Cadalyst - September 2008 - (Page 20)

cadalystlabsreview For this article, Colortrac submitted three wide-format charge-coupled device (CCD) scanners. Colortrac uses the “m” in a model name to indicate monochrome, the “c” for color, and the “e” for express color. The three Colortrac scanners discussed here have a base scanning resolution of 600 dpi, with an interpolated resolution of 3,600 dpi and an accuracy rating of ±0.1% ±1 pixel. All three scanners also use simple and Intelligent 2D Adaptive Thresholding (IAT) methods and support JPEG, JPEG 2000, TIFF, PNG, and PDF file formats. Color models support ICC printer profiles. SmartLF scanners feature USB 2.0 connectivity and are plug-and-play devices. SmartLF scanners can be upgraded from monochrome to color on-site, making them a good choice for users who need monochrome scanning now but might need to add color scanning down the road. Each of the three scanners measures 54.8” wide by 6.7” high (140 cm x 17 cm) and weighs 73 lb. They work with both Windows XP and Windows Vista. Each model supports sheets as large as 44” (111.8 cm) wide and can scan an area 40” wide. Media as thick as 0.079” (2 mm) is supported. Warranty coverage is two years for return-tobase coverage and includes parts and labor. An optional stand for all models is $400. Each Colortrac SmartLF scanner includes high-quality software. Colortrac aims to appeal to the broadest crosssection of users by combining wide-format scanning and copying in a single program with a minimal but highly effective set of operator controls and universal Windows printer compatibility. The Colortrac SmartLF Cx 40c can scan in monochrome at 1.0 ips and in color at 0.12 ips at 600 dpi (based on 36” x 48” E-size media). The speed rating at 200 dpi (D-size portrait) is 9 ips in monochrome and 0.75 ips in color. It scans in 256 levels of gray in monochrome and 16.7 million colors for color scans and is priced at $7,995, including the software. The Colortrac SmartLF Cx 40e scans in monochrome, grayscale, and express color (fast) modes. Its speed rating at 200 dpi (D-size portrait) is 9 ips in monochrome and 0.49 ips in color, four times as fast in color as the Cx 40c. It is priced at $8,995, including software. The SmartLF Cx 40m, a monochrome and grayscale scanner, can scan in 600-dpi monochrome mode at 1.0 ips (based on E-size media). At 200 dpi, this model can scan a D-sized portrait sheet in 4 seconds at 8-bit color depth. It is priced at $6,495, including the software. The Contex HD4230i can accept media as wide as 42” and as thick as 0.6” for scans in color, grayscale, and monochrome. Contex HD3650 (Base and Plus), HD4230i (Base and Plus), and SD4410 Contex Americas 800.764.3325 www.ideal.com Prices: $15,900, HD3650 Base; $17,900, HD3650 Plus; $16,900, HD4230i Base; $18,900, HD4230i Plus; $8,250, SD4410 20 IDEAL has been one of the largest U.S.based distributors of Contex wide-format scanning and imaging devices since 1988, so it came as no surprise during the course of writing this article that Contex acquired IDEAL. IDEAL reports that it plans to maintain its focus on large-format solutions and, in addition, to explore other markets and products that are in keeping with its core mission. Contex develops solutions for technical, graphics, GIS, and specialized applications, focusing on quality image reproduction and archiving. Contex wide-format scanners are noted for their high quality and ruggedness, which has made them popular with many government agencies. For this article, Cadalyst looked at three Contex wideformat scanners: the HD3650 and HD4230i, both of which are available in base (standard) and Plus editions, and the SD4410. The HD3650 Plus and the HD4230i Plus differ from their base editions by providing higher interpolated resolutions. Both scan at 600 dpi, with the base models offering an interpolated resolution of 1,200 dpi and the Plus editions offering an interpolated resolution of 9,600 dpi. The Plus models also have faster scanning speeds. The SD4410 by default scans at 1,200 dpi and interpolates to 9,600 dpi. All three scanners have an accuracy rating of 0.1% ±1 pixel, and each offers despeckling, deskewing, and hole filling. Warranty coverage for all three devices is two years, with the first six months also including on-site coverage. Other coverage plans are optional. The Contex HD3650 and HD4230i both offer support for more than 50 file formats, scanning in either 256 shades of gray or 24-bit color. The scanners actually scan in 48-bit color and pass the best 24 bits to the attached computer. Connectivity options vary among the three wideformat scanners; the HD3650 and the SD4410 use highspeed USB 2.0 with xDTR, and the HD4230i connects via standard USB 2.0, Ethernet (LAN), or remote HTML control. Each of the devices supports Microsoft Windows XP, Server 2003, and 32-bit versions of Vista. Optional scanning software for all scanners is $700, and an optional stand is $890. The Contex HD3650 is a 36” scanner that can scan in color, grayscale, or monochrome. Scanning speeds for the HD3650 base model in Turbo/400 mode are 1.5 ips in color and 12.0 ips in monochrome. The HD3650 Plus has a www.cadalyst.com cadalyst September 2008 http://www.ideal.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - September 2008

Cadalyst - September 2008 Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Tech Trends: Genie Out of the Bottle Cadalyst Labs Reviews: Big Tools for Big Jobs — Wide-Format Scanners and Printers Make Small Work of Large Projects Cadalyst Labs Reviews: AutoCAD 2009 — General-Purpose CAD Software Cadalyst Labs Reviews: AecBatchStylesEditor 2009 — CAD Standards Management Software for AEC Cad manager: Synchronize CAD Files over a Wide Area MCAD Modeling: Is 2D Drawing Doomed? Plm Strategies: More Bang for Your Truck Aec Insight: Works and Plays Well with Others Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: VBA Hints for Customizing AutoCAD

Cadalyst - September 2008

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