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PC World Online's popular Top 10 Scanners debuts in print this month--just in time to say good-bye to parallel-port scanners. More than half the units ranked here can connect to a computer's USB port. The $149 AcerScan Prisa 620UT, a chart newcomer, comes with transparency and slide adapters and makes a good choice for small- office and home users. Meanwhile, SCSI's reign over the corporate market remains strong.
SOHO Scanners
5. Acer AcerScan Prisa 620UT
PRO: Nice scan quality, very good speed, integrated transparency adapter.
CON: Limited software, transparency unit requires an extra power outlet, no optional document feeder available.
FEATURES: $149; USB, 600-by-1200 dpi, 12 by 18 by 4 inches (width by depth by height), 9.5 pounds, 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area, integrated transparency adapter.
Acer Peripherals
800/379-2237
("http://www.acerperipherals.com" TARGET = "_blank") www.acerperipherals.com
The AcerScan Prisa 620UT debuts as one of two units on the SOHO chart that scans both reflective and transparent material right out of the box. The $149 Prisa 620UT ups the ante in our scan speed tests by performing third fastest of all USB scanners we've tested.
If you don't need to scan slides and film transparencies, the slower, $99 Prisa 620P--which scans reflective but not transparent material--fits the bill. Otherwise the all-purpose Prisa 620UT makes a better value.
Using the scanner's built-in transparency adapter proves easy, thanks to ample setup and usage instructions. But you'll need an extra power outlet because the transparency unit requires its own AC adapter. Acer also throws in a pair of foolproof frame holders, which accept 35mm slides, film strips, and positive and negative transparencies up to 5 by 7 inches in size.
The Prisa 620UT's scans pass muster for most SOHO uses. In our tests the images show no blemishes or imperfections, but the colors aren't especially impressive--they appear warmer than the originals.
Acer's bundled software lies strictly in the middle of the pack. Although the company includes two decent image editors, Ulead PhotoExpress 2.0 and Kai's Photo Soap 2, neither is as robust as Adobe PhotoDeluxe or Ulead PhotoImpact, which ship with other models. Further, Acer doesn't include a document management application. The company bundles TextBridge Classic 2.0 but doesn't offer an automatic document feeder unit--even as an option--which makes the scanner less...