Rating: 
Summary: A Keeper
Review: My HP scanner went out and I got the Epson as a replacement. The Photo version comes with a film/slide attachment which seems to work great. The scanner is easy to use and very accurate. The only beef is no on/off switch.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast, easy to use, and wonderful color reproduction!
Review: I have previously owned HP and UMAX scanners in this category, and this Epson is far superior. I had it installed and scanning through Photoshop in under 10 minutes. I am amazed at how accurately it reproduces the color & contrast in my photographs. (Both my UMAX and HP always scanned very dark). I have reduced my 'touch-up' time in Photoshop by 50%.I was also pleasantly suprised with the quality I'm getting from scanning black & white negatives. I'm seeing much more detail in the scans than the photo lab was able to produce in the prints. I am thrilled with this scanner!
Rating:
Summary: Great Quality Scanner
Review: I don't know what people are talking about, I had no problems whatsoever setting this up. I have Windows Me and I just followed the directions that came with the scanner. It worked perfectly. You do, however, have to go to epson.com to get the added software to allow a printer that isn't Epson to work with the photocopy buttons,etc. The only reason I didn't give this a 5-star rating is because there is dust on the glass inside the scanner, and it shows on the scanned photo. Shame on Epson for not having better quality controls in place. Also, I agree that Epson should be punished for not having an off switch on this otherwise great scanner.
Rating:
Summary: Fast, great quality scans for next to nothing!
Review: I have used a $4000 Agfa and I don't see much difference. You might see a difference in scanning negatives, but prints and other normal sized material come out great on the Epson. Plus, the epson is at least 4-5 times faster than any scanner I've used! A 300 dpi 42bit color photo scan on the epson only takes about 10-15 seconds max, and that's start to final display. I don't know about all the different software interfaces and programs, but the minimum TWAIN 5 driver installed on my Mac os9 dual G4 450 running Photoshop 6.0 runs flawlessly. So if you're a Mac user looking for no-hassle, high-quality, fast scans, at a low price--get the 1240u! I'll have to try it on my win2000 machine and get another opinion posted.
Rating:
Summary: For the Money, It's the Best
Review: I purchased this scanner after having a positive experience with its predecessor (1200U, at a local lab). The set-up was amazingly simple (as it should be on a Mac) and the first scan was done 10 minutes after the UPS man left. The scanner delivers exceedingly good results in reflected mode (scanning from a print.) The colors are good and the focus is sharp. There is a noticeable level of noise in the blue channel. This is a problem that plagues all entry level scanners and is far more controlled in this model than in many others. In transmissive mode (scanning from film), the scanner fares slightly worse. When scanning slides, the sensor has some trouble seeing into the shadows. Though this is to be expected with a Dmax of only 3.2 (which does seems accurate). Again, this is typical of an entry level scanner and better controlled here than in other models. It delivers crisp, saturated images with accurate colors. When scanning traditional black and white films (Tri-X, Tmax, Delta, Neopan, ect) there is a slight amount of chromatic abberation. This means that the transition from a highlight to a shadow isn't crisp but is a very small rainbow. This problem can be avoided by using chromagenic (dye-based films). By this I mean use color-process film such as Ilford XP2Super or Kodak Black and While Plus. When scanning consumer grade color films (Kodak MAX and family, Fuji Superia and family, Agfa HDC and family), the scanner does an excellent job. Using the auto color correct button yields acceptable color more than 90% of the time. However, the scanner doesn't quite know what to do with professional grade films such as NPS, NPH and 160VC/NC. These films require scanning a piece of the film base to use as a mask in Photoshop. The software is easy to use and makes intelligent decisions the majority of the time. The so-called "curves" tool provided int he TWAIN driver is truly pathetic. You're far better off getting the scan close in the driver and then fixing it in Photoshop. A note about the published resoloution, the real resoloution of this scanner is 1200 ppi(pixels per inch). The 2400ppi Epson quotes comes from micro-stepping the sensor and really doesn't gain you anything other than a more cumbersome file. The 1200ppi resoloution isn't really enough to make prints from 35mm film. It takes at least 2-1/4 (6x6) to make a print (I'm talking 8x10 prints). This being said, it makes wonderful copies of 35mm prints if you have them. From medium format film or larger, this scanner will deliver the data needed to make stunning prints. I am well satisfied with the results I achieve from 6x6 and 4x5 negatives. Overall, this is a wonderful scanner that I feel is well worth the money. It's limitations are minor and its benefits numerous. It provides a scan quality that almost rivals the... Nikon in the lab down the street. Anyone interested in digital photography on a budget should own this scanner.
Rating: 
Summary: Good scans, limited software
Review: The scanner functioned well but I was unable to get it to scan into WORD 2000 as an insert without having to format the insert(the size was 1.3x1.7 in. not 8.5x11 in. as scanned). They do not even have WORD 2000 on their system to be able to dublicate the problem. I have owned an HP, and ASTRA scanners an did not have this problem. You can not scan transparencies unless you buy their adapter, the twain will not be active for this option unless you plug in their lid. The copy utility can not be set to default to your settings, it returns to color normal each time it is opened. I spent several hours with tech support and the said the would get back to me on these issues. Their answer was to buy Lasersoft software...so I could control the settings. I returned the scanner.
Rating:
Summary: Great great great!!!
Review: Installation was 1-2-3. In less than 30 minutes I had it up and running. Its quiet, fast and the scans are great. I've read all the other reviews and decided just to go ahead and buy it. Well, Epson has another winner. No problems with the installation into a Compaq and the Epson 1240 with an Epson printer combo works great.
Rating: 
Summary: Saving Scanned Pictures
Review: I purchased the 1240U to scan family pictures to the computer's hard drive. I am very disappointed that this scanner seems to do everything but scan photos directly to the hard drive. I don't want to send photos directly to email or to the printer. I want to save them on my computer. There is no easy way to do that. Even tech support said "sorry". Using the watered-down version of Adobe provided with the scanner I could save them to the hard drive but only in the adobe format, not as a jpeg, etc. I went out and purchased Microsoft's PictureIt 2001 and now scan the pictures through that program and save them in the appropriate file format. I would have returned the scanner except I purchased it over the internet.
Rating:
Summary: Experienced multimedia professional
Review: This is a great little scanner. It's fast and produces high quality scans for this price range. I've been in multimedia & video game production for 15 years and have had and/or used 10 different models, from high-end to consumer. Some scanners are slow, may be more difficult to use, or will produce uneven coloration/lighting across scans -- but not this one. Its full automatic mode will be a boon to first time scanner users, but the panel has plenty of control for more experienced users.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed - Continued
Review: My scanner is now working. It was a Windows Me problem. I had to completely redo my computer. I hadn't had much chance to use the scanner yet. I still have to load my printing programs. I have an HP 990C printer, so it won't print directly from scanner to printer. I think I'll wait a few days before downloading that fix from the Epson site. I'm hoping to eventually change my rating to a five star.
| 
