How to choose a scanner for Regent Instruments software applications

Scanners sold by Regent Instruments

Scanners for Regent Instruments products

	Very Small Area	Standard Area		Large Area
	VSA600P	LC2400P	STD4800	LA2400
Description	A portable, autonomous scanner	An affordable and portable scanner	Stunning image quality, fast and built to last	A good, versatile & fast large area scanner
Portable / Requires computer to scan (Portable = can be used in field)	Yes / No	Yes / Yes	No / Yes	No / Yes
Optical resolution DPI / Minimum pixel size (mm) (DPI = dots per inch)	600 / 0.042	2400 / 0.011	4800 / 0.005	2400 / 0.011
Speed	Slow	Fast	Fast+	Fast
Max. Scan Area (cm)	10x15	21.6x28	21.6x28	30x43
Max. Scan Area (cm) SLS / Included or not (to scan thick objects such as roots, seeds or needles).	--	--	20x25/Included	30x42/Optional
Bits per pixel (Grey levels/Color)	8/24	16/48	16/48	16/48
Interface: S=SCSI, U=USB, U2=USB 2, F=Firewire (optional), P= Parallel	U/Compact Flash	U2	U2/F	U2/F
TWAIN driver / File Transfer	No / Yes	Yes / Yes	Yes / Yes	Yes / Yes

Recommended for WinFOLIA	Yes Portable. Can be used in fields with or without a computer.	Yes Portable. Can be used in fields with a computer.	Yes Fast, precise and versatile.	Yes Fast, precise and versatile.
Recommended for WinRHIZO	No	No	Yes	Yes
Recommended for WinSEEDLE	No	No	Yes	Yes
Recommended for WinCAM	Contact us	Contact us	Contact us	Contact us
Recommended for WinDENDRO	No	No	Yes Very high image quality. Not suitable for samples larger than its max scan area (the scanner glass is not at the same level as the surrounding plastic edges).	Yes High image quality. Suitable for large samples even those larger than its max scan area (the scanner glass is at the same level as the surrounding plastic edges).
* Longer scan area available. Contact us for details. Included with all scanners - 1 year warranty. Manufacturer's manuals and utility software to acquire images. Option - Carrying case (contact us)

Note 1: STD (Standard) and LA (Large Area) scanners are commercial grade, LC (Low Cost) scanners are consumer grade.

Note 2: The VSA600P portable scanner can scan and store images on memory cards (not included) like those used in digital cameras without being connected to a computer. It can also scan images directly to a computer via its USB connection. It can be powered by batteries (not included) or the computer.

Note 3: "-II" appended to a scanner name means it is the second generation for that scanner model, "-III" means it is the third and so one.

Scanners are not created equal

1-Optical resolution and minimum pixel size
These two specifications are related. A higher resolution is better (pixel size is smaller). The optical resolution is the highest resolution at which the images are scanned without interpolation. Maximum resolution is the highest resolution a scanner can produce with interpolation. Interpolated resolution is calculated after the scanner adds theoretical pixels to an image, it averages the colors of neighboring pixels to create additional pixels; something which may help to enhance details already seen by the scanner. The goal for a good scanner is to achieve the best resolvability to distinguish fine details (like tree-ring transitions). There are large differences among scanners and sometimes their theoretical specifications do not match their actual performances. This is because it is not only the sampling frequency (dpi) that is important but also the quality of the optical, electronic and mechanical components. Even if you don't plan to scan at 2000 dpi, a 2000 dpi scanner usually produce better scans at 600 dpi than a 600 dpi scanner.

Click to View Scanners Comparison Images

2-TWAIN versus File Transfer:
There are two ways to acquire images for use with Regent's image analysis programs:
TWAIN is standard software protocol that regulates communication between software applications and imaging devices such as scanners. With twain drivers, an application that requires the acquisition of images can activate the scanning process and load the resulting images directly into system memory.
File Transfer is the process by which an image file is created through the use of the general scanning software that comes with the scanner, saved to disk and then opened (or transferred) with a second imaging application. Thus, this process is slower because it involves two extra steps: the saving to disk and opening of the files.

Why buy a scanner from Regent Instruments ?

1- Compatibility.
You are sure that the scanner, its accessories (see below) and software program(s) will work together as expected. Some features in our programs will only work for the scanners that we sell (we cannot adapt them to all existing models).

2- Technical Assistance.
We only provide technical assistance for scanners that we sell. In case you have difficulties installing or using it, it is easy to help you with scanners that we know and have at hand.

3- Calibration for precise measurements.
Scanners are made mainly for artistic applications. We calibrate our scanners with extremely precise standards. This calibration is automatically used by our programs to compensate for differences among scanners so that data produced by different models or different units of the same model will give more similar results (when you ask a scanner to scan at 400 dpi it might scan at 380, this is what our calibration compensates for). Our calibration also compensate for differences when using a single scanner under different conditions such as when measuring an object at various orientation on its scan area and, for dual lenses scanners, when using different lenses.

4- Reliability and image quality.
You get a scanner that is well adapted (fast, precise and reliable) for long term repetitive scientific measurements. See 1-Optical resolution and minimum pixel size above for additional information.

5- Suitability.
Our scanners do not exhibit the shadow problems for seeds, needles and root scanning.

6- Accessories for faster and easier scanning. These include trays of different sizes to scan immersed roots and positioning systems. These accessories allow to do repetitive tasks such as placing samples at the same position on the scanner (to bypass the preview step) or to scan with an adapted color contrasting background. Another example is the cover raiser that allows to scan thick objects like roots in our trays. Accessories can easily be removed and installed by the user in a few seconds.

7- Additional instruction manuals. They teach how to install the scanner and our accessories and how to scan biological samples for analysis with our programs. They will help you get the best images from your scanner and will save you time by giving you some tips about the scanner that you have purchased.

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Last Revision: November 17, 2008