Company History
2024
The International Image Access Partner Conference is taking place for the sixth time. Around 60 sales partners from all over the world, the management and internal sales staff come together to spend three days discussing developments and innovations. Various presentations and discussion panels offer the opportunity to exchange ideas and see what is happening in the individual countries. The Partner Conference will also be linked to this year´s 30th anniversary of Image Access.
In spring, Image Access introduced the next-generation art scanner.
With the innovative technology of the WideTEK® 60ART-800, not only paintings but also a variety of other objects can be captured and digitized and reproduced in breathtaking detail.
Image Access was successfully recertified in accordance with the DIN EN ISO 9001: 2015 standard, at the beginning of the year. This international standard defines the requirements for effective quality management in a company.
2023
In 2023, the WideSCAN machine vision scanner was launched. With WideSCAN, Image Access is increasingly positioning itself in the field of industrial quality assurance and inspection systems. Image Access has established av even better position in this market, already being served for several years with A3, A2 and A0 quality assurance systems. WideSCAN is a modular system. Its price, flexibility and performance open up completely new areas of application for many customers.
In the heritage segment, we significantly expanded the market for our fine art scanning applications at the end of the year with the WideTEK 60ART. The WideTEK 60ART brings together all the experience we have gained with the WideTEK 36ART over many years in well over 250 installations and extends the scanning area to nearly twice the size of the WideTEK 36ART.
The business is still developing very dynamically. This year alone, we were able to win 3 major international projects together with our partners, in which a total of more than 250 scan systems were installed.
2022
In 2020, the first models of our 5th generation of overhead book scanners Bookeye® were released. We have continued to re-engineer all Bookeye models to the 5th generation technology. New additions in 2022 include the Bookeye 5 V2 Archive, the Bookeye 5 V2 Semiautomatic, the Bookeye 5 V1A, and the "biggest brother" Bookeye 5 V1A-C35/50. As always with Image Access, all models feature the same captivating design, high functionality, uncomplicated operation, and brilliant image quality. You can find more details about the innovative book scanners here.
Image Access LP, our U.S. subsidiary, moved from the Chicago area into new, larger headquarters in Gallatin, Tennessee (near Nashville). From there, Image Access LP will serve all customers in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and South America. The new building and our address can be seen on our Locations page.
The new Image Access LP location features:
- Over 10,000 sqft of warehouse space
- Over 7,000 sqft of office space
- New and improved technical training spaces
- New and improved repair and service stations
- Dual docks for shipping and receiving
- Larger demo room with more demo equipment
2021
Shortly before the end of the year, Image Access introduced the new WideTEK® 12-SPECTRUM flatbed scanner, designed for authenticity verification of banknotes, passports, ID cards, certificates, and other special objects containing security features. This scanner captures images faster and more accurately than many much more expensive laboratory devices. It scans fluorescent objects under UV light at 365nm as well as IR contrast under IR light at 850nm. See details about this unique scanner here.
In September, the Bookeye® 5 V2A and V3A Automatic book scanners were released. A special highlight: the new, motor-driven V-shaped glass plate, which ensures very gentle digitization of books, magazines, posters, folders, or bound documents of all kinds. Completely redesigned to meet the latest technological standards and to comply with the strictest environmental standards, these automatic book scanners offer unsurpassed image quality paired with simple operation, a modern design, and literally maintenance-free operation for all professional applications. Read our NewsFlash to learn more about these automatic book scanners.
In June, a new, innovative flatbed scanner WideTEK® 24F was launched. Thanks to the latest camera and illumination technology, it is not only the fastest large format flatbed on the market, but also scans with high precision at a resolution of up to 1200 dpi. And all this at an unbeatable price-performance ratio. See all of the details about this new flatbed in our NewsFlash.
2020
Introducing Bookeye® 5: the next generation of the acclaimed series of book scanners from Image Access
At the beginning of year, on February 20, Image Access launched the next generation of its acclaimed overhead book scanner family, Bookeye 5 with the Bookeye 5 V3 in three models, Basic, Kiosk and Professional; to meet every application need. Fully reengineered, and packed with features, the Bookeye 5 V3 is the smallest member of a new generation of eco-friendly, ergonomic and easy to operate book scanners. The Bookeye 5 V3 book scanner is a true scanner solution, not just a digicam mounted on an expensive frame. It was specifically designed as a self-service book scanner for formats 50 % larger than A3.
In Q2/2020, Image Access released the Bookeye 5 V2 models. To stay up to date with Image Access product developments, subscribe to our Newsletter or follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or the Image Access blog.
2019
On July 3-5, 2019 Image Access hosted its fifth International Partner Conference in Wuppertal, Germany. With over 60 sales partners from all over the world in attendance, the three days were filled with discussion and information about the WideTEK and Bookeye product lines, strategies and directions of the company Image Access and their scanner families as well as interesting and innovative solutions and projects from our partners in many diverse markets and locations. During a guided company tour, participants got to know Image Access from "inside" and a relaxed entertainment program in the evenings and on the last day ensured ample opportunity for personal exchange of experience in an informal atmosphere.
New: The fastest MFP solutions at the best price on the market
The two new, high performance WideTEK® 36CL-MF scanners form the foundation for scanning, copying and archiving together with your selected printer. The WideTEK® 36CL-600-MF1 was specifically designed to build and MFP system with the Canon TX-3/4000 and iPF PRO series printers. The WideTEK® 36CL-600-MF2 supports all Canon wide format printers, including the Colorwave. Both scanners feature built-in closed loop color calibration for the best copies with your printer/paper combination.
The WideTEK 36ART-600 fine art scanner has enjoyed great popularity with customers for over a year. Now, an optional scan table extension makes it possible to scan even larger material. The scan table extension brings an extra 700mm or 27.6 inch scan length so that templates can be captured up to a total length of 2224mm or 87.6 inches
The new Image Access flagship - WideTEK® 60CL - our first 60" sheetfeed scanner
With the WideTEK® 60CL-600, Image Access GmbH was launching its largest scanner on the market by autumn 2018. It complements the powerful WideTEK® family of models, from 36", 48" and now 60". The scanning speed of up to 15" / s for the entire scan width makes the WideTEK® 60CL the class leader in performance. Furthermore, this 60" flagship scanner impresses with its razor sharp image quality, gentle paper transport and the ability to process thick documents with a material thickness of up to 12mm. With face up scanning, the new WideTEK® 60CL ensures very high ergonomics and productivity as well as very little wesr and tear on both documents and the scanning glass. Last but not least, the new premium product from Image Access, with its many included features, offers a competitive device at a top competitive price level. See more details on our website!
In January, the new WideTEK® 48CL-600 was launched. With this, Image Access offers the fastest and at the same time least expensive 48 inch color CIS sheetfeed scanner on the market. Scanning up to 50 inch wide originals at 10 inches per second and a resolution of 150 dpi, it produces production quality images at truly impressive scanning speeds. The maximum scanner resolution is 1200 x 1200 dpi. In addition to the basic model, three powerful bundles make the WideTEK 48CL the right choice for any application, for example with the WideTEK High-Stand and a large format printer.
2017
In 2017, Image Access expanded its product portfolio to include a new specialty scanner, a large format scanner designed specifically to scan works of art.
WideTEK® 36ART-600 was introduced to the public at CeBIT 2017 in Hanover, Germany. Prior to the release of the WideTEK 36ART, scanning art meant either investing in a prohibitively large and expensive scanner or taking the artwork to a photo studio for digitization (and leaving it there often for days). Now, works of art can be digitized, archived or reproduced in a contact free process which allows scanning even if the paint is still wet. Whether with or without frames, oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors, charcoal and pastel drawings, collages or antique works are scanned at up to 600 dpi optical resolution and in the highest color fidelity. With the introduction of the WideTEK 36ART, museums and galleries can expand and update their digital archives and the device is small enough to be taken from site to site with little logistical effort. The WideTEK 36ART was an overwhelming success at numerous trade shows and related events in the art and museum communities and resulted in 50 installations worldwide in its first year.
In mid-July, more than 50 Image Access distribution partners from all over the world accepted the invitation to the International Partner Conference conducted in Wuppertal. In addition to the official program with lectures, joint sales exchange and a tour of the Image Access Factory and Showroom, there was also plenty of time for leisure activities, including a tour of the Dortmund BVB Soccer Stadium.
The year 2017 was also marked by the relocation of our American subsidiary, Image Access LP to Elgin, Illinois. Growing sales volume, new employees and the need for an expanded warehouse required larger premises. Conveniently and centrally located near Chicago, Image Access LP is located within 20 minutes drive from O´Hare Airport. Image Access LP offers technical training courses and sales training to partners in the United States, Canada and Latin America. It also handles the growing government sales market through the Image Access GSA contract. Potential customers can get a hands on view of all Image Access products in the showroom at Image Access LP.
2016
In February of 2016, Image Access was awarded ISO 9001:2015 certification. The ISO 9001:2015 standard is awarded for maintaining a quality management system to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and aims to enhance customer satisfaction through processes for improvement of the system.
Image Access introduced the WideTEK® 36CL, by far the fastest color CIS scanner on the market in 2016. The WideTEK 36CL-600 is characterized by a brilliant resolution at feed and scan speeds of 10 inches per second at 200 dpi in color mode is and even 1.7 inches per second at 600 dpi resolution. The WideTEK 36CL-600 processes documents up to a width of 38 inches, with a maximum scan width of 36 inches. Application areas include mechanical engineering and CAD, surveying technology, as well as reprography and copy services.
Our flatbed scanners WideTEK® 12-650 for A3 formats and WideTEK® 25-650 for A2 formats were reengineered for faster scanning and to scan textured originals in 3D mode, emphasizing surface contours to produce 3D-like, very natural looking images of the highest quality. This method is particularly suitable for structured surfaces such as raised Braille lettering, leather and fabrics, but also boards with SMB elements. Both scanners offer a high scanning speed of less than six seconds at a resolution of 600 dpi.
In September 2016, Image Access LP conducted its second American Partner Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada for our distributors and resellers from North, Latin and Central America. Combined with an exhibition of WideTEK and Bookeye scanners at the SGIA Expo running at the same time, Image Access was able to reach hundreds of interested partners, customers and potential customers in the Americas.
2015
The year 2015 was all about extending sales structures. In Spring, Image Access expanded their sales force with the addition of two new Sales Directors, both with decades of expertise in wide format scanner products, to its international sales team, Peter Sandberg as Strategic Business Development Manager for wide format in EMEA and Manuel Paradis as Sales Director for Latin America.
In summer, Image Access hosted their 3rd International Partner Conference, with 30+ sales partners from around the world in attendance. While the competition was concerned with being bought or sold and reorganized, Image Access remained a stable partner and put the focus on the customer with fully transparent pricing, product price reductions and the lowest prices in the industry. It paid off as many new resellers left competing company associations to join Image Access´ international team of resellers.
2014
At a time when many companies struggled to maintain their size, Image Access continued to expand and grow. In 2014, Image Access acquired more space for a new production and testing facility. Flooded by daylight, staff can work with almost 100% natural light and they have plenty of space to test and package Image Access wide format flatbed and sheet feed scanners, book scanners and the miscellaneous accessories for WideTEK and Bookeye products. Visitors who have been to our new halls tell us it is the cleanest and brightest manufacturing facility they have ever seen.
2013
In 2013, Image Access launched the second in its family of wide format sheet feed CIS scanners, the WideTEK® 48C. After the success of the smaller, 36 inch version, Image Access saw a market for the 48 inch version and applied the same technology to make this the fastest 48 inch wide format CIS scanner on the market. It even outperforms the most expensive CCD scanners from the competition by a factor of two.
2012
During the course of the year, Image Access worked on diversification of the Bookeye® 4 book scanner, leading to an entirely new family of Bookeye® 4 products. In February, Image Access was awarded a GSA Schedule Contract by the U.S. General Services Administration, to provide simple and long term access to Image Access products and services for local, state and federal government agencies. In the fall, product videos were developed, filmed and finalized at the company´s headquarters in Germany featuring Image Access WideTEK® scanners. You can watch these films by visiting the product video pages for each product.
2011
Image Access extends their product portfolio into the CIS scanner market by introducing the WideTEK® 36C, the world´s first CIS sc anner to offer CCD scanner speed and quality at a fraction of the cost. The WideTEK® 36C is by far the fastest CIS scanner currently available on the market, running at 6.5 inches per second at 200dpi in color, 4.3 inches per second at 300dpi in color and 2 inches per second at 600dpi in color.
2010
Acquisition of the international sales rights for Bookeye® scanners. Development of the Bookeye® 4 scanner, with V-Cradle - variable as a 120° angled plate or as a flate plate.
2009
Image Access develops the world?s first wide format scanner for duplex digitalization of newspapers and other double-sided printed documents. The very compact WideTEK 36 DS needs only four seconds to scan the front and back sides of a newspaper page (at 300 dpi).
2008
Largest product launch in the company?s history ? new generation of wide format scanners for formats between 25 and 48 inches:
WideTEK 25 , WideTEK 36 , WideTEK 42 , WideTEK 48.
2006
Most of the Image Access scanners now feature an LED based illumination system that lasts for a lifetime. Not only the quality is improved compared to fluorescent lamps, it is also stable, energy-efficient and does not require any warm up time. All scanners became ENERGY STAR® as well as RoHS compliant, contributing to a healthier operating environment.
2005
Image Access developed the WideTEK® 48 large format scanner and introduced Scan2Net® to the large format scanner market, boosting performance and quality to new levels. In the same year, the Bookeye® 3 platform was developed; the first product being an ISO/DIN A1 planetary scanner with an integrated book cradle.
2003
Starting in 2003, the S2N A2 Scanner is marketed worldwide under the new productname WideTEK®. Also, Image Access refreshed the design of the scanner. The new look now corresponds to the professional functionality. The Scan2Net® funtionality is complemented and extended by the software options "Color Management System", "Batch Scan Wizard" and "Book Fold Correction". Compatible with all operating systems, e.g Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, XP and now NT and Vista, Macintosh systems or Linux/Unix systems, the WideTEK Flatbed Scanner is easily controlled via the TCP/IP protocol with any standard Web browser, either in a LAN or WAN or as stand-alone device.
2001
At CeBIT 2001, Image Access presented the prototype of a fast scanner with S2N technology. It´s conceptual design as flatbed scanner offers the benefit of fast positioning and changing of the documents to be scanned. The scan velocity is remarkable. Less than three seconds for a color scan of a DIN A2 document at 300 dpi resolution. Since the end of 2001, Image Access sells the Scan2Net® technology and S2N scanner worldwide under its own brand. The following year brings software options for the growing family of scanners with S2N technology. In the same year, Image Access receives national and international certificates concerning product safety for the Scan2Net® scanners. Among these certificates are the well known GS certificate for Germany, the cULus certificate for Canada and the USA, as well as the international CB report. In addition Image Access becomes a certified factory, proven by a Factory Inspection Certificate.
1998 - 2000
The year 1998 marked the transition from monochrome scanners to grayscale- and color scanners. In this year, Image Access implemented several OEM solutions for grayscale scanning. The development of a new color scanner began in 1998 and was completed in the following year. A throughput of more than 60 documents/minute (dpm) marked this scanner as one of the fastest in the market of professional color scanners. At the beginning of the new millennium the development of a new intelligent scan technology started: The Scan2Net® Technology (S2N) was born. Based on the Scan2Net® technology, S2N devices are integrated into existing network structures with just a few steps. Only a PC with 100 Mbit Fast-Ethernet network card and a standard Web browser is required. No more interface cards, no more additional drivers.
1997
Image Access developed the Bookeye® Planetary Scanner in 1997. The Bookeye® Planetary Scanner revolutionized the way the documents were captured. It is the ideal scanner for delicate documents because they are placed on the scanners´ bed in a "natural" position. The Bookeye® is used today worldwide in libraries, universities and many other places for professional scanning of delicate documents. Today´s Bookeye®product family has grown to include the Bookeye® Color Scanner, Bookeye® Color Repro Scanner as well as Bookeye® Copier ? up to DIN A1 formats. Another milestone for the technological competence of Image Access in developing high-speed cameras and camera electronics was the introduction of the Agfa Hybrid Scanner SC51 and ADMIS S61 in the years 1997 to 2000. Among the outstanding features are the scanning speed of 240 documents/minute (dpm), double-sided at 200 dpi and 120 dpm, double-sided at 400 dpi.
1996
In 1996, Image Access took over the production from MAP in Gießen, Germany. This was the move toward developing hardware components for the manufacturers of microfilm readers, microfilm copiers and microfilm scanners.
1995
In 1995, it was obvious that the PCI bus would effectively replace the slower ISA bus. The consequence was the development of the HiSCAN scanner card, naturally, keeping up with technological advances, as PCI card. With HiSCAN, is was possible to connect nearly all scanners with video interface. The HiSCAN card series was marketed both in Image Access version and in OEM versions. Image Access, Inc. simultaneously developed the repeatedly prize-winning BSCAN software package. BSCAN is an extensive and freely configurable powerful software tool for professional document capturing purposes. BSCAN had been able to assert itself against many competitors and is frequently encountered in the ambitious market of service providers. BSCAN is distributed and supported exclusively through Image Access, Inc., USA.
1993/1994
Image Access Computer GmbH was founded at the end of 1993 by Thomas Ingendoh. The similarly named sister company, Image Access, Inc. was founded in the same year in the USA by Ted Webb. In addition, a sales company was founded in São Paulo to attend to the growing needs of the South American market. The HiRES graphic card series was the first development coming from Image Access. This card combined a resolution of 1680x1200 pixel with an outstanding low price. Developing the scanner interface card DPU-16 was the next step. It was the technological continuation to the DPU-1, which was developed in 1990 under the leadership of Thomas Ingendoh. DPU-16 integrated a graphic chip and interface for all established scanners on just one card.
