Acer Scanner 1240UT

WHAT'S HOT: Aggressively priced at $149, Acer's 1240UT is the most affordable two-in-one model that scans both reflective material and transparencies right out of the box. The double-duty 1240UT also boasts a generous software bundle to match its 1200-by-1200-dpi resolution. Acer is the only company on the chart that offers live technical support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

WHAT'S NOT: Compared with other two-in-one units that have been in the Top 10, such as Agfa's SnapScan E50, the 1240UT's overall scan quality falls short. The 1240UT's colors were a bit dull and undersaturated on the maximum resolution test. Its speed was also a bit behind the competition: In fact, at its maximum resolution the 1240UT was by far the slowest 1200-dpi scanner on the chart. The 1240UT lacks push buttons, and it has no automatic document feeder option.

WHAT ELSE: You can use the scanner's MiraScan TWAIN driver to save color scans as 48-bit (software-enhanced) or standard 42-bit images. The 1240UT's transparency adapter handles positive and negative films up to 5 by 7 inches and includes a sturdy template for scanning up to six 35mm slides at a time. The software bundle includes a pair of image-editing packages (Ulead's capable PhotoExpress 3, which supports 48-bit images, and Kai's more fanciful Photo Soap 2), a proficient optical-character-recognition application (Abbyy FineReader Sprint 4), and a handy document-management tool (Presto PageManager Deluxe 4).