Scanner Reviews

I purchased this scanner about 18 months ago and paid a great deal of money for it (purchased elsewhere). I work in a professional graphic studio and needed a large flatbed. The first scanner arrived DOA, and it was returned. The second scanner died within one week. Recently, I started to notice severe color variations. This is after months of other problems, including scans that had shadows where there were none, and strange color patterns most of which I was able to correct in PhotoShop. Talking to technical support was useless, I would email them the scans that had very visible problems and they would claim it would look perfect on their monitor. I finally got hold of a supervisor who told me that the scanner was broken and would need repair, which would cost at least a few hundred dollars, plus shipping costs. Have decided to avoid further aggravation and just buy a new scanner, which will not be Microtek.

Needed a scanner that would scan A3 size papers, and would work heavy duty on a daily basis. I bought this one, and found my money's worth. The scans are pretty good. The price seemed high, but for a scanner that could scan A3 as well as do lots of scanning every day, I think its a good buy.

I don't know if I got a bad deal or what but I thought this scanner was the worst. I gave it 1 star just in case the scanner I received was bad. I actually wanted to give it a zero. The set up was so easy and the software was a snap to download. Hoever, trying to scan my photos, etc. was a nightmare. It was like the thing had a mind of its own. I tried to contact the technical support center several times and was unable to get through. Oh, the company does not have a toll free number. I also emailed them. No response. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the software at least 5 times. It still would not work properly. I finally gave up. I'm in the process of returning it for a full refund. Too many headaches.

I have been searching for a Scanner that will scan Color Sldes at a reasonable price. This machine exceeds my expectations. It scans quickly, produces excellent color and is a joy to use. Setting it up was a snap. The machine is GREAT.

I decreased my rating from a 5 to a 4 because of the software. The Photo Express 3.0 is, in my opinion, a little "flaky". If it had come with a good manual, that would have been helpful. I like to study things in my "easy chair".

Purchased 6450 in June, tested briefly with Microsoft ME. Upgraded to XP Home in January but during installation discovered products are not compatible. I get no help or encouragement from either UMAX or Miscrosoft.

I really like the fire wire cappabilities. Although Umax says the PCI card that comes with it is for PC's only, if you get the firewire 2.5 drivers from Apple the card works flawlessly!!!! On top of that, It's really fast! :) The thing I don't like is the fact that it is a little difficult to get the transparency adapter to work perfectly... All in all a very awsome machine! I actually give it 4 1/2 stars.

Worked fine for about a year so it gets a star for that, and then there were all these problems with the drivers and the bundled software. The fixes have never been clear cut, and as a result I plan on staying away from HP scanning products. I dont know if there is a problem with the USB interface or what, but I saw numerous posts on various sites expressing the same problem, and there was never a cut a dried answer.

This scanner is a good scanner. If it was WinXP compatible, I wouldn't sell it. It has great resolution as well as quick functions, such as copying. It is a great buy for anyone looking for a scanner

This is my second Visioneer scanner and although I liked the first one (replaced because the glass broke), this one has been a hassle. ALL of my pictures scan in with a red tint to them. I have been to their web site with no answers to help me and I refuse to call tech support since they charge $2.00 a minute. I've come across a similar complaint on the web with no solution. This is not a scanner I would recommend.

For the price, you get a reliable machine that produces high quality scans.

Maybe it's that I was used to another brand scanner and scanning software, so this software was a little tricky for me at first, but I'm a little less than thrilled with the scanning software package that comes with the 7100. I'd like to use VueScan, but it's not compatible with Visioneer scanners.

It seems that once I delve into the details in the manual, I may be able to control more of the scanning process from that aspect in order to do less clean up work in Photoshop.

This is my fourth-and probably last--Visioneer scanner. And I plan to return this one. If you already have PaperPort (I had version 9.0) you have to completely UNINSTALL it in order to add this scanner. (Huh?) And removal is not straightforward. (Read some of the troubleshooting instructions on Visioneer.com; they should be embarrassed.) The uninstall did not work, so I had to download 2 different files from Visioneer.com to clean up the mess. Finally, PaperPort 8.0 installed, but it never found the scanner. Prompted by the web site, I deleted the twain files on my computer and installing a downloaded driver-which resulted in a strong Microsoft warning that this file was not compatible with Windows. At one point, PaperPort would consistently close immediately after being opened-it didn't crash, it just closed itself.

Meanwhile, the tech support number included in the scanner package was "disconnected or no longer in service." The number provided on the web site has hours so short that I can't use their support for my home computer. And have you tried their touted "SARA" to troubleshoot a problem? Don't bother.

These are just a few of the problems I encountered. I had been perfectly satisfied with my old Strobe (which was also a headache to install), but Visioneer doesn't support Windows XP for the old Strobe. (I don't trust them to support the next OS upgrade either.) If you like nightmares and complex computer challenges, then Visioneer scanners are for you. As for me, I'm going shopping.

The Visioneer XP is a worse product that the previous sheetfeed scanners like the Strobe, Strobe Pro and even the eariler ones like the MX. The software is now being produced by Scansoft and it is better in some ways and worse in others than earlier versions. The Strobe XP 100 or Xp 200 should just not be bought. It's a given. Buy something else. There is no question that this product is just plain bad. If you can get away with it find a used Strobe Pro and use Version 7 of Paperport. Can't do that on an XP system though or a Microsoft 2000. You need version 8 or 9. But if you use Windows 98, then that is a good system. You might as well get version 9 if you need it, it's the same price. Version 9 is clunkier than earlier versions and less intuitive. You cant't even find the "calibrate" button. Anyway, it's one solid benefit is that it can make, translate and read PDF files. That is very handy. And it works with all TWAIN scanners. By not buying a new Visioneer you can save yourself the aggravation of talking to their tech support people, who are invariable rude and unaccomodating--so far as I have seen. Visioneer has always had bad support people but they've actually got worse with time. If you have a Strobe Pro you're better off, since they won't even talk to you at all as they no longer seem to support it even though it's a very recent product. It still may be sold new somewhere. That saves you the aggravation ahead of time. But it's a better machine than the Strobe XP by far. The new Strobe for example does not automatically crop scans, and does not scan paper over 12 inches long as far as I can tell. It's smaller and tinnier than the Strobe Pro. On the whole my advice is to avoid Visioneer products altogether if you can. Remember that Paperport is now a Scansoft product and can be run better on other than Visioneer machines. Their support is half-way decent but they will not help you out with a Visioneer scanner problem unless it is Paperport version 8 and above related.

I just installed the Strobe XP 100 scanner under Windows 2000 Pro. It was easy to install both software and hardware. This is my third Visioneer sheetfed scanner in 6 years. I have found them to be useful and reliable, but, as others will tell you, tech. support is weak. My advice is to try it and, if it works from the get-go, you will probably have a good experience. If you have problems with the installation, you may be better off sending it back and buying another brand.

I bought a Umax 3400 scanner about 3 years ago. The copy utility worked great however the other programs were difficult and touchy. I have since upgraded to Windows XP and it is now not compatible. I bought the software to upgrade it (duh) and it did not work (nonrefundable). I tried to contact the company by phone and they want to charge $25 for tech support over the phone (not to mention it's not an 800# and I had to pay long distance). NO WAY! I tried to e-mail them without any response. DO NOT BUY UMAX. THEIR TECHNICAL SUPPORT STINKS!!!!!

Buy Umax only if you will never upgrade your software. If you plan on upgrading your operating system in the future Umax is not the way to go. Any time you need to upgrade drivers for say a new operating system or if you lost yours, unlike most other computer manufacturers, Umax will not let you download drivers for the upgrade. Instead they will mail you the drivers for [a price]. Real customer service.

I got a scanner with my dell computer purchase. A UMAX 3400, well after two years i finally decided to use it and guess what its burned out. I dont know if I can get a replacement, its very disappointing.

Guys listen to this...out of 10 pages of text I rpint out 7 will get jammed up in the machine. I bought many lexmark products in the past because of its cheap price...but believe me, what you pay is what you'll get. The printer design is very wreckless. the feeder is very unbalanced; always tipping to the right. Since I am a computer technician I know how to fix some of the problemms. Its a hassle even for me to fix this piece of junk every week, I can't imagine for the regular folks at home. The fax dial design its idiotic. Does not promote a easy way for you use a callings card to dial out. If you purchase this product and want to send this through a phone card, you'll be sitting there for an hour just to send 2 pages. When I call for tech support, they deny that this is their problem. This is my last lexmark product. I would suggest everyone the same.

I know this thing has been discontinued, but I'm hoping nobody will waste their money on a used one. Since day one, this thing has been a nightmare. When it works, which isn't often, it does nothing well.
Everything it can do, it does poorly and slowly. Also, it uses ink like an SUV uses gas. Stay far away from this thing. I'll never buy another Lexmark product again.

We run XP Pro and after doing an OS reinstall the Lexmark X63 started error out with "Device Busy". After a few attempts to troubleshoot the problem, we went to www.lexmark.com and on their site is two downloads available for XP. After installing downloads, the error message is gone and the X63 is back to itself.

Summary of features: Printer and Fax will occasionally feed more than one page at time if paper is not loaded carefully (as with any Lexmark printer you have to 'gently' place the paper in the feeder). The scanner quality can take a few adjustments before getting the desired product. However, overall this has been a good product for us.

This is by far, the biggest piece of garbage that it has ever been my misfortune to buy. If everything Visioneer makes is like this, they deserve to go out of business. I cannot believe they can foist off this kind of junk and get by with it. I will never buy another product with 'Visioneer' on it. Period. This scanner was a HUGE waste of money, not to mention a very good source of frustration. It worked long enough to scan about 5 items...but none of those consequtively. It will scan one, then if you're lucky you might get another scan out if after about 25 hours of fooling with it and it's pathetic connections, (lots of luck getting any decent drivers or updates) and countless reboots of your computer. Buy a real scanner, send this one to your enemies.

This is a great scanner for the money. Unfortunately the design engineers made one little mistake which I corrected. It took care of the "scanner locked" problem. Now I love it. The software is great, the ergonomics are great, and it is FAST! To fix it is very simple, and requires no electronic skills.

JA

I have the 8920 which is the same scanner with a slide scanner...it is entirely possible that they have COMPLETELY different hardware under the hood, but I doubt it.

No problems...but one curious issue. The glass lid is not designed for being pushed on, and the holders (on the left side as you look at it) can come loose. If they do, or if you press down on the glass...like if you are scanning a book...that can stop the scan head, and of course the computer will assume the lock is still on. This has happened to me a couple of times.

If you shake it (gently) you will hear the holders (little plastic pieces) on the bottom.

Yes it is a silly and sloppy design, HOWEVER, put them back in place and press on...mine didn't drop loose until after 2.5 years of use.

I too purchased a 3600. It was inexpensive when I bought it so I should have known better... The inside of the lid is black. That translates into photo copies using a LOT of laser toner. Also, the power switch is a small toggle on the back. Turning it on and off is a hassle. Leaving it on will burn out the bulb in short order. (Which is exactley what happened with mine.)
Turns out the bulb is some sort of special Microtek only bulb. Even if you are a technician, you can't get the bulb. If the printer is out of warranty, getting the thing repaired will cost more than the original price. My suggestion?
Spend a little more on a different brand with a common bulb and buy the extended warranty.

I basically bought the Microtek scanmaker 3600 b/c it was slim, looked good and was fairly inexpensive campared to others. I enjoyed it while it was scanning (of course I don't know a lot about computers,etc.) However, It only worked for just a few months before the bulb burnt out. Imagine that! I also got the red low glow (???). Like others, I found it hard to get to the on/off switch. And of course as said before, the only way to get it fixed was to mail the scanner back to them at my cost. Well forget that. I bought a new scanner and it definitely was not a Microtek. Microtek is not worth the time, trouble and added stress. Thanks for reading. ironjaw

The scanner worked fine for the first month. Then I accidentally left the power on for a week, and the bulb burned out. Not completely, but the light is no longer bright white, but rather a dim neon red and all scans are so dim and noisy as to be unusable. I guess the bulb can't be replaced. What do you expect for [the price], I guess.