by Marcelo Duran
Assistant Editor

“The iQsmart scanners surpass any model in their price range in terms of image quality and performance,” said Shulky Garibi, general manager of Creo Scanning Solutions. “Both scanner models dispel the myth that professional color scanners carry a large price tag.”

The iQsmart scanners — iQsmart2 and iQsmart3 — produce professional results, consistent sharpness quality and color fidelity at prices ranging from $11,900 to $20,000. The new scanners produce scans from any size original with a true optical resolution of up to 5,500 dots per inch from edge to edge. They are able to scan up to fifty-six 35 mm slides at one time and generate up to 40 scans per hour. The operator has full access to the scanning software to preview and set up the next image. The iQsmart scanners use FireWire connectivity to send scanned image data to the host computer.

The compact iQsmart scanners use the oXYgen scanning application to produce professional results. The oXYgen scanning application employs image editing and soft proofing tools with full ICC color management.
Photo courtesy of Creo

The iQsmart line uses the oXYgen scanning application. The oXYgen scanning application employs professional image editing and soft proofing tools with full ICC color management. The SOOM workflow (Scan Once Output Many) and true 16-bit color maximize scanned image quality from the first day of operation.

The iQsmart3 scanner performs professional copydot scanning and descreening with Creo’s new oXYgen Dot solution. The new solution enables fully automatic registration, copydot retouching and a SOOM workflow for repurposing halftone film for multiple output devices.

The EverSmart line of flatbed scanners has the capability to scan an original placed anywhere on the bed with equal quality and can scan any size original up to 12-by-17 inches.

Prices on the EverSmart scanners range from $13,000 for the EverSmart Jazz, which is typically used by small shops, to the EverSmart Supreme, a $45,000 machine suited for high-demand scanning requirements. The EverSmart Select is rated one model down from the EverSmart Supreme in price and performance.

Bill Gillooly, the EverSmart product line manager at Creo pointed out the importance in having a variety of scanners to select from, depending on the needs of the newspaper.

“There are some smaller papers — weeklies and small city dailies — that use some of our less-expensive machines. It’s very powerful for (our company) to have a wide range of products because we can address the needs of different sized newspapers,” he said.

The Washington Post recently purchased an EverSmart Supreme scanner.

“What The Post is looking to do is do these very tight crops on pictures they have taken and blow them up to whatever size for the paper,” Gillooly said.

The EverSmart Select was introduced at Print ’01 last September and has similar features of its predecessor, but at a price that makes it a feasible acquisition for smaller newspapers.

The EverSmart Select incorporates an advanced electro-optical system featuring Creo’s XY Stitch technology that allows scanning at optical resolution of up to 5,600 dots per inch. This assures the scanner captures maximum information and provides high resolution and sharpness over the entire scanning format for any sized original. The new scanner also includes the EverSmart oXYgen scanning application, which allows users to either scan directly to RGB or CMYK in an 8-bit file using a traditional workflow or to create a digital transparency file in 16-bit workflow.

The EverSmart Select incorporates an advanced electro-optical system featuring Creo’s XY Stitch technology.
Photo courtesy of Creo

The EverSmart oXYgen scanning application is designed with a strong emphasis on flexibility, quality and productivity. Both EverSmart oXYgen modules include professional image editing and proofing tools. An intuitive, icon-based interface guides users through all stages of the scanning workflow.

The EverSmart Select was designed to deliver a higher scaling factor similar to the EverSmart Pro II, but without the costly ultra-high shadow detail that the EverSmart Supreme offers.

It delivers more than 40 percent higher scaling than the EverSmart Pro II, an important feature for customers who need to scan many small 35 mm originals. The EverSmart select has slightly less shadow detail and bit depth, since it was built without the Supreme’s charge-coupled device, dynamic cooling and MaxDR technologies.