Epson 3200 review

The Epson Perfection 3200 scanner

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The 3200 in use.

The 3200 scanner first caught my attention through its high resolution film scanning capability, before I look at that in great detail I put the scanner through some tests on photographs etc. I have a reference file and carefully controlled print from the file. The reference file and print are part of the Colour Confidence Studio suite.

The maximum document size is 216 x 297mm (8.5 x 11.7 inches) or A4 & US Letter size. This is standard on most A4 scanners, although I have know a couple to have a larger area (Microtek). There are ruler markings on the top and right hand side of the document table, but no figures other than B5, LTR and A4. Documents have to be aligned with the white arrow in the top right corner. This is the recommendation in the electronic manual, but further down the page it states that there is an unreadable area of 2 and 1.5mm from the edges (see illustration below), for most practical purposes this should not be a problem. The scanner lid (the Transparency Unit, TPU) is not sprung, this could mean an expensive slam down if you let go of it. The TPU can be removed with ease, handy for scanning thick books or objects.


Make sure you know what's in the scan	Film takes the centre "Sweet Spot"

Result of placing a test chart at the centre (L) and at the edge (R) of the document table

Illumination is even across the whole document table as can be seen in the above scans. Although I have included a small section of a test target, (this has been magnified beyond the recomended size). I will not be testing for resolution numbers in this review, there are plenty of sources for those types of tests on the net. I will be testing for visual appearance of pictures, colours and sharpness.

Colour test.

The reference print test below is supplied with the original digital file. This reference print is produced in small batches which are spectro read for colour accuracy, in other words the print is about as accurate as you can get.

The original file

2. Scan with no colour corrections

3. Scan with Auto Exposure selected

4. Scan using the colour controls in Epson Scan

The first picture is the original file, was supplied on CD as a 38mb file, it has been reduced in size to match the scans. Picture number 2 was made with No colour correction selected in the Epson Scan Configuration panel. This mode would be the equivelant of shooting in RAW mode on a digital camera. Although the scan looks dull and lifeless, it does contain a lot of untampered with information. You would use this setting if you wanted to apply a custom profile to the scan. Picture number 3 was made using the Auto Exposure, this gave a nice looking scan which would be sufficient for 90% of all scans. The last scan, number 4, has been tweaked using the controls in Epson Scan software, this could be further improved on with your imaging application.

Before moving on to the next test, I will clarify using custom profiles with this scanner. When you use the scanner in its normal mode the scanner automatically applies a profile to the scan. The profile is based on which options you have selected, i.e, reflective or transmitted light. Any adjustments you make are applied on top of the profiled scan, this is a seamless "under the bonnet" operation which you don't have to think about. When you select No colour correction, the scan is performed without any profile being applied. You can't make any colour adjustments to the file at this stage as the buttons are greyed out. With the scan in Photoshop you have to Assign a profile, from the menu select Image > Mode > Assign Profile, select the Profile button and choose your custom profile from the drop down list. You would of course need to create a profile using a application such as Monaco EZ Color 2 or other.

Set No Colour Correction in the 3200 Configuration panel and Assign a profile in Photoshop