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Things you need to know

Who are the scanner players? Well if you are considering investing into a new wide format scanner, you better know your options in order for you to make the right decision for your business.

Who are the Players?

There are 3 major and 1 minor scanner manufacture in the world. Each of these manufactures sell under a combinations of there own brand name and/or under an OEM arrangement. Sometimes an OEM arrangement is geographical limited to a region or it's worldwide.

The Four players are: 

Colortrac

Colortrac is a UK based company that has manufactured wide format scanners since 1989. Up until 2004 it only manufactures CCD based wide format scanners. However in 2004 Colortrac adopted a dual technology approach by also offering CIS based scanners. Colortrac carefully and tactfully position each technology into different industry segment avoiding competing with itself on the scanning technology. In the US GEI Wideformat is the North American distributor (http://www.geiworldwide.com), however Colortrac also have a OEM partner that sells the Colortrac GX 42 series under Paradigm Imaging Group imagePRO name. (www.paradigmimaging.com)     Read more...

Contex

Contex is a Denmark based company that manufacture wide format scanner since 1988. In 1995 Contex introduced it first color scanner and in 2002 it acquire Vidar scanners & Systems (US based company) the second largest scanner manufacture. Contex sells its scanner under a variety of different brand like:

and OEM partner relationship like:

In the US Contex sells its Contex brand directly to approx 30 dealers and both the Contex & Vidar brand through there sole distributor Tekgraf (located in Butler, SC www.tekgraf.com). The GTCO Calcomp brand is sold through Wide Scanners & Systems, located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA (www.widescnrs.com). Both Tekgraf and Wide Scanners & Systems sells through dealers in the US. Furthermore Contex has made a direct deal with the RSA (Reprographic Services Association) buying group.   Read more...

Graphtec

Graphtec is a Japanese manufacture who is focusing solely on CIS based scanner. In the US & Canada they exclusively sell through Paradigm Imaging Group (Costa Mesa, CA) (www.paradigmimaging.com). There main line is there 42" scanners however they do offer a 36" color scanner and a 25" scanner. Although the focus for the US distributor are on the 36" & 42" models. Graphtec do have an OEM agreement with KIP using Graphtec 36" scanner embedded in the KIP 3100 & 5100 series of copy solutions.   Read more...

Image Access

Image Access is a German based scanner manufacture that has developed a range of book scanner for libraries as well as wide format scanners in the range of 25" to 48" scan width. What is characteristics for all there scanners is that they utilize a standard web browser as there scanner interface eliminating any need to install applications on an PC and support both Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. In the US Widetek wide format scanner wider than 36"  is sold exclusively through Bowe Bell+Howell (www.BoweBellHowell.com) under the name infinityWF. For Image Access scanners less than 25" there scanners are sold through there US subsidiary (www.imageaccess.com).   Read more...