Scrapbook Product Reviews - Scrapjazz.com - Opticpro A3U Large Format Scanner

Site Map | Contact Us | View Cart

Legacy Reviews

Reviews
Search
Member List

Login

FREE articles, coupons and special deals straight to your inbox:

Plustek Opticpro A3U Large Format Scanner

Reviews	Views	Date of last review
2	14917	4-18-2005

Recommended By	Average Price	Average Rating
100% of reviewers	None indicated	9.5

Description:	Specifications: - Scanner Type CCD, Color Flatbed Scanner - Connector: USB (Universal Serial Bus) - Resolution: Optical 400dpi x 800dpi - Interpolated: 19200 x 19200 DPI - Scanning Area: 11.69" x 16.66" (297mm x 423mm) - Colour Depth: 48 bits/pixel - Greyscale Depth: 16 bits/pixel - Black & White: 1 bit/pixel - Scan Method: One Pass Scanning - Power Consumption: 29W (in use) 8W (idle) - Dimensions: 570mm x 416mm x 120mm ( 22.4" x 16.4" x 4.7" ) - Weight: 10 kgs ( 22 lbs ) - Lamp: Cold cathode - Warranty: 12 months - Full TWAIN Compliant Features Highlight: - Capture up to two A4 pages of an open book or magazine - Flexible dual-position lid opens horizontally or vertically - One touch button scanning - Optical CCD resolution 400 x 800 dpi
Manufacturer's Web Site:	http://www.plustek.com/products/A3U.htm
MSRP:	599.00

Author

stonewall
SJ Newbie

Registered: October 2004
Location: Magna, Utah
Posts: 1

Review Date: 10-16-2004

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	Scans full 11x17
Cons:	need large work space because of the size

There are only about 2 reasonablly priced 11x17" (A3U) flatbed scanners that are under $500. Actually the price for the Plustec OptiPro A3U is now only $349 from citycomputerservices.com. The other one is the Mustek from staples.com for about $180 plus shipping. I opted for the Plustek. Once I got the Plustek set up and worked a few scans through it...it worked like a charm. The scan options and included software are awesome allowing a great variety of features to render high quality scans, reductions, adjustments, & ability to use graphic tools, etc. As expected the scanning is slower than the higher priced ones but for scrapbooking this is about the best scanner you can purchase. I scanned a large bound baseball newspaper book and reduced the size to 8.5x11" sheets for my scrapbooks. Often the scans came out better than the originals due to the adjustments that can be made. I also have a great inkjet printer. Your computer will have to have a solid and functioning usb port or else the scanner will have functioning problems and the imaging software will "lock up" the computer and scanner. One of my usb ports was faulty and initially caused the above problems. When I switched ports and held the scanner on end to let gravity assist in "unlocking" the scanner light bar the scanner worked flawlessly for two straight days of scanning for about 8 hours each day and after hundreds of copies. With the lockups I first blamed the scanner but it was actually my computer's fault. I'm glad I purchased the Plustek. Since scrapbookers often use 12x12" pages this scanner would be great to reduce them to 8.5x11" size if wanted. The scanner comes with the ac power cord and the 4' usb cable, also a cd with several image software utilities, pdf manuals, etc. A large install sheet is also provided. The scanner was easy to set up and will continue to be a workhorse for my projects. Someone should also review the Mustek A3U flatbed scanner available from staples.com. It is half the cost of the Plustek and may be a great scanner too. From the specs I remember it is slower than the Plustek and has a much smaller light bar assembly. It doesn't look as solidly built as the Plustek. I'm surprised there aren't more reasonablly priced 11x17" scanners. The need is certainly there to take a fully spread two-page magazine and scan the two pages in one pass, allow for "fit to page" (8.5x11"), choose between grayscale or color, then send the scanned image to the printer. Saves on paper, printing ink and renders a great copy. The printer I used with the scanner is an HP Scanjet 5150 (PC Magazine award winner) that also has great imaging software and produces quality prints (either grayscale or color). This printer can be purchased for about $70-$80. Hope this review is helpful. Stonewall

Click here to Send this user a Private Message

ShamrockM
SJ Newbie

Registered: April 2005
Posts: 1

Review Date: 4-18-2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros:	LOVE IT!
Cons:	Colors need to be adjusted

Very nice large format scanner. Easy set up. Simple to use. Straight forward and uncomplicated. I scanned a 12" x 16" painting in 500 dpi in TIF mode within just a few minutes. It is a well-made machine and comes with software that is very user friendly. I highly recommend this scanner even though the colors might not be accurate the first scan and have to be tweaked a bit in a photo editing program. Well worth the price of $350, which included shipping (Computer City).

Product names, descriptions, images, and trademarks used throughout this site are used for editorial purposes only, with no intention of infringing on trademarks.