Frequently Asked Questions

NOTE: This section contains questions and answers pertaining to ALL of Mustek's scanners. If you need help with a particular error message or on a specific model, please see the Help by Scanner Model section.

Flatbed Scanners With A SCSI Interface

Make sure that you are using the SCSI cable that came with the scanner. SCSI devices are very dependent on signal strength and timing. Using longer cables changes the signal strength and timing and will frequently prevent the scanner from functioning normally. Exceeding 10' cable length is not advisable in any case.

If you are having difficulties using a different cable, try the Mustek cable to see if it will work. Mustek's cables have the number 20276 printed on the cable. If you must have a longer cable, contact Precision Cable at (503) 222-4323. Precision Cable manufactures a variety of cables to individual order. They are familiar with Mustek's product line.

Plug-n-Scan Series Scanners

Using third party cables with the Plug-n-Scan series scanners may degrade the signal strength and therefore the image quality. There are many cables available from retail vendors that have the same type of connectors as the Mustek cable, but do not have the same pinouts and will not work at all. If you need a longer cable, make sure you get one that conforms to the IEEE 1284 specification.

The cables supplied by Mustek comply with FCC regulations. If you use a different cable, responsibility for ensuring compliance with FCC regulations becomes yours.

What SCSI cards can I use with my scanner?

Mustek owners have successfully installed their scanners using a variety of third party SCSI cards; however, Mustek's Technical Support Department does not provide expertise on installation of SCSI cards that did not come from Mustek. If you are using a third party SCSI card and need help with it, you must call the manufacturer of your SCSI card.

If you call Mustek for assistance, please have a Mustek supplied SCSI card installed in your computer at the time of your call.

Which SCSI interface card does my scanner have?

Mustek scanners have had many different interface card types and revisions. Some TWAIN driver installations ask you to specify the type of interface card you are using. Click here to see each of the different interface cards along with configuration information such as I/O addresses and jumper settings.

Does Mustek make a PCI SCSI card?

Mustek now offers a PCI SCSI card for several current model scanners: the Paragon 1200 III SP, Paragon 1200 LS, Paragon A3 SP and Paragon 1200 A3 Pro.

These cards can be ordered from our Customer Service Department.

Customers with Paragon 1200 SP Pro and Paragon PowerPRO scanners may wish to try Adaptec's 2902 PCI SCSI card. Mustek Technical Support cannot provide troubleshooting assistance with this or other third-party cards.

Do I need a terminator?

PC With Windows

Mustek scanners do not require a SCSI terminator when used by themselves. If you attach the scanner at the end of a SCSI chain, you must attach a Passive SCSI terminator to the second SCSI port on the back of the scanner. Most of Mustek's interface cards are proprietary and do not support additional SCSI devices, therefore SCSI termination is only necessary when using the scanner with a third party SCSI card on a PC. Click here for more information on interface cards supplied with Mustek scanners.

Macintosh

Mustek scanners do not need to be terminated if they are used by themselves regardless of what the scanner user's manual might say. If you attach the scanner to a SCSI chain, it will require a terminator if placed as the last device in the chain.

If your installation parameters require a SCSI terminator, contact our Customer Service Department.

The SCSI I.D. Number

In situations where a SCSI chain is being used, it is important to take note of the SCSI I.D. number. The scanner has a small yellow dial located on the rear panel numbered 0-9. A small arrow notched into the dial should be pointing to the factory setting of #6.

In a SCSI chain, each device must have a unique I.D. number. If another SCSI device on your system is set to #6, you must change the scanner's I.D. to another number (although 8 and 9 are reserved for diagnostic use). Having SCSI devices sharing the same I.D. numbers will result in one or both devices not responding correctly.

If the scanner is your only SCSI device, or if you are using it with a proprietary card, the SCSI I.D. number should be set to #6.

Is my scanner 24-bit or 36-bit?

If the box your scanner came in says 36-bit, then it is a 36-bit scanner. 36-bit color yields a possibility of 68.7 billion unique colors and 24-bit color yields a possibility of 16.77 million unique colors.

Current video card technology only allows your monitor to display 24-bit color images. The main reason for this is that the human eye is not really capable of differentiating between all those ranges of color, so the computer industry chose a good margin for error.

What this means to you is that when an image is scanned, it is scanned in 36-bit color. The scanner engine then analyzes the colors and determines which are the best choices and sends 24-bits of color information, per pixel, back to the computer. There are not a lot of adjustments available, nor should any be necessary, as the scanner's color table is optimized to a number of color matching systems to provide the best possible color output at default settings.

Because of the video card technical limitations, most image editing software only supports 24-bit file formats. For a more detailed explanation, read the documents in Understanding Scanners.

What resolution should I scan at?

You should scan at the resolution of your output device. If scanning for Web Pages, the output device is a computer monitor which has a resolution of 72 DPI. So scan at 72 DPI for the Internet. For a detailed tutorial on Internet Graphics see the Internet Graphics Tutorial.

If scanning for an inkjet printer, scan at 1/3 of the resolution you will be printing at for color images. If scanning in grayscale or line art, use the full resolution of the printer without dividing it by three.

Why do my images look blotchy or blurry?

If your scans are looking bad on the screen, but printing out satisfactorily, it could be your video driver that is causing the problem. Try some different resolution and color settings in the "Display" portion of your control panel (after first making sure that you have the proper driver disks to restore your system to the original settings). You should be using a driver that provides 16+million colors, and a resolution of at least 800 x 600.

Is the light supposed to stay on all of the time?

If your scanner attaches to a SCSI interface card (except the 1200 SP Pro), the light is supposed to stay on all of the time. The Mean Time Between Failure for the scanner lamp is 35,000 hours. That's 4 years if left on continuously, so don't worry that it will burn out sooner. Here at Mustek, we leave them on all day and turn them off at 5:00 when we leave.

If your scanner is a Plug-n-Scan model, the light most likely shuts off after a few minutes of non-use, however, some of the early models had a continuously lit lamp.

If you have the Paragon 1200 SP Pro, the lamp will shut off after a few minutes of non-use.

Where is my scanner icon?

Scanners do not have icons. The scanner is accessed from within a TWAIN Compliant software application such as iPhoto Plus and Picture Publisher.

TWAIN Compliant programs have an "Acquire" command in the file menu. This accesses the TWAIN interface and allows you to scan into the program.

Programs like the Mustek Scanning Desktop and Direct Scan have icons that appear on the Windows Desktop or Taskbar, but these are simply icons that activate TWAIN compliant programs in the background. They do not control the scanner by themselves.

Where are the scanner manuals?

Most of the scanners (Page Color, 600 II SP, 600 II EP, 800 II SP, 800 SP, 1200 SP) had all of their manuals on the Scanner Solutions CD included in the package. When you install Scanner Solutions, it gives you an opportunity to install the manuals on your hard disk. You must put a check mark next to the Scanner Application Manual Files or they will not be installed. They will be listed on your Programs Menu under Mustek Scanner Solutions.

When you click the icon for one of the manuals, the Adobe Acrobat Reader will start and load the manual file. You can then print the manual or read it online.

A few scanners (600 III EP, 1200 III EP/SP 1200 SP Pro, 1200 A3 Pro) include manuals on the CD, as well as a small guide to the TWAIN interface.

What are the latest drivers?

Like most computer device drivers, scanner drivers are updated to keep them currently compatible and to solve bugs. Stop by the Driver Index to see the latest versions.

How do I remove old TWAIN drivers?

It is possible to attach more than one TWAIN compliant device to a computer. All Mustek scanners are completely compatible with each other, so you can attach several of them to one machine. Other brands of TWAIN compliant devices occasionally interfere with the installation of a Mustek scanner. Additionally, some computers come with TWAIN drivers pre-installed even though they don't come with a TWAIN device.

TWAIN devices are items such as scanners, digital cameras and video capture devices such as Snappy. If you have more than one TWAIN compliant device, you may need to remove the TWAIN driver for the other device and then re-install it after you have installed the Mustek TWAIN driver.

When attaching multiple TWAIN devices to a computer, it is necessary to configure your "Host Application" for the device you wish to use. A "Host Application" is the TWAIN Compliant software that you scan into. Some examples are: iPhoto Plus, Picture Publisher, TextBridge Classic, Wordlinx, Corel Photo Paint and Adobe PhotoShop. Instructions for Deleting TWAIN Drivers and for Configuring The Host Applications given below.

Deleting TWAIN Drivers

A quick way to delete all twain driver files from your hard drive is to use the Windows 95 File finder. Here's how to do it.

Double-click My Computer.

Open the View menu and choose Options.

Check "Show All Files."

Click Start then choose Find Files or folders.

In the Named box type in the following verbatim:

twain twunk

Click the Find Now button.

After the search is complete, press the CTRL and the A keys on your keyboard simultaneously to highlight all of the files that were found. Special Note: Some programs like Adobe PhotoShop have their own TWAIN files that you will not want to delete. When highlighting the files, pay close attention not to select any TWAIN files appearing in Adobe directories. If you should happen to delete the Adobe TWAIN files, they will need to be restored from the Recycle Bin.

Press the DEL key on your keyboard to delete the TWAIN and Twunk files.

Configuring The Host Application

When you have more than one TWAIN device installed on your computer, it is necessary to select the TWAIN source for the device you wish to use. Most TWAIN compliant host applications have a Select Source command on the file menu. Some host applications have a Setup/Scanner option and others have a Select Acquire Device option. If using third party scanning software not supplied by Mustek, refer to the program's manual if you are unable to find the Select Source menu command.

Once you have found the appropriate menu command, a TWAIN Source List will appear on your screen showing all installed TWAIN drivers. Select the Mustek scanner from the list.

Is my scanner Year 2000 Compliant?

By their nature, Mustek products are Y2K Compliant without any modification.

Will my current scanner driver work with Windows 98, Windows Me or Windows 2000?

To find out about Windows compatibility, click one of the following links:

Windows 98
Windows Me
Windows 2000

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