Epson America Inc. introduces two new flatbed scanners, the Epson Perfection 4990 PHOTO and Epson Perfection 4990 PRO scanners, available in early March for estimated street prices of $449 and $599, respectively.

They include Digital ICE advanced image restoration technology from Kodak/ASF which automatically repairs scratches, tears, bends and dust from a scanned image from both film and prints and Easy Photo Fix technology for color restoration and dust removal to automatically restore faded and damaged color photographs, slides or negatives.

Each scanner has a built-in 8-by-10-inch transparency unit (TPU) with a moving carriage and lamp optimized for film scans. The TPU includes film holders that support eight 35mm mounted slides, four 35mm film strips up to 24 frames, three to six medium-format frames or two 4-by-5-inch frames. It also has an 8- by-10-inch guide for transparencies and proof sheets without film holders, allowing for a larger volume of negative scanning.

Both models offer a maximum hardware resolution of 4800-by-9600 dpi, 48-bit color and up to 4.0 Dmax for color accuracy and image detail. The Epson ColorTrue II Imaging System achieves accurate color reproduction and reduced noise. They have both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connectivity. All bundled software is compatible with Macintosh OS X 10.2.x to OS X 10.3.x.