[fishguy]

Hi,

I would like some input on firewire flatbed scanners. I am not interested in the $1000+ models but would be willing to spend a few hundred to get decent results. It would be used in the home and with a wide range of media including negatives and slides. I have been searching for a very recent review (last couple of months) as the technology changes so rapidly. If anyone knows of some very recent discussion or an article comparing models, please let me know.

Secondly, can anyone recommend a good OCR software package? I know that they are often bundled together wwith the scanner but I wish to import a number of documents and and a user-friendly, powerful, and accurate OCR package would be worth buying separately if it is not bundled with whatever scanner I end up with.

Thanks for any help,

fishguy

I use the UMAX firewire Astra 6400 Scanner. It comes with a great bundle and a good OCR software. you can upgrade it to the full version which is worth it if you are going to do some serious OCRing. You need to get anything by either TextBridge PRO, or Omni page Pro (including Omni Form etc...)

The Scanner is great and very fast. The only problem is that it isn't compatible with OS X yet and I don't know where they stand on it. Personally, it will be a long time before I upgrade to OS X because I will have to upgrade all my software. I think I'm staying with OS 9 for a while. You can get the 6500 with a negative attachment for film. They are all pretty cheap right now. Under $200!