Customer Reviews

Epson Perfection 1260 Scanner

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Here is a quote from an earlier review of this scanner here..."I've liked Epson products. Not this one, though. I had great difficulty with the software under Windows XP. It would not install properly (so it told me) and the copy utility did not work properly."
Well I totally disagree with this opinion. If the installation is followed per instructions (that are perfectly clear), this scanner is very XP friendly. I found it very, very easy to install and I am not a computer geek!!! The scan quality is outstanding! The bundled software is very good and the scans are quick and quiet. I have had scanners that were of poorer results, and much more expensive. This is an amazing scanner at an amazingly low price. I give it 5 stars!!!

I have had a this scanner for a week and find it to be adequate for most of my scanning needs, however I did have a problem with the installation of the Epson Smart Panel software on my XP system. If I had not had to spend 45min manually editing my registry and destroying all traces of the software because the Install wizard would not properly uninstall the product (and yes, you can not install the Smart Panel software if the auto install program detects a previous version), I would have rated this product with 4 stars. It has a good value for the price if you are willing to deal with potential flaky install scripts.

Side note: I am not sure what flaming reviewers has to do with this product but as there is one here I feel compelled to state that my XP skill set is ADVANCED and RTFM would not have been of any help if first reviewer had the same issue I did (assuming of course that he followed the instructions to close all open programs and kill anti-virus scanners).

This is the third scanner I have used. The first was a roll-through Microtek that has long since died. The second one being a UMax Astra 610P that was exceptionally noisy and very flaky. I am pleased to report that this Epson is quiet. I can't hear it warming up and the scanning is about as loud as the Astra was warming up! All the utilities (OCR, scanning, retouching, etc.) have worked great for me. OCR has come a long way since my last scanner. Photos and text scan equally well. I haven't tried negatives yet and I doubt I will.

After reading the previous reviews, I can't disagree with them more. For [money amount]. this is a really nice quick scanner.

I have been in the design/imaging business since 94, so I have some experience with image quality. Sure this isn't a professional 4k-30k scanner...but for a little cash you get a nice clean image plus a transparancy adapter. Great for those who do their own photography.

As for the comments about it not working with XP, and not very easy to use. It's all subject with the user's skillset and ability to manage their own PC. Personally I installed with without a hitch. I installed the packages I wanted (using seperate installers) and it's working great with XP. No conflicts with the driver nor other software packages

I use the TWAIN driver to pull it into Photoshop. It's quick to preview and the speed to pull in a 4x5 300 dpi image was about 30 sec. Plus the software provided gives you the ability to scan to file, email, web and has OCR built in.

Compared to a similar priced HP or UMAX scanners, I thought it worked very well. My opinion is based on the scanner quality, not the users ability to get it to work properly. RTFM.

Software bundle is minimal - no OCR or graphics. OSX TWAIN driver has to be d/l from Epson website. Took hours of frustration to figure out why machine was so finicky - USB ports didn't always recognise scanner. In my case, on new eMac, you can not boot up with scanner ON & plugged in, or USB port won't work. Must start computer 1st, THEN plug 1260 in. Took LOTS of plug swapping & power cycling to come up with "proper" sequence. Bizarre!

I've liked Epson products. Not this one, though. I had great difficulty with the software under Windows XP. It would not install properly (so it told me) and the copy utility did not work properly. When I found what a hassle and expense it would be to deal with Epson support, I threw in the towel - sent it back to my on-line dealer and bought a Canon LIDE. I don't require brain surgery from my scanner, but it needs to do the basics without problems, and the Epson 1260 didn't.

I was looking for a cost-effective, easy to use scanner for home use and naturally came upon the Epson 1260. The scanner was certainly cost-effective, but far from easy-to-use. I was able to install the scanner pretty easily, but that is where the problems started. I was initally unable to scan, and the lightly worded instructions that came with the scanner were unhelpful and confusing. After consulting the Epson website, I was finally able to scan roughly an hour after I began the install. The scanner is not exactly XP friendly.

Now that I was able to scan, I went to explore the other functions and found that I was unable to use the Copy Utility. Again, the included instructions were of no help, so back to the website I went. I found that this utility would not work with some non-Epson printers, including my HP 5500. To fix this problem, I would have to install a "ghost" printer ("If one model doesn't work the use another"), and reopen the utility with this "ghost" printer as your default printer.

I found this all to be not so "easy-to-use", and decided to call technical support to hopefully find an intuitive answer. The help group was wholly unsympathetic and unfriendly. Not the kind treatment you would expect as a customer. The workaround my "only option" in using the Copy Utility.

The product recieves two stars because it is inexpensive, however there are other products in this price range that work as advertised. Otherwise, this product has been a big disappointment and on its way back to the store.

Nice scanner for the price. My needs were not major so it fits my need perfect.
The only minor problem I have had is making copies. Sometimes when I have several pages to copy, it stops after a copy. But I just power it off and back on and it's fine.

Nice scanner for the price. My needs were not major so it fits my need perfect.
The only minor problem I have had is making copies. Sometimes when I have several pages to copy, it stops after a copy. But I just power it off and back on and it's fine.

This scanner has wonderful resolution, and the price is also wonderful. You will be very happy with it. I am a computer expert, I work with computers all day, so I can tell you what's a good product, and what's a bad one, and this is definatly a GOOD PRODUCT. Have fun shopping!