Umax Scanners (PowerLook 1100)

[ElonGrad1997]

For anyone looking towards Umax for a scanner, let me advise you otherwise. I have had the 1100 for 5 years now, and due to their poor software support, I have been unable to use it since upgrading to OS 10.3 (I'm now at OS 10.4). Stay clear of Umax!!!!

See below:

Please enlighten me. I bought a $1000 scanner from Umax that came with software that worked. Now, in order to use that scanner, I have to pay for third party vendor software? You people are out of your mind! You better come up with a better solution, like offering existing customers software that works for NO CHARGE! Believe me, I am posting my experience with Umax on every Graphic Design internet message board I can find. This is insane. This might be understandable to a degree if I had purchased a cheap desktop scanner. But I bought a scanner which cost $1000!!!!

Lindsay Abel Design


On Feb 12, 2007, at 11:01 AM, Mac wrote:

Dear customer,

Thanks for your email. Please check out our web page at http://www.umax.com/support/knowledge/search.jsp?docs=SC00217 For Mac OSX, the scanning software has already outsourced by the third party software. This scanner works with Mac OSX but you need to upgrade your scanning software to the third party software - SilverFast Ai 6.0 or SE 6.0 from
http://umax.com/scanners/index.jsp?cate=Scanners%3A+Scanning+Software ( near the bottom of the web page ). The original software you have was designed for OS8~9 only so it doesn't support OSX. If you decide to use SilverFast software, please uninstall the original MagicScan first. Any more question please let us know.

Thanks,

Support
Techville Inc/Umax service
----- Original Message -----
From: Lindsay Abel
To: sales@UMAX.com ; macsupport@umaxcare.com ; professional@UMAX.com ; sales@umax.com.tw ; support@umax.de ; marketing@umax.de ; sales@umax.de
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 9:47 PM
Subject: PowerLook 1100 - US/English

It is safe to say, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER UMAX PRODUCT — EVER! I have had the PowerLook 1100 for at least 5 years, and I have been able to use it only about half of that time. Once Mac OS X upgraded, the Umax software did not follow suit and was incompatible. Today, I found a link to an update, but is the FTP site functional? HELL NO! It keeps timing out. Am I surprised? No. After all, the Web site was designed in what, 2001? Earlier? Don't you think it's time to UPGRADE. Probably not, after all, you do a piss-poor job of upgrading your scanning software. Actually, you don't do it at all. What a waste of $1000 of my hard-earned money.

So thank you being one of the WORST companies for customer service. Oh, and here is the link to the bad page, in case you're interested: ftp://67.105.101.99/powercolor/pcolor43m.sea.hqx

But I HIGHLY doubt anyone will do anything about it.

Lindsay Abel Design

[Drorain]

Yah I got a umax freebie from work, and have become proud owner of a new paperweight. I looked up the drivers for osx…of course these only work for the serial connection not the usb…then you need to pay for the drivers!

Such crap, I’m going to ebay it cause it’s just taking up space, either that or take a hammer to it like office space.

[PrintDriver]

Hello.
The scanner is 5 YEARS old (or free.)
Be happy there is even a driver that works for it in OSX.
I have a Microtek scanner at home that I have to access in Classic using Photoshop 4!
There comes a point where hardware is no longer supported. For some things it comes sooner than later. I'm not crying because my 7 year old Heidelburg SCSI scanner has become a paperweight.

Check to see if the Universal Driver will work for you. If it's cheaper.
http://www.hamrick.com

[Silence04]

haha... well at least your Umax scanner even worked on OS X, they stopped making drivers for mine after OS 9...

Umax sucks anyway

[ElonGrad1997]

Yes, they do suck. I've had nothing but problems with Umax for 10 years! We're going back to the 3000 model scanner with the moving glass. They're flat out awful.

Edited to add: PrintDriver - they still offer the PowerLook 1120, and there is very little difference between the two. Even physically, the scanners are identical. So there is no reason why I should not be able to use the 1100. Five years old or not.

[PrintDriver]

Umax has always been good to me. They had the most cost effective models with light lids for quick scanning of film when no one else was even offering them. Others have eclipsed them now. My current quick scanner is a Canon.

No matter what you get or what the salesman says, obsolescence sets in at about 3 years. After that it's patches and driver downloads and headaches (something to do with consumerism...:rolleyes:).
Unless you go super high-end.

[MD]

We ran into the same problem here when we upgraded to 10.2. The hamrick software should work - it's ok but you should probably just invest in a new scanner. The prices have come down in the recent years and you can pick up something with similar specs for a little more than price as the Silverfast software. (which isn't that great anyways)