Top 10 Scanners

This month brings changes aplenty to our Top 10 Scanner chart. All three of the latest scanners we tested have landed positions on either the SOHO or Corporate list. Some veteran performers have been moved off the chart as manufacturers prepare to replace them with new and improved models. With so many splendid scanners and great prices to match, there's no better time to buy.

New High-Res Duo

Two of the new scanners making the cut this month are upgrades of previous chart makers: Hewlett-Packard's $299 ScanJet 5300Cse takes the seventh position, and Umax's $399 Astra 4000U comes on board as number three for the corporate crowd. Both are Universal Serial Bus scanners that offer higher resolutions--1200 by 2400 dots per inch-- than previous models in their respective series. Both are also about five pounds lighter than their older siblings.

The 8.1-pound ScanJet 5300Cse, which also supports a parallel port connection, has added more quick-start buttons to its front panel, making it easier than ever for novices and casual users to jump- start the scanning process with the simple press of a button. A letter-document-capable unit, the ScanJet 5300Cse can also be upgraded with an automatic document feeder and a transparency unit that can scan materials measuring a maximum of 5 by 5 inches.

The 9.9-pound Astra 4000U isn't as fast as the SCSI-based scanners on the Corporate chart, but it's the only legal-document-capable scanner currently listed on that side of the fence. Although Umax doesn't offer an automatic document feeder option for the Astra 4000U, it does offer a versatile transparency unit capable of scanning 8-by-10-inch materials.

Doing the Scanner Shuffle

Also tested this month is the $129 Canon CanoScan FB630 U, which offers the same features as its chart-making cousin (the parallel port CanoScan FB630 P), but with a different interface. Gone...