Epson Perfection 3170 vs. 4180

[Aquilonious]

i'm trying to decide between these two scanners and have a few
questions. i plan on scanning prints, slides, and possibly negatives.

1. is the 4180 considerably faster overall than the 3170? Epson
advertises the 4180 as having Hi-Speed USB 2.0 vs "standard" USB 2.0
for the 3170. would this make any appreciable difference in scan
speeds, especially for slides? i plan on scanning quite a few slides
and a little extra speed would help.

note: the 2480 & 2580 models are also advertised as having Hi-speed
USB 2.0.

2. i want to archive some old prints i have. what is the best
resolution to scan prints in case i may want to later blow up a 4x6
into an 8.5x11? i plan on using the png file format.

3. what resolution should i scan slides at? again i may blow some up
to 8.5x11.

4. any recommendations for software in addition to what i have below?

Arcsoft Camera Suite
Adobe Photoshop Elements (software purchased separately)
Canon PhotoRecord
Canon Easy-PhotoPrint, Photo-Stitch, and ZoomBrowserEX

thanks for your comments...

 

[Charlie Klatzkin]

The 4180 has a $50 rebate.

 

[Aquilonious]

The 3170 has a $25 rebate at Newegg.

after rebates the 4180 is still $50 more expensive.