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Producing big photo prints from small pictures used to mean a trip to the photo lab, but now Epson claims you can do it at home with its new Perfection 4990 Photo scanner. I tested a shipping version of the $449 scanner and found the results quite remarkable.

The 4990 is a 48-bit color flatbed model capable of scanning both film and reflective prints at a maximum optical resolution of 4800 dpi. I used it to digitize 35mm slides and other small images, and I then output those digital images on a preproduction version of Epson's large-format Stylus Photo R1800 printer ($549 street).

In combination with the Epson printer, the 4990's results were hugely impressive. The excellent color quality, realistic contrast, and crisp details in some prints made them good enough to hang. On-screen image quality was excellent, too, offering color accuracy and fine details on a par with the output of the best competing scanners.

Of course, it takes more than high resolution to create good-looking enlargements. You also need clean and colorful images to scan, especially since small imperfections (like dust and scratches) become much more noticeable in huge blowups. Fortunately, the 4990 has such image-enhancement features as color restoration, grain reduction, dust removal, and Digital ICE (for removing scratches and other surface defects). Epson also includes Adobe's Photoshop Elements 2 image editing software.

When I tested the scanner via its USB 2.0 interface, it scanned a 35mm slide at 4800 dpi in just over 2 minutes, matching the performance of the best models in its class. It was also proficient at scanning text documents, creating PDF files, and performing other common tasks.

The 4990's ability to produce high-quality enlargements makes it a good choice for photographers and other users who want to generate big prints from old pictures.

Richard Jantz

Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

Fast but pricey scanner includes powerful image-enhancement tools and offers high-quality photo enlargements.
Price when reviewed: $449
Current prices (if available)