Question 1

Is this scanner Mac compatible?

Accepted Answer

Depending on the version of Mac OS X you are using, this scanner's Mac drivers may or may not work. However, there are workarounds available (sorry, won't let me post any links here!), though my suggestion would be to choose an entirely different device.

The HP Officejet 7610 Wide Format e-All-in-One Printer has a similar A3-size scanner, and has much wider support for some of the latest versions of Mac OS X. You may not need the fax/printing capability, and in fact I only use it to scan (both with the TWAIN plugin as well as the HP scanning software). And the prices now are comparable between the two products, so I figure go with the more established brand with far more wide-ranging OS/driver support.

I originally purchased the Mustek A3 scanner and found the scan quality to be adequate, however the unit I received left a thin horizontal scan artifact for any scan I attempted. Also, the product manufacturing seemed to be of a lesser quality, though it worked fine with my Mac (granted, I run OS X 10.3 Panther -- a decidedly DATED version, not even representative of modern Mac hardware). But it worked.

Still, I strongly suggest the HP product over the Mustek -- you get more capability for the same amount of money, and it occupies roughly the same desktop footprint -- but most importantly, excellent Mac OS X support across multiple versions!

Hope this helps

Question 2

Can this do color 11x17?

Accepted Answer

A3 size is:  11.7 x 16.5

so technically, the answer is: NO.

Practically, most 11 x 17 paper objects have gutters on the outside, reducing the image to something less than 11 x 17. If that reduction is .5 inches on the 17-inch side, then this scanner will do the job if the object is properly placed.

As the produce description clearly states, the scanner is a color scanner.

Question 3

How big the screen area that scans?

Accepted Answer

The screen scanning area is slightly larger than the specs, 11.7" (H) x 16.5" (V). In order to improve on the quality and versatility of the scanner you should use one of your programs instead of the basic software that comes with the scanner. I am very satisfied with this scanner, used for archiving, presentations and recording my collection of 40 albums and artifacts. It may be a bit slower than the very expensive scanners but it does everything I need it to do. 
I have not had any problems since day one.

Question 4

Product overview is 11.7"x 16.5" max scan but it comes up as an 11 x 17" scanner, so can it scan 11 x 17" or does it cut off the .5?

Accepted Answer

This is my wife's scanner.  She said that she has scanned 11x17s and it didn't cut anything off.  The scan length is just over 17" with a ruler that goes up to 17"

Question 5

will it work with windows 8?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it should work just fine with Win 8; however, it has rather poor scan quality if you intend to scan large documents which cover the entire scanner bed (there will always be a scanning artifact in the form of a horizontal line about midway in the image).

I suggest looking at a similarly-priced product from a more established company: the Officejet 7610 Wide Format e-All-in-One Printer - H912a from HP. It produces excellent quality image scans through either the bundled software app or through classic TWAIN-acquire plug-in for Photoshop, etc., and also acts as a fax and color inkjet printer. It's taller than the Mustek A3 but occupies roughly the same footprint on your desk. Important to note is HP's customer support is FAR better than Mustek's (Mustek did not even reply to my requests for support re: the scanning artifact).

Hope this helps!

Question 6

Does this support AC 220V?  I know most items nowadays are 110-240V, but I want to be sure.  thanks

Accepted Answer

Comes with a small inverter to 12V DC. If you can step down to that, It would be OK. There's no direct AC input.

Question 7

can you download to PDF?

Accepted Answer

No, from what I can tell it only saves tiff, png, and jpg.
And then only on Grey, and 24 bit color.
Only tiff when saving line art, 16bit grey, and 48bit Color.

If you have Photoshop, you could create an action that could convert entire folders from tiff to pdf automatically; but no it does not, to my understanding, save as PDF.

Great scanner for the price; even if it was much more expensive.

25 year prepress veteran.

Question 8

I just purchased this from NewEgg and when I tried to scan, it only gave me the option to scan to 600dpi, I thought I could scan to 2400 dpi?  Any help please.

Accepted Answer

Are you on a Mac or PC and did you install the software that came with it? I'm on a Mac and I installed the Image Capture software, which allows me to change the DPI.

Question 9

What operating systems are compatible?

Accepted Answer

Windows 7, Mac OSX, from my experience; pretty sure would work with WinXP-Windows 8, and OSX 10.6-10.8 maybe 10.9. I don't know about Unix but it should actually work with any system that support the current TWAIN standard even though the included software is PC/Mac.

J.

Question 10

Is the Mustek A3 2400S compatible with Mac's Maverick operating system?

Accepted Answer

Hi Jim,

I will forward this question to my assistant who is using the scanner.
I'm not sure if he has upgraded to Mavericks or if he is on an older OS. 
I believe there are some issues with creating pdf files (vs other TIFF or photo files), and that he is using some 3rd party software to circumnavigate this issue. Let's get the direct info from him to see what's up. For now I suggest you proceed with extreme caution!

Thanks,

Carey

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