Customer Reviews

Epson Perfection 1660 Photo Scanner

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I purchased both the 2400 and the 1660 scanners to compare thier
results.I previously tried and returned the Microtek 4900 and the 4850, both had an acceptable quality for photo scanning ( though they were both a little undersaturated and soft)but I had problems with both not being able to go into standby mode, the light would always remain on even when the software said it should be out. Also the scanner button program when loading would never be able able to locate the scanner and was constantly running in the background.Enough said steer away from them.
Now on to the quality products.

I did some very extensive testing head to head on both units using various color test charts, black and white resolution charts and many detailed photos of various sizes.I then tried scanning them at different resolutions/dpi. After repeating the test numerous times my conclusions are, even though the 2400 can scan at higher resolutions 2400x4800 which should be better for scanning slides and negatives than the 1660's lower 1600x3200 resolution, the 1660 scanner had a more vivid, slightly sharper scans when comparing them with the 2400's scans.
These results were equally noticable both on screen and in their printouts.(I am using the HP Photosmart 7150 printer which I reviewed also)
So, unless you do need the higher resolutions of the 2400 scanner(which still gives good results)along with it's Packaged Adobe Photoshop Elements 1.1,you would be better of saving yourself the $$ and purchase the 1660 instead.
These results were substantiated by numerous other people even including the Epson Rep which I met at Best Buy who had a chance to compare my printouts of the scans.She suggested to contact Epson's Tech Staff to find out why this is so.Buy the way I am a Computer Tech myself, and am a perfectionist when purchasing new equipment.

This is my thrid Epson scanner and this is the one is the best of the bunch after owning Perfection 610 and Perfection 1240U. My primary reason to upgrade to this scanner is USB2 connection which makes a big speed difference especially on high-res scans. The quality of photo scan is magnificent - a printout of the scan from my Epson photo printer looks virtually identical to the original, something my two prior Epson scanners don't quite achieve. In addition, when scanning magazines, the moire pattern is less pronounced than my previous Epsons as well.
In term of installation, I encounter absolutely no problem. I don't even bother to install the enclosed CD-ROM - don't really care about the bundled photo software anyway since I use Photoshop. My best advice - for ALL SCANNERS AND PRINTERS, IF POSSIBLE ALWAYS DOWNLOAD THE LATEST DRIVER FROM THE MANUFACTURER instead of using the bundled CD-ROM which almost always contains outdated drivers. Alternatively, after installation IMMEDIATELY update the driver to the latest version that supports your operating system. Before buying/installing any new products, always check the manufacturer's web site to see if there's any issues / software updates with the product.
In summary, you get what you pay for - Epson 1660 is a great, fast scanner.

1. Setup was sooooo simple that even a small kid could set it up. Not much manuals to read over anxiously. Cuz Epson seemed to had only one thing in mind while making this 'piece of art'. Simplicity.

2. Scanning Slides. The BEST ! I compared this with other scanners like the Micrktek 4900 (UGGGGGHHHHHhh !!!). Cant even talk about that scanner any more. Read my review there in case ur interested. But talkin abt this Epson, it sure know its job v-e-r-y W-e-L-L !
The good news was that I was finally able to scan my dark slides and some pretty contrast slides of the Times Square in a jiffy.

3. Very simple attachment for scanning slides and negatives. A no brainer actually. It comes with a kind of a mould that fits only in one position on the flatbed and has perfect holders for slides/negatives - as against the Scan-Lid that comes with the Microtek Scanner for Slides/Negatives... real messy stuff.

In short, this scanner just saved me a couple hundred bucks by not going in for those expensive Dedicated Slide Scanners.

I purchased the 1660 scanner at Costco ... because of the slide and film scanner function. The initial installation left me with no option for scanning slides, so I was ready to return it.

After accessing support.epson.com and choosing "scanners" and then "Perfection 1660", I downloaded and installed the driver update for MS Windows 98 and XP, which presented a new slide option, called TPU (Transparancy Unit). After installation, three choices appear in addition to the "Flatbed" Document Source: "Color Neg Film," "Monochrome Neg Film," and "Pos Film." Choosing one of these activates the flourescent lamp on the lid, which illuminates the slides and filmstrips. Of course, you must remove the white cover from inside of the lid to reveal the 2" by 11" centered illumination screen, and place the four-slide plastic insert on the scanning glass.

The software "SmartPanel" allows a preview scan and individual slide image rotation (I had to learn which way is "up", and allows choice of tiff, jpg, etc, and destination file--or you can fax, email, or publish each picture to the web.

All of this information is in the "Scanner Reference
Guide" (the electronic Manual), which is why so many reviewers complain that there is no physical manual. I have sympathy for you who could not install from the cd-rom (since you cannot read what is not installed!), but if you want to make copies of slides and 35 mm filmstrips, the Epson Perfection 1660 is definitely the best value available. MHG and Viren P reviewers (10-13-02 and 10-26-02) rated this Epson above other Epsons and the Microtek, and I agree.

I have both Win 98 and XP operating systems and installation was flawless with both.

Did a lot of research on scanners. Originally I was going to go for the Epson 2450. Financial considerations kept me to the 1660 range. No regrets. This unit more than meets requirements. Have scanned in more than 500 pictures and slides.
Machine works fast, accurate and easy to use. There is apparently better software out there but the included Twain & Photoshop are more than I would ever need.

Terrific little scanner, especially for the price, was very impressed by the results of the scans, especially 35mm negatives. Very light weight and slick looking. Only quirk I have is the help manual (which is online) was a little confusing at times, but I'm not going to base the performance of the machine on that.

After having read some of the spooky comments on driver issues, I was a bit hesitant to install the supplied software, but in the end decided to anyway. Everything installed in a snap on my XP Home system. (VPR Matrix - Best Buy's brand computer). The only thing I'm having a problem with is the Presto Pix!Express software that converts pictures to be used on a PDA. It doesn't seem to convert them correctly and when trying to run the program on my PDA , it won't run, giving me a soft reset error. I tried a repair install, but that didn't work. May try to uninstall and reinstall. Other than that minor glitch, everything else works extremely well. Scans are sharp, in particular I am impressed with the slide scanning. Much better than a dedicated Minolta Dimage Scan Dual that I used to have. Do wish the glass was removable however, so that one could clean both sides. That isn't an issue now, but could become one at some point. Smart panel is slick and easy to use - manual controls are nice. The documentation is a bit cumbersome but nothing that would kill the deal. Works on my USB 2.0 hub just fine (it has its own power adapter). In my limited experience (1 week), I'd say it's well worth the price.

I am not a scanner buff by any stretch of the imagination, and have only owned one other scanner before this one, but I know what I like. I like the Epson Perfection 1660. From its crisp scanned images to its sleek design, this scanner is a winner. But, setting aside how it looks, or how well it scans, leaves you with software. Epson SmartPanel is superb. Push a button on the scanner, and the software launches automatically (you can run it by normal methods, too), giving you many options for the upcoming scan; whether you want to scan to a file, to an e-mail, to the web, to an application, or perform OCR on a document, this scanner/software combo can do it all. I was very impressed, and I think you will be, too.

One minor addition; for those who have had trouble with XP and the 1660, I just don't get it. I use XP Pro and had the most effortless and simple install imagineable. The scanner works flawlessly with XP's own scanner/camera wizard, and Smartpanel works perfectly. You folks are doing something wrong.

I've installed this scanner under OS X (download the TWAIN driver, there's none included) and Windows 2000. I've also installed the less expensive Canon LIDE 30 under both environments.

I recommend the LIDE 30 for the reasons described below. In particular the Perfection 1660 has fine hardware, but the most abysmal documentation I've see in years. The installation is awkward and the software is unimpressive. Some of the software is specific to Epson printers, for example. Scan color under OS X has a bluish tinge, though that evaluation is complicated by the lack of Epson documentation on ColorSync settings. When you do a scan the progress box is immovable and sits atop all windows -- so you can't work during a scan. A minor point, but it illustrates how unrefined the Epson software is.

Additional comparison to the CanoScan LIDE 30 (emphasis is on OS X, but much of this is true for Win2K:

1. Image quality (color picture, 300 dpi, 24 bit)
Both seem to produce excellent color photo scans, though on the Mac the EPSON colors were a bit bluish.
CanoScan > Epson

2. Durability and reliability. The EPSON feels more rugged and
durable, as befits it's significantly higher price.
Epson > CanonScan

3. Convenience. The Epson seems to be about 4 times bigger and heavier than the LIDE 30. The LIDE 30 gets its power from the USB bus, the Epson needs yet another power brick (and we have no room to spare!). The LIDE can be stored on its side.
CanoScan >>> Epson.

4. Performance. The CanoScan is at least twice as fast with a USB 1.0 connection, and probably even faster with a 2.0 (though the images I'm taking aren't huge).
Epson >> CanoScan

5. Drivers (OS X). The CanoScan uses a PhotoShop Plug-In compatible with GraphicConverter, Canon's software, and PhotoShop like products), the Epson uses a TWAIN driver. I thought that OS X (in particular) would have native support for the Epson, but in fact this is no advantage. Without installation of the TWAIN driver Image Capture acquires only a very low res image (400K TIFF). After installing the
TWAIN driver Image Capture behaves exactly the same way, but
GraphicConverter will get an image. The image acquisition software seems similar, with the EPSON having the advantage of more control over embedded color tables and ColorSync use; but I'm not sure the ColorSync setting are doing anything! The EPSON is biased however to EPSON's peculiar proprietary color matching software. I didn't pay attention to the rest of the bundled s/w, but I thought the CanoScan had a slight advantage overall. The Epson OS X TWAIN installation should be straightforward, but for some bizarre reason one has to burrow through folders and extractions to fine a nice simple disk image. CanoScan installation was bizarre, but the front buttons work under OS X. The Epson buttons don't work under OS X (not that I would use them anyway!)
CanoScan > Epson

6. Cost. The EPSON is almost twice the cost of the CanoScan.
CanoScan >> EPSON (much better, not more expensive!)

7. Support. The Epson web site is fair. Tech support is by phone or mail. Canon has a very good web site.
CanoScan >> EPSON

8. Documentation. Excellent on the CanoScan, worst I've ever seen for the Epson.
CanoScan >>> Epson.

9. Bundled software. Epson has none for OS X, fair to poor for Mac Classic and Windows. CanoScan is fair for OS X, fair to good for Windows.
CanoScan >> Epson.

8. Other features. The EPSON has a negative scanner that's said to work (I've not tested it).
Epson >> CanoScan

This is my fourth scanner in 15 years. It installed without a problem. Almost every photo I've scanned, regardless of age or condition of the original, came out great - with the exception of small tintypes. For those wondering how good the text scanning is - this has a wonderful OCR program. No gibberish to delete or massive reformatting. What a relief!