                              ScanMan 256

                             by Tony Curro


    Several years ago I bought a hand scanner. The scanner, not to
    mention the software, was horrendous. Not anymore. Logitech has a
    line of hand scanners that really make life easier.

    I reviewed the ScanMan 256, which is a 256 gray scale scanner for
    Windows. They also make a color hand scanner. The scanner comes with
    FotoTouch Image Editing Software. It also comes with CatchWord Pro
    for Windows. It also includes a 1/2 slot card for IBM PC/AT
    computers.

    Installing the scanner is a snap. Insert the card, check your
    settings, and run the installation software.

    The scanner will do 100-400 dpi. Scan modes: Black & White, 16, 64
    or 256 gray scale.  ScanMan is also TWAIN compliant.

    Features of FotoTouch include:

    * Multiple Zoom Levels
    * Smooth, sharpen and equalize filters
    * Brightness, contrast and tone adjustment
    * Resize and rotate features
    * De-skew feature
    * Memory manager to handle images whose size exceeds the RAM of your
    system
    * Macros let you scan directly from Word for Windows and Ami Pro
    * Export/Import -- TIFF, BMP, PCX. EPS (export only)

    Features of CatchWord Pro include:

    * Full-page scanning: automatically merges up to four scans into
    full page document. Using Auto Stitch it will get the scans and
    stitch them together. It also works well with photos.
    * Background recognition allows you to continue working while
    CatchWord Pro recognizes your text
    * MDI (Multiple Document Interface) enables you to work on several
    OCR tasks at once.
    * Powerful zoning feature lets you manually select portions of text
    for recognition
    * Automatic page segmentation isolates text, discards graphics, and
    groups text.
    * Import most image file formats (TIFF, BMP, PCX) for recognition
    and export them for use in Windows and DOS word processing,
    spreadsheet and database applications.

    There is a DOS version of ScanMan Model 32. Model 32 will output to
    dot matrix, laser and other desktop printers. Model 256, besides
    above, will output to Linotronic and other professional output
    systems.

    These scanners are reasonable priced, and do work well. Using it to
    combine text pages was simple and worked as advertised. If you are
    looking for an inexpensive scanner, and do not need -- or have room
    -- for a desktop scanner, then ScanMan should fit right in. ScanMan
    carries a Lifetime Warranty and has 7 day product support.
    

                          Product Information

                              ScanMan 256

                           List Price -- $349

                             Logitech, Inc.
                           6505 Kaiser Drive
                           Fremont, CA 94555
                              510-795-8500
                           510-792-8901 (FAX)
