Epson Scanner (Epson Perfection 1650 Photo)

Member Name: thespurs

Product:	Epson Perfection 1650 Photo
Date:	27/07/04 (288 review reads)
Rating:

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When my Dad bought my Epson printer about nine months ago, he was very impressed. He decided that we, or I, needed a scanner. We have bought all of our printers from Epson so we respect them as a very good computer products manufacturer.

I don't really use my scanner, in fact I have never used this scanner. I can't think of a reason for using one either so it will just sit next to the printer un-used. I thought I would give it a spin this evening so I could give it a fair and unbiased review. I decided to scan an image from todays Daily Telegraph newspaper. Before I start the review, I would like to point out that this isn't the one of the best quality scanners on the market today.

I will set out below, how good I think this scanner is under a number of headings


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Speed

Compared with the scanner that was included in the package I got when the PC was bought, this is fairly quick. It can copy 7.68 ms/line when operated at 1600 dpi but can only manage around 5.12 ms/line when set to 600 dpi. This isn't too bad, if you don't have lots of sheets to scan. If you want to send somebody a 30-page report via e-mail, I can imagine the scanning process being very slow and annoying. If there was an auto feed mechanism then this would be a problem, but you have to insert each sheet you want copied, individually.

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Resolution

The resolution on this machine isn't that good compared with most other scanners, but it is still good enough to produce good quality scans. The Optical Resolution is 1600 dpi x 3200 dpi, which isn't too bad for a scanner at this price. The Interpolated Resolution comes in at 12800 dpi x 12800 dpi. You don't really need much better than this if you are just using it for home use. You will have to fork out an awful lot more money if you want an improved resolution.

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Ease of Use


There aren't any real difficulties in using this scanner. Most people will be able to interpret the various settings and formats, with relative ease. Everything is kept fairly simple and the software that comes included has been very well designed. Most of the presets are what most people would use when scanning pictures, so if the user is uncertain of what various settings mean, they can just simply scan their item on the current settings. For those who are good with computers and want to enhance and play around with images, should find it very simple.

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Ease of Installation

Whenever you are using a new piece of equipment on a computer, you should always plug it in when the power is off. Simply attach the USB cable into the back of your PC and then put the plug in a power socket. When you turn the computer on, it will say that a new device has been detected. SImply insert the CD-ROM, that comes included, and follow the step-by-step installation. This should take no longer than five minutes and once it is complete the scanner will be ready for use.

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Design

This scanner does look quite cool, as do most of the prodcuts that Epson manufacture. It is looks nice, mainly due to the fact that the edges are rounded. The concept isn't too over the top so it does look good on your desk. My old Tiny scanner is all straight lines and it looks ghastly. It comes in an off white colour, which will suit most computers. The buttons along the front fit in well with design and they don't look really large and ugly. The size of the scanner, as follows: Width - 27.5 cm, Depth - 41.9 cm and
Height - 6.2 cm. The scanner comes in at a total weight of 2.5kg, which is about standard for this type of scanner.

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Instruction Manual

These are very clear and precise. They run through all of the various settings and functions available on th
e machine. Most users will be able to fulfill their 'scanning' needs if they can follow the simple instructions. The diagrams are clearly printed and the annotations are clear. The font is easy to read and the wording of the technical terms is very easy for most to understand. There are no large blocks of text, all information is presented in short points so you can find what you are looking for with relative ease.

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Manufacturer Support

Epson seem to have a good setup in place for dealing with their customers. Many of the products from Epson, give you the chance to register the item online. This means that they can help you much more efficiently and much faster. They have a UK telephone contact number, along with a postal address. I feel confident that I will get all of the help I need. should I encounter any problems with using the scanner.

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System Requirements

This scanner will be compatible with almost any computer that is less than five or six years old. It will work on the following operating systems: Apple MacOS 8.6 or later, Microsoft Windows 98/ME, Apple MacOS 9.2.2, Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP, Apple MacOS X 10.2 or later. It looks as if Windows 95 won't be good enough, but most people have at least Windows 98 installed on their machines.

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Value for Money

We bought this scanner for £60 and this is fairly cheap as scanners go. You get a well designed product from a well respected company. You get good enough quality images and the settings are very easy to understand and change. It is also ideal to buy as a present for somebody as it isn't hugely expensive. I would give this the thumbs up if you are using this for home usage, but if you need really high quality images then you will have to look at a better model.

Thanks for reading.

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