System requirements
SilverFast 8:
  • Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 or Mac OS X from 10.5 (no PowerPC)
  • 2 GHz Processor or faster
  • 2 GB RAM main memory (4 GB RAM recommended)
  • 2 GB free space on hard disk drive for the software file
  • up to 20 GB free space on the main system hard disk drive for the cache
  • Supported scanner (compatibility)
  • DVD drive or internet connection

SilverFast 6.5/6.6 minimal system configuration:
  • Windows XP, Windows 2000: 1 GB RAM memory, at least 2 GB free space on hard disk drive
  • Macintosh OS X 10.3 - 10.6: 1 GB RAM, at least 2 GB free on HDD
SilverFast 6.5/6.6 recommended system configuration:
  • Windows 7, Windows Vista 32 with service pack 1, XP with SP 3 or later, Windows 2000 with SP 4, 2+ GB RAM memory, at least 2 GB free space on HDD
  • Macintosh OS X 10.3.9 or later (up to OSX 10.6), 2+ GB RAM, at least 2 GB free on HDD
The requirements given above are generic! Please check for your specific SilverFast product and imaging hardware (scanner, digital camera) to see if your operating system, scanner connection, or special hardware feature (e.g. ICE, transmission unit, etc.) is supported.

When using Windows it is necessary to use the appropriate ASPI layer driver. Mac OS X Panther (10.3) and Tiger (10.4) do not have as sufficient SCSI support as OS X 10.2.8 (Jaguar) or OS 9.2.2 do: Some SCSI controller cards (e.g. from Adaptec) might not work correctly with 10.3/4. Recent Mac models featuring PCI-X slots, and older controller cards cannot be used in these. Furthermore, firewire-to-SCSI converters might not always provide stable communication.

SilverFast can be installed as a Photoshop plug-in, TWAIN plug-in, or both. However, there is not a TWAIN variant available for all supported operating systems.

The SilverFast Photoshop plug-in will work with Photoshop versions ranging from 5.5 (from 10.0 for SilverFast 8) up to CS4, and all versions of Photoshop Elements (from 2.0 for SilverFast 8). It cannot be used together with Corel Painter.

The TWAIN plug-in variant offers to scan directly from a TWAIN compatible application (e.g. Adobe Acrobat 4 and 5, JASC Paintshop Pro 8.10 or later, Corel PhotoPaint 10, GIMP 2.0 or later, IrfanView, etc.). Not all graphics and OCR programs are sufficiently TWAIN compatible and might cause interference (e.g. OmniPage, Ulead PhotoImpact 10 with Microtek drivers).

Please make use of the opportunity to test the SilverFast demo version before buying. This way you can easily assure yourself that your personal systems configuration does work, and you are able to explore all the features of SilverFast and make sure it suits your needs.

Our support will be happy to assist you with SilverFast installation or serialisation if any further help is needed.