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Like its sibling, the ImageWave, Storm Technology's TotalScan is a inexpensive flatbed scanner that delivers excellent quality for the money. Where the ImageWave was targeted for an entry-level user, the TotalScan is marketed as a "total scanner solution:" all of the hardware and software you need to do everything from vanity scanning (pictures of the kids and the family pets) to SOHO trench work (desktop publishing, Web site scanning, document archiving, etc.).
The TotalScan boasts the following features:
The main hardware feature that distinguishes the TotalScan from the ImageWave is its 1200 x 600 dpi (as opposed to 600 x 300) resolution. The TotalScan also uses ClearScan II and Clear Print technologies (which are now offered with the ImageWave as well). ClearScan is color correction software that's built into EasyPhoto (Storm Technology's scanner and image-handling application). It sends the image through a "color pipeline" that corrects any inaccuracies, allegedly making for more accurate color reproduction. Clear Print helps to maintain that color accuracy during printing. The other standout feature of the TotalScan is its software suites. The unit ships with three software bundles for photo processing, document handling and Internet publishing. In the photo suite, you get EasyPhoto, Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.0 (think Hallmark meets Photoshop), Adobe ATM type management software and Adobe Acrobat document reader. The document suite has Pagis SE, a program for document management, emailing, faxing and OCR translation, and iPublish, a basic desktop publishing program. The Internet suite has iXLA (think paint-by-numbers Web publishing), Barking Cards (think Hallmark meets email), and a trial version of My-Website.com (think Kodak moments meet the home page). All-in-all, this is a great piece of hardware with some useful and some not-so-useful software. The image quality is superb and the new version of EasyPhoto is powerful and feature-rich. The only major problem I experienced was the scanning speed--its gawd-awfully slow--leave the room for a "biobreak" slow, Sylvester Stallone slow, U.S. Mail slow--you get the idea. I didn't do any comparisons with other scanners, but the TotalScan seems significantly slower than the rest. This isn't a big deal for me and what I need from a scanner, but I bet that if you had a steady diet of material to feed this little beast, the molasses-slow speed would become intolerable. I wonder if it's the ColorScan software that bogs it down? The software suites are nice, but I think most of the programs are as entry-level as what you get with the ImageWave. If you're going to do anything beyond vanity pages and casual desktop publishing, you'll still need Photoshop, Freehand, Dreamweaver, or similar graphic and HTML editing tools. When it comes down to it, the 1200 x 600 dpi is really the only meaningful difference between the ImageWave and the TotalScan, that and the fact that it's almost twice as much as the ImageWave (which now sells for $70 after rebate). If you need the higher resolution, the TotalScan is probably worth the extra bucks. Otherwise, I'd stick with the ImageWave. - Gareth Branwyn [6/22/98] Other scanners reviewed on Street Tech:
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