UMAX has two new scanners for the Mac. They’re both USB and aimed at the consumer market. The Astra MX3 is a Mac-oriented flatbed scanner with both USB and SCSI ports, while the Astra 4000U is a 1200 x 2400 dpi scanner with only a USB port.
Some common features the two scanners share are 36-bit color depth (enhanced to 42-bit), USB, and an option for a transparency adapter which replaces the cover.
The Astra MX3 scanner has an optical resolution of 600 x 1200 dpi and has a scan area of 8.5 x 11.7 inches. It has three buttons on the front for one-push scanning and copying.. The MX3 is now shipping and has an estimated street price of US$179.
The Astra 4000U scanner has an optical resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi and has a scan area of 8.5 x 14 inches. It will be available before the end of this month for the suggested retail price of $399.
