Q: Can I connect the scanner to my computer's parallel port which is used for the printer?

A: Epson scanners require a particular type of parallel port, an 8-bit, PS/2 compatible bi-directional parallel port. Some computer manufacturers claim their ports are bi-directional but they are only 4-bit bi-di apparently and not 8-bit. If your port is not compatible with this, the scanner will not work. EPP and ECP and standard parallel ports are all different from the bi-directional standard the scanners require. If your system has the parallel port on the motherboard, you should check in your CMOS setup to see if the mode can be changed from its current setting to bi-directional. Otherwise you will need to add in a bi-directional parallel card into an available slot. You can purchase bi-directional parallel interface expansion cards from most major computer stores.

Q: After installing the bi-directional scanner interface card my scanner works but I get no sound from my SoundBlaster board. When I run diagnostics on the soundboard, it allows me to choose I/O ports, but when I install the lpt2 board and run soundboard diagnostic. it says I have I/O sharing problems. What's the problem?

A: The default IRQ for most SoundBlaster boards has been set at IRQ 5. Try looking at your AUTOEXEC.BAT file for a SET BLASTER a220 I5 D1 type of line. The I5 is interrupt 5 and unless you remove or reconfigure this line you are going to conflict with the bi-directional scanner interface. This will occur no matter what you change in the Windows 95 or 98 device manager. Your simplest solution may be to reload the SoundBlaster DOS drivers and choose another IRQ such as 10 or 11 (if free) and reinstall the Sound Blaster in Windows 95 or 98. Unfortunately, the scanner cannot be reassigned to anything other than IRQ5 or IRQ7, and if you have a printer, it is probably on IRQ7. Another possibility is your printer port on your motherboard may be using either IRQ5 or I/O address 278h. Usually this is adjustable in your CMOS setup

Q: Why is one or three pass scanning important?

A: One or three pass scanning gives the user flexbility when scanning different media. One pass scanning is best when scanning photographic prints. Three pass scanning is better when scanning previously half-toned images like magazines or newspapers.

Q: What is the significance of interpolated resolution?

A: It creates estimated data points between measured data points, thus artificially adding information to an image. This artificial information increases image quality to some extent, thus allowing the image enlargement without sacrificing clarity.

Q: The scanner driver will not open. What should I do to resolve this?

A: Make sure the scanner is correctly connected to the computer. Also, make sure the scanner's ready light is on. The scanner must be turned on before you start your computer. Check for conflicts in your SCSI ID setting. For a PC check for conflicts with the I/O address and the interrupt setting for your SCSI board. Also, check System Device Manager in the Windows Control Panel, or the Adaptec SCSI Interrogator if you're running Windows 3.1. For Windows NT 4.0, check the SCSI Adapters dialog in the Windows Control Panel.

Q: Why isn't the scanner starting to scan my image?

A: Make sure that you have selected the correct interface port and the settings in your software are correct. You may also want to verify that the interface on your computer is installed properly. Confirm that the termination and SCSI ID are set correctly . If you were using a PC and had other expansion boards installed on your computer, verify that they are not interfering with the interrupt setting of your interface board for your scanner.