Rangefinder Magazine
December 2005

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First Exposure Bob Rose
Epson Expression 10000XL Scanner
Large Format Scanning for the Pro

WHEN IT COMES to reliability and hard working daily use, the Epson Expression series of scanners have always come to mind. First introduced to the U.S. almost 10 years ago, they showed Epson’s determination to satisfy the small market of users who were prepared to pay the price for extra durability and performance. Fortunately, as with most electronic devices today, the pricing for this performance is not at such a premium anymore. And the Epson Expression 10000XL is a worthy successor to the Expression 1640XL, which it replaces.

Epson Expression 10000XL Photo Scanner with film boxes to show relative size

With the capability to support media up to 12.2x17.2 inches, it’s not your average size box. Fortunately, Epson’s found a way to fit a lot of scanner into about a 26-inch-wide space. Give yourself 21 inches of depth to account for the wires coming out of the back and 22 inches of height to clear the top of the lid when it’s raised. The unit weighs in around 40 pounds as tested.

Available in two configurations, the base unit is the Graphic Arts model, which comes out of the box with a respectable selection of software and is ready to scan reflective media (prints). The version I tested is the Photo configuration, which includes the complete Graphic Arts package along with some extra software and the Accessory Transparency Unit that replaces the standard lid and adds the capability to scan film up to 11.4x15.5 inches. There’s also an accessory Automatic Document feeder available for high-volume sheet-paper scanning, but I didn’t get one for this review.

The Expression 10000XL offers the highest resolution in its class. Providing 2400x4800 dpi maximum hardware resolution, which is 50 percent higher than its predecessor, it scans more than 20 percent faster. Interpolated resolution gives you the ability to scan up to 12800x12800 dpi while color depth has been extended to 48-bits and the dynamic range is now up to 3.8. While these specs alone match those of many dedicated drum scanners, Epson has brought even more magic to the table. As Epson explains it, the performance I experienced is also due to the “unique ColorTrue® II Imaging System,” an advanced technology that integrates superior hardware, optics and image processing to achieve ultra-sharp, high-quality scans with accurate color reproduction and reduced noise”

Epson Expression 10000XL open view of document table	Epson Expression 10000XL with one film holder and transparency unit open	Close-up view of film holders

Setup and operation are simple. A scanner transport lock slides up out of the way to allow the power cord to plug into the back of the base unit. The Transparency Unit cable plugs in the base as well. I used both the FireWire and USB2 connections (a USB2 cable is included) and found no significant difference between the two, although if you have to be more than 15 feet from your computer, I’d recommend using the optional network card instead of a repeater. And, since the Epson Scan software was the same version for Windows and OSX, all menus were identical, so I could switch back and forth between the two computers quite seamlessly. You’re also compatible backwards to WIN98SE and OS8.6, but the older operating systems may limit some of the system features.

Although Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 is included, I used Photoshop CS instead, because it was already there, but the scanning software should work with any TWAIN-compliant application if you have another favorite. Monaco EZcolor and an IT8 print target are also included, so it’s easy enough to profile your scanner for reflective media. You’ll have to provide your own IT8 film target in order to profile for transparencies. And, if you need editable text, ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR software provides that capability.

If you are using the Photo version of the scanner (or purchased the Transparency Unit for the Graphic Arts version) you get eight very nicely designed film holders and a film guide rail. There are four different sizes so you can handle up to four 6-frame-long strips of 35mm, fifteen 2x2-inch mounted slides, three 17cm strips of 120 film and four sheets of 4x5 film. And there are two of each size because that’s how many will fit on the scanner at one time. This all translates into being able to scan: 48 frames of 35mm, 30 mounted slides, six frames of 6x17, or eight sheets of 4x5—all in one pass.

Thumbnail page view	Thumbnail zoom view

While a very complete operating manual is installed on your computer along with the basic Epson Scan software, the unit actually comes with a very good 94-page printed User’s Guide—quite a welcome change in this day of virtual manuals.

If you’ve used a scanner before, the menus are fairly intuitive and you only have to dig into the manual to find out about unique features. And if you haven’t used a scanner prior to this one, Epson thoughtfully offers three modes of operation—Home, Office and Professional. Each mode provides just the right amount of controls to get the job done. I selected Professional mode to give me access to all of the features.

Once you place the media on the document table and close the cover you’re ready to scan. Click on “Preview,” and in a few seconds you’ll see the scan start to appear on the imaging window of the program. Once it’s fully there, you can make any adjustments that are required (color, contrast, cropping, scaling, filters, etc.) and then click on “Scan” and the final imaging will take place. And it’s pretty quick—a 2400dpi scan of a 35mm transparency produces a 16Mb file in a little over a minute. Of course you can go all the way and get a 459MB file at 12800dpi, but that takes about 10 minutes.

Full range of pro adjustments (note: Tone Curve Viewer shows effect of Color Restoration)

So far I’ve only described a fairly generic scanning operation. But load up two film holders with slides, click on the “Thumbnail” view, then “Preview” and see what happens. In two to three minutes, instead of big blocks of film, every single shot has been captured and positioned up on the screen in groups of 12. The entire sequence is numbered, and you have control over image rotation and orientation as well as the ability to view an enlarged thumbnail with the option to select or deselect each for the final scan. Individual adjustments can be made to each image or if you choose, you can also make global changes to the entire batch. Now press the “Scan” button and walk away—30 separate scans are going to be made and processed while you’re taking your coffee break!

Similar functionality is possible with other formats. By indicating the areas you want to scan and modify with the Marquee tool, you have this advanced capability to batch scan from anywhere on the document table. Up to 50 Marquees can be drawn, and you can even apply more than one Marquee to a single image if there are multiple requirements.

But that’s not all. Epson has also integrated some great ways to enhance the image quality. Although there are plenty of automatic operations and individual controls to give you access to fine tuning your work, there are also settings for descreening—to reduce the moiré pattern when scanning printed materials; unsharp mask filtering; automatic dust removal—to digitally retouch the dust spots; automatic grain reduction; and my personal favorite, automatic color restoration—to improve the quality of faded images.

Before and after results of Color Restoration	Full screen view of batch scan showing Expert Mode controls

The algorithm that Epson has developed to help restore color is remarkable. I tried it on both prints and transparencies and consistently surprised myself with how well it worked and how little it distorted the image curves. Plus, you have the added benefit of seeing the effect with the click of your mouse. And it doesn’t slow down the processing if you decide to apply it. Automatic dust removal is a great idea too, but because it requires multiple scans to determine what is a “good” image and what is not (dust), it can take a long time with large scans.

It’s also neat to see that while the optical system in the Expression 10000XL is autofocus, you also have manual override and can set it for a point anywhere up to 6mm above the surface of the document table. Depth of focus is quite good too, so if you like to scan objects with a bit of dimension, you’re going to like the results.

The Photo version includes Silverfast Ai 6, which brings an entire new level of sophistication to your operation. Use it instead of the Epson Scan software when you want to implement even more selective control over each image. It’s a good choice when you have especially large batch scanning requirements too.

Silverfast Ai animated tutorial

Although it’s not as intuitive as the Epson Scan software, Silverfast includes an animated tutorial as part of the install to help ease you through the process. And the ScanPilot feature appears as desired to walk you step-by-step through the entire scanning process, which offers both automatic settings and full manual controls.

The Epson Expression 10000XL Photo provides the right combination of features and performance for any serious photographer or imaging professional. Although the suggested street price of $2999 might be more than most people initially budget for a scanner, it’s literally a fraction of the price of what a somewhat comparable device used to be. And the quality of the images, plus the automatic unattended operation means it saves time and gives the results that I want—that’s true payback.