there = are stats beside each name etc, etc. The purpose of scanning the senior = class is to eventually make available copies of the book to those who = lost theirs or never got one to begin with. Yours, Tom PS: as to the manuals and how to, I think PhotoShop by Adobe is the only = software that I have that has the kind of support you had expected, and = rightly so. Yours, Tom "HBYardSale" wrote in message = ... For what it's worth, I just returned this scanner and will not ever = buy another Microtek product -- not because of the product, but because of the = lack of=20 clear documentation. Lots of PDF files, but no "real" instructions or descriptions of the features for this one. =20 I won't bash Microteck, since others have had good luck with their = products, but if you do a quick search at google for my email address and = microtek, you will see the difficulties I have had in setting up this scanner. =20 I gave it a 40-day trial and finally gave up. =20 For scanning black and white, garden variety work, it did an excellent = job. Same for color prints. The scans actually looked better than the = original prints to me. =20 My problem was in scanning 4x5 negatives. I never could get a decent = scan, following all of the instructions and the generous help from others = answering my postings. =20 The scanner got a good review at pcworld.com, and for the money and = doing basic scanning, it did a fine job. =20 But if you are looking for a scanner to scan B&W negatives (as used in = offset printing) or color slides, I wish you better luck than I had. =20 I will not buy any Microtek products again. Not because of the = products, but because of the lack of clear instructions. Lots of PDF's but no "real" = how-to instructions. =20 No replies please. I have already returned the scanner. |
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My current project is to scan in 4x5 B&W negs of my high school =
graduation annual, you know the kind, all your friends signed and there = are stats beside each name etc, etc. The purpose of scanning the senior = class is to eventually make available copies of the book to those who = lost theirs or never got one to begin with. Yours, Tom PS: as to the manuals and how to, I think PhotoShop by Adobe is the only = software that I have that has the kind of support you had expected Good luck with your project. The scanner I had did a superb job scanning line art and photos. You sound like you're more advanced than I am and so I'm sure you'll be able to get good neg scans. |
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#6
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I apologize. Sounds like you have suffered enough. I've noticed more and more people are buying 'locally' and avoiding the monster stores. They are willing to pay more for the personal service. Here is a scenario. You take the 4x5 negative into mom and pops computer store and say you want to buy their scanner that will scan that negative. They do it in front of your eyes. You buy the scanner with its 20 percent premium over the discount house. Are you happy? JimL On 08 Sep 2003 16:32:24 GMT, etorg (HBYardSale) wrote: JimL I feel bad. Not for you, but for the store that sold it to you and for the company. ** Sorry to hear that, Jim. However, I just intended to give the folks a report of my own personal experience, not a commentary on global economics. LOL!! ** And only for the benefit of some of the more helpful folks here to let them know how it turned out. ** Again, for your benefit, I was more disappointed than anyone. I was the one who lost the time and money by selecting this scanner. ** I did not give it a 1 or 2-day trial, which is what most people would have done. I gave it 40 full days. I downloaded all the documentation and spent nights and weekends trying to figure out what should have been very simple tasks. ** For example, a page called, "How to scan a 4x5 Negative" would have been helpful. Supposedly this is the main selling feature of this product, and the reason I bought it. Yet there is not one single instruction on how to do it and get a decent scan. I don't think that's too much to ask. ** I would get that the scanner program and not the scanner is the problem, but that's the program that came with the scanner. People like you that use and return stuff have got to be a huge drain on our economy. Billions of lost tax dollars... ** I don't know about the billions of tax dollars, but buying this scanner was indeed a huge drain on my economy. I made four trips to a graphics house to make 10 photostats at $8 each. Plus I made two trips to the store (one to buy the scanner and one to return it.) Now I have spend $80 plus all the time and grief and still don't have a scanner. I'd like to see some major stores establish a 'no return' policy. You buy it and it's yours. ** FYI, there are already stores like this. They're called "flea markets." Good manufacturers have always stood behind their products. Product prices in my store could be drastically reduced because of the policy. ** I see your problem. Could this be this problem is caused by the manufacturers over-selling the simplicity of these products? So much of the cutting edge computer stuff is released without decent documentation. I would bet most home users and small non-computer-savy businesses buy and return stuff all the time because of their lack of computer skills or understandable documentation. (No fault of the retailer, by the way.) JimL |
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#8
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Just a quick note: The software had two ways to scan:
1: A very simple scan wizard with obvious controls 2: A much more advanced menu system that you could scan color negs, B&W = negs, line work, reflective prints of any kind, with a sub menu to get = rid of the halftone moir=E9 patterns that you would normally get = scanning material from news papers and magazines. BTW my high school project is going well, and fast. I did a test from my = own High School annual but it had faded too much for good scans. The = negs were probably done before much fading had happened. Once scanned = they will be transferred to CDs, how many I truly do not know. It all = depends on how many classmates (from 1956) are still alive and want a = copy of the annual, if they did not get one or lost theirs. My first scanner was an HP with that silly pyramid for 35mm slides. I = spent $25 for a slide sorter which pulled heavy duty till my present = scanner. Here is a link to the$25 solution along with results. "THEY" said it = couldn't be done. For web sites and small (4x5) pictures in brochures it = worked. All learning curves are not curves just shear cliffs straight up for = eternity....but fun. Yours, Tom http://www.tom-elliott-photography.com/hp-scanner.html "HBYardSale" wrote in message = ... My current project is to scan in 4x5 B&W negs of my high school =3D graduation annual, you know the kind, all your friends signed and = there =3D are stats beside each name etc, etc. The purpose of scanning the = senior =3D class is to eventually make available copies of the book to those who = =3D lost theirs or never got one to begin with. Yours, Tom PS: as to the manuals and how to, I think PhotoShop by Adobe is the = only =3D software that I have that has the kind of support you had expected =20 Good luck with your project. The scanner I had did a superb job = scanning line art and photos. You sound like you're more advanced than I am and so = I'm sure you'll be able to get good neg scans. |
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