Agfa DuoScan HiD

With the PowerLook 2100XL, Umax bundles a copy of binuscan PhotoPerfect RGB & CMYK which isn't a scanning application at all, but an image post-processing engine that operates automatically in conjunction with MagicScan. SilverFast is ideal if you want nitty-gritty control over every aspect of image scans, while PhotoPerfect is astonishingly adept at making colour enhancement completely automatic.

Colour accuracy and consistency relies in no small part upon good calibration. All three scanners come with software calibration utilities and photographic 'IT8' target images (as shown on p200). You need to scan the target and let the utility compare coloured areas in your capture with what they ought to be according to the manufacturer. The result is an ICC colour management profile which will help to maintain accuracy in future. Of the three devices on review, Agfa puts the biggest emphasis on calibration by including its professional colour management utility ColorTune.

A final word ought to be said on the subject of warranties. Having spent this much money, you'd expect on-site service or a swap-out if anything should go wrong with any of these scanners. Accordingly, Microtek promises two-years on-site cover and Agfa offers three. Umax is a little lacking in only giving a one-year return-to-base warranty - a bit tight considering the bulky size of the PowerLook 2100XL, not to mention its £2,199 price tag.

Otherwise, it's clear that the Agfa DuoScan HiD and Microtek ArtixScan 1100 work well as photo, line-art and transparency scanners. In fact, fine-quality originals will generate scans that are good enough for high-end pre-press. The Umax PowerLook 2100XL, on the other hand, is more of an all-rounder for the creative designer in a studio or a marketing department, offering a large scanning area and capturing professional-quality images for incorporating into other digital artwork.

Author: Alistair Dabbs