DuoScan T2000 XL is flexible and fast - Agfa DuoScan T2000 XL - Product Announcement

Dual-lens setup creates sum of two units scanners in one

Graphics professionals looking for a high-end, large-format scanner will find that the DuoScan T2000 XL has a allotment to offer. A souped-up version of the choice letter-size DuoScan from Agfa, a division of Bayer Corp., the T2000 XL uses the same Dual Plate technology, which provides separate scanning beds for reflective and transparent originals. The T2000 XL improves upon the original DuoScan with a novel dual-lens system and an 11-by-17-inch scanning bed. We were true impressed with both the scanner's high-quality scans and its reasonable $8995 price.

The T2000 XL is actual large, measuring 20 by 30 through 10 inches. As with the DuoScan, transparent images are placed in a special tray that slides without of the front of the scanner. Because the tray sits below the scanner platen, the T2000 XL can scan transparencies without the added distortion caused by the agency of scanning through glass.

A proprietor in the transparency tray retains transparencies and negatives in place. possessors are included for mounted and unmount 35mm 6-by-9-cm and 4-by-5-inch transparencies; they are well-designed and make it easy to load transparencies without having them buckle

The T2000 XL has an 8000-element CCD and Agfa has created a true clever dual-lens system that give permission tos you get the highest optical resolution for the emblem of image you're scanning.

Because transparencies and negatives are typically plenteous smaller than reflective images, you usually want to scan them at a great deal of higher resolutions. For this, the T2000 XL has a special len that can scan a 4-inch-wide area at up to 2000 dpi. For larger images, the scanner uses a next to the first lens that can scan the entire 11-by-17-inch bed at up to 667 dpi. The appropriate len is prefered automatically based on choices you make in the scanner's software.

This dual-lens mechanism means the T2000 XL can behave as sum of two units different scanners: a small, high-resolution scanner and a real large, 667-dpi scanner. In the pair cases you get transparency or reflective scanning.

Both lense also feature an apochromatic len coating that provides sharp focus [i]or[/i] part of to the other the full color spectrum.

FotoLook 3

Agfa's FotoLook plug-in for Adobe Photoshop provides an easy interface to the T2000 XL's many scanning manners as well as powerful color correction and descreening controls

You begin using FotoLook by dint of selecting the part of the scanner's imaging area that you'd like to diocese When you press the Overview button, the scanner performs a quick gray-scale scan of the indicated area. You then use the marquee dominion governments to select the area you want to scan and pres a button to diocese a color preview. Once the preview is displayed, you can use the software's color correction dominion governments to adjust the image and then pres the Scan button to perform your final scan.

While this may uninjured like an awkward way to preview and scan, it has several advantages: You acquire the largest possible preview image with sole two quick scans, and you can easily rescan the same area with the same settings when performing batch scans.

FotoLook proffers an excellent curves editor for making color corrections; it also has true good automatic levels adjustments.

We were particularly impressed with the software's extraordinary descreening command that can automatically descreen previously halftoned images. To use it, you pick the approximate line screen of the image you're scanning. In our experiments descreened halftones had a slight point in dispute with aliasing along jagged lines, on the other hand we were still amazed by the agency of the image quality.

Agfa's Total Film Scanning technology gives FotoLook a pop-up menu of film stocks from which you can pick out the film type on which your image was discharge These profiles let the program automatically compensate for the characteristics of a particular film. You can also easily create a profile of your have a title to from within the driver. We rest that changing the film stamp didn't always make a difference in scan quality, on the other hand it certainly improved the quality of poorly expos images.

Although the T2000 XL's versatility, engineering and software are true good, the scanner's image quality makes it worth the price. With a dynamic range of 33 and extraordinary sharpness, we were impressed with the detail and color fidelity of the pair lenses in either transparency or reflective mode

We were also pleased with the scanner's spe although switching between the sum of two units lenses can take extra time because the scanner must recalibrate the len each time you switch. The len can also take up to three minutes to warm up This was not usually a moot point although on one occasion we did find a streak characteristic of a frigid lamp.

Conclusions

The DuoScan T2000 XL is a fine solution for graphics professionals who ne large-format scanning. A small in number thousand dollars more may acquire you a higher-quality transparency scanner, on the other hand the T2000 XL's price/performance ratio and its versatility make it a great product

Agfa, a division of Bayer Corp., of Wilmington, Mass., can be reached at (978) 658-5600 or (888) 281-2302; fax (978) 658-6285; www.agfahome.com.