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Which Scanners are "Supported":
The FastAttach software uses a Twain interface, which means that FastAttach works with virtually any scanner. However, in order to scan film (X-Rays), the scanner must have a transparency adaptor. A transparency adaptor is basically a "built in light-box" which shines light through your radiographs allowing the scanner to get a good quality picture. When looking at purchasing a scanner, one of the most important things to find out is the SIZE of the transparency area. Many scanners state that they can scan "slides and negatives" or "film-strips" -- this is typically an area less than an inch wide and perhaps four inches long -- it will vary per scanner.
When NEA refers to a "Supported Scanner" we mean that the technicians at NEA are knowledgeable about a particular scanner. If you purchase a scanner from NEA, our technicians will be familiar with how that scanner works and how to help you with the scanner. There may, however, be cases where NEA does not know about the particular computer that you are using with the scanner and NEA may therefore refer you to a computer technician or the scanner manufacturer for additional help. The scanners listed above as Recommended Scanners are supported.
A scanner that is "Unsupported" means typically that NEA does not know about anything specific to that scanner. The scanner may work with the NEA software, but NEA technicians won't know what to tell you to click on inside the scanner software to make it scan. A scanner might also be "Unsupported" for the following reasons:
- The scanner is no longer supported by the scanner manufacturer.
- The transparancy area of the scanner is not large enough to scan even a single bitewing or pa film.
- The scanner is known to have some defect such as picture quality, difficult to use, speed, or other defect.
Scanner Settings In General:
If your scanner supports a "Professional", "Expert", "Advanced", or "Manual" mode, you will want to use this mode. "Full Automatic Mode" and other automatic settings may not give you a good quality picture.
When scanning an X-RAY, make sure you scan using a Transmissive, Transparent, Positive Film, UTA Transmissive, Pos Film, or Transparency mode in your scanner settings. NEA recommends a DPI or RES/Resolution setting between 96-150 for X-Rays.
When scanning paper such as a Perio-Chart or EOB, make sure you use a Reflective or Flatbed mode in your scanner settings. NEA recommends a DPI or RES/Resolution setting between 72-75 for paper.
Some tips on scanning:
Make sure that the Transparency Area of your scanner meets your needs - note that the Transparency Area is typically much smaller that the "scan area".
Make sure that your scanner will run on your particular computer and operating system - note that Windows 98 which was upgraded from Windows 95 does not support USB scanners, that Windows 2000 Server does not support scanners, that Terminal Services (both Windows Terminal Services and Citrix) does not support scanners. Also note that although the FastAttach software may work on Laptops, viewpads, and other hardware, it is only supported on Desktop computers.
Note that SCSI and some Firewire scanners will require a technician for installation, and newer Microtek scanners require that you have the manufactures disk for NEA to be able to support the scanner.
Note that NEA can't support a scanner if the manufacturer no longer supports the scanner.
And, always make sure that you always use the right settings when scanning!
Special Notes on Specific Scanners:
Microtek i900 and 9800XL: When calling NEA Support for the Microtek i900 or 9800XL, you must have the original scanner disk and the colored templates. NEA does not support downloading the drives from the manufacturers website.
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