Two U.K. newspaper publishers installed FineScan 2750XL scanners from Fujifilm Graphic Systems.

The FineScan combines a raw scanning speed of 30-by-40 megabytes per hour, according to Fuji, and boasts an improved workflow with higher input and improved efficiency over previous versions of the scanner.

Fuji’s FineScan 2750XL scans at resolutions up to 2,743 dots per inch. The scanner comes with Fuji’s ColourKit Standard software with built-in ICC profile support.
Photo: Fujifilm Graphic Systems

Northamptonshire Newspapers, publisher of the Northhampton Chronicle & Echo, the Kettering Evening Telegraph and a number of weeklies and magazines, installed two FineScan 2750XL scanners in May 2003.

“We are using the scanners mainly for batch scanning of estate agents pictures and fine quality magazine scans,” said Graham Billing, production manager for Northamptonshire Newspapers. “Strange as it may seem, Agfa recommended Fuji scanners as they themselves had ceased to make them.”

The scanners replace some aging Agfa T5000 scanners at Northamptonshire Newspapers.

Billing and staff visited Fuji’s U.K. site in Bedford for a demonstration and found that the FineScan “seemed ideal for our requirements.”

Key to the purchase was the fact that operators would be able to get up and running quickly without the need for extensive training, Billing said. He reports that his newspapers have experienced no downtime since the scanners were implemented.

“The supplied software is excellent, the scanner does what it says on the box,” he added.

Nottingham Evening Post also on board

The Nottingham Evening Post has been a FineScan user since September 2002 and one year ago, in April 2003, the publisher purchased and installed a second scanner.

The Post uses the scanners for a variety of work, including logos, descreens, bromides, flat copy prints and transparencies for both newsprint and high quality magazine work.

“Having already purchased a Fuji Lanovia C-550, we knew that the quality and speed required for reaching tight deadlines was available within the scanner technology,” said Nigel Marshall, imaging manager for the Post. “The main advantage, along with the quality aspect, was the fact that Fuji was one of very few makers who interfaced their high-end scanners to PC, which to our company was a great advantage.”

Marshall said the Post has gained consistency with the scanners at a high quality.

The Post’s newest FineScan addition replaces an existing drum scanner.

“Throughput and quality had almost doubled with our first purchase,” Marshall said.

Fuji sells the scanner with a full version of its ColourKit Standard software with built-in ICC profile support for approximately $9,800. The scanner is based on an oversized A3 plate and scans at optical resolutions up to 2,743 dots per inch with a maximum magnification of 2,500 percent allowing 35-millimeter transparencies to be enlarged to an A1 format.