Scanning transparencies
March 29, 2014 3:30 PM   Subscribe

This seems to be a harder problem to solve than I expected. My venerable Umax Astra 4450 scanner has a transparency cover -- it has a large area which lights up to scan transparencies and such -- but it doesn't have drivers newer than Windows XP. Running XP is less and less of an option these days. So, I'm shopping for a new scanner with a transparency cover...and I'm not having much luck. Suggestions?

I like the Astra 4450 scanner because it's a regular letter-sized flatbed scanner the rest of the time, and I can scan anything transparent that fits in the lighted portion of the cover (glass magic lantern slides, medium-format negatives) that "negative scanners" can't handle.

In fact, I already have a Kodak scanner that does standard slides and negatives, but my transparency needs are greater than this.

Where did the transparency covers go? It seems like the only thing I get when searching for such things are photo-scanners -- nothing that does a regular sheet of paper.

So, does a letter-sized (or A3, that'd solve a less-pressing problem, too) scanner with a transparency cover -- one that doesn't limit options to 35mm in or out of a slide frame -- still exist?

(Yes, I know "Astra 4450 Windows 7 drivers" pops up a lot of results -- they are all incorrect. I tried. Umax support says, no, there will not be windows Vista/7/8 drivers for the 15-year-old scanner)
posted by AzraelBrown to Technology (6 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
This might be more involved than you'd be willing to go through if you aren't already familiar with the technology, but you could try running a Windows XP system within a virtual machine.
posted by XMLicious at 3:44 PM on March 29, 2014


Microsoft provides Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 (unfortunately, not for the home version. Only Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate versions of Windows 7).
posted by ShooBoo at 4:39 PM on March 29, 2014


Just looking around the internet- Would it be an option to find an updated driver? I'm looking at http://www.hamrick.com/ "VueScan is an application for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux that replaces the software that came with your scanner." Might be worth a try, especially because "analog" accessories like that are going by the wayside with the rise of digital.
posted by Kestrelxo at 4:45 PM on March 29, 2014


Your scanner seems to have a SANE driver, meaning that you could use it in Linux.

http://www.sane-project.org/cgi-bin/driver.pl?manu=Umax&model=Astra+4900

If you have a few hours to spare you may want to try running Linux off a USB and see if it can get the scanner to work at an acceptable level.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 5:33 AM on March 30, 2014


Response by poster: OK, I feel like the background info blurred the question:

I am looking for a new, or at least with Win7 drivers, flatbed scanner like my Astra 4450, with a transparency adapter that will scan something bigger than 35mm strips or slides in frames.

Thank you for all the suggestions for ways to keep my current scanner going, but I assure you I've analyzed all the possible hacks.
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:59 AM on March 30, 2014


Response by poster: Yup, thanks Hades - I was waiting to see what other suggestions came in before marking bests and so forth. The Epson Perfection line -- particularly the recently discontinued 4870 and 4990, used ones are pretty cheap on eBay -- looks like my best bet. Thanks!
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:15 AM on April 1, 2014


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