New Scanner Suggestions?

[Hopkins Printing]

Our current high-end production scanner is on the fritz and the price to fix it isn't worth it. As such, I'd like to look into a new scanner.

Can someone suggest a good production scanner (hopefully one that isn't too expensive). We've been looking at the Epson Expression 10000XL. Anyone have one of these? Opinions?

Opinions/experiences about/with other scanners?

Thanks,
Jon

[prepressguru]

Hi Jon we are in exactly the same boat. I posted a thread in digital printing and someone recommended Fujitsu Scanners.

Good luck

[prepression]

I have found Epson to be the most reliable, but the Fujitsu FI-5900C has a good reputation.

[Vee]

what is the most common item you guys are scanning?

[Hopkins Printing]

Full color photos or slides.

[Grnofslt]

For slides and transparencies, I would recommend the Nikon Coolscan line, there's a model for 35mm and there's a model for medium format that also has a 35mm adaptor. I had a Coolscan III until apple decided that it wasn't going to support SCSI and Adaptec decided not to make a SCSI card for Macs anymore.

Flat bed scanners? we have a tabloid size Microtec at work which seems to work pretty well.

[prepressguru]

For us it would be hardcopy originals from clients which we need to digitally print. Colour, black and white.

[prepresscolor]

Both the Nikon Coolscan line and the Epson you are looking at are the combination of scanners to replace your "high-end" scanner, depending on the use of the scans you will make. If you need scans for publications then you are definitely on the right track. If, however you are making wide format images I would look into a scanner with much higher resolution capabilities. There are a lot of "older" but still very useful scanners sitting in shops that do not use them. Contact a Second Market broker and see what is available. You will find that a good oil mount on the Epson is a challenge. The silverfast software that used to come with the Epson is pretty good.

[bdenitto]

We use the Epson 10000 XL for reflectives that we can't mount on out drum scanners. The silver fast software is easy to use. Working on drum scanners for the last 30 yrs or so, I am not a fan of putting transparencies on flat beds. just my 2cents.

[PDeuth]

I've had good luck with the Nikon/Epson combination. The Nikon slide scanner was not inexpensive, so you have to judge whether scanning transparancies on a flatbed is a good value. Tests on both yeilded accpetable results on the flat bed, when compared to the Nikon. Some data was lost, some tonal range, but if you're printing to, really, anything, you're going to throw away a lot of data and tonal range, anyhow. Purity is pricy.