Installation disk for epson 1650. Epson Upgrade Frequently Asked Questions

SEIKO EPSON Corporation has given a series of inexpensive flatbed scanners the proud name “Perfection” (perfection). Simple bragging? We don't think so. In our opinion, the manufacturer is following a certain tradition, naming new devices beautifully and loudly. The idea is obvious: “Whatever you name the yacht, that’s how it will sail.” It will be interesting to see how the Perfection 1650 Photo lives up to its name.

This model belongs to the class of SOHO devices intended for use at home or in the office. The design of the device is simple: a rectangular plastic case, on the front panel there are nice-looking and pleasant-to-touch control buttons.

On the rear panel, in addition to connectors for connecting the power supply, USB cable and slide module, there is a lock that blocks the movement of the carriage during transportation. Its design is carefully thought out: in the closed position, the latch slide blocks the power connector, so it is impossible to turn on a locked device.

True, given the fact that the design of the Perfection 1650 Photo broaching mechanism eliminates spontaneous movement of the carriage even with strong shocks, the presence of the above-described safety mechanism looks more like a tribute to tradition. printed circuit boards shielded, signal cables are fixed with holders, all mirrors of the optical system are rigidly fixed.

Perfection 1650 Photo is built on the proprietary EPSON E02A34EB processor. The remaining components of the circuit (we omit the listing for simplicity) are either EPSON's own developments or produced by other well-known companies. For example, the stepper motor type EM-436 that moves the scanner carriage is produced by OKI Electric.

To prepare the scanner for operation, you need to install the driver.

This took us about 1 minute. The next step is connecting to a computer. At the moment when the interface cable connects the turned on device to system unit

, The OS will detect and unmistakably “recognize” the scanner - EPSON Perfection 1650 Photo. Now you can get to work. So, let's see how “perfect” Perfection 1650 is. Launch Photoshop and select EPSON TWAIN 5.54E from the File ® Import menu. By default, the driver runs fully automatic mode



Full auto, in which it performs preliminary scanning and determines the document type. After such a cheerful start, the question involuntarily arises: “Are you going to eat for me?”, to which the driver, not at all embarrassed, answers: “Aha!”, after which he determines the size of the scanning area, digitizes the original and opens a new window in Photoshop with a finished image.

Main driver window: almost all controls are duplicated with icons This driver independence is a definite plus for inexperienced users who are put off by complex dialog boxes and an abundance of settings options. But to achieve good results, Full auto mode alone is clearly not enough. For experienced users, Manual mode is provided. To switch to it, you must press the Cancel button while scanning in Full auto mode. That's what we did. As a result, it opened dialog window , which displayed additional image operations enabled by default: Unsharp mask, Color correction, etc. Having turned them off so as not to burden the driver with unnecessary work, we measured the speed of the scanner, the level of acoustic noise during scanning, and also assessed the ease of operation with the device in different modes. Test machine configuration under 98 SE was as follows: Intel Celeron 800 MHz, 256 MB of RAM, Ge-Force2 MX 400 video adapter, IBM Deskstar hard drive. Acoustic noise measurements were carried out using a EuroAudio Pro 600 audio analyzer at a height of 1 cm above the geometric center of the scanner lid.



The slide scanning process is organized very conveniently

The next stage of testing was a practical assessment of the range of optical densities perceived by the scanner. We scanned halftone solids of a standard reflective original AGFA IT8.7/2, the optical density of which was previously measured with an X-Rite Digital Swatchbook spectrodensitometer.

The results of this test were encouraging: as it turned out, EPSON Perfection 1650 Photo easily distinguishes between the darkest solids of the table - 22 (2.01 D) and 23 (2.21 D).

Let's summarize. EPSON Perfection 1650 Photo made a favorable impression: its excellent design and excellent assembly guarantee uninterrupted operation for a long time, the scanning speed at resolutions not exceeding 300 ppi is simply excellent, and in other modes it is quite acceptable. The acoustic (“noise”) characteristics of the device should also be considered satisfactory, but it cannot be called “quiet”. The quality of scanned originals is good, installation and connection of the scanner is simple, and the process of setting scanning parameters is simple. The organization of scanning slides and photographic films deserves a special mention.

The most significant drawback is the lack of an interface cable included. A built-in power switch would also be useful, since turning off the power to the device by “pulling” the adapter out of the socket each time is not very convenient.

But nevertheless, in general, the EPSON Perfection 1650 Photo can be considered an almost perfect scanner for the home or office. Not everything is perfect in this device, but is there such a thing as absolute perfection? It is not without reason that the ancient sages argued that there is no perfection in this world, but there are paths leading to it.

Specifications

EPSON Perfection 1650 Photo Flatbed Scanner

  • Optical resolution
    • 1600 dpi
  • Color depth
    • 48 bit
  • Converter type
  • Light source
    • Cold cathode lamp
  • Interface
    • USB 1.1
  • Transmission scanning area dimensions
    • 57x272 mm
  • Dimensions of the reflection scanning area
    • 216x297 mm, A4 format
  • Power supply
    • External power supply, 24 V, 0.8 A
  • Additional connected devices
    • Slide module (supplied)
  • Dimensions
    • 450x276ґ93 mm
  • Weight
    • 2.6 kg
  • Supported OS
    • Windows 98/Me/2000
    • Mac OS 8.5–9.x
  • Price
    • $235

Scanner performance


The editors express their gratitude to the Russian branch of SEIKO EPSON for the equipment provided.


Procedure for manual download and update:

This Epson Perfection 1650 built-in driver must be included in the operating Windows system® or be available for download through the Center Windows updates® (Windows® Update). The built-in driver supports the basic functions of your Epson Perfection 1650 hardware.

How to perform automatic download and update:

Recommendation: We highly recommend that most Windows users (unless you are advanced) download a tool like DriverDoc to help update your Epson Scanner drivers. DriverDoc automatically downloads and updates the Perfection 1650 driver, ensuring the correct version is installed for the current operating system.

DriverDoc can be used to automatic update not only Scanner drivers, but also all other drivers on your PC. This utility has access to a database containing more than 2,150,000 device drivers (the database is updated on a daily basis), thanks to which your PC will always have latest versions necessary drivers.

Install optional products - DriverDoc (Solvusoft) | | | |

Epson Upgrade Frequently Asked Questions

What do Epson Scanner device drivers do?

Device drivers ensure proper interaction hardware devices (Scanner) with your operating system. Epson has written these unique, "mini" programs to ensure the Perfection 1650 works properly.

What operating systems are compatible with Perfection 1650 drivers?

Windows supports drivers for Perfection 1650 hardware.

How to update Perfection 1650 drivers?

Perfection 1650 drivers can be updated manually using the Windows Device Manager, or automatically by downloading a driver update utility.

What are the benefits and risks of updating Perfection 1650 drivers?

The benefits of updating Perfection 1650 drivers include improved compatibility, improved hardware features, and improved performance. The risks of installing the wrong Device Scanner drivers include software crashes, slower performance, and overall PC instability.


About the author: Jay Geater is President and Chief Executive Officer of Solvusoft Corporation, a global software company focused on innovative service offerings. He has a lifelong passion for computers and loves everything related to computers, software and new technology.

Top 5 Epson Perfection Drivers (22 Models)


Install optional products - DriverDoc (Solvusoft) | |

With this article we preface a series of tests of SOHO flatbed scanners. So that the tests were not only subjective in nature, but were based on real numbers, a special technique. We recommend that you read it first of all to the reader who is interested in the academic part of the test. If you don’t want to bother yourself with complex formulas, you can simply look at the results obtained during the tests: for ease of perception, they are presented in the form of final rating scores and clearly reflect the place occupied by the test participant.
Let's start the article with the descriptive part and, because... The device from Hewlett-Packard is the latest development of this company (its rival Epson Perfection 1650 has been successfully sold for quite a long time), let’s look at it first.

Introduction

The ScanJet 3570c single-pass flatbed scanner was the first Hewlett-Packard device in which the active adapter for 35 mm transparent originals is not a separate device, but is initially built into the scanner lid. This model is intended for the budget consumer, and its price will certainly seem very tempting to many. But before I begin my story, I would like to briefly outline the situation on the market for SOHO flatbed scanners, which has long been saturated, if not overcrowded.
Indeed, how can a manufacturing company attract the attention of an ordinary consumer spoiled by abundance, who, to put it mildly, already doesn’t care about optical resolutions and design delights? It is clear that the fierce competition in the SOHO scanner market leaves a few manufacturers with practically only two options: either leave the arena forever (as AGFA once left it), or try to follow constant improvement model range, reducing the cost of components and attracting the consumer’s attention to your product with something special. “Special” for the ScanJet 3570c is an active adapter (with illumination) integrated into the lid for scanning films.
I note that over the past year the average cost of scanners entry level for home and office has dropped noticeably, and now the border of this price category is somewhere around $200 (versus $300 in 2001). What made such a significant price reduction possible? First of all, by reducing costs (reducing production costs due to automation of technical processes), using inexpensive components and minimizing the involvement of highly qualified personnel (engineers, application software developers, etc.). But doesn't all this affect the quality of the final product? How to check this, since there is certainly a relationship between quality and cost? This is actually why this testing was conceived, which will later develop into a full-scale super-test of flatbed scanners.

Specifications

Specifications

Company manufacturerHewlett-PackardEpson
ModelScanJet 3570cPerfection 1650
Converter typeCCDCCD
Maximum optical resolution1200 dpi1600 dpi
Maximum color depth48 bit48 bit
InterfaceUSB 2.0 (full speed)USB 1.1
Scan area216x297 mm, A4 / 35 mm slides and negatives216x297 mm, A4
Power supply12 V, 1250 mA24 V, 800 mA
Slide adapteradapter for 35 mm films built into the lidoptional
Overall dimensions, mm300x500x85276x450x93
Weight, kg 3,2 2,6
Estimated cost $144 $126

Package contents and appearance of HP ScanJet 3570c

Let me start with the fact that due to the light weight of the scanner (only 3.2 kg), the handles of its packaging box are not reinforced with any additional inserts, so you can bring your purchase home on your own, without worrying that the handles will come off during transportation.

When I opened the box, I found the following components included in the package:

USB cable;
power unit;
user manual (in Russian);
service and support information sheet;
One CD with drivers and software from HP.

And, as noted above, the adapter for 35 mm originals is initially built into the lid of the ScanJet 3570c, while for the ScanJet 3500c/3530c it is only optional (i.e., purchased separately).
The plastic body of the scanner is decorated in gray and blue tones. It should be noted that the design of the device is well thought out and will withstand even the most picky examination. I would like to note that the case is well sealed, thanks to which dust microparticles will never stick to the inside of the glass or to the converter matrix. In addition, to give the scanner design the necessary strength, the body elements are equipped with stiffening ribs.
Top cover The scanner, which has a built-in active slide adapter, is completely removable. This property allows you to place an original of any thickness on the scanner glass (for example, the Great Encyclopedic Dictionary), or even place the scanner itself on the original (attach the device to the wall and scan wallpaper). I note that this is not the case with all devices of this class.
There are four quick scanning buttons on the front panel of the scanner, the purpose of which is indicated by the corresponding icons.


The first E-MAIL button launches the scanning program using settings optimized for email. The scan result is transferred to the installed mail program for transmission over the Internet. The next button with a scanner image involves directly scanning images using Hewlett-Packard software. The “Copy” button, on which the printer is drawn, sends, as you might guess, the scanned image directly to the printer. And finally, the fourth button is designed to quickly launch the program for creating multimedia albums, with further recording of the latter onto CDs.

Installing the HP ScanJet 3570c Scanner and Related Software

The installation process is simple and can be done literally “without looking” (in the instructions, of course). First, you need to connect the scanner to the computer’s USB interface port (preferably USB 2.0). After this, you need to connect the Transparency Material Adapter (TMA) cable, which comes out of the scanner lid, to the correspondingly labeled port on the back of the device. Now all that remains is to connect the power source, after which Windows will detect the new device, and it will be time to install drivers and software. Let's take a look at what programs Hewlett-Packard has prepared for the buyer of this device.
Installation of related software is carried out under the control of an interactive shell written in Macromedia Flash from the only CD included in the package. Installation of programs occurs in two stages: first, HP photo and image processing software is installed, and then, at the user’s request, Hemera CD Design Creator 32 and JigSaw Puzzler 32 (this package, based on scanned images, allows you to create labels for CDs and convert photos in mosaic games).
In addition to the section on installing programs, the shell allows you to view interactive instructions for connecting, as well as call the help system.


I consider it necessary to note that Hewlett-Packard’s own software will require... 225 MB free space on disk! Such a monster! Moreover, the most interesting thing is that I cannot say that the software package is somehow very replete with cascade fine settings, has high flexibility and functionality, provides automatic separation of originals during batch scanning, or has a colorful graphical shell - there is none of this, and for this reason it is not at all clear what hundreds of megabytes of disk space are spent on. Moreover, during operation it was noted that HP programs are extremely unstable, causing critical errors from time to time. However, more on that later.


After installing the software, shortcuts to HP Director and “Share-to-Web Upload Folder” (the directory where scans will be sent) appear on the desktop. The HP Director program is a kind of “control center” from where quick start related scanning programs.


The user can choose between scanning images (photos, drawings) and text documents, creating a printed copy and viewing scanned material. Let's look at each HP Director software element.
After the user activates the “Scan Image” module, a preliminary menu will open in which it will be necessary to specify the type of original to be scanned (original from glass, slides or negatives from an adapter). In principle, this request can be disabled by checking the appropriate box, and the original type can be set directly in the scanning program.


After selecting one of the items, the main window of the image digitization program opens. I decided to immediately check whether the ScanJet 3570c supports batch scanning by placing three photographs on its glass. Let me remind you that batch scanning allows you to select several areas in preview mode and set appropriate parameters for each (thus, the user significantly saves time when scanning several originals simultaneously). It turned out that the scanner software (although it takes up a quarter of a gigabyte) is not capable of separating scanned originals, which is very sad. You can, of course, scan the entire area of ​​the originals, and then cut out the images from using Photoshop, however, this will not only create unnecessary work for the user, but also a huge file on the disk.


The image scanning program (scanner driver) consists of three functional groups: the preview window, the main menu and the tool area. The window appears immediately after accessing the scanner (either through the quick scan buttons or from an external software package). The start of work is marked by the event of heating the lamp and preliminary scanning of the original on the tablet. For ScanJet 3570c this procedure is quite lengthy and takes 50 seconds. in “waiting for a miracle.” Prescan without spending time to warm up the lamp is 17 seconds. I note that the timeout value for the lamp, set by the manufacturer in the driver, is relatively small.
The lamp warm-up operation is not disabled in the driver, but you can set the timeout for it to increase. It's better to do this right away.


The scanner driver is not rich manual settings on image digitization. By and large, the user is given the opportunity to select the scanning resolution, change the image size, and perform tone correction based on the image in the preview window. The sharpening filter values ​​are set discretely; color correction involves choosing between two options: “normal color” and “improved color”; The descreen filter is “hidden” under the “Remove moire” item. That's all, actually.
After determining the boundaries of the original in the preview window, as well as specifying the necessary settings, you can click on the “Accept” icon, thus starting the scanning process.
If you plan to scan documents containing text, select the appropriate item in HP Director. In the window that opens, the user has no choice but to answer the question “What is being scanned?”, because it is impossible to configure any scanning parameters here.
Document scanning program dialog box. Interesting feature: If you select the destination – “Save to file”, the image will be saved as a pdf file.


During the translation of the scanned material by the I.R.I.S. recognition program. OCR sometimes had strange errors, which, however, did not affect the final result.


Perhaps the most powerful software utility is “HP Photo and Image Processing Gallery.” With its help you can not only view all kinds of graphic files, but also create photo albums by burning them onto CDs, carry out editing and pre-press preparation, publish personal photo files on the Web, etc.
When accessing a folder containing photos, the program presents them as thumbnails. Further possible actions with images are indicated by menu buttons at the top and right of the window.


I believe that everyone who has a huge number of photographs collected on their hard drive would like to organize all this “economy” by creating something like photo albums. A special HP software utility will help in this matter.
By selecting the files of interest and following the wizard for creating a multimedia album, you can create a Video CD in literally no time.


The next step is to attach a music file to the created disc, which will be played while the photos are displayed.


CD burning parameters are set at the final stage of Video CD preparation.


While studying the scanning program shell, I discovered that some of its windows are based on Microsoft Internet Explorer. Notice the top left corner of the dialog box: the familiar IE icon. Then it is not at all clear what 225 MB of disk space was spent on, even if the driver shell uses the MSIE kernel.


Summing up the intermediate results concerning only the application software, one thing can be said: the main problems of this scanner lie in the morally backward software, as well as in the driver, which does not have sufficient configuration flexibility. By and large, the driver cannot be compared in terms of functionality with many, even outdated software shells from manufacturers such as AGFA or Mustek. I note that the settings specified by the user before scanning are not saved, and each next time you have to set everything again. Well, HP programmers have a lot to work on. It is only important that they clearly represent the user's needs.
Regarding the service technical support there is also a serious note. Imagine, even if you are the legal owner of a ScanJet 3570c scanner, you will not be able to download updated drivers and related software for it from the HP technical support site for free. If, for example, you lost installation disk, then you will have to pay extra money to have a new one sent. It is interesting that, despite the presence of a Russian-language page for HP, for updates you will be transferred to the American website www.hp.com, where there is nothing to do without knowing the language.

Advantages:

Relatively low price for a scanner with a slide adapter
Fully localized user manual and software

Flaws:

Long lamp warm-up and scanning time
“Bloated” amount of application software, not supported in any way by functionality
Unfinished scanner driver riddled with errors
Additional charges for driver and application software updates

Scope of delivery and appearance of Epson Perfection 1650


At one time, Epson successfully mastered the market of flatbed SOHO scanners and today offers quite a lot of interesting models on the Russian market. The scanner that was selected for testing, although not the newest model(Epson Perfection 1650 was replaced by Perfection 1660), but today it can be seen on the shelves of many computer stores.
The Epson Perfection 1650 single-pass flatbed scanner allows you to digitize printed originals with a maximum optical resolution of 1600 dpi (its twin brother is the Epson Perfection 1250 model, scans at 1200 dpi). The scanner is equipped with its own processor, which is responsible for accelerating image processing. In addition, it is thanks to it that the load on CPU computer. In the Micro Step subscanning mode, by moving the scanning head in steps of up to 3 microns, the device operates with a resolution of 3200 dpi, which allows you to obtain excellent images with good color saturation. According to the manufacturer, scanning images from 50 to 6400 dpi is carried out in 1 dpi increments (in interpolation mode, resolutions of 9600 dpi and 12800 dpi are achieved by the scaling function).
The Epson Perfection 1650 scanner is original but discreet appearance. Its body is made of durable plastic, and the bottom profile has the necessary stiffening ribs. The scanning carriage moves along the guide rod using a toothed belt. The scanner tablet contains ruler divisions with marked boundaries of standard originals. The top cover of the scanner is removable, and an external slide adapter module (optional for this model) is installed in the adjacent slots. On the back of the device there is a mechanical lock for locking the carriage during transportation, a power socket, a USB connector and a connector for connecting a slide adapter.

The scanner comes with:

USB cable;
Power supply 24 V/0.8 A;
Installation Guide;
CD with application software and detailed electronic version of the instruction manual.

There are four quick scan buttons on the front panel of the Epson Perfection 1650. Each is marked with a specific drawing, from which it is easy to guess its intended purpose.


In general, pressing any button launches the scanning program with given parameters, and the first button, illuminated with a green light, simply activates the Epson Smart Panel application. By the way, if an error occurs, the same button starts flashing red.

Installing the Epson Perfection 1650 scanner and related software

The scanner comes with a single CD containing drivers and software utilities. Immediately before connecting the scanner to the USB port, you must install the software package, and there are reminders about this both in the reference manual and on the scanner itself in the form of a special sticker. In the event that the scanner will still be connected to the computer before installing its own software, operating system“slips in” its (simplest) driver from the standard package.
So, install the CD into the drive. If you have a Russian-language OS, the language will be selected automatically. Here, it should be noted, the programmers from Epson clearly overlooked one nuance. The fact is that to install the driver you need to go to the English section of the program (i.e. go up one item and select another language), but this is not mentioned in the installation manual. This means that, despite the Russified paper and electronic versions of the description, the scanner driver itself remained unlocalized and for this reason is not in the Russian section.
In the Russian-language part of the installation program, you can select only one item: “Interactive manuals”.


To install the scanner driver, you will have to go to the English section.


The following software can be installed from the CD: TWAIN Driver, Epson Smart Panel, ArcSoft Phoroimpression and Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.05.


Before installing any software, you should always check to see if an updated version of the driver has appeared on the technical support website. I did just that, immediately going to www.epson.ru. Fortunately, a new and Russian version of the driver was waiting for me there, which I installed instead of the one available on the included CD.


Once the software installation is complete, the scanner is connected to the computer. But because The scanner is equipped with a transport lock that protects the carriage from mechanical damage when transporting the device; before connecting the power, it must be moved to the unlocking position. However, the plug cannot be connected otherwise, because in addition to blocking the mechanics, the latch also closes the power socket.
The transport lock blocks both the mechanics of the scanner and access to the power socket.


Let's see what software Epson has prepared for its scanner. The main starting window is Epson Smart Panel, which contains all the necessary scanning utilities. The user only needs to click on one of eight icons to activate the application required for work.


The Copy icon launches the copy utility, thanks to which the scanner-printer combination can be used as a copier. The clarity and ease of use of this utility will not leave even an untrained user wondering. Copying the original image occurs in two passes. The first is prescan, during which the boundaries of the original are determined and the brightness values ​​are adjusted, and the second is the final stage of scanning, with the digitized image being sent to the selected printer.
By setting a minimum of settings, the user will receive a fully functional home copier.


The following Scan to E-mail icon launches the scanning program with preset options optimized for sending by e-mail. Scanning the original and determining its standard size - everything happens automatically, but the user is given the opportunity to switch to manual mode.
If automatic scanning does not pay off, you can switch to manual control mode and set the necessary settings yourself.


After scanning one or a series of photos, you must specify the program Email, through which the sending will be carried out.


The Scan to OCR icon involves scanning a document containing text, with further direction latest program recognition I note that the PRESTO recognition program that comes with the kit copes extremely poorly with its direct responsibilities. To achieve absolute results, it is better to use the proven FineReader.


Window of the scan preparation program for transfer to the character recognition program.


The Epson Photo Print program is designed to help you output images from a scanner to a printer. Its main advantage is its ease of use. The user will be able to specify what he needs in almost two clicks. Interestingly, the program automatically determines the orientation of the original and, when displaying the photo across the width of the sheet, will take up all the useful space using the auto-scaling function.


Of all the application software that is installed as if “by default” (i.e. without asking about it), Epson program I found Scan to Web completely useless. Its main purpose is to upload scanned images to a personal page on the Epsonphoto network of sites. Providing the user of Epson products with a free Internet page is, of course, a good idea, but Russia is not included in the huge list of countries (but there are countries such as Estonia, Burkina Faso or the Seychelles). By the way, Hewlett-Packard is coming up with a similar initiative, which, however, provides this service for the Russian user.


Scan to Web program window.


From additional programs(besides Adobe Acrobat Reader) CD-ROM includes the powerful ArcSoft PhotoImpression photo editor. Using this package, you can add special effects to scanned images, retouch photos, remove red-eye, prepare images for printing on a photo printer, and much more. By and large, first of all, this program will appeal to novice users for whom Adobe Photoshop extremely complex.
Now it’s worth talking about the scanner driver, which has more functionality and flexibility than the HP driver for the ScanJet 3570c. Behind the apparent simplicity of the driver software shell lies an almost complete list of all possible settings for this class of scanner. Unfortunately, like the device from Hewlett-Packard, the Perfection 1650 driver does not have a batch scanning mode. Perhaps this is the only drawback.
The main window of the scanner driver is divided into a preview area and a tool area. Please note that the Unsharp Mask filter, which is used in most cases when editing images, is not hidden in the depths of the driver.


In the scanner configuration menu, you can turn on or off preview (which is important, the driver remembers the image settings, i.e. you don’t have to set everything again each time), as well as adjust the gamma parameters or assign color profile color correction.






In the image settings for digitization, you can manually set the white and black points, adjust the exposure and gamma.


All user settings are displayed in a special information window.


Summing up the description of the software part of the Epson Perfection 1650 scanner, one cannot fail to note the competent approach of Epson programmers, who clearly understood the needs of the scanner user. In principle, I found everything I needed by studying the software part of both the driver and application utilities.

Advantages:

Excellent and very clear implementation of the driver and accompanying software
High level of technical support and regularly updated drivers
Detailed and Russified electronic description of the scanner with a user manual

Flaws:

Relatively high noise level from broaching mechanisms
Initially non-localized software
Weak character recognition program included

Testing

You can read about the testing methodology here.
When comparing scanners in terms of design, I would give preference to the model from HP. The cover of this device is designed in the style a la iMac and shimmers depending on the viewing angle. The Epson model, on the contrary, looks more office-like and strict. The ergonomic rating is objectively higher for the Perfection 1650. First of all, due to the presence of rulers along the edges of the tablet. But the ScanJet 3570c does not have marks along the edges. Each of the tested scanners has quick scan buttons, and they are equally functional. If we evaluate how convenient a particular scanner is for everyday work, then this assessment will mainly depend on the service capabilities of the application software, as well as the speed of the scanner. More on this below.
The ScanJet 3570c is distinguished by a relatively long pre-scanning time, which, together with the lamp warm-up time, is 50 s (without lamp warm-up - 17 s). In addition, the period of time after which the scanner turns off the lamp (timeout) is extremely short (it’s good that the driver provides for an increase in the timeout!). I note that the service life of a cold cathode lamp is designed to last for five years - no less (the typical time between failures of such a lamp is about 10,000 hours), and therefore, it is not entirely clear why it is necessary to extinguish the lamp so quickly. Interestingly, a long time between failures is the main advantage of a cold cathode lamp, and the main disadvantage is the warm-up time when turned on. But Perfection 1650, on the contrary, demonstrated very decent speed characteristics, especially in terms of time spent on prescan. How quickly scanners complete tasks for digitizing typical originals is reflected in the following table:

Performance


Regarding scanning quality, based first only on visual preferences, we can say that originals from glass are digitized by the ScanJet 3570c with relatively high quality, but with a slide adapter they turn out a little worse, somehow amateurish. In terms of the quality of digitizing originals, Epson, at first glance, is in no way inferior to the device from HP.

Testing helped to objectively evaluate both models, which showed the following:

  1. The range of reproducible optical densities of the ScanJet 3570c is slightly worse than that of the Perfection 1650. This is displayed by a graph of the relative brightness deviation (segment 18 - 24).
  2. In terms of digitization of light and halftone areas, as well as in terms of color rendering accuracy, the ScanJet 3570c scanner was still better than its rival. This can be seen from the behavior of the relative brightness deviation function in these areas of the color target, as well as from the values ​​in the final table.


The set of normalized values ​​in the final table made it possible to determine the winner of the test. It was the HP ScanJet 3570c scanner, which scored 4.48 points (versus 4.21 for the Epson Perfection 1650).

Final table

Scanner modelU impuritiesU base colorsU shadowsU semitoneu lightamount (U)Place
HP ScanJet 3570c 1,291933704 2,009892053 0,256476684 0,321993808 0,604299465 4,484595714 I
Epson Perfection 1650 1,753624829 0,306795592 1,394366197 0,243569087 0,509027027 4,207382732 II

Now, regarding the interface. The ScanJet 3570c uses, as the manufacturer stated, USB version 2.0 (i.e., it was logical to assume that the transfer would be 480 Mbit/s). In practice, it turned out that the differences between connecting to USB ports 2.0 and USB 1.1 there is no. The transfer is only 12 Mbit/s, which corresponds to Fullspeed USB. It is clear that the USB 2.0 specification stipulates three speed modes, but not every user realizes that USB 2.0 Fullspeed is no different from USB 1.1 in terms of data transfer speed. In this regard, there is no difference between the tested scanners.

Conclusion

To sum up the final conclusion of the article, we can definitely say that both scanners are not as perfect as we would like. Probably the fact is that their main purpose is to work at home, where the requirements for digitization are not so great. If you want to choose the scanner as correctly as possible, then first of all imagine what you will need to do with its help. Outline the range of tasks. If, for example, you buy a scanner to digitize text documents in order to convert the latter into a format for working in Word, then place the main emphasis on the speed of the device (for working with very large volumes of text, you may have to pay attention to scanners with an automatic document feeder originals). That is why, in terms of speed, I give preference to the Epson 1650 scanner. If you want to digitize your home photo archive in order to create a Video CD or to copy electronic photos to your Internet page, then choose a scanner with high optical resolution and good color rendition. This is especially important when outputting scanned images to a photo printer. Remember that the scanner software is also important in its own way. Testing has shown that the quality of the ScanJet 3570c application software, coupled with the paid update download service, leaves much to be desired. Even taking into account the distribution of places in the final table in favor of the device from Hewlett-Packard, I would choose the Epson Perfection 1650.



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