----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Hi, We are hoping to invest before too long in a scanner, in order to expand and enhance our existing methods of data input (an elderly A0 digitising table and an army of student slaves). It will have to be able to handle documents larger than A4, and possibly up to about A1 or A2 size, and needs to be able to work alongside DOS boxes and our DEC Alpha workstation. The main software will be Arc/Info on both platforms. The trouble is that none of the GIS magazines (e.g GIS Europe), nor any of the general computing magazines I have seen so far, appear to have adverts for scanners. And none of the local computer firms I have asked seem to know anything about them (too specialised, not enough demand, all the usual excuses...). I would much appreciate any suggestions, leads, recommendations, warnings, etc. What are the resolutions available, and what resolutions would be recommended? How important is colour capability likely to be? What are the connectivity issues that need to be considered? How big a hole is it likely to make in our budget? What are the main makes/ models currently in use? Do any of these have Irish (or failing that UK, failing that European) offices or distributors? Etc. This is all relatively new and unknown territory for me, so that I am not even sure of the intelligent questions to ask nor where to ask them... Many thanks Darius Bartlett