HP PRESARIO S200 SCANNER (Compaq-232014001)

WHAT'S HOT: The Compaq S200 is easy to operate, has 48-bit color, and at only $80 is very inexpensive. It comes in at only $1 more than Canon's CanoScan N670U, the least-expensive scanner reviewed in our August 2002 comparison. The S200 scored a throughput rate of 363KB per second in the maximum-resolution test--considerably better than average compared with other current small-office models.

WHAT'S NOT: The S200 did very poorly on our image quality tests, placing last in our August 2002 comparison. All the photo samples appeared too dark and rather blurry; line art, while reasonably clean looking, didn't show the original's fine detail.

Although Compaq provides around-the-clock tech support for the S200, it's free for only 90 days; after that it costs $39.95 per call. The limited warranty also lasts only 90 days, whereas most models we test come with a one-year warranty. If you want to upgrade this scanner in the future, you'll be out of luck: Neither a transparency adapter nor an automatic document feeder is available for the S200.

WHAT ELSE: The S200 comes with an easy-to-install USB 1.1 interface and handy push buttons on the front panel to quick-start different scanning tasks. These buttons are set by default to scan automatically to a file or printer, to an image editing application, or to e-mail. You can also change the buttons' functions with Compaq's S200 Button Manager. Other software that comes with the S200 includes a TWAIN driver (called S200 Scan) with both beginner and advanced modes, ABBYY FineReader 4 Sprint for optical character recognition, and Ulead's PhotoExpress 4 CE for image editing.

UPSHOT: The Compaq S200 boasts a great price and good speed. But for the same price, the CanoScan N670U provides much better image quality.

SUMMARY

Compaq S200 USB 1.1, 1200 by 2400 dpi, 11.7 by 18.2 by 3.2 inches (width by depth by height), 5.5 pounds, 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area; no optional transparency adapter or automatic document feeder. 90-day limited warranty; free 24-hour technical support for 90 days (calls are not toll-free). $80 800/888-0220 www.compaq.com