Looking for a new scanner

[Dburkhead]

My old scanner gave up the ghost. Started making horrible grinding noises and the light/scanner bar would not move.

And so, before I can really re-start my comic, I need a new scanner. I can use the copier at work which has a scan function but it doesn't do "grayscale, just "halftoning" so any lines that aren't perfectly black become a mist of black and white spots that are troublesome to color on the computer.

Budget: preferably under $120 with shipping
At least 1200 dpi. More is always better, of course.
Prefer a color scanner so I can do photos and the like as well as my comic
I work on 11X17 bristol board and while I can scan in pieces and patch them together in the computer, I'd really like to have a nice flatbed that can handle the page all at once.
I can do USB, Network, or Firewire connections.

Can all the above be met? If not, how close can I get? And specific recommendations would be nice. I'd say the above criteria are listed pretty much in descending order of priority.

[VinnieD]

My searches for something similar, have turned up nothing. All scanners these days are the all in one types that only do 11X8.5. Widebed Professional quality scanners cost a pile and a half of money now. On the upside 1200 DPI is pretty standard now.

Either get used to doing two passes, or be ready to pay more. If you're going to start doing it in two passes, I might advise switching to marker paper. It consumes less ink to get solid lines, is more brush friendly, and is flexible enough to get into the scanner flat for a two part scan without it folding or having to be cut.

[Dburkhead]

Hm. Then maybe what I need to do is get or make a good lightbox with a nice, bright light so I can transfer to lighter paper for the final inks (this would also preserve the pencils, which is a big plus since I'm a much worse inker than I am penciler)