#HP DeskJet 540C
Wayne,
Here are my opinions on your questions, take them for what they are
worth and how much you spent for them <grin>!
The HP DeskJet 540C should be a no-brainer — it will work just fine IF
you have a proper printer driver. When I was helping a friend setup a HP
550C, we scoured the earth looking for a printer driver in the "public
domain/freely distributable" category. We actually found one, but it's
output was less than desireable. I'm sure there are much better "public
domain/freely distributable" printer drivers now-a-days, but the real
answer is to purchase one of the third party printer drivers which will
make your DeskJET sing! One that gets a lot of good press in these forums
is the "Studio" package distributed by Noahji's Inc (1-303-499-1975). I
would call them and ask how well the HP 540C is supported and how
big/little of a machine you must have to use the software effectively!
Now for the scanner — timing is everything! I don't know specifically
about the "Dest" scanner, but much like printers, the problem is going to
be finding either a stand-alone driver or more conventionally, a software
package that will drive the scanner directly. I personally do not know of
any solutions for the "Dest" scanner (of course that doesn't mean anything
because I haven't really tried to look <grin>). I do know that your life
will be a lot better if you purchase a bundled package. Interestingly
enough, I just received a flyer from MiGraph (1-800-223-3729) which has
some very good deals for Amiga users looking for scanning capabilities
<ah, finally, the link to timing is everything!>. They have a "Super
Scanner Bundle" which includes hand scanner, Touch-Up software, and OCR
software for $149.00. If you want a color version (18-bit color depth) of
the same thing, they are offering a "ColorBurst" special at $299.00. I
would call them and check things out as well.
EdV