JULY 12--UMAX Technologies Inc. (Fremont, CA; www.umax.com) has announced the availability of the Astra 4400 scanner, which blends ultrahigh image quality and simplicity of use. It has 1200 x 2400-dpi resolution, 48-bit internal color, USB connectivity, and programmable pushbutton controls. Many procedures including copy and direct scan to fax or e-mail can be performed with push-button ease. The scanner's 48-bit color resolution provides trillions of sharp, vibrant colors, making the it and the transparency-capable Astra 4450 ideal for such business uses as production of professional-quality business cards, brochures, and newsletters. The Astra 4450, to be made available shortly, will come with a universal transparency cover for scanning transparent media up to 4 x 5 in.
The scanners come with award-winning ABBYY FineReader 4.0 Sprint OCR software, which enables users to scan spreadsheets directly to Microsoft Excel at the press of a button or two and to retain major formatting in scans made directly to Microsoft Word. They are also bundled with MGI PhotoSuite III SE image-editing software for creating calendars, greeting cards, flyers, brochures, and more. The UMAX Copy Utility turns the scanner into a color or black-and-white copy machine, while UMAX VistaScan provides an easy-to-use TWAIN-compliant interface with a PC. Installation is quick and simple, since all the included software is contained on a single CD.
The Astra 4400 and Astra 4450 scanners support Windows 98, 98SE, 2000, and ME. They require a Pentium or better processor, USB port and CD-ROM drive, along with 64 Mbytes of RAM and 250+ Mbytes of available disk space. A modem and Internet connection are required for Internet and e-mail functions.
