The Epson Perfection 2580 Photo is aimed at those looking to do more with their photographs than just scan them. It does the usual job of capturing colour or black and white photos, but has a number of additional features that help distinguish it from similar products.

One of its main features is an automatic film loader. A compartment on top of the scanner lid can accept 35mm slides or photo negatives. You'll need to remove the reflective document mat from the underside of the lid to use this, but using the automatic loader is an effective way of scanning old photos very quickly. At its maximum resolution of 2400dpi it can scan a strip of six frames in 77 seconds. A 300dpi A4 page takes 30 seconds.

Other features include four shortcut buttons at the front of the scanner. These give fast access to common tasks such as scanning and saving, scanning for email, and one-touch copying, which automatically sends your documents to a printer.

One of the 2580 Photo's biggest selling points is the Epson Color Restoration software, which is designed to improve the look of old photographs. This feature worked well, but experienced users may prefer to use photo-editing software they are more familiar with.

On the whole, this is a fantastic scanner that produces good results and has a range of useful features.

Contact: Epson 0870 241 6900
www.epson.co.uk