COOL NEWS:

Colortrac's innovative SmartLF Ci 40 large format scanner ships.

While we were on vacation, Colortrac Ltd announced its long-awaited SmartLF Ci 40 range of 40" wide (42" media width), 600 dpi optical resolution, CIS-based technical document wide format scanners.

As a result, we were not first with this news when it was hot. However, Scanners4CAD can now bring its pot back to the boil with two exclusive news items.

First, after a delay of some three weeks, Colortrac has now begun to ship the new SmartLF Ci 40 from its St Ives, Cambs, UK, factory. Second, this unique large format scanner is now shipping as Colortrac's first ENERGY STAR qualified large format scanner.

It has been suggested that there are now over 70 different wide format scanner models to choose from. What is remarkable is that all 70 share much the same design. The only large format scanner that is at all different is the new SmartLF Ci 40. Colortrac claim its "clamshell" design is "the 21st Century's first radical innovation in large format scanning."

The difference is clear to see. Raise the hood on any Contex, its many OEM variants, Graphtec, Image Access or even another Colortrac Cx or Gx scanner and they will all look much the same inside. Open the SmartLF Ci 40 and its method of paper transport is clearly different, proof that Colortrac is unafraid to innovate. But better, look at the aggressively low price tag. The unique new SmartLF Ci 40 is also the most affordable 40" wide scanner today.

In the USA, the SmartLF Ci 40 is far and away the least expensive large format scanner. The top-of-the-range SmartLF Ci 40 - the fast colour Ci 40e - costs considerably less than the bottom-of-the-range Contex SD series scanner - the monochrome SD4410 - and bottom-of-the-range Graphtec scanners. In the UK, the SmartLF Ci 40e costs less than the bottom-of-the-range Contex SD series colour scanner - the SD4430 - and costs only slightly more than the least expensive Graphtec scanner - the 36" CSX300.

As such, the new SmartLF Ci 40 promises cost-conscious CAD users much. We look forward to reviewing it. We are keen to see what tangible wide format scanning benefits its innovative new design offers CAD users over the plethora of traditionally-built scanning devices.

Watch this space!

The SmartLF Ci 40's "unique" clamshell design

With the SmartLF Ci 40, Colortrac has ignored conventional wisdom and copycat design and pursued its own vision of an affordable, professional wide format technical document scanner. Its "unique" new SmartLF Ci 40 takes its inspiration from an earlier ANA Tech design. (ANA Tech was a US scanner manufacturer which Colortrac acquired in 1999).

What distinguishes the SmartLF Ci 40 from the herd and marks it out as unique among contemporary wide format scanners is that it has only one very large roller, (the long white central roller in the image on the right). Its media transport technology is based on what Colortrac call a "clamshell" design, first seen during the late 1990s in the original monochrome ANA Tech Eagle 3840, "a high-end, super accurate GIS scanner" according to Colortrac.

Colortrac say their design strategy is a "'back to the future' approach, re-purposing proven mechanical design concepts with the latest CIS sensor and digital electronics". The result, they claim, is "the 21st Century's first radical innovation in large format scanning." We have considered this claim and believe it to be largely true, simply because this new design is unlike that found in all other scanners.

With the exception of the SmartLF Ci 40, all of today's CCD and CIS scanners use multiple roller technology to feed a document through the scanner to exit at the rear. In the SmartLF Ci 40, the document is turned around the one large roller to exit at the front.

The SmartLF Ci 40's roller (aka Advanced Single Roller Paper Transport) is a precision engineered solid drum which draws the document through the scanner while applying even pressure on it across its width. Pressure from this patented solid roller technology provides both the pulling power and optimum, uniform document smoothness at the point of contact between the document and the spring-mounted CIS image sensors in the clamshell hood of the SmartLF Ci 40.

As the hood is moulded to fit closely around the drum when closed, Colortrac thought the "clamshell" name an appropriate description.

Colortrac claim that because rollers can only be machined to a certain uniformity tolerance whatever their size, one large, slowly revolving roller introduces less error than multiple small rollers that must complete many more revolutions per scan. They believe that this will make the Ci 40 the most accurate scanner available today.

Additionally, the SmartLF Ci 40 uses 2D LEDs to strobe white light onto the scanned document from two angles, not from one as found in other wide format scanners. This bi-directional illumination is claimed to further improve an already sharp image by reducing shadows in wrinkled and or folded documents. The combination of these and other imaging improvements, say Colortrac, gives the SmartLF Ci 40 improved scanned image accuracy, sharpness and colour quality - all at an unbeatable price.

We look forward to seeing these improvements in action.

ENERGY STAR qualified

Since announcing the SmartLF Ci 40 a few weeks ago, Colortrac has received notification that it is now an ENERGY STAR qualified wide format scanner, Colortrac's first.

Colortrac first described the Ci 40's energy-saving capability as "lower power requirements designed to comply with international energy saving standards", code for "we aim to qualify for full ENERGY STAR status as set out by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the EC (European Community)". This the SmartLF Ci 40 now does by powering down when idle to cut energy costs and make a small contribution to saving the planet from greenhouse gases.

A bit about the SmartLF Ci 40

The new SmartLF Ci 40 is now the most aggressively priced 40" colour large format scanner available on the market. Slurs of cheapness will inevitably be thrown at it by salesmen eager to sell higher priced products. Many buyers will pay more simply because they believe that higher-priced products must be better. "You get what you pay for" says conventional wisdom.

The need to pay more for quality performance when scanning technical drawings is a popular misconception well-exploited by salesmen who seldom provide proof of their statement. If you cared to look, claims for image quality in high priced CCD scanners do not always stack up. We see no reason why large format scanners should not cost less while offering higher levels of performance as technology and manufacturing processes advance.

Has the Colortrac SmartLF Ci 40 now got the potential to be the first wide format scanner to turn the technical document scanning market on its head? We will answer that when we review the scanner.

For this article, we have identified ten areas of interest to CAD users looking for useful background information on the SmartLF Ci 40. They are interface, scanned image quality, resolution, image width, media thickness, paper transport, software, speed, size and weight and price.

Interface

Face-up document feed has become standard. The SmartLF Ci 40 takes this useful feature further by being the only scanner to offer face-up, side or centre-justified feed with front-exit.

As many scanners are pushed up against office walls, rear drawing extraction can be awkward, especially in those models with no rewind. The SmartLF Ci 40's front-exit negates any need to rewind and makes it easy to collect drawings after scanning.

The SmartLF Ci 40 includes both USB 2.0 and 1Gbit Ethernet connectivity. Its Ethernet connectivity allows it to scan across an office network to any workstation or printer via its centre-mounted control panel.

Scanned Image Quality

We are reluctant to endorse Colortrac's claims for the SmartLF Ci 40's scanned image quality until we have had a chance to evaluate it.

However, one reason for the older Colortrac SmartLF Cx 40's popularity is its excellent price and performance with technical documents. We assume the SmartLF Ci 40 is Colortrac's attempt to further improve CIS technolgy while lowering the entry-level cost. We think it reasonable to expect that the combination of Colortrac's new clamshell design and its proven and improved CIS technology with new 2D LEDs will lead to some overall improvement in the sharpness and accuracy of its scans of technical drawings compared to the SmartLF Cx 40.

Resolution

Optical Resolution: 600 dpi
Interpolated Resolution: 9600 dpi

The SmartLF Ci 40 offers 600 dpi optical resolution, the same as that provided by Graphtec, Image Access and Contex in their HD Series but less than the 1200 dpi offered by Contex in their SD Series of technical document scanners.

As most technical documents are scanned at between 200 and 400 dpi optical resolution, 600 dpi is more than enough.

Image Width

Maximum Scan Width: 40" (1016 mm)
Maximum Media Width: 42" (1067 mm)

The SmartLF Ci 40 will scan all but the very largest, most unusual size documents. The most common large format drawing sizes are:

ANSI E-size: 34" x 44" (864 × 1118mm)
DIN A0-size: 33.1" x 46.8" (841 x 1189mm)
ARCH E-size: 36" x 48" (914 x 1219mm)

The 40" image width with 42" media width gives SmartLF Ci 40 users the ability to scan all of these drawing sizes in portrait mode. Portrait scans can be quickly rotated with either the supplied SmartLF All-in-One software or the optional ScanWorks professional scanning software which we would recommend to users needing better post-scan editing tools.

Scan length is unlimited by the scanner - you can scan a document as long as you want, so long as your PC has the resources to handle it.

Media Thickness

Attractive as the SmartLF Ci 40 is in most respects, the one area which is most likely to deter some buyers is the limited thickness of the media which it will scan.

The SmartLF Ci 40 is limited to 0.012" / 0.3mm media thickness, the thinnest of all wide format scanners. However, as a failure to scan standard technical documents in a technical document scanner would be disastrous for Colortrac, we are inclined to take their word for it that the SmartLF Ci 40 will scan all standard technical drawing media!

We look forward to testing it with our collection of motley mylars, transparencies and dog-eared print-outs - and newspaper.

Paper Transport

Colortrac claim that the SmartLF Ci 40 will scan newspaper. Most scanners can't do this unless in a protective plastic document carrier sheet.

In our experience, you really do not want to feed naked newspaper through a scanner. Both the Contex SD Series 4490 and Graphtec CSX300 concertina'd newspaper and got jammed when we tried it during our reviews.

That Colortrac are confidently making this claim indicates they believe their sold roller technology has placed them ahead of the game and that their paper feed mechanism is remarkably sensitive and reliable. While all scanner manufacturers advertise the excellence and reliability of their paper transport mechanisms none until now has been willing to guarantee it with their manhood on a block.

We shall bring an axe to our review!!

Software

The SmartLF Ci 40 is supplied with SmartLF All-in-One software for scanning, copying and emailing. SmartLF All-in-One software is as much as most undemanding buyers will need. It also supports WIA / STI but not Twain.

Professional software options are also available. ScanWorks scan-to-file software uses a "scan once, edit many" approach that makes it, in our view, the best technical document scanning software currently available. CopySmart scan-to-copy software simplifies document scanning and copying and is well-liked for its ease of use and many powerful professional colour features.

Like all Colortrac scanners, the SmartLF Ci 40 has a free ISIS driver for integrating any Colortrac scanner into EDM (Electronic Document Management) solutions.

Speed

In terms of published scanning speed, the older SmartLF Cx 40 and the Ci 40 are much the same, the SmartLF Ci 40 being fractionally faster in both monochrome and colour. We look forward to timing it on our test PC and seeing how it compares to other devices.

Size and Weight

The SmartLF Ci 40 is the lightest scanner available today and one of the most compact. At just 22kg (48.4 lbs), it is light and transportable enough to be taken away in the back seat of a family car to wherever technical drawings require to be scanned.

Price

Price is the major buying consideration for most buyers new to wide format scanning today. As the most aggressively priced 40" large format technical document scanner, the SmartLF Ci 40 should not disappoint the realistic buyer looking for both price and performance benefits.

	SmartLF Ci 40
m - Monochrome	£3995 / $5695
c - Colour	£4495 / $6595
e - Express Colour	£4995 / $7495

All SmartLF scanners are upgradeable by email. The only difference between the "c" and "e" colour models is colour scan speed.

UK Prices
The UK prices include SmartLF All-in-One Scan, Copy, Email scanning software but not a floorstand which costs £295. The UK warranty is a standard Two Year Return to Base (Northampton). Other warranty options are available.

US Prices
The US prices include SmartLF All-in-One Scan, Copy, Email scanning software but not a floorstand which costs $520. The US warranty is a standard Two Year Return to Base (Golden CO). Other warranty options are available.

Available accessories include the following.

	SmartLF Ci 40
Floorstand	£295 / $520
Catch basket	£95 / $162
ScanWorks scan-to-file software	£295 / $574
CopySmart scan-to-copy software	£295 / $574
ISIS Driver	Free On Request

The SmartLF Cx 40 versus the SmartLF Ci 40

Clearly, the SmartLF Ci 40 is uniquely different but does its clamshell design make it any better? And how does it compare to Colortrac's popular SmartLF Cx 40?

The proven SmartLF Cx 40 has been at the forefront of the CIS-based scanner invasion since 2006. Its attractive price and performance has made it a top-seller. In part this is due to its potent "scan once, edit many" ScanWorks productivity software which is now also available for the Ci 40.

We think the first question most CAD users' will ask about the SmartLF Ci 40 will be the much same as ours: "what's the difference between it and the SmartLF Cx 40? And which one is best for scanning technical documents?" This is a difficult question to answer. Other than the Ci 40's clamshell design, these are two similarly specified devices.

The difference between the SmartLF Cx 40 and the Ci 40

Two differences between these SmartLF models are an "x and an i"!

SmartLF	Cx 40	Ci 40
Technology	CIS	CIS
Paper Feed	Face-down	Face-up
Paper Justification	Side	Side or center
Paper Exit	Rear	Front
Image Width	40"	40"
Maximum Media Width	44"	42"
Maximum Media Thickness	0.08"/2mm	0.012"/0.3mm
Optical Resolution	600	600
Maximum Resolution	3600	9600
Colour Space	RAW RGB	sRGB
Illumination	Instant-on RGB LED	Instant-on 2D RGB LED
Transport System	Multiple 2+4 wheel drive	Single solid roller
Colour Scan Speed	3ips	3.33ips
Mono (B/W) Scan Speed	9ips	10ips
Touchpad	Walk-up	Walk-up / Wake-up
Network-ready	NO	YES
Connectivity	USB2	USB2 / Gigabit Ethernet
ENERGY STAR	NO	YES
Power Supply	Internal	External
Weight	73lbs / 33 kg	49lbs / 22kg
Price m - Monochrome	£4495 / $8295	£3995 / $5695
Price c - Colour	£4995 / $9895	£4495 / $6595
Price e - Express Colour	£5495 / $10895	£4995 / $7495
Includes Software	YES	YES

The SmartLF Cx 40 scans slightly wider and thicker media and uses proven CIS technology capable of providing sharp results with technical drawings.

The new and as yet unseen SmartLF Ci 40 has the edge in ENERGY STAR compliance, networking, more advanced technology (2D LEDs, single roller "clamshell" technology with front exit), scan speed, weight (it's smaller and more compact) and price.

Designed from the ground up to to provide industry-beating price and performance, the SmartLF Ci 40 appears to have much to offer the cost-conscious budget. Overall, it appears that the SmartLF Ci 40 is better specified than the more expensive Cx 40.

Colortrac do not intend that the SmartLF Ci 40 should replace the Cx 40, at least not in the short-term. Colortrac will offer both the SmartLF Cx 40 and the Ci 40 side-by-side. However, the SmartLF Ci 40 removes many of the reasons for buying the older Cx 40. Who will buy the SmartLF Cx 40 now that the Ci 40 is available?

All-in-all, the SmartLF Ci 40 appears to be an exciting new entry-level product, a typical Colortrac one - innovative and price-cutting. We look forward to reviewing it as soon as it is made available to us and seeing how it compares to other popular devices.

Conclusion

Colortrac is committed to CIS technology. The SmartLF Ci 40 is its fourth generation CIS wide format scanner if you include the 1995's ANA Tech Eagle 3840 SLI.

CIS is now widely regarded as the best imaging technology for scanning technical drawings. Colortrac played a huge part in making CIS technology mainstream.

With the design of the SmartLF Ci 40, Colortrac has given teeth to its claim to be the leading innovator in CIS-based large format scanning. However, it does so at the risk of confusing buyers. As the specifications of the SmartLF Ci and Cx 40 are so alike and both do much the same thing - scan 40" technical documents - potential buyers may be confused by their functional similarity.

It is quite likely that in future most CAD users will buy the new SmartLF Ci 40 because it has more useful extras like ENERGY STAR compliance and is network-ready. There is also the possibility that its image quality and accuracy will be better. But the main reason the SmartLF Ci 40 will be chosen over the Cx 40 is because it is more affordable. Unless Colortrac's resellers can find a really compelling reason to sell the SmartLF Cx 40, like a possible future need to occassionally accomodate slightly thicker technical document media, it looks like its days are numbered.

The SmartLF Ci 40 promises much at a lower price. It has a solid technical argument to support the superiority of its single precison ground roller. Will other manufacturers now follow Colortrac's lead with a similar, solid roller device which costs less and does more?

We look forward to evaluating the Ci 40. Watch this space!

Colortrac Limited:
www.colortrac.com

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