Umax Astra 2000U

There was a time when the majority of electrical goods produced cheaply in the Far East were automatically assumed to be of inferior quality. The label 'Made in Taiwan' used to be synonymous with fragility and short life spans: US, UK and European goods were a far better bet if you wanted your equipment to last. This isn't the case any longer, however. The economic explosion of the 1990s may be taking its toll now, but the technological advancements it has encompassed are clear in the achievements of companies like Umax.

You'd expect high-quality scanners from companies like Epson, HP and AGFA, but the name Umax doesn't come quite so readily to mind for most people. However, until last month the company's Astra 1220S scanner had held its place on our A List as the best product in its class for a total of 15 months, an impressive achievement indeed. Unfortunately, the company's first attempt to regain its crown with the replacement to the 1220 series is a disappointment.

It's certainly different to look at: it's more compact and, like most other scanners under £100, is made entirely from plastic. The build quality isn't too bad, with a decidedly sturdy-feeling lid, but its hinge doesn't extend upwards to accommodate bulkier materials. Also, a quick glance at the back of the machine reveals that there's no way, as there was with the 1220S (and 1200 series before that), of connecting extras such as a transparency hood or ADF (automatic document feeder) should you want to upgrade at a later date. Inside, little has changed, however. The optical resolution is still 600 x 1,200ppi and it still captures in 36-bit colour.

As you might have guessed from its name, the Astra 2000U is a USB-only device, like Epson's new A-Listed scanner (the Perfection 1200 Photo, reviewed issue 62, p179). But where the Perfection proved that USB doesn't have to mean slow performance, the 2000U is a poor example of its application as it's slow to the point of frustration in every respect. A small, snapshot-sized photo took over twice as long (at one minute three seconds) to scan as it did with the Perfection, and a 10 x 8in photograph took a full minute longer at three minutes 38 seconds. Even more exasperating is the fact that every preview you do takes 45 seconds to complete - and there's no option in the TWAIN software to preview just a small area as a way of speeding things up. The Perfection can do this, and far quicker too. Since this can't be attributed to the USB interface, it must be down to either low-grade electronics or slack driver programming.

Also of concern is Umax's choice of TWAIN software. VistaScan 32 3.51 not surprisingly boasts two modes of operation: basic and advanced, the former being an essential ingredient for any scanner at this price. The basic mode supplies four familiar preset settings - text/line art, photo, printed matter and Web image, while the advanced mode gives you options for controlling the final outcome of your scans. Unfortunately though, the whole thing is clumsily designed: the slider-operated brightness, contrast, highlight, shadow and mid-tone adjustments aren't accurate enough and the lack of an Eyedropper tool is a serious letdown.

Other tools provided include a Tone Curve device, a Hue/Saturation Wheel, and a collection of destination and de-screen presets, the latter allowing you to remove moirÚ patterns in images. The software bundle consists of the usual unimaginative applications: Adobe PhotoDeluxe for image editing, Caere OmniPage LE and Recognita Standard for OCR (optical character recognition), Presto! PageManager to organise your scans, and a copy utility that ties the scanner to your printer.