Epson 2580 Photo Scanner

[Rosy Demorest]

Withan optical density of 3.2 and an optical resolution of 2,400dpi, the Perfection 2580 offers performance that would set you back a few hundred a couple years ago. Print scans came out fairly well, with even flesh tones and a relatively high level of image sharpness. While it's no match for a dedicated film scanner, the Perfection 2580 turned out decent 35mm scans--good enough for uploading to the Web or e-mailing to friends. And Epson gets bonus points for the convenient autoloader. You can also use the supplied adapter to scan mounted 35mm slides.

Family archivists will appreciate the dust-removal tool, which removed specks from negatives and transparencies with moderate success. However, using this tool triples your scanning time and will cost you a bit of sharpness. The Easy Photo Fix option does a pretty decent job of restoring a neutral color balance; it applies a preset color correction to compensate for the way prints tend to fade over time. It's not perfect, but it'll take a couple of years off your family treasures.

As for help options, you can install Epson's Smart Panel software, which displays a pop-up menu with eight button functions for scanning, OCR, basic image editing, and sharing pictures via the Epson Web site. This is a great newbie feature but one you will probably grow out of. You can access all the standard drivers and manuals at the

High quality scanning of all your photographs, transparencies and documents - at a very affordable price and with an ease-of-use that shines new light on home scanning. It''s all thanks to the Epson Perfection 2580 Photo scanner, which give Windows and Macintosh users the ability to experience amazing versatility in scanning. This scanner is designed specifically for the home user demanding affordability combined with flexibility and quality that only comes with Epson scanning technologies.Outstanding 2400 x 4800 dpi resolution with Matrix CCD technology and On Chip Micro-Lens Auto Film Loader for easy scanning of 35mm strip film Improved Epson Scan driver, featuring photo restoration tools

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The Epson Perfection 2580 Photo ($150 street) makes a decent stab at photo scanning, with overall scores of good for slides and photos, and quality scores of good for slides and the high end of good for prints. But it has some limitations when it comes to photos.

The 2580 claims an optical resolution of 2,400 pixels per inch (ppi), high enough to let you scan a 35-mm slide to print at 8 by 10 inches. On our tests, the scanner did reasonably well, resolving just a bit less detail than 2,400-ppi scans from the Canon CanoScan 8400F or even the Konica Minolta DiMage Scan Dual IV, a dedicated film scanner. A minor issue is that you can scan only one slide at a time. Scanning at 2,400 dpi took 53 seconds.

Like most flatbed scanners, the 2580 comes up short on dynamic range, as shown by the ability to retain all shades from black to white. Compared with the 8400F, which offers unusually good dynamic range, the 2580 shows far less detail in dark areas of slides that include both a bright sky and a dark tree line. It did show more detail than most other flatbed scanners.

One nice touch is an automatic mode that prescans, adjusts settings to match the scan target, and then scans. We timed it at 29 to 31 seconds for 4-by-6 photos. Another nice feature is an automatic feed for film, which lets you insert a strip of film to scan each image on the strip. As we discovered, however, and as Epson confirmed, the auto-scan feature doesn't work well with black-and-white film. Fortunately, you can scan film manually using the auto-feeder as well. You also get Presto! BizCard 4.1 for scanning business cards, but we found that the program gets confused by some card formats.

Helping make up for the problems is the scanner's color-restore feature, which worked well on our faded test photo. (Dust and grain removal features are for film only.) The 2580 also scored well on our OCR tests, reading Times New Roman fonts at sizes as small as 8 points and Arial fonts as small as 6 points, without a mistake. We only wish it had an ADF to take full advantage of the OCR accuracy. Count this as a reasonable choice for an all-around scanner, despite some limitations.

Placing FilmsPerfection 2480 Photo

Perfection 2580 Photo

Caution:Hold the film at its edges, or use gloves. Touching the film surface with bare hands can leave fingerprints or other traces on the film.NoteIf you plan to scan films using the EPSON Smart Panel application or Copy Center, refer to the respective documentation or see Applications in the EPSON Smart Panel Window for details.In the Full Auto Mode, you can scan 35 mm color films and 35 mm color slides. If you want to scan monochrome negative films, switch to the Home Mode or the Professional Mode.Removing the reflective document matTo scan film strips or slides, you need to remove the reflective document mat from the document cover.

Note:Most illustrations shown in this section are for the Perfection 2480 Photo, so they may be different in appearance from the Perfection 2580 Photo. The instructions are the same, except as noted. Make sure the cover cable is connected to the scanner.Note:Before connecting or disconnecting the cover cable, make sure the scanner is turned off.

When you want to scan the films in the A area of the film holder:

Place the film holder on the document table so that it is aligned with the lower left corner of the document table. Make sure the mark "A" on the tab of the film holder matches the mark "A" on the scanner and the projection on the tab of the film holder fits the hole on the scanner.

When you want to scan the films in the B area of the film holder:

Place the film holder on the document table so that it is aligned with the lower left corner of the document table. Make sure the mark "B" on the tab of the film holder matches the mark "B" on the scanner and the projection on the tab of the film holder fits the hole on the scanner.

35 mm slides Place the film holder on the document table so that it is aligned with the lower left corner of the document table. Make sure the mark "C" on the tab of the film holder matches the mark "C" on the scanner and the projection on the tab of the film holder fits the hole on the scanner.

Note:Always open the film guide whenever you use the Auto Film Loader, no matter how short a film strip is; otherwise, it may cause a film jam. Load a film into the film feeder with its face (the side you can see the image correctly) down. The film is automatically loaded inside the Auto Film Loader, and then the Start button light turns on (green).

Note:We recommend that you hold the edge of the film or use gloves to touch the film: otherwise you may damage the film.When loading starts, remove your hand from the film; otherwise, it may cause a film jam.Do not touch the film while the scanner is scanning.Do not close the film feeder cover while the scanner is scanning.Do not press the Eject button while scanning. The Eject button does not work until scanning is completed.If you fail to load the film into the film feeder, wait 10 seconds and then try again.If the Start button light is flashing in red, a film jam may have happened. See Auto Film Loader does not feed film or Film Scanning Problems for details.Ejecting a filmWhen you finish scanning, eject the film from the Auto Film Loader.

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