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Scanners may no longer top most home office PC users' wish lists--digital cameras and multifunction devices have overtaken them--but they're still a must for people who want top-quality digitized photos and paper documents. If that describes you, one of three new scanners from Epson, HP, and Microtek will likely meet your needs.

Buyers seeking a versatile scanner that yields crisp, colorful images with excellent details will find that the new Epson Perfection 3200 Photo and Microtek ScanMaker 6800 are impressive choices. For people who are more interested in using a scanner to perform optical character recognition--turning print into editable text--HP's new Scanjet 5550c has an automatic document feeder that rips through stacks of documents with gusto and efficiency.

The Epson and Microtek models are designed to suit photographers, graphic artists, and other users who will not mind paying a premium for the ability to perform high-quality photo scans. Each of these two $399 scanners justifies its hefty price tag by providing outstanding features that you won't find included with less-expensive devices.

Graphics First

With an optical resolution of 3200 dpi, the Epson Perfection 3200 Photo can produce much more detailed scans and bigger enlargements than the previous, 2400-dpi generation of scanners. At 3200 dpi, for example, a scan of a 35mm slide (or negative) has enough pixels to blow up to 11 by 14 inches at a printer resolution of 300 dpi. That's roughly equivalent to enlarging a postage stamp sufficiently to fill the front of a sweatshirt, with no loss of image quality.

The 2400-dpi Microtek ScanMaker 6800 is the first flatbed scanner to offer Applied Science Fiction's hardware-based Digital ICE for Photo Prints technology, which removes surface defects such as dust and scratches from photo prints. Until now, Digital ICE was available only in dedicated slide scanners that cost upward of twice the Microtek's price. The technology did a terrific job of cleaning up my flawed test prints, removing deep gouges as well as lesser imperfections. However, the Microtek takes about twice as long to complete a scan using ICE as it does without ICE. Another drawback: The scanner can apply the ICE technology only to prints, not to film positives or negatives.

Document Friendly

HP's $299, 2400-dpi Scanjet 5550c is intended for small businesses that need to turn documents into editable text quickly. The ADF can feed the scanner up to 35 pages at a time. In my tests the unit took 3 minutes, 35 seconds to complete the scan of a 15-page text document. Though geared toward documents, the 5550c also handled several test photos well, producing accurate color and good detail.

I tested all three scanners using high-speed USB 2.0; the Epson and Microtek also support FireWire (IEEE 1394), but only Microtek sweetens the deal by adding a FireWire card and cable, as well as a USB cable, to the shipping package.

All three units have excellent drivers that support the TWAIN standard for inputting scanned images. The Epson and Microtek models both include Adobe Photoshop Elements; the HP device comes with Scansoft Paperport document management software, in addition to HP's own imaging and printing suite.

The Microtek's Digital ICE feature and bundled FireWire kit make it a superb value, but users who require big-time enlargements should consider the Epson. For OCR work, meanwhile, the HP unit is definitely the best choice.

SUMMARY

Epson Perfection 3200 Photo Ultrahigh resolution for serious image scanning either at home or at the office. Street: $399

SUMMARY

HP Scanjet 5550c Efficient ADF makes this affordable scanner a good pick for OCR work. Street: $299

SUMMARY

Microtek ScanMaker 6800 Powerful photo-repair feature plus bundled FireWire kit add to an attractive package. Street: $399

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