Visioneer:
A tale of two scanners
The 9450 (PDF) & 9320 USB
As far
as we have seen, Visioneer has consistently put out quality and sturdy products
at great prices. With the 9450 series and the newer OneTouch 9320, things
are no different. We tested the 9450 PDF, which is one of three scanners
in the 9450 business-scanner line (with built-in ADF and flatbed), as well
as the ultra-high resolution 9320 for home and office use.
Out of the box
The
9450 needs to be assembled out of the box, but it’s literally a snap
and the entire process is quickly completed in less than five minutes. The
included quick install card outlines all the steps for assembly in case
further reference is needed. Once it is put together, the 9450 is substantially
larger than your everyday scanner. That is in part because it houses an
ADF (automatic document feeder) on top of the flatbed cover. It’s
design is very simple, with no external buttons except for the on/off switch.
| Features |
9450 |
-
600x1200
dpi
-
1200
dpi Hardware Super-sampled
-
9600
dpi Max Interpolated
-
42-bit
internal color
-
16-bit
Scanner Bit Depth (grayscale)
-
8.5"
x 11.69" Maximum Scan Area
|
wwww.visioneer.com
Approx. $299
USD
|
|
Features |
9320 |
-
4800x2400
dpi Optical
-
4800
dpi Hardware Super-sampled
-
4800
dpi Max Interpolated
-
48-bit
internal color
-
16-bit
Scanner Bit Depth
-
8.5"
x 11.69" Maximum Scan Area
-
Hi-Speed
USB 2.0
|
wwww.visioneer.com
Approx. $149
USD
|
The 9320, on the other hand is a part of the “Slimline”
series, and are said to occupy 33% less space than competing scanners. Indeed,
it does have a very slim profile and is space efficient. Both scanners have
horizontally opening hinges, which makes document loading convenient.
The 9320 features 5 useful one-touch buttons: Scan, Custom, OCR, Email
& Copy. No assembly was needed for the 9320, simply removal of tape
and unlocking of the scanner head.
Performance
The 9450 is obviously aimed toward the business consumer,
especially those with a need to scan a decent amount of documents. The ADF
is capable of holding approximately 25 sheets of paper (a higher holding
capacity would be appreciated), and in our tests, came quite close to the
advertised speed of 8 PPM which is quite remarkable for a USB 1.1 interface
(we were able to scan 10 sheets in 96 seconds, at 300 DPI B/W which made
for 6.25 PPM).
As for colour scans, it scanned a full letter sized document in 24-bit
colour and 300 DPI in just under 33 seconds. The ADF operated quietly in
our tests, with one incidence or a paper jam which was quickly removed.
The
9320 boasts an optical resolution of 6400 X 3200 (3200 DPI true horizontal
resolution), and 48-bit colour. Although the high resolution is not very
necessary for normal scanning applications, it is useful for scanning small
but finely detailed items such as photo negatives and slides. For that purpose,
9320 lid also has a built in adapter for holding and lighting 35 mm film
slides and well as negatives, and comes with two transparency masks.
The
images we scanned came out very well on our monitor, with colors and shades
matching closely, however the images seemed a little on the grainy side
when compared to the Epson Perfection 3200. The unit supports the new USB
2.0 standard, making for very pleasing transfer rates (especially for high
resolution files) for systems that support USB 2.0, and for those that don’t,
the 9320 is also backwards compatible wit USB 1.1 standards.
The
9320 also features “Flashback bi-directional autoscan technology”.
As it’s name implies, using flashback, the unit pre-scans a document
during the first pass to find edges, and in the second pass in the reverse
direction, scans only the image then crops it automatically. This feature
can be accessed by default with the email button.
Software
The software bundle
of the 9450 and 9320 contain different versions of many of the same products,
except for Adobe acrobat, which comes exclusively with the 9450 PDF.
It is possible to scan
documents directly to text, through OCR (or to PDF format through Acrobat
for the 9450 PDF). The 9450 features Scansoft Paperport 8 deluxe, ArcSoft
Photo Impression and Scansoft TextBridge Pro 9 (for converting scans into
text).
The OCR software does
a great job with text of all types, however, has a bit of trouble handling
tables and spreadsheets. Unfortunately, the Scansoft Paperport 8 deluxe
included with the 9450 does not support scanning at more than 24-bit colour
depth despite the scanner’s 42-bit capacity.
The
9320, on the other hand, comes with Paperport SE, Textbridge 9, and Arcsoft
Photo impression. Paperport SE is more feature-rich than the deluxe version,
and allows for scans up to 48-bit in color depth. With the one-touch buttons,
not only can the appropriate programs can be loaded by a touch of a button,
but the scanning functions can be initiated too. Although the one-touch
buttons come preset with certain options, they are fully customizable, and
you can change the application, configuration and image format linked to
each button. This convenience is something lacking on the 9450, as there
are no buttons on it whatsoever.
9450
Pros:
-Speed
-Ease of use
-Dual purpose
-Value
Cons:
-Lack of one-touch buttons
-Small feeder capacity (25 sheets)
9320:
Pros:
-High resolution
-Size
-Support for transparent & reflective media
-Value
Cons:
-Images noisy relative to higher priced 3200 DPI models
Summation
What is great about both
these scanners is that they deliver a solid feature set for each of their
classes, but at prices below that of comparable models. Most 3200 DPI scanners
typically run at prices above 300$, whereas the 9320 weighs in at $149. As
for the 9450, it retails at $299 and the PDF model (with adobe acrobat software
package) we tested sells for $499. The only product in the same price range
or below that of the 9450 is the similar Microtek ScanMaker 5950, which has a list price of $199, but note
that the rated scanning speed is only 5 ppm. Same with the Visioneer 8650, which also has a list price of $199, but scans
at a mere rate of 3 PPM. So, if you’re looking for an affordable yet
quick document scanner, the Visioneer 9450 is the way to go and for high performance
home and office use for reflective and transparent documents the OneTouch
9320 USB is a best buy.
Amit
Rahman 
04.01.11
