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Image Scanners: 2D and 3D
Product Update
Image Scanners: 2D and 3D
By Richard Handley
July 2001
Go to Reader Response and enter a product number for more information.
With over 60 billion photographs taken across the globe year-round-a staggering figure, indeed-the need to convert pictures into digital format has never been greater. As one can imagine, the challenges inherent in digitizing such a voluminous amount of images can be equally staggering. The scanners offered in today's market need to meet those standards to survive, and to surpass them to excel. Those challenges include-but are hardly limited to-illumination, signal-to-noise ratio, resolution, and capacity. The scanners and related software presented below are but a small sampling of the many models currently available. Some offer duplex scanning, others the ability to scan multiple media from cardstock to onionskin-and one even scans the human body! As varied as one's scanning needs can be, so are the scanners designed to meet those needs...
New
from Germany's Asimus Datensystems AG is the A2000-C, a color scanner able to handle 2000 documents per hour without losing picture quality. The simultaneous capture of both sides of the documents (duplex-scan) offers multiple images per scan: bitonal images with digital filter (binary with TIFF-format) of front and back for character recognition (OCR); color or greyscale images of front and back for authentic archiving with JPEG format; or
color snippet images, compressed or un-compressed. Depending on
the purpose, the scanner can be equipped with either one camera
for single-sided or two for double-sided scanning. Other features
include the ability to scan sheets with different sizes (business
card to legal) in one batch, forms with photos, and credit cards
or identity cards.
— Indicate 201 under July 01
The
DR-3080C Desktop Duplex Scanner from Canon U.S.A. (Lake Success, NY) incorporates Canon's DR-3000 Series technology, delivering
central reprographics-quality scanning without the usual high
cost. The DR-3080C boasts scanning speeds up to 86 images per
minutes, with dual sensors to provide fast, efficient one-pass,
two-sided scanning. Twenty different scanning modes, including
24-bit color, 256-level grayscale and dual (color/grayscale) duplex
mode, enable the unit to handle complex projects. Hands-off control
is enhanced by Automatic Document Feeding, automatically adjusting
for varying sizes and thicknesses, while SkewCorrection straightens
mis-aligned documents automatically.
— Indicate 202 under July 01
Eastman Kodak has introduced its I800 series of color-optional scanners
for the commercial market, set to ship in the fourth quarter 2001.
The I800 series are enabled by Kodak's TriColor Plus CCD sensor,
allowing high-speed, bitonal or simultaneous bitonal and color
scanning for reduced pre-sorting functions. With Perfect Page
technology running in the background, these scanners integrate
self-calibrated illumination, custom-designed optics, and a high-performance
sensor array for increased image quality. The I800 also features
SurePath paper handling for jam-free feeding, QuickSet elevator
for 1000-sheet capacity, and a new 3D multi-feed detection system
utilizing ultrasonic technology to eliminate feed errors cause
by adhesive labels or varying paper thickness.
