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Thanks to the ten or so who responded to my request for microform reader/printer reviews.
Responses are summarized below. Minolta and Canon were the only brands mentioned, so comments are organized by make and model.
The good news: one librarian out there actually does love their reader/printer.
Minolta MS 6000
"I would recommend Minolta MS 6000 with an independent printer. The ones with in built printer tend to jam and require quite a bit of maintenance. As of writing we are in a process of acquiring a microform viewer scanner with networking printing capability. The one we are interested in is MS6000 MK11."
"It works very well, however....It is very dry out here in west texas and the archives room is carpeted. When I went to use the controls, the electro-static spark went through these holes and fried the controls. SO, if you don't have a static problem...then it is a good and easy machine to use."
"Loading mechanism is both unreliable and sealed. If there's a serious jam, there's no physical access."
"Minoltas are a pain."
Canon Microfilm Scanner 300
"The Canons don't look so hot either."
"It makes great images, even from the worst microfilm, and the images can be saved as PDFs, and emailed or saved to disk. It isn't the simplest to use, but it is definitely the most useful."
"The reader is very straightforward as it offers only the basic functions....some swanky new readers are e-savvy and are equipped to allow users the ability email micro-docs to themselves (versus printing). Alas, our sweet Canon does NOT have that ability."
"We [also] have a printer called the Canon Fileprint 450. Together, they form a simply wonderful duo. That said there are drawbacks: the printer is B&W only but you can manipulate the paper size up to 11x17."
Other Canons
"We love our Canon m/f reader printers. We have 2 - the 400 and the later incarnation. But not the super souped up edition...These are great machines.
"We have an ancient Canon 100. It's held up well but the focus failed in the end. Controls could be more intuitive."
Micrographically yours,
Jenny Tobias
Librarian, Collection Development
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 St, New York, NY 10019
212.708.9441 voice, 212.333.1122 fax
http://library.moma.org