P.J. Perez writes about the device seen in the photo above…
Thanks for sharing info about your new Brother multifunction printer/scanner/fax machine/tire rotator. Figured I'd let you know that your statement "the thing is still a lot cheaper than the cheapest 11 by 17 scanner on the market these days" is slightly inaccurate.
I was on the market for an 11×17 scanner myself last year (also for comic illustration needs), and consensus among my fellows in the community led me to the Mustek ScanExpress A3 1200, a standalone scanner that retails on Amazon for about $150.
Yeah, I was pretty shocked by the price too. It does a fair decent job for my purposes (mostly scanning pencils for digital inking and the occasional line art for coloring), though on photos it's either less effective or I just don't have the settings properly configured.
That being said, I kinda wish I'd known about the $275 Brother, as I could have used an all-in-one solution as well.
I know of Musteks. The flatbed scanner I mentioned I was replacing with my new Brother? It was one of their earlier models.
You're right. They make an amazing piece of machinery for the price, maybe for any price. I used mine for many of the scans in my book on Jack Kirby. But before anyone rushes to order one, check the Mustek site for compatibility issues with your hardware and operating system. Some of the earlier Mustek models that were around wouldn't work with every system that the mail order folks claimed they would work with. I only got the Brother because I wanted the ability to copy and print 11 by 17, as well as the space I'd save in my office by not having a separate scanner. I stand corrected about it being the cheapest 11 by 17 scanner one can buy…and seeing as how I have one, you'd think I would have known better. But some of us never do.