Budget Scanner (Relisys Eclipse 1200U scanner)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Relisys Eclipse 1200U scanner
Date:	28/11/01 (1037 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice build quality, cheap

Disadvantages: Slow, lack of quality

Scanners have enabled us to transmit our photographic memories and images from simple paper format to electronic at the touch of a button.
They seem to be an essential piece of equipment for any home office or PC DIY enthusiast.
More and more people are buying them to send images via email to relatives and friends all around the world.
So why be left out when you can buy one for as little as £35 from Dabs?
This scanner, the Relisys model, is not going to win any awards for speed or pin-point clarity. Sure, its as good as any 1200 x 600 dpi scanner out there so your pictures will be nice and clear but dont even consider documents.
Printed documents such as your driving licence, birth certificate or any other proof of Identity that you may need to post off to a company would require an image so big that it would be impractical to get the detail you require.
With lower resolution scanners, you need to increase the scan rate which slows the printer down and increases the image size in kb.

Still for a 1200 x 600 its great for pictures and it is also a colour scanner. No Black and white images here.

If you wanted print quality documents you would need a higher resolution scanner such as the Epson 1650.

The colour depth is plenty for most images. Sure you wont get the real depth of the more expensive models but you wont be paying the huge prices either.
36 bit colour is fine for most web images.

Build quality is quite good. Rather than hinging at the end, this lid hinges at the side. This means its not so flimsy when lifting the lid to remove your scans. Has a fell of rigidity about it.
The speed of the scanner is helped by its USB interface. Stay away from Parralel interface scanners as they are very slow. This scanner is also easy to install driver and software wise. The USB connection allows the computer to auto detect it and boot it up even when you plug it in when the machine is switched on.


Software that you get with it is limited to the drivers and basic scanning tools. No extras but for £35 what do you expect?

Best usage?
For people who are on a budget, such as students or home web builders who need the facility to scan. It wont win any prizes for coming first in the race to scan but it will get there, in the end!

Summary: