Epson Perfection 2400 Photo Scanner

I had some problem with the software installation as it just stopped when almost everything was installed. I waited about 45 minutes and it never finished (the installation instructions say it may take up to 20 min.) I called the customer support line (not toll free, but no service charge) and they were helpful. I did not bother reinstalling the software as it had installed what I wanted to use. I was using a G4 Mac computer with OS 9.1.

I scanned documents, prints and slides, but didn't try negatives. I used a manual scan and the "importing into an application" option on photos and slides. I imported these files into Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. I used "scan to file" for the OCR try followed by opening in Microsoft Word.

I couldn't get the OCR to work properly with documents, but I was scanning a chemistry document with subscripts, so perhaps that is why. Many OCR programs have problems with subscripts. I also had problems with OCR when I tried to scan a magazine page. The scan itself is great, but the OCR didn't recognize letters well.

I scanned a 4 x 6 print, modified the somewhat reddish file to remove some shadows, glare off eyeglasses, etc. and had the file printed at Walmart as a 4x6. It seemed fine. However, much cheaper scanners will take a 4x6 and enlarge to 5x7 or even 8x10 (the rule of thumb is 300 dpi in the final print, so a 600 dpi of a 4x6 should enlarge to 8x12 fine). I invested in this scanner hoping to get the higher resolution needed for slides/negatives.

I scanned a slide at a resolution high enough to give a 38 MB file. Then I saved the file as a 15 MB JPEG and had it printed as a 5x7 at [local store]. It was disappointing compared to the 5x7 print made directly from the slide. It was noticably less sharp. I have not tried printing the 38 MB file on my printer as I don't want to get into the color [local store] cannot print the 38 MB file as they can't recognize TIFF or Photoshop files.

The original file from the slide also showed a red tint; I have had experience with 3 scanners (this one and two cheaper ones) on three separate computers; all have shown this red tint in uncorrected scans. So, it's a common problem, I think. It is easily corrected with Photoshop Elements or similar program. My monitor has been calibrated, but I have not used any other special calibration software.

The list price on the Epson 2400 Photo Scanner recently was reduced which should make the scanner more affordable. With the many high-end offerings and now the lowered price, you can't go wrong.

I really enjoy this scanner. The USB 2.0 link is fast, and every item scanned has turned out great. I really enjoy Photoshop Elements 2.0, which is included. I have not missed any features not included in this Photoshop lite.

The scaner control panel program is nice, but I usually just use the scanner from Photoshop. Some of the defaults with the control panel are not as detailed as I would like. Perhaps there is a way to change the defaults.

I have only scanned one set of negatives, but those scans turned out quite well. This is a good scanner with great software at a great price.

Caution to buyers. Epson software on both Mac and Windows is questionable at best.

Mac OSX
I started on my preferred platform, running Mac OS X 10.2.5. Right off the bat, I had to go to the Epson web site for compatible drivers as the Install disc software only supported OS 9.x. After installing the appropriate drivers, I opened Photoshop 7.0 and tried to initiate a scan of 4 slides from the Import menu item. Unfortunately, the manual option to scan slides was inexplicably greyed out. I rebooted and tried again. Still the scan slide option was unavailable. Did a cold-reboot and this time the option was available. It appears, that each time I try to use the scanner, the software behaves differently. Sometimes options are available, other times not. Sometimes the scanner "forgets" and scans slides as reflective art.

Bottom line: Mac OS X support is terribly lacking. There is no stand-alone scanning application. You must use it within Photoshop or the included 1.0 version of Photoshop Elements.

Windows XP
So abandoning the Mac, I tried to get it to work on my Windows XP Home laptop. Long story short, while the software support appears to be better on Windows, it still leaves a lot to be desired. Opening the Import menu in Photoshop Elements under Windows did not even provide an option to scan slides or film. But yet the Autoscan "senses" the film and does the right thing. Problem is, using Autoscan does not allow you to set the resolution or color correction parameters. You are left between a rock and a hard place.

I've been using Mac and Windows PCs for nearly 20 years, and if there were a manual or decent help system included, I would even surrender to RTFM. But unfortunately, while the reviews on the scan quality have been good (which at this point is hard for me to confirm), the software cannot be defended.

If you decide to buy this scanner, be sure to reserve some significant time working through all the software quirks - and maybe you'll be rewarded for your efforts.

I'm not giving up yet, but I only have so much patience.

I don't have a lot of scanning experience -- this scanner is the first one I've owned. That being said, I've had it for about 4 months and so far I love it. The interface is really easy to work with and I've been happy with the quality of scans. The built-in negative scanner is the main reason I chose this model. A bonus to the negative scanner is being able to scan in multiple negatives at a time -- that makes scanning vacation pictures go much faster. It also came in handy when I was putting together a photo slide show for my cousins wedding and discovered all her fiance's childhood pictures were on slides. I was concerned that I'd have trouble interfacing with windows xp but I didn't have any trouble at all. Overall, I'm very happy and I would purchase the epson perfection 2400 again.