Acer 320U Flatbed Scanner

I took a chance on one of those 8-10 week rebates that plague the computer industry. I am very glad I did. I already had a parallel port scanner from Mustek. It worked fine but it was slow and froze the computer until the scan was done. That $120.00 scanner has been replace with a $30.00 (after rebate) model.

The Quick specs.:

Model: AcerScan 320U Prisa USB
Type: single pass flatbed
Resolution: 300x600
Connection: USB (universal serial bus)
Power: wall pack transformer
Scanner area: 8.5 x 11.75 (standard letter or A4 page)
Notables: on/off power switch and busy indicator
Software: MiraScan driver, Copy machine program, Textbridge classic OCR, Electronic manual,Ulead Photo Express 2.0

Requirements: Windows 98 and USB connection

The AcerScan 320U connects to the computer via a USB port. It?s your basic plug n play. Windows 98 detects the connection and notifies you of new hardware. The Acer drivers are supplied on CD ROM with other software. Although windows will find the drivers and set up the scanner, you still will want to run the install program to get the other software and start menu link to the manual (which remains on the CD ROM).

The free software with any hardware products is usually a special or limited edition. You can do most of the typical functions but you will be missing some of the more advanced tricks. But your in luck if you have a favorite photo program that supports twain. This Acer scanner is twain compliant. Twain is a standardized protocol that hardware and software manufactures can design around. The idea is that any twain supporting software will work with any twain compliant hardware. Your photo or graphics software will automatically connect to the scanner driver software.

Scanning is very fast and easy. The Mirascan driver is what really connects to and controls the Acer scanner. It is like a mini pop up program that is called anytime some software program wants to scan an image. This pop up window has all the basics features required to scan (color, gray scale, resolution, preview, etc.) and a host of advanced features (color tone, contrast mirror, invert, rotate, filters, etc.). Don?t get lost in the extras. If you need then or want to play with them, go ahead. You don?t need them to get your image into your photo program. Once the image is in photo program, you can usually do many of the same advanced features and more. There are some simple preset scan image sizes like 8.5 x 11, or A4 etc. If you do not want to you a preset, you can select the custom size option. For a custom size, you have the Acer scanner run a preview scan. This is a very quick image scan to give you an idea what you look at. With the preview on screen, you just stretch a box over the exact area you want to scan, click scan, and your done.

Batch scanning is supported. At the click of a button, you create a new selection box and stretch it over area you want to scan. You can make several scan areas on the same preview. During actual scanning, the unit returns to the start position before scanning each new area.

This scanner sells for around $59.00 but Staples stores often have a $30.00 rebate. Your net cost is only $29.00 and tax. It seems like a waste to dump my little used $120.00 Mustek scanner and spend more money on the Acer. Both scanner are similar type and resolution. The big difference is the speed. I tended not to use the Mustek because it was so slow. My typical scans on the Acer are complete in 5-6 seconds compared to 20-30 on the Mustek. I now find myself using a scanner a whole lot more because it is convenient and fast. Mostly due to the USB connection and not brand / model.