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Entered CNET Catalog: 03/17/2004
SKU: 0793111804444
Manufacturer: Microtek Lab Inc.
Manufacturer description
Professionals seek perfection. Now Microtek has the perfect scanner for you, the ScanMaker i900. Designers and photographers alike will appreciate the depth and clarity of its 4.2 maximum optical density and generous 8.5" x 14" reflective scan area. Batch scanning is a snap with SnapTrans templates for multi-format film scanning. And only Microtek gives you Emulsion Direct Imaging Technology (E.D.I.T.) for distortion-free glassless film scanning. Taking productivity to the next level, the ScanMaker i900 delivers automatic photo reconstruction and restoration. DIGITAL ICE Photo Print Technology, built into the hardware, eliminates even severe surface damage from prints as you scan. Accurate one-step color restoration quickly transforms faded photos and film to their original colors. The ScanMaker i900 is the only true photo reconstruction and restoration solution for professionals. Look beyond, at the ScanMaker i900 for superb image quality, speed and exceptional productivity performance.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/21/2004
With a footprint of about 15 by 25 inches and weighing a bit more than 26 pounds, the ScanMaker i900 commands a lot of desk real estate. Once you've loaded the Microtek Scan Wizard Pro software and the requisite drivers on your machine, you must also install the i900's calibration utilities. For optimal performance, Microtek suggests that you recalibrate every 14 days. (For more info on calibration, see this Pixel Perfect column by CNET senior editor Lori Grunin.) You connect the scanner to your machine via USB or FireWire. Based on our tests with scans that ranged in size from 75MB to 300MB, FireWire shaved scan time by about 10 to 25 percent, depending on the computing platform.
The Microtek ScanWizard Pro software is very easy to use and offers a wide range of tools for adjusting scanned images. You have full control over tonal scale and three different ways to make fine color adjustments. The i900 employs Digital ICE Photo Print technology for flatbeds, which corrects dust and scratches but isn't as sophisticated as the Digital ICE4 technology that the Nikon Coolscan V has onboard. It doesn't work on film and won't let you make any adjustments to the sampling rate. Instead of the most current ICE technology, Microtek relies on ColorRescue, which made moderate color-balance corrections to our film and reflective scans. ICE works reasonably well, but you will pay a substantial speed penalty. In our tests, it took almost 10 minutes to scan an 8x10 at 300dpi with ICE turned on. Without ICE, a 300dpi scan of an 8x10 original takes about a minute.
The most notable feature of the ScanMaker i900 is its dual scanbed. Essentially, in addition to the typical flatbed glass plate, it has a second, glassless film scanner with the glass scan surface underneath. By eliminating the glass, the way a standalone film scanner does, the i900 can capture more tonal information from film--from light shades to deep shadows. While still not the equal of a dedicated film scanner, the i900 produced some of the best film scans we've seen from the flatbed models we've tested, making Microtek's quoted optical density of 4.2D seem less fictional than most. Microtek also includes transparency attachments for 8x10 transparencies and batch slide scans.
The scanner's optical resolution of 3,200dpi by 6,400dpi delivers sharp scans that allow for significant print enlargements of film frames and should please even the pickiest of designers. In our tests, scanned photos came very close to matching the originals. If you make more time to fiddle with the adjustments, you will be rewarded with even more outstanding scans.
Microtek posts product-specific manuals, specs, and drivers on its Web site. There's no phone support, but you can e-mail specific questions and concerns via the online technical-support form. Microtek promises to respond to your query within one to two business days. The site also provides several community features, including forums, searchable tips and tricks, and recommended reading from professionals in the business.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
6/10
Microtek, in general
Pros: I have the Microtek M1 scanner and have never gotten rid of the horizontal lines in my scans.
Cons: I've wasted so much time using a Microtek product. Epson has better support.
User Rating: 
5/10
Customer Service
Pros: great product crap service
Cons: Horrible customer service
I am severely disappointed with your customer support and and lack of professionalism. You claim to tell me that I qualify for a special promotion but when I called I was told I didn't qualify. See email below. This is a request for a product that has only been able to produce close to 2000 scans before it broke down.
Your companies inability to provide repairs and you customer service abysmal attitude and lack luster response will compel me to file a BBB complaint in your state as well as my own.
As a professional photographer I will be sharing my experience with your product and your customer service with my colleagues.
I also plan to begin logging on to all sites that review you product and I will share this email, my conversation with you customer service and emphasize you lack of repair facilities within the United States to support your products. Hopefully this will deter any other customers from purchasing your product.
Subject: RE: REF-528-175953-RF08
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 10:41:03 -0500
From: Microtek.RMA@microtek.com
To:
Dear Customer,
We have receivedyour request for a RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number for yourMicrotek product. Your Microtek product is currently out ofwarranty. Microtek does not have repair service facilities in the UnitedStates. However, your out of warranty Microtekproduct does qualify for a special promotion sale and or upgrade . Formore details on how Microtek can help you with a replacement of your productwith an equivalent model or an upgrade to a higher end unit model at a specialdiscount price , please contact our Customer Service Representatives at 310-687-5940.
Thank you for using rma@microtek.com. We hope we have answeredyour questions and have resolved any troubleshooting issues. For 24/7troubleshooting assistance on Microtek products, the Microtek KnowledgeBase isavailable to immediately answer sales, service, and technical supportquestions. Depending on volume, e-mail response time may take up to 48 hours.The KnowledgeBase can be accessed at www.support.microtek.com.
Sincerely,
NewMicro Inc. d.b.a. Microtek Lab.
RMA Department.
User Rating: 
7/10
the scanner is NOT the problem
Pros: scans well
Cons: no support from microtek
User Rating: 
3/10
Microtek does not stock/sell replacemnt components for the i900, nor do they repair the i900.
Pros: Great scanner!
Cons: Microtek does not stock/sell i900 lamp!
User Rating: 
9/10
Fantastic quality scans
Pros: Ease of use for transparencies, quality of scans, flexibility of its scanning software
Cons: Takes up a lot of desk space, the occasional software crash, a somewhat steep learning curve
User Rating: 
8/10
Excellent quality but not recommended for the casual user.
Pros: Great quality images with very high resolutions.
Cons: The software is very difficult to use. The scanner is huge and will take over most of your desk.
User Rating: 9/10
Great Scanner Professional Geared
Pros: Excellent Scan Quality, Solid Built Unit
Cons: Large Machine requires a bid foot print
User Rating: 9/10
Alot of desk space but a great scan
Pros: 11 x 14, wonderful color, OCR is excellent
Cons: large desk space, big, Ice only for digital prints without spending more
User Rating: 
2/10
very unhappy
Pros: Speed of scanning photos
Cons: FINE PRINT on rebate form resulted in NO rebate
User Rating: 3/10
BUYER BEWARE MISLEADING PROMOS
Pros: SCANS WELL
Cons: CLUMSY, TOO BIG , POOR DOCUMENTATION
User Rating: 6/10
Good for reflectives and 4x5 film
Pros: high resolution & good Dmax
Cons: soft focus of 35mm film & difficult software
Oh! Dont forget to close the 4x5 film holders properly or they jam up the film tray feed. That happened to me right away as you have to calibrate it with a 4x5 color transparency that is hidden in an unmarked white package. I will replace my CanoScan with a Nikon Cool Scan some time in the future.
[Edited by: admin]
User Rating: 3/10
For Computer Geeks Only
Pros: None from my viewpoint
Cons: Many, read below
I have used the Epson Perfection 2450, and an all in one HP scanner with little difficulties. This is the scanner that we have at work, and what I am forced to use. I would not take one of these if they gave it to me.
The software that comes with the unit is for pixel nuts and other geeks go with an Epson, the learning curve is much lower.
I have read many a review on CNET and sometimes I see where someone bashes a product because of problems they are having with it and it is just because they are not using the product properly. I seriously do not believe this is the case here.
If you are only going to scan pictures it may be the machine for you, but the user interface is awful. This is for the high end user who wants to manipulate tons of setting that just confuse me.
User Rating: 6/10
Okay but clumsy software install.
Pros: Good price for what it is; seems to capture color and resolution at least as well as my old Umax with transparency adapter did.
Cons: If you don't install the very confusing Microtek software and calibration tools in just the right order, it gets confused and you have to deinstall. This was NOT an easy software install. I haven't tried the bundled Silverfast but will soon. Has anyone
User Rating: 
1/10
5x7 and larger negs/trans - stay away
Pros: The reflective scans are good as are those with the supplied neg carriers. Calibrations work well.
Cons: Using the vinal tabs to hold down larger negs/trans on glass bed is worthless. They curl up like potatoe chips and sometimes the negs do too, and then get caught by the sacn head and have to be fished out. We have ended up having to tape things down - a
User Rating: 6/10
Good all round scanner
Pros: Fast scanning Versatile High quality scans especially from slides. Batch scanning capabilties
Cons: Digital ICE only on prints (and this doesn't work well) Film carriers are shocking- medium format negs need to be cut into single negs.
User Rating: 8/10
among the best
Pros: great quality scans,especially in silverfast. Fine replacement for my Agfa duoscan
Cons: rather noisy(soundwise)
