The Epson Perfection 1660 Photo is an extremely fast, high-quality scanner that brings amazing results to a range of advanced applications offering a range of built-in features for the photo enthusiast. Extremely easy to set up and use and packed with Epson's leading optical technologies, it's the perfect solution for demanding users who require superb results with maximum speed and simplicity. True 1600 x 3200dpi resolution and 48-bit in and out color (for recognition of more than 281 trillion colors and over 65, 500 shades of gray) ensure sharp, clear scans with the highest color depth available in the consumer market. The Epson Perfection 1660 Photo is also amazingly fast, with a new USB 2.0 interface that is up to 40 times faster than USB 1.1. The Epson Perfection 1660 Photo is packed with features including the four QuickStart buttons designed to make scanning a one-touch operation. The unique Epson SmartPanel provides a comprehensive, user friendly on-screen scanning interface that enables you to customize the QuickStart buttons to your requirements.
1 Remorseful buyer here!
Bought the so-called Mac compatible scanner last year and it worked with OS 9. I went to do this years batch of scans using OS X and no go. Image Capture doesn't see it connected via USB. An Apple Support document indicates that the 1660 Photo driver is NOT a built-in driver in Mac OS X. I downloaded most the recent software (epson11208.sea) from Epson website, installed it...the scanner app won't even startup!
2 Great, especially for the price
First of all, I have a Mac, so that plays into any computer equipment purchases. You'd be surprised how many peripherals still don't work with Macs. That said, Epson has always had excellent Mac support. They provide updated drivers soon after Apple releases new versions of OS X. This is definitely not true of other scanner manufacturers (like Microtek).
Anyway, this is a great scanner. It offers plenty of resolution (1600 dpi optical) and does a good job with slides and negatives. Slides scanned at 1600 dpi come out with slightly more resolution than a two-megapixel digital camera. If you need more detail than that, you'd be better off buying a dedicated film scanner. But for the price this one does an excellent job.
I really like Epson's TWAIN software. it has three levels of complexity: Home, Office, and Professional. The first two give simple options and make all the choices for you. Professional provides a surprising amount of control and dispenses with all of the assistants and helpers (which I find maddening).
3 Don't use this for scanning diapositives!
A few months ago I finally made the decision to digitalise alle the travel pictures I'd ever made (mostly on diapostive film) and bought this Epson Perfection 1660 Photo with diapostiive layer (6 at a time), which looked very good and had a good reputation. But the Twain software doesn't do its job properly on scanning diapositives. It cuts borders, decides on its own where to cut a darker zone in a picture (shadows, contrasting colors) with the result that it sometimes splits pictures in half, or cuts away a part of it. Especially pictures taken in the evening or at night are a nightmare to scan.
And then, after I reinstalled the software for a third time, it suddenly cancelled the install procedure, and now for some reason it's impossible to install the Twain software again. The helpdesk hasn't been very helpfull (motto: help yourself), so after three months' use, I find myself with an unusable scanner. Thank you, Epson!
4 Inexpensive to Buy - Quality is Better than Most
I bought this scanner in a hurry to complete a project. In turned into being a better scanner than my expensive one.
It installs quickly and the software that is provided with it is adequate or you can use your own software easily. If you are planning on scanning mostly text you may want to get a better OCR software product. The scanner does a great job and then it is up to the character recognition software to finish the job.
If you scan a photograph and print on quality paper it it does the job of a photo scanner. Everything I have scanned with this scanner from text to photographs is high quality.
I am considering buying a second one at the price that is offered. It's a DEAL.
5 A Real Workhorse!
I am 65 and after 40+ years of marriage, my wife and I had accumulated about 5,000 pictures and slides in albums, boxes, envelopes, etc. I have now finished scanning them all and have PhotoShopped, date-labeled, filed them in folders in "My Documents" and created CDs for the relatives. The Epson 1660 performed flawlessly! My conscience no longer nags me!
Based on my satisfaction, I looked to Epson for a combination printer/scanner/copier. (I left my scanner and printer at our Florida home) I bought the Epson Stylus CX5400 based on the very favorable user reviews and the remarkably low price. It too is a great product.
6 I will never ever buy EPSON again
First, I'm computer professional and I've been doing this stuff for years and years. The Epson software for this scanner is flaky. I've used it under Windows 2000 and Windows XP and it is not reliable. Sure, when it works it's ok. But, quite often it pops up modal or non-modal but very non-standard Windows windows that you can't get to with Alt-TAB and they are not in the Task Manager. Basically, you're hosed and you need to reboot. If you've scanned a bunch of images in and they have not yet been saved to file, they are gone. You've just wasted a little bit of your life. And installing the drivers is another time that Epson gets to steal from your life.
Epson used to make the ONLY printer in the old days, but I don't know what they are doing now. But I do know that I will never buy an Epson product for the rest of my life.
7 I'm EXTREMELY pleased with this!
I've had this for over a year now, well over a year, and I am still amazed at how easy it is and what great results I get. For the past six months, I've been waiting for it to keel over a die from overuse. I've been working on a project, scanning and archiving family photos, and I've scanned so many photos, paintings, family documents etc, that I fully expected this scanner to surrender. If it stopped working tomorrow, I've already had more than my moneys worth from this scanner. I highly recommend it. Great little scanner!
8 Installed in less than 10 minutes!
I read the reviews concerning the installation of the Epson Scanner and I didn't have any difficulty at all. Great scanner for the price.
9 No problems with this scanner
I haven't had any problems with the Epson Perfection 1660 Photo since I purchased it earlier this year. It is running on a Windows XP PC utilizing the USB 2.0 port, and it's speedy. Scan quality is very nice, and the drivers haven't caused any crashes. However, I make a habit of downloading the latest drivers from manufacturer websites when buying a new accessory instead of relying on the CD, which is usually outdated by the time of purchase.
The only caveats I have are the following: 1) it is quite large and will need a lot of desk space (although this adds to the sturdy feel), and 2) the included software is somewhat clunky and non-intuitive. Instead I use a document management program (Paperport 9.0), which is much easier to work with.
10 Unsatisfactory XP installation
I was not able to install this properly on my Windows XP PC
after many hours trying. The installation CD supplied by Epson generated numerous errors, so I went to the Epson support website. The site directed me to a third party website. I followed the instructions there (uninstall XP patch, install software, install another XP patch), but the 'Smart Panel' software still would not run. I finally got it to work by runnning it under Windows 98 compatibility mode. Some XP users have gotten it installed easily, but in my case it was a big hassle! Too bad, since the scanning quality is good.
11 epson perfection 1660
There are some reviews below which claim that the 1660 isn't XP compatible- which I find strange, since I'm using Windows XP and I don't have a problem with it. I bought this scanner a few weeks ago and so far, I'm very happy with it (the problems customers have encountered during the installation have probably more to do with corrupted software than the scanner itself-it can happen, after all)
This is the second scanner I've ever owned and the main reason I bought this is because they have this same scanner in my office; I work for a major newspaper company here in the Philippines and they have two 1660's here which our graphic artists use to scan photos, negatives, penciled sketches and anything else you can think of. The scanners have lasted for more than a year (probably even 2 years) and have produced excellent professional quality scans. If the 1660 is good enough for professional work, I figured it would be good enough for me. And it is.
I'm an aspiring computer artist and I use Adobe Photoshop for everything I scan. I love all the different options this scanner has to offer (such as the different scanning modes for b/w, color, color photo, b/w photo and even illustration) and the clear, crisp quality of the pictures I scan.
12 Flawed Driver Dooms Scanner for XP
Pity... Latest driver from Epson (5.71) is dated at Dec 02, and it's obvious they have moved on to other tasks. Aside from annoying but surmountable installation problems, the Twain driver would hit the hard drive needlessly every second after invocation in XP, whether or not any Twain-aware application program was subsequently running. And it would freeze near the end of 1600 dpi 35mm slide scans. With no new driver in sight, had to return the scanner. You'd think they would support the product enough to have it work as advertised. Still looking for a decent 35mm slide scanner...
13 ??WOW??
I bought this scanner so I could scan smaller stuff, as the ADF scanner on my office jet v40xi will destroy smaller pics/docs.well I now use this as the primary scanner, this thing rocks, the quality of the scans is remarkable. I was shocked. If you want a killer scanner at a decent price get the Epson Perfection 1660 Photo, it comes with PhotoImpression4 which has some cool ability's
Buy it, use it, you won't be let down.
14 Epson scanners are a very poor choice for OCR
One year ago (July 1, 2002) PC Magazine reviewed several scanners and their OCR software and, out of all the brands tested, Epson had the very worst performance.
Recently, I tried the 1660 model and its OCR performance is horrible.
It is unbelievable, but you cannot even scan in landscape orientation (i.e., if you want two scan two pages from a book, etc.) - for this you have to scan the left page first and then you have to scan the right page.
This is just amazing; I doubt there are other brands using such an approach.
Another (probably unique) Epson feature is that it will scan in only one position/orientation out of a total of 4.
If you try to scan in the other 3 positions/orientations the results are horrible and the software does not allow the user to rotate the picture/image prior to scanning to OCR.
I am primarily interested in OCR; other than OCR, I scanned only a couple of photos ang got error messages generated by file.exe (the scanned picture could not be saved); apparently, this happens if somebody uses a resolution greater than 300 or 400.
One year after the PC Magazine review, it looks like Epson is still the very worst choice for OCR.
15 Epson scanners are a very poor choice for OCR
One year ago (July 1, 2002) PC Magazine reviewed several scanners and their OCR software and, out of all the brands tested, Epson had the very worst performance.
Recently, I tried the 1660 model and its OCR performance is horrible.
It is unbelievable, but you cannot even scan in landscape orientation (i.e., if you want two scan two pages from a book, etc.) - for this you have to scan the left page first and then you have to scan the right page.
This is just amazing; I doubt there are other brands using such an approach.
Another (probably unique) Epson feature is that it will scan in only one position/orientation out of a total of 4.
If you try to scan in the other 3 positions/orientations the results are horrible and the software does not allow the user to rotate the picture/image prior to scanning to OCR.
I am primarily interested in OCR; other than OCR, I scanned only a couple of photos ang got error messages generated by file.exe (the scanned picture could not be saved); apparently, this happens if somebody uses a resolution greater than 300 or 400.
One year after the PC Magazine review, it looks like Epson is still the very worst choice for OCR.
16 Running XP / Install Issues / Ease of Use
A lot has been written here. I have to agree that this is probably the best scanner for the price. Look at, and consider other scanners, but always keep this one in the back of your mind. I looked very seriously at the HP line. Their "look" is superb ... Very stylish. Don't be misled. Definitely not a bad product, but stay focused on why you're buying a scanner in the first place. Stick to the specifications and you'll agree the Epson is the best for the money. In my case, I have 3 young children, and I have recently become very concerned about keeping their pictures and other mementos safe. Also, I recently unearthed a ton of slides of my childhood, and quite frankly, who has a projector these days?
So I wanted to get all this stuff in to a format that I could easily store, duplicate, and distribute. Not knowing too much about scanners, at first pass the HP seemed better suited for what I needed a scanner for. The slides and negatives have a type of holder that is self contained and looks like it would be easier to use than the Epson's "slides and negative holder" in the lid. In actual practice, the Epson system for this works quite well, and since all you have to do to is lift the lid, ultimately it's less cumbersome than the HP system if you have a lot of slides & negatives to scan.
Installation: This had me a bit nervous based on reviews, but quite honestly it was a cake walk. The scanner package has a disc and a short to-the-point printed document that walks you through installing the scanner. In XP, several error messages came up during the install, and that concerned me until I really read the messages and came to understand that all the messages were really saying were things like, and I'm paraphrasing here, "You don't have a handheld organizer attached or associated with this computer, so I am not going to install the Organizer software". I just kept clicking "OK" and "Continue" until the software was completely installed. I probably got at least 10 of these types of messages.
The printed page that comes in the box along with the scanner walks you through your first scan. . . Very easy. The quality is superb! This isn't your momma's scanner. The technology has advanced amazingly in the past few years, and using a scanner has never been easier. Just be patient and take your time learning.
I have scanned in well over 300 negatives since I got the Epson yesterday, and it has completely exceeded all my expectations. Sharp, detailed, and the whole concept is pretty amazing, frankly. You're taking 35mm negatives and turning them in to archiveable, sendable pictures. The digital images I'm getting from the negatives far exceed the resolution of the best digital cameras, and for much much less.
Other stuff: I have a ton of old records in printed format. Things like bank statements and stuff that I want to retain like pre-Turbo Tax Tax Returns. I tried scanning a few and for items like this, there's a "Full Auto Mode" setting you choose (For slides and negatives you have to use "manual mode"). This setting makes everything easy. Slap the document down on the glass, hit the scan button, and the software does the rest. Presto! Digital archive. OCR works, and seems to work well. For the uninitiated OCR converts a printed document, such as the page of a book in to editable text, like a word document. I scanned a couple of printed membership lists and there were only a couple of very minor recognition errors.
Using a scanner isn't as intuitive as many other types of computer hardware. This one's pretty easy to master once you've done it a few times.
Happy scanning!
17 Epson 1660 incompatable with XP
I have been needing a new scanner for a long time and researched online and the Epson 1660 seemed to be a good choice.The minimal instructions concerned me but I followed them to a T for installation and it did not work with my windows XP system.It crashed my computer several times!! I spent 3 hours on the phone with Epson, utilizing 3 different techs. Thank god it was a local call!However, it took a nice Canadian tech supervisor to get it working.That lasted one day. The next day the scanner stopped working and crashed my computer several more times. My precious files almost lost!!Do not buy this scanner if you use xp!!!
18 excellent for the average user
I bought this scanner on the strength of online owner reviews and have been very satisfied. I am not the average home user, and am still finding it to be more than adequate for what I need to do - I mostly scan small-scale flat art and photos, but I need a lot of flexibility in terms of resolution and settings, etc. The driver has automatic functions, but I haven't tried them out myself - I jumped right into the custom settings.
I haven't tried the film/slide function yet, so I can't comment on that. I also can't comment on the Windows XP compatibility issue other people have mentioned - I use Windows 98 and haven't had a problem. My only complaint is that I have very limited space on my hard drive, and when I try to remove the ArcSoft PhotoImpression software (which I don't use - I import images directly into Photoshop), I seem to also remove the driver itself. I haven't researched the problem with tech support or the manual yet, so there may be a way around it. I also haven't tried out the one-touch buttons on the front of the machine.
Overall, if you're looking at a scanner with this resolution at this price range (i.e - not a high end, industrial user), you're going to be really happy with this scanner. The images are great, it's fast, and the color is even a little truer than other scanners I've used. I would definitely recommend this for home (and light commercial, like me) users.
19 Really fast...
In the past I had always purchased HP scanners which are pretty good, but when compared to the Epson - the speed of the HP's fell way short.
I really like the integration with other software (like Adobe Photo Shop) and also its own "Epson Smart Panel" which is so easy anyone can use it.
Also, when scanning 35mm photos (I still have some of those!) the resolution is fantastic, I can fix minutes details in the photos and I end up with a better product than the original.
Two thumbs up!!
20 Stunning
I may sound like a shill for Epson, but, I just bought the Epson 1660 Photo Scanner (not to be confused with the Epson 1260) and I am stunned, stunned by the amazing quality - the colors are more vibrant than I'd ever seen with my budget scanner (that 48-bit "color depth" was SO worth it; that's not available on the otherwise very good 1260 or on less expensive scanners by others).
I am building up my talents in graphic design work so my attention is on nuances and I am pleased to say that this scanner captures every nuance of the original image. Fleshtones are particularly good, probably because of the color depth. The optical resolution of this scanner also beats my old scanner hands down (meaning, very fine detail does not fuzz out).
On my old budget scanner, which came inside a box of breakfast cereal and whose name I won't reveal (cough AGFA cough!), required many color and brightness corrections to the images it outputted. Simple to do, but a waste of time when scanners like this are available. My budget scanner had other subtle problems, such as rainbow-like flares of color around the edges of small black text on white backgrounds (a problem called poor "color convergence"). There's no strange flares of color or optical distortions on this scanner at all. I am simply stunned by what I'd been missing. Consider this a hearty recommendation if you not only want a scanner that will do the job, but will actually impress you!
As for the aesthetics, the unit itself follows the current trend of looking rather like a silvery pillow, which is fine. I haven't used the slide/negative scanner function so I can't comment on that yet. This purchase followed two days of research here on Amazon, Epinions, and PCWorld's websites, and based on that research and now having purchased this scanner, there is no other scanner I would suggest at this price level - it seemed as if everything else had made one kind of concession or another. In contrast, this is an outstanding scanner at a great price.
21 Practice, Patience makes Perfection work
I purchased the 1660 scanner at Costco ... because of the slide and film scanner function. The initial installation left me with no option for scanning slides, so I was ready to return it.
After accessing support.epson.com and choosing "scanners" and then "Perfection 1660", I downloaded and installed the driver update for MS Windows 98 and XP, which presented a new slide option, called TPU (Transparancy Unit). After installation, three choices appear in addition to the "Flatbed" Document Source: "Color Neg Film," "Monochrome Neg Film," and "Pos Film." Choosing one of these activates the flourescent lamp on the lid, which illuminates the slides and filmstrips. Of course, you must remove the white cover from inside of the lid to reveal the 2" by 11" centered illumination screen, and place the four-slide plastic insert on the scanning glass.
The software "SmartPanel" allows a preview scan and individual slide image rotation (I had to learn which way is "up", and allows choice of tiff, jpg, etc, and destination file--or you can fax, email, or publish each picture to the web.
All of this information is in the "Scanner Reference
Guide" (the electronic Manual), which is why so many reviewers complain that there is no physical manual. I have sympathy for you who could not install from the cd-rom (since you cannot read what is not installed!), but if you want to make copies of slides and 35 mm filmstrips, the Epson Perfection 1660 is definitely the best value available. MHG and Viren P reviewers (10-13-02 and 10-26-02) rated this Epson above other Epsons and the Microtek, and I agree.
I have both Win 98 and XP operating systems and installation was flawless with both.
22 No Problems
This is my fourth scanner in 15 years. It installed without a problem. Almost every photo I've scanned, regardless of age or condition of the original, came out great - with the exception of small tintypes. For those wondering how good the text scanning is - this has a wonderful OCR program. No gibberish to delete or massive reformatting. What a relief!
23 Works Great for Me
I purchased this scanner a few weeks ago and installed it on my home computer running XP Professional. Despite what others have said, this scanner works well for me using XP. I installed everything from the CD and it worked just fine. Later upgraded the driver from the Epson site. I've used it for copying so far, and a few scans. My scans looked great. Only quirk I've seen so far is that the scanner does not have an on-off switch; instead it fires up when I turn my computer on, so its always ready. May be a great feature for those who use their scanner everyday, but I don't. Overall, I'd recommend this scanner to anyone looking for a good all purpose scanner.
24 Do NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. The installation is horrible.
I don't know how the average user would every get through the installation.
Like the above review states, the software CD doesn't work; I tried twice. Then I spent more time at EPSON support website trying find the right patch or update. I thought of emailing support but they don't provide email addresses. You either call and wait or you write a letter.
EPSON instructs you to go to a third party - newsoftinc.com. Ironically, after clicking on the link you receive a warning from EPSON that they are not responsible for content, blay blah blay. Like I have any choice at this point.
The documentation at newsoftinc was some of the worst I've ever seen.
If you can understand the following MAYBE you should purchase this scanner.
Step 4. Find the file or folder and then delete them. [Sometimes they might not be there after you remove the Epson Smart Panel]
a. epfb5-> It may be under local disk:\windows\system32 or \windows\twain_32 Delete both of them.
b. epson-> It may be under local disk:\Program Files [or this was under just C:\Epson]
There were 12 or 13 steps all together.
I have no idea about the quality of the images since I'm installation brain dead.
25 Excellent Scanner for the Price
After having read some of the spooky comments on driver issues, I was a bit hesitant to install the supplied software, but in the end decided to anyway. Everything installed in a snap on my XP Home system. (VPR Matrix - Best Buy's brand computer). The only thing I'm having a problem with is the Presto Pix!Express software that converts pictures to be used on a PDA. It doesn't seem to convert them correctly and when trying to run the program on my PDA , it won't run, giving me a soft reset error. I tried a repair install, but that didn't work. May try to uninstall and reinstall. Other than that minor glitch, everything else works extremely well. Scans are sharp, in particular I am impressed with the slide scanning. Much better than a dedicated Minolta Dimage Scan Dual that I used to have. Do wish the glass was removable however, so that one could clean both sides. That isn't an issue now, but could become one at some point. Smart panel is slick and easy to use - manual controls are nice. The documentation is a bit cumbersome but nothing that would kill the deal. Works on my USB 2.0 hub just fine (it has its own power adapter). In my limited experience (1 week), I'd say it's well worth the price.
26 Get the CanoScan LIDE 30 instead.
I've installed this scanner under OS X (download the TWAIN driver, there's none included) and Windows 2000. I've also installed the less expensive Canon LIDE 30 under both environments.
I recommend the LIDE 30 for the reasons described below. In particular the Perfection 1660 has fine hardware, but the most abysmal documentation I've see in years. The installation is awkward and the software is unimpressive. Some of the software is specific to Epson printers, for example. Scan color under OS X has a bluish tinge, though that evaluation is complicated by the lack of Epson documentation on ColorSync settings. When you do a scan the progress box is immovable and sits atop all windows -- so you can't work during a scan. A minor point, but it illustrates how unrefined the Epson software is.
Additional comparison to the CanoScan LIDE 30 (emphasis is on OS X, but much of this is true for Win2K:
1. Image quality (color picture, 300 dpi, 24 bit)
Both seem to produce excellent color photo scans, though on the Mac the EPSON colors were a bit bluish.
CanoScan > Epson
2. Durability and reliability. The EPSON feels more rugged and
durable, as befits it's significantly higher price.
Epson > CanonScan
3. Convenience. The Epson seems to be about 4 times bigger and heavier than the LIDE 30. The LIDE 30 gets its power from the USB bus, the Epson needs yet another power brick (and we have no room to spare!). The LIDE can be stored on its side.
CanoScan >>> Epson.
4. Performance. The CanoScan is at least twice as fast with a USB 1.0 connection, and probably even faster with a 2.0 (though the images I'm taking aren't huge).
Epson >> CanoScan
5. Drivers (OS X). The CanoScan uses a PhotoShop Plug-In compatible with GraphicConverter, Canon's software, and PhotoShop like products), the Epson uses a TWAIN driver. I thought that OS X (in particular) would have native support for the Epson, but in fact this is no advantage. Without installation of the TWAIN driver Image Capture acquires only a very low res image (400K TIFF). After installing the
TWAIN driver Image Capture behaves exactly the same way, but
GraphicConverter will get an image. The image acquisition software seems similar, with the EPSON having the advantage of more control over embedded color tables and ColorSync use; but I'm not sure the ColorSync setting are doing anything! The EPSON is biased however to EPSON's peculiar proprietary color matching software. I didn't pay attention to the rest of the bundled s/w, but I thought the CanoScan had a slight advantage overall. The Epson OS X TWAIN installation should be straightforward, but for some bizarre reason one has to burrow through folders and extractions to fine a nice simple disk image. CanoScan installation was bizarre, but the front buttons work under OS X. The Epson buttons don't work under OS X (not that I would use them anyway!)
CanoScan > Epson
6. Cost. The EPSON is almost twice the cost of the CanoScan.
CanoScan >> EPSON (much better, not more expensive!)
7. Support. The Epson web site is fair. Tech support is by phone or mail. Canon has a very good web site.
CanoScan >> EPSON
8. Documentation. Excellent on the CanoScan, worst I've ever seen for the Epson.
CanoScan >>> Epson.
9. Bundled software. Epson has none for OS X, fair to poor for Mac Classic and Windows. CanoScan is fair for OS X, fair to good for Windows.
CanoScan >> Epson.
8. Other features. The EPSON has a negative scanner that's said to work (I've not tested it).
Epson >> CanoScan
27 Bluish cast with OS X
I'm not sure about this scanner. I'm getting quite a bluish cast on my scans done under OS X, and I've had GraphicConverter quit abruptly when using the TWAIN driver. I had better results with the less expensive CanoScan LIDE 30.
The documentation is sparse, particularly as regards the ColorSync settings. There is some evidence though that the EPSON software may not be installing correctly on OS X, in particular it may not be updating color profiles correctly.
In the course of a painful analysis of color profiles and iphoto [1], I began exploring Apple's ColorSync utility and the Image Capture color profile embedding.
I discovered that after installing my 1660, the 1660 device was associated with a color profile of "Scanner RGB Profile.icc" (see ColorSync Utility). I double clicked on this entry, and saw that this 504 byte profile was produced by Apple. Looking at the Lab Plot it looks a bit like the Apple RGB and sRGB lab plots.
I also noted, in browsing my directories, that installing the EPSON TWAIN driver installed a large library of EPSON color profiles, including one called EPSON 1660 and EPSON 1660 TPU. These two appear to be identical color profiles. The Lab Plot they render shows a very wide color profile (about as wide, but shaped differently, as Wide Gamut RGB. Huge. The files themselves are 198K, or 400 times as large as the Apple file.
My suspicion is that the EPSON installer is not, at least in OS X 10.2.2, correctly updating the system ColorSync settings, so the images retain the default scanner RGB settings.
I have used my ColorSync Utility devices setting to change my "Current Profile" for the EPSON 1660 to the full EPSON profile (Path is /Library/ColorSync/Profiles/EPSON/EPSON Perfection 1660.
I have not tested the effect of this as the scanner is now running off my PC, but I will be doing some test scans to compare the results with the tiny Apple color profile and the large EPSON
28 Frustrating
The scanner itself is pretty good. It provides crisp scans with pretty good color rendition. But couldn't they have spent a couple of dollars and included a manual. Going back and forth between the sreens is just not worth the trouble. If it wasn't a gift I would return it.
29 This is a wonderful product and and a real bargain!
I have had nothing but positive experiences with the Epson Perfection 1660 since I purchased it from Amazon.com a couple of months ago. I am using it with a Dell laptop (Windows 2000 Professional OS) and a Gateway laptop (Windows XP Professional OS) and have not had any compatibility problems. The images, which I work on using Photoshop Elements 2, are crisp and bright, with excellent color rendering and saturation. I am using the scanner mainly for digitizing, restoring, and archiving family photos and mementoes as well as fine art photographs I have taken and printed over the years, and the results are stunning. This scanner is a real bargain, but there is no sacrifice of quality.
30 More trouble than it's worth
I haven't really used this scanner since I am having all kinds of problems with the installation. Too bad that I didn't read these reviews sooner. Never would have bought it. It may be the best scanner on the market but it has to have the worst documentation and tech support ever. I guess that it's my fault since my OS is XP and obviously XP and the Epson 1660 are not compatible. After spending over 1 hour (a toll call to California from the East Coast)and numerous calls to Epson, the tech at NewSoft finally was able to help me install the software. The techs at Epson were completely and utterly useless and to say that they were uninformed is to put it mildly.
Since I bought the scanner with a 30 day return policy it will be returned unless I get some help from Epson fast.
31 not compatible with windows xp
I just purchased a Dell 4550 with all the bells and whistles. Needed a Photo Scanner, best logical choice, the Epson 1660 photo scanner. Installation a breeze until I added the Adobe Photo Elements v2.0. Then the problems began. Error messages kept appearing. Adobe photo elements has XP approval but the Epson 1660 photo scanner is not approved by Microsoft XP OS System. Buyer beware! Epson software will not coexist in same XP system with Adobe Photo elements. Issues with Epson need to be addressed with their software.
32 Great scanner, bad installer for Windows 98
This is a great scanner - very automatic, very inteligent, very high-quality scans. A snap to use. BUT - it wouldn't install on Windows 98. The master installer program, Expson.exe, crashed with a fatal error every time I tried to use it. Very poor QA. Fortunately, I'm very familiar with this kind of stuff, so I was able to install it on my Windows 98 system without using the master installer.
For anyone who has similar problems, just right-click on the CD in your 'My Computer' window, do a 'Find' on SETUP.EXE, and double-click on the setup.exe's one by one. It's best if you install the TWAIN driver first -- I believe it's the last setup.exe in the list.
Once you've got everything installed, it's the sweetest, most automatic setup I've ever used. It automatically recognizes photos, slides, and negatives, and adjusts the scanning properties automatically, with really great results. I'd have given the system a 5-star rating if it wasn't for the installer.
33 Excellent Value
I have been waiting to purchase a flatbed scanner that has good transparency support for several years. The Epson 1660 Photo is the scanner to buy if you want good quality slide scans.
The only other option for really good quality scans is buying a dedicated film/slide scanner, but these start at two or three times the price of the 1660.
As other reviewers have mentioned, don't install the drivers from the CD. I'm on OS X, and using the beta drivers -- everything works, except for batch scanning.
I only wish that the scanner came with a FireWire interface as well as USB2. I might get a FireWire-USB2 adapter and see how that works.
34 Windows XP users, beware!
The supplied software does not install properly on Windows XP; instead, it gives a bizarre series of errors. I believe the hardware is good, but the software is clearly out-of-date.
For the motivated, it is possible to download XP-compatible TWAIN drivers from Epson's web page. These can be installed without touching the supplied installation cd, and will provide basic scanning functionality.
Let me reiterate: if you're using Windows XP, don't bother using the supplied cd, because it probably won't work!
35 3rd Try On Epson And Closest Being A Perfection
This is my thrid Epson scanner and this is the one is the best of the bunch after owning Perfection 610 and Perfection 1240U. My primary reason to upgrade to this scanner is USB2 connection which makes a big speed difference especially on high-res scans. The quality of photo scan is magnificent - a printout of the scan from my Epson photo printer looks virtually identical to the original, something my two prior Epson scanners don't quite achieve. In addition, when scanning magazines, the moire pattern is less pronounced than my previous Epsons as well.
In term of installation, I encounter absolutely no problem. I don't even bother to install the enclosed CD-ROM - don't really care about the bundled photo software anyway since I use Photoshop. My best advice - for ALL SCANNERS AND PRINTERS, IF POSSIBLE ALWAYS DOWNLOAD THE LATEST DRIVER FROM THE MANUFACTURER instead of using the bundled CD-ROM which almost always contains outdated drivers. Alternatively, after installation IMMEDIATELY update the driver to the latest version that supports your operating system. Before buying/installing any new products, always check the manufacturer's web site to see if there's any issues / software updates with the product.
In summary, you get what you pay for - Epson 1660 is a great, fast scanner.
36 Not Quite Perfection
I bought the Epson Perfection 1660 scanner after researching scanners for a while. I was excited to see the initial scans but could not get the one touch buttons to work. Epson Tech support (which is a toll call) said the problem is that I have a Hewlett Packard Printer (which I love and don't want to change). The only way I can copy with the Epson scanner is to have an Epson driver on my system set up as the default printer and then switch the printer on the copy screen to my HP. The problem with this is that, of course, I don't have an Epson printer so I have to 1) change the default settings every time I want to copy something. 2) Change the printer for each copy. And 3) Remember to change the default back after I make the copy. Not exactly one touch. I asked the tech support if they planned to fix this - they said No. I couldn't believe it so I made another toll call and I talked to Customer Service. They basically said - if you don't like it - return the scanner.
I have not exhaustively checked the features because the driver problems are enough to make me return the scanner.
37 Hardware is okay; Software okay, manual is lousy
This is the 2nd Epson scanner I have purchased, the first being the Epson Perfection 1200U. I have a need to scan slides and negatives for archival purposes. The 1200U, even after buying the special lid, did a lousy job. So, I figured the Perfection 1660 "PHOTO" would do the job. Not! I can't tell the difference between the two scanners on photos; both do a good job on photos. Neither the software nor the manual is any help with the 1660 Photo. (The manual is installed from the CD-ROM and the hardware shown in the manual is not even the Perfection 1660 Photo. It's another scanner - made differently!) I just gave up and took my slides to Wal-Mart and will pay 29 cents each to have them scanned. Don't believe the manufacturer about scanning negatives nor slides. This machine just don't do the job
38 First scanner.
Did a lot of research on scanners. Originally I was going to go for the Epson 2450. Financial considerations kept me to the 1660 range. No regrets. This unit more than meets requirements. Have scanned in more than 500 pictures and slides.
Machine works fast, accurate and easy to use. There is apparently better software out there but the included Twain & Photoshop are more than I would ever need.
39 Excellent Slide Scans, Surprisingly Easy Setup
1. Setup was sooooo simple that even a small kid could set it up. Not much manuals to read over anxiously. Cuz Epson seemed to had only one thing in mind while making this 'piece of art'. Simplicity.
2. Scanning Slides. The BEST ! I compared this with other scanners like the Micrktek 4900 (UGGGGGHHHHHhh !!!). Cant even talk about that scanner any more. Read my review there in case ur interested. But talkin abt this Epson, it sure know its job v-e-r-y W-e-L-L !
The good news was that I was finally able to scan my dark slides and some pretty contrast slides of the Times Square in a jiffy.
3. Very simple attachment for scanning slides and negatives. A no brainer actually. It comes with a kind of a mould that fits only in one position on the flatbed and has perfect holders for slides/negatives - as against the Scan-Lid that comes with the Microtek Scanner for Slides/Negatives... real messy stuff.
In short, this scanner just saved me a couple hundred bucks by not going in for those expensive Dedicated Slide Scanners.
40 Comparison of the 1660 & 2400 scanners
I purchased both the 2400 and the 1660 scanners to compare thier
results.I previously tried and returned the Microtek 4900 and the 4850, both had an acceptable quality for photo scanning ( though they were both a little undersaturated and soft)but I had problems with both not being able to go into standby mode, the light would always remain on even when the software said it should be out. Also the scanner button program when loading would never be able able to locate the scanner and was constantly running in the background.Enough said steer away from them.
Now on to the quality products.
I did some very extensive testing head to head on both units using various color test charts, black and white resolution charts and many detailed photos of various sizes.I then tried scanning them at different resolutions/dpi. After repeating the test numerous times my conclusions are, even though the 2400 can scan at higher resolutions 2400x4800 which should be better for scanning slides and negatives than the 1660's lower 1600x3200 resolution, the 1660 scanner had a more vivid, slightly sharper scans when comparing them with the 2400's scans.
These results were equally noticable both on screen and in their printouts.(I am using the HP Photosmart 7150 printer which I reviewed also)
So, unless you do need the higher resolutions of the 2400 scanner(which still gives good results)along with it's Packaged Adobe Photoshop Elements 1.1,you would be better of saving yourself the $$ and purchase the 1660 instead.
These results were substantiated by numerous other people even including the Epson Rep which I met at Best Buy who had a chance to compare my printouts of the scans.She suggested to contact Epson's Tech Staff to find out why this is so.Buy the way I am a Computer Tech myself, and am a perfectionist when purchasing new equipment.
41 Fantastic for the common user
I am not a scanner buff by any stretch of the imagination, and have only owned one other scanner before this one, but I know what I like. I like the Epson Perfection 1660. From its crisp scanned images to its sleek design, this scanner is a winner. But, setting aside how it looks, or how well it scans, leaves you with software. Epson SmartPanel is superb. Push a button on the scanner, and the software launches automatically (you can run it by normal methods, too), giving you many options for the upcoming scan; whether you want to scan to a file, to an e-mail, to the web, to an application, or perform OCR on a document, this scanner/software combo can do it all. I was very impressed, and I think you will be, too.
One minor addition; for those who have had trouble with XP and the 1660, I just don't get it. I use XP Pro and had the most effortless and simple install imagineable. The scanner works flawlessly with XP's own scanner/camera wizard, and Smartpanel works perfectly. You folks are doing something wrong.
42 dark and dingy
I bought this to reproduce my illustrations and am rather disappointed. No matter how I tweak exposure and colors, my white grounds read as grey, which makes the rest of my colors look like old socks. Worse yet, since my paper is larger than the bed, I get a darker border up the edges of the image where it doesn't lie flush to the glass. Maybe I'm missing something, but I've had much better luck with hp's. True this was a breeze to set up, but it's not delivering the quality I had hoped for.
43 Brilliant Scans, and Linux Support... what else is needed?
So, my older Cannon scanner died, and it was the last reason I kept a Windows desktop running in my otherwise Linux based office. I thought this would be a great time to kill two birds with one stone, buy a new and better scanner, as well as migrate the last Windows deskiop to Red Hat Linux (7.3 Professional).
I did a bit of research and found that the Epson scanners were best supported by the Linux scanner drivers (SANEd) so I fired up my browser and purchased this item.
Setup under Linux was a breeze, actually easier than it was to set up the older scanner in Windows! The opensource drives and applications worked seemlessly with the scanner producing wonderfull images that looked brilliant both on the monitor and printed page.
I must admit that before migrating the desktop to Linux I set it up under Windows just out of "curiosity" and it worked well there also, although I cannot give a true comparison between their outputs as I did not print the pictures under Windows.
If I were asked to suggest any scanner for use under Linux, this is the only one I would even bring up... it is the best!
44 Very impressed
Terrific little scanner, especially for the price, was very impressed by the results of the scans, especially 35mm negatives. Very light weight and slick looking. Only quirk I have is the help manual (which is online) was a little confusing at times, but I'm not going to base the performance of the machine on that.
