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REVIEW:
Colortrac SmartLF Ci 40 large format scanner
... Continued. [Colortrac SmartLF Ci 40 - previous] [Colortrac SmartLF Ci 40 - next]
ScanWorks Software
The SmartLF Ci 40 is supplied with free SmartLF All-in-One scan, copy and email software.
However, the scanning software we evaluated in this review was ScanWorks, Colortrac's professional scan-to-file software solution. ScanWorks software is not included in the price of the Ci 40 scanner. It costs an additional £295 or US $580.
Selecting scan settings is easy
As we've said in previous reviews, it's our opinion that one of the most important aspects of scanning software is its ability to set scan settings easily. If you cannot do this, you will either end up with poor quality scans or spend a lot of time scanning and rescanning, experimenting with different settings until you find the right ones.
In ScanWorks, selecting scan settings is very easy. First, click the Scan Icon. The scanner scans your document and it appears on the screen.
Now, move the slider bars, watching the image change in real time, until the settings are correct:
The nice thing about ScanWorks is that once you have selected the appropriate settings, you just save the scan. There is no need to rescan the drawing as is necessary with the other scanning software we have reviewed to date. Also, because you are selecting settings on the actual final scan and not on a preview, what is saved is exactly what you see on the screen.
In our opinion, this makes ScanWorks the most productive - and safest - scanning software we have seen to date.
Other useful features
In addition to the ease of selecting scan settings and the benefits of not having to rescan, useful ScanWorks features include:
Ability to save in all standard file formats - TIFF, PDF, JPEG etc.
Automatic paper size detection.
A choice of ways the document can be handled after the scan. It can either be ejected from the front of the scanner, or held at the front of the scanner so it does not fall on the floor.
Ability to auto-rotate drawings by 90, 180 or 270 degrees.
A0 / E size drawings need to be scanned short side first and so usually need to be rotated by 90 degrees after scanning so they are the right way up. The rotate option allows this to be done automatically as part of the scan process.
It is also possible to rotate drawings after scanning in case you have scanned them the wrong way up although this process requires three clicks.
Despeckle.
Allows you to remove speckles in "real time" using a slider bar.
Scan settings can be saved with a user-defined name so you can use them again for similar drawings in the future (presets).
Continuous scanning mode with auto increment of file names. As soon as one drawing has been scanned, another can be loaded and scanned without the need to return to the software.
Easy crop - simply drag the edges of a box so that it surrounds the area you want to crop, then click the Crop button.
Fast, useful zoom and pan tools including zoom all, zoom to 1:1, left click to zoom in at the cursor position and right click to zoom out at the cursor position. You can zoom into an area of the scan by left dragging a box around the area you want to zoom into, either on the scan itself or on the bird's eye view of the scan at the top left of the screen.
At any time, the bird's eye view shows which bit of the scan you are currently looking at by enclosing it in a red rectangle. This rectangle can be dragged across the bird's eye view so you can quickly pan to other parts of the drawing.
These tools allow you to quickly move around the scan to ensure that it's all there, that the correct scan settings have been used, that the text is legible, etc.
We found the software easy to use, with a well written and illustrated PDF manual.
Negative points
The negative points we found in ScanWorks were minor:
[Colortrac SmartLF Ci 40 - previous] [Colortrac SmartLF Ci 40 - next]
ScanWorks screenshot showing the bird's eye view on the left with the red rectangle highlighting the part of the drawing currently being viewed. Dragging the red rectangle across the bird's eye view pans the drawing.
Colortrac SmartLF Ci 40 large format scanner review
Introduction
Basic Specifications
First Impressions
Paper Handling
Accuracy
Resolution
Speed
Software
Scanning in Black & White
Scanning in Greyscale
Scanning in Colour
Scan-to-Copy
WIA Support
Network Scanning
Conclusion
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