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Microtek SCANMAKER 6800 4800X2400 DPI 48BIT USB 2.0 WINDOWS/MAC (MicroTek-110803510181)
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More…| Scan quality (color/monochrome) | Very good/Good |
| Performance | Good |
| Average 1200-dpi color scan speed | 39 seconds per document |
| Average 300-dpi BW scan speed | 42 seconds per document |
| Features | Outstanding |
| Maximum optical resolution (dots per inch) | 2400 by 4800 |
| Scan area (inches) | 8.5 by 11.7 |
| Color depth | 48 bits internal; 48 bits external |
| Connection interface(s) | USB 2.0, FireWire ports |
| Removable lid | Yes |
| Transparency adapter | Included; up to 4 by 5 inches |
| Automatic document feeder | $199 option |
| Bundled software | Abbyy FineReader Sprint OCR; Adobe Photoshop Elements; Ulead Photo Explorer; ScanWizard; LAN Wizard; Kodak Digital Science |
| Overall ease of use | Outstanding |
| Installation | Outstanding |
| Design | Outstanding |
| Documentation | Outstanding |
| Support quality score | Fair |
| Support policies | One-year warranty; 10-hour weekday toll-call support |
Bottom Line
The Microtek ScanMaker 6800 reliably produces very good images from prints and film, and its powerful photo-repair feature is an added bonus, but its poky performance may be a deal-breaker for users who scan large volumes.
Microtek ScanMaker 6800
SCANMAKER 6800 4800X2400 DPI 48BIT USB 2.0 WINDOWS/MAC (MicroTek-110803510181) Review, by Richard Jantz March 27, 2003
WHAT'S HOT: The Microtek ScanMaker 6800 provides most of the same worthwhile features as its predecessor, the ScanMaker 6700--including 48-bit color and 2400-dpi resolution, ample quick-start buttons, versatile software, and both FireWire and USB ports (the 6800 supports USB 2.0, upgraded from the 6700's USB 1.1). Like the 6700 (a former Best Buy), in addition to reflective materials the 6800 scans film (up to 4 by 5 inches) via its built-in transparency adapter, and it has a small but handy light box on top of the lid for previewing the film before scanning. But under the 6800's hood is a combination hardware-software feature that makes this scanner unique in its class: It's the first flatbed to employ Digital ICE (Image Correction and Enhancement), a photo restoration technology developed by Applied Science Fiction that automatically locates and corrects surface defects--such as dust, scratches, cracks, and tears--as it scans. Previously, Digital ICE was available only in costlier, dedicated slide scanners and was applied strictly to film scans. The 6800 is the first scanner to apply the technology to photo prints--but it cannot apply Digital ICE to transparencies.
When we tried out the Digital ICE function, the results were very impressive. It did a terrific job at repairing color prints with various gouges and creases, as well as lesser imperfections.
WHAT'S NOT: We used the 6800's FireWire interface (a FireWire card and cable come with the scanner) for our tests, but its performance was lackluster compared with that of other models we've tested recently. For instance, the 6800 took nearly three times as long (31 seconds) to scan a 4-by-5-inch color photo at 100 dpi as the Epson Perfection 3200 Photo, which was tested using USB 2.0, took (11 seconds). The 6800 was even slower at scanning a black-and-white document at 300 dpi, requiring 42 seconds to complete the test, compared with 15 seconds for the Epson 3200.
The guide for placing transparencies on the 6800's glass isn't as well designed as those we've seen on other scanners. Unlike the rigid plastic film holders provided with many models, the 6800 comes with a thin black template. Other than using tape to secure the film in place, there's no sure way to keep transparencies from sliding around on the smooth glass, which can sometimes happen when you lower the lid.
WHAT ELSE: In our standard print and on-screen tests, the 6800 generally reproduced color images accurately (including good skin tones), but some didn't look quite as bright or sharp as the originals. The 6800's monochrome scans, though fine-looking overall, were a tad flatter (lacking some tonal details in dark areas, for example) than we've seen from some other models. But the weaknesses we observed in scans made at default settings are easily adjusted in the robust ScanWizard 5 driver.
One trade-off in using the 6800's Digital ICE photo restoration is that the device takes about twice as long to complete a scan with the technology as without it. That's because Digital ICE requires the scanner to make two passes (rather than one) to map, identify, and eliminate imperfections. The longer scan time, however, is still probably less than most users would have to take to clean up a photo manually in an image editing application. We made our test scans with the processing turned off.
The 6800 has five quick-start buttons preset to scan, copy, e-mail, run optical character recognition, and scan to Web. The last button transfers your scanned images to a personal photo-sharing Web site hosted by IMira.com. The software bundle includes Adobe Photoshop Elements (version 1 on our test unit, though Microtek says packages will include version 2 by the time you read this) for image editing, Ulead Photo Explorer 6 for image management, and Abbyy FineReader 4 Sprint for OCR. Microtek's versatile ScanWizard software provides separate modes for beginners and advanced users. A printed step-by-step tutorial thoroughly and clearly explains various scanning tasks, such as how to adjust color, batch-scan multiple images, and perform other advanced functions.
If you want to capture as much raw color information as possible, you can scan and save 48-bit color images. Another useful option is the ability to save scanned documents in Adobe's Acrobat Portable Document Format, which many businesses prefer to use for posting documents online. If you need to perform a lot of OCR work, an optional automatic document feeder (priced at $199) is available for the 6800.
UPSHOT: The Microtek ScanMaker 6800 reliably produces very good images from prints and film, and its powerful photo-repair feature is an added bonus, but its poky performance may be a deal-breaker for users who scan large volumes.
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: VictoriaBelmont
Strengths: Quick, photos look like originals, Digital ICE
Weaknesses: NA
Overall: The 6800 I purchased was simple to setup. I had it installed and plugged into my computer within about 10 minutes and its been fine since. I'm not sure if the others who reviewed this product installed the software first, restarted and then plugged it in, but following those steps the scanner worked as I expected. Windows is picky about USB devices. If you plug it in before installing drivers it doesn't always automatically update the device from device manager. Anyways, with the scanner up and running I was able to restore some old photos that my grandmother had taken. Simple to activate the Digital ICE function, you just click the box if you want it on, or unclick it if you want regular scanning. The scanned photo looks identical to the original and I was able to scan it, save it, and then have it printed. I can't wait to show my grandmother the enlarged print that I'm having framed.
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Reviewed by: ScannedPhotos05
Strengths: Digital ICE is a tremendous time saver
Weaknesses: Digital ICE requires long scan times
Overall: As a daily Adobe Photoshop user I am constantly in the program. I spent hour after hour touching and re-touching up photos for my clients. When I heard about the 6800 utilizing Digital ICE technology it peaked my interest. I did some research and found that the 6800 has received positive reviews from magazines and many awards so I decided to give it a go. Setup was a breeze and the color reproduction that this scanner offers is amazing. Digital ICE is my favorite feature of course and easily saves nearly 30 minutes off each photo. The scan times are long but that just allows me to work on the next photo while the current one is scanning. Highly recommend to anyone.
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Reviewed by: ordwayjv1
Strengths: Film Scanning
Weaknesses: Soft resolution, difficult to set up and use. Noisy!!!!!!
Overall: I have stopped using this scanner in preferrence to the Canon 5000F. The Canon is half the price and has excellent resolution with little correction needed in photoshop. The Microtek 6800 is a nightmair to use and set up and the scans need a lot of work in Photoshop to get the color and sharpness right. The noise this scanner makes is very loud and irritating to my ears. Why would anyone make a scanner this way. Why did this machine get such rave reviews? How much of the review is politics?
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Reviewed by: kgbliffen
Strengths: speed, software package
Weaknesses: NOT dependable
Overall: Two and half months after purchasing the internal scanner lights stopped working completely. Microtek did send a replacement after receiving the broken one. The replacement scanner produced obvious lines across the top 2 1/2 inches of every scan. At this point I inquired about upgrading to the 9800XL with TMA (apprx $1300) and was told they do not do upgrades. Strange business practices. I also contacted the retailer (Page Computer) and even though my exchange would be in factory sealed packaging they would not allow an upgrade with exchange because it was outside of their 30 days. If you can afford the loss of time (1 1/2 - 2 weeks for return and replacement) and cost of packing and shipping every couple months then this is a fine scanner when working.
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Reviewed by: donjud
Strengths: Good hardware
Weaknesses: poor drivers
Overall: The user interface is robust. I've been using the ScanWizard 5 driver for some time. I finally got it running on one computer only to have to switch to a faster new Dell for the graphics. It isn't working on the new computer. With the latest version, which is required for Microsoft XP, you mark one area to scan but it scans another area. It doesn't work properly whether you run it stand alone or call it up from Adobe Photoshop. The older version of the software scans properly but doesn't work well with XP or Photoshop 7. My free telephone support period is over. The uninstall and reinstall are a nightmare and must be done in safemode according to Microtek. When Scanwizard 5 works, it works great, but it's been a nightmare getting it to work.
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