Customer Reviews

Epson Perfection 1240U Color Flatbed Scanner

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I just received this scanner a few days ago and I'm very impressed. The image quality is astounding. It's also very fast, taking a mere 7 seconds to do a full area preview and 10 seconds (not including seek time) to scan a 4x6 color photo at 300 dpi.

Setup was simple and straightforward, and the supplied documentation was ample, covering both setup and use of the scanner as well as installation of the various software packages. After hearing about the problems with the copier software and HP printers, I downloaded and installed the patch from the Epson support site before even using the scanner for the first time. I have an HP DeskJet 722c and so far there have been no problems, and the one-button copier feature has worked flawlessly.

Are there problems with this Epson scanner? Yes, but they're more annoyances than anything else. First off, there's no on/off button. The manual says to unplug the scanner after use. C'mon Epson, you can do better than that... It's not critical that the scanner be turned off however, as after a few minutes it goes into "sleep" mode and all that's left is the telltale green LED saying the unit is on. Also, the manual says to position your document about a quarter inch from the edge of the scanner bed as there is a small area that the scanner doesn't read (in other words, don't push your document or photo to the plastic "stop" at the edge of the glass). This fault is offset, however, by the scanner's very cool ability to locate and align a document automatically. Yes, it's true: put a photograph anywhere on the bed, and even if it's crooked the scanner will find it, scan it, and automatically rotate it to square it up!

All in all, this scanner is worth every penny and I highly recommend it if you're looking for an upper-end home scanner.

I purchased this scanner after having a positive experience with its predecessor (1200U, at a local lab). The set-up was amazingly simple (as it should be on a Mac) and the first scan was done 10 minutes after the UPS man left.

The scanner delivers exceedingly good results in reflected mode (scanning from a print.) The colors are good and the focus is sharp. There is a noticeable level of noise in the blue channel. This is a problem that plagues all entry level scanners and is far more controlled in this model than in many others.

In transmissive mode (scanning from film), the scanner fares slightly worse. When scanning slides, the sensor has some trouble seeing into the shadows. Though this is to be expected with a Dmax of only 3.2 (which does seems accurate). Again, this is typical of an entry level scanner and better controlled here than in other models. It delivers crisp, saturated images with accurate colors. When scanning traditional black and white films (Tri-X, Tmax, Delta, Neopan, ect) there is a slight amount of chromatic abberation. This means that the transition from a highlight to a shadow isn't crisp but is a very small rainbow. This problem can be avoided by using chromagenic (dye-based films). By this I mean use color-process film such as Ilford XP2Super or Kodak Black and While Plus. When scanning consumer grade color films (Kodak MAX and family, Fuji Superia and family, Agfa HDC and family), the scanner does an excellent job. Using the auto color correct button yields acceptable color more than 90% of the time. However, the scanner doesn't quite know what to do with professional grade films such as NPS, NPH and 160VC/NC. These films require scanning a piece of the film base to use as a mask in Photoshop.

The software is easy to use and makes intelligent decisions the majority of the time. The so-called "curves" tool provided int he TWAIN driver is truly pathetic. You're far better off getting the scan close in the driver and then fixing it in Photoshop.

A note about the published resoloution, the real resoloution of this scanner is 1200 ppi(pixels per inch). The 2400ppi Epson quotes comes from micro-stepping the sensor and really doesn't gain you anything other than a more cumbersome file. The 1200ppi resoloution isn't really enough to make prints from 35mm film. It takes at least 2-1/4 (6x6) to make a print (I'm talking 8x10 prints). This being said, it makes wonderful copies of 35mm prints if you have them. From medium format film or larger, this scanner will deliver the data needed to make stunning prints. I am well satisfied with the results I achieve from 6x6 and 4x5 negatives.

Overall, this is a wonderful scanner that I feel is well worth the money. It's limitations are minor and its benefits numerous. It provides a scan quality that almost rivals the... Nikon in the lab down the street. Anyone interested in digital photography on a budget should own this scanner.

The hardware on this scanner is excellent: very fast and accurate. But, the supplied software for photocopying won't work with my printer (HP 2500C). Epson product support has yet to get back to me about this, so in the meantime I've had to download third-party software in order to use the scanner as a photocopier. Otherwise, highly recommended!

I remain satisfied with my purchase of this scanner. I did notice a number of reviews posted for the model 1240U (non-photo scanner). That model is the same as this but lacks the slide/transparency adapter cover. It has a number of complaints regarding the incompatibility with HP printers. The printer fails to recognize the scan-to-printer function. I downloaded the Newsoft software patch recommended by Epson and everything functions correctly with my HP-832C printer.

1. The PROS - I have had my new scanner for approx. 3 weeks now, and am very satisfied with it. Installation was easy, quick, and presented no problems whatsoever, and that includes the software that came with it, although a bit time-consuming to install.

The included transparency adapter/hardware appears to work fine for scanning in my 35mm negatives. However, I haven't had a chance to fully utilize and test this.

The quality of the pictures and documents scanned far exceeded my expectations, and are a vast improvement over my old Umax 1200p Astra, which I considered a good scanner until I tried my new Epson.

The USB connection substantially reduced the amount of memory and resources used by the scanner, speeding up my computer.

And once I installed the NewSoft patch, correctly, which required two tries because the patch doesn't correctly install itself and directions for installation aren't fully detailed, the scanner and it's copy utility work fine with my HP 970cxi printer.

2. The Cons - There does seem to be a bug in the scanner, as I am unable to scan only a selected part/portion of a picture/doc. The scanner insists on scanning the entire picture/document, which is a problem I didn't have with my old scanner. However, I consider this more of an annoyance/inconvenience, as it is easy to edit the scanned picture/document to extract only the part you want with the software provided.

The lack of an off/on button is also an annoyance, but my old Umax scanner didn't have one either.

I am not thrilled with the software included with the Epson scanner. First off, because it is obsolete, meaning not the current versions. The included, and primitive/incomplete, Photoshop LE 5.0 is about worthless as a graphic's editor, etc., with the included PhotoDeluxe 4.0 being significantly better, altho far from ideal also.

And although the pictures scanned into PhotoDeluxe 4.0 look really good, I should say exceptional quality, on my monitor, when I print them, the quality of the printed photo is not what I saw on my monitor. Whereas, with my old Umax, which came with PhotoDeluxe 2.0 & primative versions of Presto Pagemanager, etc., the situation was just the opposite...monitor screen quality was poor, and coloring not true and sharp, but after editing, the quality of the printed photos, with the exact same printer I'm currently using, was exceptional....better, in most cases, than the pics you get back from the developer of your film. Thus, it appears that the problem lies in the changes between PhotoDeluxe 2.0 & 4.0, and how each version sends the picture info to my printer; and/or with the NewSoft patch; not with the Epson scanner or my printer. I do like PhotoDeluxe 4.0, but will probably uninstall it, and re-install the 2.0 version to see if I get the same quality printouts I got with my old scanner.

The printout quality of pictures using Photodeluxe 4.0 is good, they're just not quite as clear, sharp, and true as they were on my monitor screen subsequent to scanning them in with the Epson 1240UP. And it is difficult to edit a monitor screen picture that appears perfect, but doesn't print the same as what you see, so that the resulting printed photo is exactly the same as the high quality picture on my monitor. Whereas with my old scanner and PhotoDeluxe 2.0, the scanned screen picture was usually lower quality, thus, I could edit the quality of the picture on my monitor and get higher quality printouts than I was seeing on my monitor.

3. Bottom Line - My personal opinion is that the Epson 1240UP o is a very good scanner for home use and also for small business use, and I'm happy with my purchase, but it's not perfect. However, the imperfections are minor, with most due to the outdated, incomplete, and rather primitive, graphics software included with the scanner; and/or to the NewSoft patch required to enable Epson's scanner to work with non-Epson printers. If one can afford a really good graphics program, this Epson scanner would probably be equivalent to the quality of a costly professional scanner, but at a much lower price.

Recommendation - If you buy this scanner, before you install it, go to the Epson website, read the FAQ's, and download the current driver. Then go to NewSoft's site and download the Epson patch if you don't have an Epson printer. Then follow Epson's instructions for installing the scanner, but instead of installing the driver and patch on their cd, install the current driver and patch you downloaded, then install the graphics software as directed...making sure all programs are shut down, except for explore and systemtray, before installing anything. I think, from my own installation experiences, that one of the reasons people are having problems with this scanner is either: (a) a failure to correctly install it, the current driver, the patch, and/or the software; and/or (b) the kind of computer, processor, monitor, graphics card, and printer they have. I have a 650mhz Athlon processor, 256mb's Ram, a Samsung 950p monitor, a Matrox Millenium Max G400 graphics card, HP 950cxi printer, and Windows 98SE...and both the Epson scanner and it's transparency unit seem to work fine on my system, with no installation or other serious problems whatsoever, except for the Newsoft patch installation which has to be installed to the correct Epson folder to work, which it doesn't do on it's own.

I remember the old days when personal scanners were new. What an ordeal to scan the image, get it into a graphics editor, convert it, etc. Not anymore. Those days are over now that the Epson Perfection 1240U is here. It's fast like you would not believe, with three different one-touch buttons directly on the scanner. One button will scan and send it directly to the printer. Another button will scan it and open it in your own Graphics editor. And yet another button will pop up a chooser menu. These options include scanning it to an email message.

But wait! There's more! I tested the OCR scanning cababilities of the Perfection, and I was very happy. Easy to use and very accurate, without the usual headaches that accompany scanning to OCR.

All in all, Epson has a winner here with a terrific product that lives up to everything it says it will, and all at a reasonable price.

The quality of the scans in both reflective and transparency mode is spectacular. I am a graphic artist and web designer, and after having problems with the transparency adapter on my HP5370C (not problems really, the damn thing just wouldn't work)I decided on the Perfection 1240U photo scanner. Epson provides a separate transparency "cover" and a variety of templates from 35mm to 4x5 which perfectly position your image for scanning.

Scans are very fast, and although there is a sort of "humming" noise when the scanner is operating it really is almost negligable, contrary to some who say it is a noisy scanner.

Setup is quick and easy and you're scanning in 10 minutes or less. My CD-Rom had the patch that fixes the "copy" mode so you can use it with printers other than Epson brand. Just a minute or two to install the patch. I use a variety of printers from HP Laserjets, and Epson large format to a Tektronix 1200 dpi printer.

In this price range, there is no equal in my opinion, and I have used UMAX, HP, and Mustek scanners. If you want a scanner that does an outstanding job without draining your bank account, order this one!

I just bought this scanner after reading many helpful reviews here on Amazon. Thanks to these people, I knew what to expect and how to overcome some of the minor shortcomings of this product. This is my first scanner and I've had one weekend of satisfying experience with it. It's true that the software that comes with this scanner could be better. You should visit the Epson web site and download the update for the latest TWAIN driver and EPSON SMART PANEL software. If you don't get the SMART PANEL update, the copy function apparently only works with Epson printers. After downloading and installing this update, the scanner worked fine with my Canon BJC-600e printer. The TWAIN driver is a very good piece of work. The SMART PANEL and other bonus software is OK, not great. The OCR software is mediocre. If you need this function much, plan on investing in other software. The Presto OCR seemed to work better than TextBridge, but I haven't used either much. I was disappointed that there seems to be no way of manually adding an application (like WordPerfect) to the OCR if it doesn't detect your application automatically. (The 'scan to application' function has this capability.) Still, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I don't expect to use OCR much. I had a hard time deciding between this scanner and a Canon (which seems to have better software), but I decided to go with the apparently better hardware quality of this scanner. (Software can be updated. Hardware can only be returned if defective.) I had no trouble setting it up (aside from the inconvenience of having to download software updates). The instructions are clear. (Take the time to read them through first.) The quality of the scans are very good.

I bought this scanner after doing a very large amount of research. Time and again, this scanner popped up among the best. Upon throroughly testing the scanner, I'd say the reviews were right. Great color scans, fast, and works well with my Windows 98 computer. ONLY ONE SERIOUS, SERIOUS PROBLEM: When I bought this scanner, the glass had particles UNDERNEATH. That means that every scan of a photo you take appears with dust, etc. ON the photo. Sure, you can take software & clean this mess up, but do you know how much of a PAIN it is after only 2 photos?! I returned the scanner & replaced with the same model. Maybe it was just that first scanner, right? WRONG AGAIN. Again, the same issues arose with particles underneath the glass! Worse yet, the bottom side of the glass had "WINDOW SMEARS", such as when you clean your glass windows at home! Ok...maybe it was the store? Right? So I went to another store (online) and bought the 3rd one of these. AGAIN, SAME PROBLEM! THUS: 3 Epson 1240U scanners came ALL with dust & other unknown particles!

In all, I wasted about 6 weeks between, returns and credit card crediting for 3 scanners. Don't get me wrong, this a fantastic scanner, yet these quality problems of having particles underneath the glass is unacceptable! I'm not being hard on this product either. Out of all the brands I've used, this particular model (perhaps even the entire line?) has some serious issues. If you do get this scanner, make sure that you don't have this problem--the ODDS will definitely be against you. Good Luck! ...

I cannot praise this scanner enough, or even its predecessor the 1200U. The quality and speed you get from this higher end consumer scanner is great! The ease of use and consistent results are never ending. Near pro quality at a much smaller cost.

I am amazed by some of the gripes about this scanner...first of all, why does it seem like everyone who has one also has an HP printer, if you're going to have a quality scanner, you should have the best in output as well, epson photo printers are the best around. Second, this smart panel issue, that is a convienence bells & whistles feature...of which I have never needed to use, but that's just me. Besides, you should be using Photoshop or similiar for your scanning to get the most control out of it. Third, noise? Someone earlier said that it made terrible noises...if your scanner is making very loud noises, then there is something wrong with it, this is one of the quietist scanners I've ever heard. 4th, power switch, as a Mac user, I'm used to devices not needing to be powered off, sleep mode, almost no power consumption and its ready to go when you want to use it.

I'm not trying to slam anyone else for what they have experienced, just trying to show that some of these bad reviews I've read have been soley based on little annoyances and does not seem to reflect the quality and excellence of this scanner. I have recommened this scanner, and I used to recommend the previous model as well. Many of which have purchased them because of the obvious quality.

5 stars, big thumbs up on this one!!!