Microtek's ScanMaker i800 is intended for midtier users interested in archiving photographs and slides at a very high quality. With a retail price of $400, this scanner may not appeal to budget shoppers, but that price brings a great deal of performance and power.

For starters, the i800 features a legal-size scan bed, allowing you to scan documents and photos up to 8-1/2X14 inches in size. There's also an integrated 8X12-inch transparency adapter for scanning up to four strips of 35mm film with up to six images on each. The i800's EZ Lock film holders keep the film perfectly flat to help ensure accurate scans.

The i800 has other high-end specifications that you would usually pay more for, including 4,800X9,600-dpi optical resolution for incredibly sharp scans, as well as and 48-bit color depth.

The i800 is easy to set up, with both USB 2.0 and FireWire ports (and cables) included, letting you connect it to your PC either way. That large scan bed translates into heft as well, and at over 14 pounds, you probably want to keep the i800 in one spot once you have it set up.

Microtek includes a good software bundle with the i800, with their own ScanWizard 5 with Digital Ice, as well as LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast SE and Adobe Photoshop Elements. Digital Ice works great for restoring damaged photos and film (although not quickly, as it requires a second pass on scans). It's part of the PictuRescue system that also includes ColoRescue for brightening faded photos.

Digital Ice can be activated through one of the seven quick-scan buttons along the front of the scanner. Other buttons include e-mail for sharing the image, copy for outputting it to a printer, OCR for sending a document to a word processor for editing, and PDF for automatically saving an image or document as an Acrobat Reader file. There's even a customizable button to set to your own parameters.

This scanner features software for both Windows and Mac, and it comes with a 1-year limited warranty. If you're looking for a high-end scanner at a midrange price, Microtek's ScanMaker i800 offers a good list of features with a powerful scanning engine.

Pro: High resolution, excellent transparency adapter.
Con: Not inexpensive.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Microtek
16941 Keegan Avenue
Carson, CA 90746
310-687-5800
http://www.microtekusa.com

Warranty
1 year