Epson Perfection 2400 Photo

Epson's Perfection 2400 Photo could be the ideal desktop flatbed scanner for the advanced office user and the professional photographer; basically, anyone who takes imaging seriously.

It's a powerful 2,400dpi, 48bit device with a built-in transparency hood as standard for capturing 35mm film, as well as A4 reflective originals, backed up by software for every imaging purpose.

The scanner is powered through a reasonably small AC adaptor, and connected to your PC via a USB2 interface. Four quick-task buttons at the front let you conduct simple routines immediately, such as Scan To Application and Copy.

These tasks are customised through the Epson Smart Panel utility, which also acts as a general interface to all the imaging software included.

It does a good job at making everything very clear, but tends to run in a sluggish manner, forcing you to wait longer than feels natural for each automated process to kick in.

Mounted 35mm slides and film strips are scanned by removing a plastic backing plate under the lid to reveal the upper light source. This can all be done quickly and without fuss, and it's very effective in practice.

Scan quality is unusually good for a product in this price bracket, with our lab tests suggesting the kind of quality we'd expect from a scanner costing well over £300.

The 2400 is also fast: even full-plate previews take no more than a few seconds. The machine is quiet, something your office colleagues will appreciate.

With such versatility and class, along with the software bundle, the 2400 may be overkill for everyday tasks, but is a compelling purchase for quality imaging.

Specifications:

• 2,400 x 4,800dpi max resolution
• 48bit depth
• Included software: Epson Twain 5, Epson Smart Panel, Adobe Photoshop Elements 1.0.1, Presto Pix Express, Presto OCR
• USB2 interface (USB 1.x compatible)
• Dimensions: 276 x 450 x 116mm (w x d x h)
• Weight: 3.1kg

Price: £199 (£169.36 ex VAT)

Contact: Epson 0800 220 546
www.epson.co.uk