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Complete listing of June 1996 reviews
By Sara G. Stephens
Fast, easy to use and affordable, the Lumina 2000 bundles scanner, copier and fax machine functions into the perfect peripheral for the paper-heavy small or home office.
The Lumina 2000 is a standalone scanner and fax machine that attaches to an ink jet or laser printer to provide all the services of a traditional fax machine and copier. The idea of a scanner-fax hybrid is old hat, for sure. But where its predecessors have failed to fulfill the need for speed, the Lumina more than delivers. Documents race through the document feeder; the resulting copies show little or no visible distortion. Although the Lumina was not made with photo touch-up scanning in mind, it scans in bilevel or halftone/photo mode with moderate success, and certainly well enough to meet the requirements of most small businesses.
This multifunction device is attractively designed, easy to use and functional. You can walk up to this machine, sight unseen, and pull off a multiple collated copy job in three easy steps. Document reduction and enlargement, along with group faxing, set the Lumina apart from the merely modem-enabled flatbed scanners of yesterday. It also features a 30-page automatic document feeder, 152 speed dials, an alphanumeric keypad and advanced programming. Able to perform binary file transfers between Luminas (or any device that supports T.434 protocol), this machine prints documents remotely with the same clarity and ease as those rolling off your own printer.
The Lumina's bundled software is less outstanding. Eclipse Fax 6.0 was fine for its class when first introduced, but has since been, well, eclipsed by the swift, integrated messaging packages rolled out in mid-1995. PaperMaster SE simply doesn't measure up to the task as well as other packages I've used. I managed to handle Lumina scans much better using CorelDRAW.
Windows 95 drivers should be available by the time you read this. I performed my evaluation using the 16-bit drivers. This is one multifunction office machine that lets you leverage the printer you already own.
Info File
Lumina 2000
Price: $399 to $529 (street)
Pros: Design; interface
Cons: Software
Platforms: Windows 3.1x
Lumina Office Products
800-586-4620, 408-487-0400
WinMag Box Score 3.5
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