                                 UC630
                             Color Scanner

                             by Tony Curro


    At times we associate a name with a specific product: Epson for dot-
    matrix printers, HP for laser printers and scanners, etc.  With all
    the companies releasing products we have to look at the overall
    picture, not just the "standards."

    I have looked at HP ScanJet IIc, which was reviewed a few months
    ago,   and I have looked at two UMAX scanners.  My money is on UMAX.

    UMAX owns all the technology it uses in its systems, which means
    they do not have to license it from another supplier. This has
    several effects: by developing the technology, they are more
    familiar with the whole system, and can better incorporate this
    technology; it can change or adapt the technology quicker and
    easier. And, since UMAX owns the technology it does NOT pay
    licensing fees and can therefore pass the savings on to you, the
    user, with lower prices, and newer technology faster, than its
    competitors. UMAX optical assemblies are self-aligning. The mirror
    can actually be removed for cleaning, and the assembly will
    automatically realign. I will list information about the complete
    line of scanners at the end of the article, but for the one I
    tested, which was a 600dpi color scanner vs. the HP 400dpi color
    scanner, the list price for UMAX was $400 less. Street price
    difference is $200-500 depending on where you are pricing it. Can't
    you do something with that extra money? If not, you can always send it
    me!

    UMAX has three color scanners. I worked with the UC630. This is a
    flatbed scanner, capable of 24-bit color (16.7 million colors), and
    resolutions up to 600x300 dpi.  Through software interpolation the
    UC630 now offers a resolution of 1200x1200 dpi.UMAX supplies updated
    drivers for ALL major OCR software packages so they will work
    smoothly with the UC630. Also included is Image-In Color. For
    scanning and editing color images, a 256 color or true color (24
    bit) display is recommended.

    UC630 requirements are: 2MB memory (4MB recommended) for editing
    color images. You also need sufficient disk space to store a scanned
    image. The larger the resolution, and the more color you use, the
    more disk space you will need. A 2MB image can use 4-6MB of disk
    space for editing.

    In addtion to the color capabilities, UC630 can scan 256 grayscale
    images. I scanned a 35mm color photo, in both color and grayscale.
    Both images were sharp and crisp. I then loaded it into Image-In
    Color, and personalized the picture.

    Using the software you have complete control of you images. You can
    resample, resize, rescale, flip, rotate or slant an image. With the
    added tools: pen, text, brush, airbrush, stamp (duplicate part of an
    image), special effects, smudge, gradient fill, bucket (fills),
    drawing tool (curve, rectangle, ellipse, etc.), eye dropper and so
    forth.  Once an image is loaded, your imagination is the only
    limitation you have.

    Scan Mode: Lineart, Halftone, Grayscale, Color.
    Open: TIF, PCX, BMP (WIN3, WIN2, OS/2 PM), MSP, IMG, GIF, PNT, TGA,
    RAW, JPG.

    You cannot save in OS/2 PM BMP format. You can, however, save in all
    the above including EPS.

    I did scan text, and had it converted to ASCII file. I was pleased
    with the speed of the UC630 in scanning both text and graphics and
    was especially impressed with the speed when handling 24-bit color
    graphics. My one problem was that I ran out of disk space when
    trying to do a 24-bit 600 dpi image.

    As we went to press, I received the ScanOffice. As mentioned, it is
    a grayscale scanner. Other, than the  color, I got the same quality
    from this scanner. This scanner also is fast, and has the below
    mentioned products, which make it a good buy for those who do not
    need color.

    UMAX is a name that you should look for. Several of the OCR packages
    I have do recognize it, and I think it should get a following.

    The following is a list of the UMAX line of scanners. Prices listed
    are suggested retail price:

                Model                                   Price
                UC630 (24-bit, 600-1200 dpi color)      $1795.
                UC840 (24-bit, 800-1600 dpi color)      $1995.
                UC1200S ( 30-bit, 1200-2400 dpi color)  $4600.

                ADF ( Automatic Document Feeder)        $495.
                UTA (Transparency Adapter)              $895.

    All  scanners work with IBM and Macintosh. PC scanner includes
    Image-In Color. MAC scanner includes PhotoShop 2.5.

                ScanOffice (grayscale)                  $999.

    ScanOffice for MAC includes: Publish It! Easy 3.0, One-Step Scanning
    Software, Light Source Computer Images, and TypeReader 1.0.

    ScanOffice for PC includes: MS Publisher for Windows, Windows Draw
    LE v3.0 and Picture Publisher LE v3.1, and TypeReader.

    If you are in the market for a scanner, I urge you to check out the
    UMAX line. I do not think you will be disappointed.


                            Product Information

                            See Products and
                            Prices Above.

                            UMAX Technologies
                            3170 Coronado Drive
                            Santa Clara, CA 95054
                            800-562-0311
                            408-982-0771
