non-photography flatbed scanner

[macnolias]

Sorry to impose on a photography forum but this is the only place I could find that has a wealth of people that have a knowledge of flatbed scanners.

So if you don't mind me asking for advice on a flatbed for minimal document use. I'm in need of a scanner that's going to give me the best scan's for the buck. I did take a look at Leigh Perry's comparison chart and am fond of the.

Epson 4870
Epson 4990
Microtek i900 only due the fact of the 8.5x14 scan area.

I'm wanting the a larger scan area than the 8.5x11 but it's not necessary. At the same time I'm thinking that some of these models might be overkill for scanning a couple of documents here and there for genealogy purposes. Also I don't need a document feeder. I also would like to have the TWAIN and OCR features but again isn't not completely necessary.

What would you guys recommend to produce the best scans for the money? Like everyone else I'd like to get scans as close as possible to the original documents. All opinions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[drew.saunders]

Epson Perfection V30 Scanner is $80 new. Hard to beat that price. It's still 8.5x11.7" scan area, but to exceed that cost a lot more than $80. It lists OCR software, but nothing about TWAIN on the Epson web page.

[macnolias]

I don't mind spending at least a couple hundred dollars to pick up something new/used if there is something else that might be better? By looking at the specs it like the scanner might fit my needs.

Any other suggestions?

Also any recommendations on a good printer? I'm trying to avoid going the all in one route due to the fact that the scanners in most of them aren't very good.

[Paul Kierstead]

I've owned a few document scanners. I still own a couple. One advantage of document feeders is that they allow longer then 11" to be scanned. Outside of the scan area issue, spending much at all for very low volume, non photographic work is a waste of money. Buy a cheap one and be happy. Even the $80 Epson mentioned above will give you nice basic document scans. If you're really worried, buy from someone local with good return policies.

Printers .... ah, well, no one could tell anything there unless they knew what you were going to do with it. Volume, duplexing, colour/b&w, paper flexibility, etc....

[macnolias]

Well I've just been looking at printers and I'm leaning towards an Epson 1400 I saw locally on CL for $50 which is a steal. I'm figuring I might as well get one that will meet my needs even in the future.

So as I mentioned above.. if I get a more expensive scanner like an Epson 4490 or 4990 would it be overkill for my purposes?

For household printers who's the name to get? I'm thinking Epson since everyone on here favors them for inexpensive Scanners...

[Paul Kierstead]

I'm presuming that your scanner needs are for reflective stuff only? i.e. you're not doing photographic film? If that is the case (reflective), the 4490/4990 etc are a waste of money for your purposes, unless you are looking for publishing quality reproduction.

Printer: How many sheets a month? Colour? B&W? Duplexer? For only a few sheets here and there, look for a cheap inkjet; lots of reviews out there on consumer computing sites (CNET, etc). The cost of the printer is subsidized by the very high cost of ink, but if you don't print much, you get the good end of that deal.

[macnolias]

Yes to reflective. Also if I ever do need to reproduce a scanned imagine I'd like to be able to reproduce something very similar to the original. For now the only thing I'll be scanning is older documents for the genealogy project I'm working on.

As for a printer I won't be doing much printing at all but I'd like something of good quality in case I do want to print photos. Wouldn't printing decent quality photos and documents go hand in hand?

Well I just talked to the lady with the Epson 1800 and she only used it basically till it ran out of ink and bought a cheap model thereafter. So for $50 and $35 to put fresh ink in it I'm thinking it's a good deal.....

[macnolias]

sorry for the bump but I've got a dilemma

I'm stuck between a $50 r1800 I just purchased, a $70 4490, and 13 epson ink cartridges for $70 that would bring me to a grand total of $220

vs.

An all in one epson artisan 800 that is $220+tax

I've been racking my brain trying to decide which setup to go with. From reading the specs it doesn't sound like a huge difference? The fact that the all in one has wifi and has a document feeder I can scan legal size documents sounds good. Common sense
tells me that separates are usually better but I'm not so sure in this situation?

Basically my question is what would you guys suggest? How much more quality would I get out of the 2 vs the all in one? btw I don't need to print anything beyond legal size it's just luck that I found the r1800 for a good price locally.

[venchka]

I don't know what they cost, but I am more than pleased with an HP 7310 All In One. It prints very nice photos on 8 1/2" x 11" paper. This model accepts photo cartridges in place of the standard black cartridge. Document feeder. Scanner. Fax. Printer. Probably overkill for you, but I am happy with it.