The Umax 4000U is supplied with a USB interface and cable as standard, the set up is easy, simply plug the USB cable into the PC, turn on the scanner, and install the drivers when prompted. All USB scanners supplied in this labs share the same set-up routine as the USB interface provides hot-swap capability and faster scanning. As previously mentioned you can plug peripherals without having to switch your computer off.

Astra 4000U has supplied a Multilingual Quick start guide in the form of a A2 sheet, which enables you to get your scanner up and running. We were disappointed not to have seen a printed user guide. Umax are no 'spring chicken' when it comes to scanners. Umax claims to be the world number one scanner manufacturer. Umax and other Taiwanese manufacturer's have to congratulated in being instrumental in the fall of scanner prices and the raising the R&D and quality standards of today's scanners.

The software bundle supplied with the scanner is of good pedigree. As well as the TWAIN drivers, Umax has included Presto! Page Manager - The all-in-one document system, documents and images scanned are held in a catalogue and can be arranged in a filling system with folders similar to Explorer. VistaScan - intelligent scanner control software, Adobe Photoshop 4.0LE - one of the best image manipulation packages currently available, Presto! PhotoAlbum - organise your photo images for easy retrieval at a later date. Caere Omnipage LE and Recognita Standard OCR together can meet all your Optical Character Recognition requirements, and integrates easily with Word 97. We did experience slight integration problems with Word 2000, we re-installed both packages again and this resolved the issue with Word 2000.

Umax has put a lot of thought into the design aspect of the Astra 4000U. The scanner is solidly built, but at the same times retains the portability aspect by weighing in at 3Kgs, and is compact enough to tuck way under your arm. Unlike the other scanners in our test the Astra 4000U transportation lock is a slide mechanism, to unlock all you need to do is slide it to the unlock position - simple, no need to look for a coin type tool. Ease of use is one of the scanners strong points.

In our test the Astra 4000U results were mixed, in the preview scan section it was the slowest of the bunch, in the final scan section it managed to come third with a time of 8mins and 40secs. The quality of the scanned image was as good as the HP, if not slightly better in definition terms.

The lack of printed documentation makes it difficult for us to recommend a scanner which has stiff competition in this labs. Umax are a reputable company and the Astra 4000U is a sign of it's commitment to the scanner marketplace.

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