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How Low Can They Go? Color Scanner Prices in a Free Fall

Newest arrival is Microtek%squots $229 color flatbed.

By Laurianne McLaughlin, PCWorld   

The newest bargain is Microtek%squots ScanMaker V300, expected to sell for $229. This 24-bit color flatbed scanner offers 300-by-600-dpi resolution, up to 4800-dpi resolution with software enhancement.

It%squots a buyer%squots market for scanners right now, said International Data Corporation senior research analyst Joe Loiselle. %dquotVendors are realizing they need to offer a wide range of products,%dquot he said. The companies have decided that people who buy a PC for $1000 may think $400 is a bit much for a scanner. And as companies try to woo first-time buyers, you benefit from the price wars.

How low can they go? In the near term, $199 color flatbed scanners are certainly possible.

Microtek%squots $229 ScanMaker V300 looks promising, although we haven%squott tested a unit yet. It has a fairly compact footprint (15 by 22 inches and 7 inches thick) and connects to your PC%squots parallel port. A pass-through device lets your printer stay attached.

Microtek provides a worthwhile software bundle, starting with Visioneer%squots PaperPort document management software for organizing scanned documents. Ulead iPhoto Express image-editing software lets you improve photo quality and create projects like greeting cards, business cards, and calendars. Caere OmniPage Limited Edition OCR software lets you turn scanned pages into editable text.

If you%squotd like an even less expensive scanner, consider sheet-fed models. On the downside, sheet-fed scanners don%squott let you scan from a book and require careful insertion of paper to avoid paper jams. Those drawbacks aside, you can%squott beat the prices.

Microtek has also set the lowest price in this category with its $159 Color PageWiz, a 24-bit color sheet-fed scanner with 300-by-600-dpi resolution. This scanner also connects to a PC parallel port.