At 05:43 PM 20/02/01 -0700, you wrote:
>My computer is a Packard Bell PII, running Windows 95, with 48 MB of
>memory, and I have an Epson 860 Color Stylus printer on LPT 1. I am
reluctant to
>upgrade to Windows 98 or 2000, as I don't know if it will recognize some
of my
>legacy devices like the old AZT modem, or the Adaptec SCSI card, or the
>Coolscan.
..
This is probably a wise move - you should always check if the manufacturer
has drivers for the new OS before upgrading. I suggest you spend the
upgrade money on upping your memory instead - I use 128Mb and often wish
for more, and I still regard myself as an amateur..
>1. Which of the three scanner software programs is the most likely to
>give me a usable scan?
I'll pass on this - there are more knowledgable folk here.
>2. For web images, should I set the final size pre-scan, and pick a 72
>dpi resolution then, or is it better to scan at a higher resolution and
then reduce it
>after editing?
My approach is to scan at least at twice the size you want and then reduce
it. If you had more memory I would recommend always scanning at full
resolution, but you will probably find full-res scans a bit slow and painful.
I find the reducing process helps smooth out jagged edges and improve the
image quality overall - for an example, look (very closely) at the top 2
images on my page:
>3. For printing to the inkjet, I have read here and other places that
>the image I send to print should be about 1/3 of printer resolution. The
Epson 860
>is 1440 x 780, or thereabouts. Which number should I be 1/3 of, the 1440 or
>the 780?
Haven't heard this method! Certainly you will want somewhere between 200
and 300 dpi for a reasonable quality print. Some folks claim they get very
good results at a particular dpi (240dpi often gets recommended), but I
haven't found any real evidence of that on my Epson. I tend to use 300 dpi
all the time. (But keep your printer set to max resolution). Experiment
and you'll soon decide what works for your setup.
>4. Should I upgrade to Vuescan 6.7.2?
Again, I'll pass on this.
>5. Can I upgrade my OS with losing the modem or scanner? It would be
>nice to be able to use the printer's USB connection, which I don't think is
>supported very well in Win 95
As mentioned above - visit the modem/SCSI/scanner's websites and look for
drivers/info that supports Win 98. If they are not there, don't do it.
Regards, Mark T.
==========================================
Mark Thomas markthom@camtech.net.au
