UMAX Astra MX3 OWNER’S GUIDE
TRADEMARKS UMAX is a trademark of UMAX Technologies, Inc. Astra is a trademark of UMAX Technologies, Inc. IBM PC/AT is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. MS-Windows, and Windows, are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. PageManager is a trademark of NewSoft Technology Corporation. Other names and trademarks appearing herein are trademarks of their respective holders. COPYRIGHT ©1999 UMAX Technologies, Inc.
Table of Contents CHAPTER 1. GETTING STARTED........................................7 Introduction.............................................................................................................7 Unpacking the Scanner..........................................................................................8 Package Contents .............................................................................................8 Getting to Know Your Scanner.................................................
Tips Help ..................................................................................................17 Scan Destination.............................................................................................17 File.............................................................................................................17 Printer.......................................................................................................19 E-mail......................................................
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Rotating/Inverting an Image.........................................................................36 Using VistaAccess - Direct Access ..................................................................37 Turning the Scanner Lamp On and Off.......................................................37 CHAPTER 4. PUSH BUTTON SCANNING .........................39 Configuring the Scanner Buttons......................................................................
Maintenance .........................................................................................................59 Cleaning...........................................................................................................59 APPENDIX A. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS..................60 APPENDIX B. USING THE OPTIONAL UNIVERSAL TRANSPARENCY COVER (UTC)........................................61 FCC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY ............................62 WARRANTY.......................................
Chapter 1. GETTING STARTED Introduction Thank you for purchasing the UMAX Astra MX3 scanner. This versatile unit is perfect for the home or office. Use this scanner to add variety and flare to your documents, or to help you share images with others. Before reading further, it’s important to note that this scanner is a Macintosh ® scanner. This manual is written for Macintosh users.
Unpacking the Scanner Your scanner package includes the cables and software you need to get the scanner up and running. The scanner package should contain all of the items listed below. If you do not find all of the listed items, contact the retailer where you purchased the scanner, or contact UMAX. For information about contacting UMAX directly, refer to Chapter 6. How to Get Help.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Getting to Know Your Scanner The graphics below identify the key scanner components. Object Glass Cover: A UTC “transparency cover” (shown) is an optional accessory. Slide Illumination Light (optional) Provides top lighting when scanning slides. Object Glass Glass surface on which documents or images are placed. Power Light Illuminates when scanner is plugged in.
System Requirements • • • • • • iMac or Macintosh ® Power PC or higher USB or SCSI port 32 MB RAM memory Macintosh OS 8.1 or higher CD-ROM drive 170+ MB of available hard disk space Installing the Software Installing Adobe Photoshop LE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Disable any virus-protection extensions and restart your computer. Insert the Adobe Photoshop LE CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. The Photoshop LE CD-ROM content window appears. Double-click on the Adobe Photoshop LE icon.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide To install the software: 1. Place the VistaScan CD in the CD-ROM drive and double-click on the VistaScan CD icon. 2. Double-click on the UMAX CD Installer icon. 3. Follow the instructions to complete installation of the software. Additional Software Please refer to the instructions that accompany the software for information on the installation and use of any additional software.
Checking Your Computer’s Connectors To use your scanner you need to understand what type of connectors you have on your computer. To determine the connector type, look at the back panel of your computer: • A USB port is a small slot ½” long and ¼” wide. Note: If your computer has a USB port, check to make sure that your computer's operating system supports USB. The following factory-installed operating systems support USB: Mac OS 8.1, Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2, 98 or NT.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide 2. computers and PCs is located on the back panel of the computer, or on a USB interface card. Plug the square connector end of this cable into the port located on the back panel of the scanner. Connecting the SCSI Cable If your Macintosh computer has a SCSI port, follow these instructions to connect the scanner to your computer. Note: If you do not already have your SCSI interface card installed in your computer, install it now.
Note: SCSI ID numbers 0 and 7 are used by the computer and by the hard drive. SCSI ID numbers 8 and 9 are settings for factory-use only and could cause damage to the scanner if used as a SCSI address for a peripheral. Connecting the optional UTC (Universal Transparency Cover) Cable Note: The Universal Transparency Cover is available as an optional accessory. With the UTC, you’ll be able to scan slides and other transmissive media. 1. Locate the UTC cable connected to the back end of the UTC cover.
Chapter 2. SCANNING BASICS VistaScan is the primary program or driver you use to scan with your Astra MX3 scanner. It is a TWAIN-compliant program, which means that it can be run from other programs that support scanning, such as Adobe Photoshop LE or OmniPage. It is also a stand-alone program, which allows you to scan images for a variety of uses, without launching another program first. To open VistaScan as a stand alone program: Double-click on the VistaScan D.A.
Setting VistaScan Preferences Preferences control scanner settings that you generally do not modify every time you use the scanner. The Preference settings are used as the default settings for several of the scan settings. To access the VistaScan Preferences: Click on the Preferences icon in the upper right corner of the VistaScan window.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Click on the MagicMatch checkbox (so a checkmark appears) to open the Profile List. Note: The MagicMatch checkbox option is available only in advanced mode. A profile contains calibration data for a specific printer, which MagicMatch uses to render a final output image. If a printer or calibration profile is not chosen, MagicMatch will calibrate the image to optimize its display on a monitor. MagicMatch only functions when you are scanning in color mode.
2. 18 Click on the pop-up menu next to File Format and select one of the file types.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide 3. 4. Click on the Setting button. Click on the New folder button. Type in the name of your new folder. Click Create. Type the name of your scan in the field and click Save. Printer To specify which printer to use when printing scanned images: 1. Click on the Printer icon. The printer currently selected as the default appears to the right of the Scan To icon set. 2. Click on the Settings button to open Page Setup.
2. Click on the Settings button to open Page Setup. Make any changes you want, and then click OK to return to the Preference settings. Click on the Chooser button to open the Mac Chooser. Application 1. Click on the Application icon to open application preferences. 2. To select an application, click on the Settings button to open the dialogue box and choose the application you want completed scans to open in. Click on the Select button to return to the preferences menu.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide VistaScan Beginner Window Features The VistaScan Beginner window appears when you launch VistaScan. The features of the VistaScan Beginner window let you scan a wide variety of documents, photos, and graphics. Just click a button. Scanning an item via the Beginner window consists of just a few steps: 1. 2. 3. Perform a preview scan of the item to be scanned by clicking on the Preview button.
Preview Tools There are three Preview tools in the VistaScan Beginner window. Zoom Tool Frame Tool Move Tool Zoom tool Lets you enlarge or reduce the view of the image in the Preview window. To use the Zoom tool: 1. 2. Once the preview image appears in the Preview window, click on the Magnifying Glass icon. Move your cursor into the Preview window and click. The image enlarges. To reduce the view size, press the Command key and click in the Preview window.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Selecting the Scan To Device or Application To specify the device or application to which you want to send the scanned item, click on the icon that represents this device or application. Note: The Scan To feature is available only when you open the stand alone VistaScan D.A. application. The icons include: File - Stores the scanned image in a file using the file name specified in the VistaScan Preferences. Print - Prints the scanned item on the default printer.
To specify the type of image you are going to scan, click on the icon that represents the type of item you want to scan. Printed Matter Settings icon Color Photos Settings icon Text/Lineart Settings icon Web Image Settings Clicking on any of these icons automatically starts the final scan process using the pre-defined scan settings. The scanned image is saved or sent to the device or application you specified by clicking on the Scan To icon.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Chapter 3. ADVANCED FEATURES The VistaScan Advanced window gives you the ability to adjust scanner settings individually for the type of document you are going to scan. If you are a novice computer user, you may want to use the VistaScan Beginner window until you are more familiar with VistaScan and the scanning process. The Beginner window options are preset to provide a quick and easy way to scan images. To enter the Advanced window, click on the VistaScan Advanced Button.
You can choose from the following settings: • • • Flatbed Reflective - Scans paper originals (non-transparencies) e.g., photographs, documents, and brochures. UTA (Transmissive) - Scans 4” x 5” or smaller photo transparencies. UTA (Negative) - Scans 4” x 5” photographic negatives. Note: For more information about scanning photo transparencies or negatives, refer to Appendix B. Using the Universal Transparency Cover (UTC). Changing the Image Mode VistaScan can scan a wide variety of image types.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide B/W Photo - Scans black-and-white photos using 256 shades of gray (ranging from white to black) so you get smooth shade transitions in your scanned image. B/W Photo, 14-bit- Scans a black-and-white photo using 14-bits of data to define each pixel. This setting produces more gray shade accuracy than the B/W Photo option, but also produces larger file sizes. B/W Document - Scans text documents, black-and-white line art, and other black-and-white documents.
Table 1. Resolution/File - Size Guidelines Resolution (dots per inch) 72 100 200 300 400 600 800 1200 Image Size 4x5 0.30 0.58 2.29 5.15 9.16 20.60 36.60 82.40 Image Size 5x7 0.53 1.00 4.01 9.01 16.00 36.10 64.10 144.20 Image Size 8.5x11 1.39 2.68 10.70 24.10 42.80 96.30 171.20 385.20 NOTE: Choosing the True Color RGB 42-bit setting captures more data than the 24-bit setting. This means that the file sizes listed above will be larger if you scanned images using the True Color 42-bit RGB setting.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Changing the Descreen Feature The Descreen option helps eliminate the patterns that can appear when you scan printed images found in magazines, brochures, catalogues, etc. This is accomplished by changing the number of lines that appear in every inch (lines per inch) of the scanned image. Note: The Descreen feature is unavailable when you have chosen the B/W Document, Fax or OCR resolution settings. To change the Descreen setting: 1. 2.
Changing the Scale Factor Scaling lets you automatically enlarge or reduce an image from its original size (100%) as it is scanned. You can scale the image by selecting any of the scale factors listed below: • • • • • • • 10% 25% 50% 100% 150% 200% Custom - Specify a custom scale setting by selecting the Custom option from the Scaling pop-up menu. To define the custom scaling settings: 1. 2. 3. Choose the Custom option from the Scaling pop-up menu.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Note: To use VistaScan online help you must have a browser installed on the system. 4. Click on the Auto Adjustment check box. The selected area is adjusted and the preview image refreshes, displaying the results you can expect when you perform the final scan. Using the Scan Control Unit The Scan Control unit contains the Preview and Scan buttons, and the Scan To options.
Using the Multiple Scan Modes You can select multiple portions of the image scanned in Preview mode using the Multiple Frame tool. To create more than one selection frame: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Scan an image in Preview scan mode and click on the Multiple Frame tool. To select the area of the preview scan you want contained in the first frame, click on the point at which you want to begin the frame, and then drag the tool diagonally until the area of interest is contained in the marquis box.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide 2. 3. Click on the thumbnail of the frame you want to remove. A red box appears around the selected thumbnail. Click on the X button, located in the bottom-left corner of the thumbnail, to remove the frame. Using the Color Adjustment Features The Color Adjustment features allow you to make adjustments to the colors and/or tones in an image.
Using the Contrast Bar This setting controls the difference between light and dark areas in an image. Moving the slider on the scroll bar to the right decreases the gray shades between light and dark areas. Moving it to the left increases the gray shades between light and dark areas. The default setting is zero 0. The maximum contrast setting is 100. The minimum setting is -100. Highlight Bar This setting defines the lightest (whitest) tones in the scanned image.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide corrects the gray/color values in an image. You change the values by altering the shape of the curve that represents the brightness values of pixels. Click Reset to cancel the changes and return the value to the default setting. Adjusting the Color Balance The Color Adjustment feature controls the hue and saturation of a particular color. When you click on the Color Balance tab from the Color Adjustments panel, a continuous color spectrum wheel appears.
When you click in the wheel the image tones of the preview image are shifted to the particular hue that is represented in that area. Click on the Reset button to cancel the changes and return the value to default setting. Rotating/Inverting an Image You can rotate an image clockwise or counter clockwise, and you can flip images 180°vertically or horizontally.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Using VistaAccess - Direct Access VistaAccess is a utility that provides instant access to several MX3 Scanner settings. Note: You access VistaAccess from the Control Strip on your desktop. If you do not have the Control Strip feature installed on your Macintosh computer, you can install it from the Macintosh OS CD-ROM To use VistaAccess: Click on the VistaScan icon on the Control Strip. (It looks like a scanner.
The Power Saving window appears at the bottom-right corner of your desktop by default when you close VistaScan. To turn the scanner lamp off: Click on the image of the scanner in the Power Saving utility window. After a second or two, the light in the scanner image goes out, and your scanner lamp is turned off. To turn the scanner lamp on: Open the VistaScan software, or simply click on the scanner image in the Power Saving utility window. Note: The scanner lamp is different from the Power Indicator light.
Chapter 4. PUSH BUTTON SCANNING The defining feature of the Astra MX3 is its push button functionality. You can scan an image to e-mail, perform OCR (optical character recognition), or even use the scanner as a copy machine by pushing one of the three buttons on the front panel of the scanner. You can increase your productivity by accessing all of the normal scanner functions without having to launch the software applications through the onscreen interface.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. appears, navigate to the location of the application you want, select it and click on the Open button. The new application will be added to the Scan To menu. Default is Adobe Photoshop LE. Choose the document type. Select Color Photo, B/W Photo or B/W Document. Default is Color Photo Set the resolution. Select 72, 150, 300, or 600 dpi. Default is 150 dpi. Set the Brightness. Select from Lightest to Darkest. Default is normal brightness. Select a Scan Source. This is the type of image.
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4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Select the desired resolution by clicking on the arrow to the right of the Resolution field and choosing one of resolution presets from the pulldown menu. Select a scanning intensity level (brightness) by clicking on the arrow to the right of the Brightness field and choosing the desired brightness level from the pull-down menu. Original indicates the type of material the original image is printed on.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Note: The Custom icon controls the values for both the E-mail and OCR (optical character recognition) features. You configure the variables for each function separately. To configure the Custom button for the E-mail function: 1. If the E-mail icon is not selected, (enclosed in a red box) click on the Email icon. 2.
8. Click on the OK button to save the Custom E-mail push button configuration settings. The Custom setting is now configured to scan and send the scanned image to the selected e-mail application. Note: You can also click on the Default button to return the values in each field to the default settings. Then click OK save these values for the e-mail function of the Custom button. To configure the Custom button to scan an OCR a document: 1. 2.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Chapter 5. SCANNING PROJECTS The UMAX Astra MX3 scanner includes bundled software to help you with a variety of tasks. This chapter shows you how to print a scan, scan a photo to email, make a personalized calendar, create Web-ready images, and even turn a page of text into an online text document that you can edit. Scan and Print Images with VistaScan 1.
Scan a Photo to E--mail Using VistaScan Scanning an image to e-mail is similar to the procedure described in the Scan and Print Images with VistaScan section earlier in this guide. Follow steps 1 through 3 as listed in the Scan and Print instructions, and then proceed with the following steps: 1. In the Scan to options, click on the E-mail icon to set the scanner settings to the best values for scanning an image to e-mail.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide 2. 3. 4. Double-click on the OmniPage Ltd. Ed folder. Double-click on the OmniPage Limited Edition application icon. An OmniPage toolbar appears. (If the toolbar does not appear, click on the Window pull down menu and select Show Toolbar). Click Select Scanner from the Settings menu. Select UMAX Astra Series then click OK. Converting Scanned Text with OmniPage LE 1. 2. 3. 4. Position the image you want to scan face-down on the scanner’s object glass.
Creating a Photo Album 1. 2. 3. Click on the Create button, and then click on the Template button. Choose an album template category by selecting one of the category icons in the column on the left. Display the available template outlines by clicking on the template thumbnail. Browse through the template thumbnails using the scroll bar. Note: Clicking on the thumbnail displays a description of the layout.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide 10. Specify the area to be scanned in the final scan using the VistaScan Frame Tool. 11. Click on the Color Photos icon in the Click to Scan area of the VistaScan Beginner window. The scanner performs the final, high-resolution scan. Note: For PC Users: After the scan is complete, click on the Exit button. 12. A thumbnail of the image you just scanned appears in the Photo Browser window. 13. Click and drag this image into the spaces that read, “Put Photo Here!” 14.
Chapter 6. HOW TO GET HELP The Astra MX3 scanner has been designed to be reliable, easy-to-install, and easy-to-use. If you encounter any problems while installing or using your scanner, please follow the solutions outlined below. • • • Consult the online manual Read the troubleshooting section below Contact UMAX directly Using Online Manuals All bundled software comes with online help, which essentially is an online manual.
Accessing the Caere OmniPage Online Manual 1. 2. 3. Double-click on the Hard Drive icon on the desktop. Double-click on the OmniPage LE folder. Double-click OmniPage Ltd.pdf. (If you receive an error, please install Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.01. See Installing Acrobat Reader below for instructions.) Installing Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.01 To read some of the online manuals for the included software, you need to use Adobe Acrobat Reader.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Problem: When I daisy chain the scanner with other USB capable devices, I get a scanner error. Solution: Many Macintosh computers have at least two USB ports. We recommend that you connect your scanner directly to one of these ports. Daisy-chaining the scanner, or running the scanner through a hub can cause the signal to be lost before it is communicated to your computer.
Problem: The following error message appeared: “Error: Not Enough Power to Function” Solution: The Macintosh OS generates this message if: • • • A device draws too much power from the USB bus One or more devices plugged into a hub require more power than is available You attached a self-powered device (such as a printer or floppy drive) to your computer without plugging it into an electrical outlet. Remove all other devices from the USB chain, so the scanner is the only device on the USB chain.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide 3. Go to the Devices & Volumes tab. Verify the scanner is listed under the USB tree as: Class: 0 Product ID: 16 Vendor ID: 5638 If not: 1. 2. 3. Disconnect the USB cable from the computer. Go to Command, Update All Information (Command + U). Reconnect the scanner, and Update All Information again. Is the scanner listed? If yes, you can begin scanning. If no, please call UMAX Technical Support.
Solution: If you get one of the messages above when you run the scanner test or when you try to access the scanner, verify the items below: • • • • • Make sure the ready light on front of the scanner is solid and not blinking. If you are using a PC computer, make sure your SCSI card is showing up properly in the Device Manager. If you are using a PC computer, make sure the scanner shows up in the Device Manager.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Re-Install the Software If you are using a Macintosh computer, follow the instructions below to delete and reinstall VistaScan. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Drag the VistaScan folder and all other references to VistaScan to the Trash. Empty the Trash to complete the software removal process. Drag the VistaScan folder off the VistaScan CD onto your desktop. Restart your Macintosh holding down the shift keys to be sure that the extensions are turned off when you restart your system.
Contacting Technical Support UMAX Astra scanners are designed to be reliable, easy-to-install, and easy-touse. If you encounter any problems while installing your scanner: • • • • Check out the UMAX Web site at www.umax.com/support E-mail UMAX with your technical support question at: support@umaxcare.com Call UMAX technical support (214)739-1915 Contact your dealer or call the UMAX support line between 9 A.M. - 5 P .M. (CST), Monday-Friday, at (214) 739-1915.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Maintenance With the exception of periodic cleaning, the scanner is virtually maintenancefree. Please read the following section to learn how to properly maintain the scanner. Cleaning Regularly cleaning the object glass will ensure that dirt or smudges will not reduce the quality of your scanned images. Before you clean the glass, make sure the scanner is turned off and the power cord is unplugged.
Appendix A. Technical Specifications The following table defines the technical specifications for the Astra MX3 scanner. Scanner Type Scanning Element Optical Resolution Maximum Resolution Color Density Light Source 1-pass color flatbed Color CCD 600 dpi x 1200 dpi 9600 dpi x 9600 dpi 36-bit color Cold Cathode Lamp Optics Enclosed Optical System Interface Operating System Astra MX3 - USB and SCSI-2 Astra MX3 - Windows 95, 98, Mac OS 8.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Appendix B. Using the Optional Universal Transparency Cover (UTC) This scanner is capable of capturing transmissive images with a UTC, which gives you the capability to scan slides and transparencies. It can be difficult to get a great scan from negatives. Negative film normally contains an emulsion that affects the color of the image when scanned. Other transmissive images may appear clear, but negatives often have a muddy, brown, gray or orange tint to the image.
FCC Declaration of Conformity Declares that the products: Product Name: Color Scanner Model No.: Astra MX3 FCC Rules: Tested to comply with FCC Part 15, Class B Operating Environment: For home or office use: FCC Compliance Statement: This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules.
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide Position/Title: President Signature: 63
Warranty One Year Limited Warranty UMAX Technologies, Inc. (UMAX) warrants this hardware product against defects in material and workmanship for a period of ONE (1) YEAR from the original date of purchase. Should any defect(s) be discovered, the product may be returned either to the manufacturer or an authorized UMAX service center.
Index A accessing online manuals, 49 Acrobat reader, installation, 50 adjusting brightness, tone, color, 32 album, creating with PhotoAlbum, 46 application, image destination, 19 archiving scanned images, 46 Astra MX3 Back Panel, 9 B basic scanning information, 15 black and white images, scanning, 26 blurring images, 28 brightness adjustment, 32 C changing scale factors, 29 changing the document source, 24 checking connectors, 12 choosing a printer, 18 cleaning the scanner, 57 color adjustment, 32 Color A
I iMac cable connection, 12 image destinations, 22 image tone adjustment, 33 image type settings, 22 image types you can scan, 25 installing Acrobat reader, 50 installing the Hardware, 11 interface connectors, 12 J job list window, 31 L light/dark settings adjustment, 29 M Macintosh Requirements, 10 MagicMatch, 17 maintenance, 57 Move tool, 21 moving an image, 21 Multiple Frame tool, usage, 31 multiple scan mode, 31 O object glass, 9 OCR, optical character recognition, 26, 45 OmniPage online manual, acc
UMAX Astra MX3 Owner’s Guide SCSI connector, 12 SCSI ID, 14 selecting image destination, 22 selecting image type, 22 selecting multiple frames, 31 selecting scan destinations, advanced, 30 selecting the area of an image, 21 sending images to applications, 19 setting up the scanner, 12 setting VistaScan preferences, 16 shadows, mid-level tone adjustment, 33 sharpening image lines, 28 Show Ruler, 17 specifications, scanner, 58 System Requirements, 10 T Tips Help, 17 tone adjustment, 32 tools, VistaScan Begi
