Exhibit 99.1
                                                                    ------------

[SCANOPTICS LOGO OMITTED]


                                                           For Immediate Release

           Contact: Annmarie Gordon (860) 645-7878/email: agordon@scanoptics.com
                    Susan Lucek  (860) 645-7878/email: slucek@scanoptics.com


                        Scan-Optics Announces Appointment
                             of UHY LLP, as Auditors


         Manchester, CT - October 13, 2004 - Scan-Optics, Inc. (OTC BB: SOCR), a
leader in information  capture and customer  service  solutions for  government,
insurance,  order  fulfillment,  proxy,  health  claims,  test scoring and other
paper-intensive  businesses,  today  announced  that the Audit  Committee of its
Board of Directors  has appointed  the  accounting  firm UHY LLP to serve as the
Company's  independent  registered  public  accounting  firm,  effective for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2004. UHY LLP has replaced Ernst & Young LLP and
will begin their engagement with a review of the financial results for the three
and nine month periods  ending  September 30, 2004.  Scan-Optics  had previously
disclosed  the  resignation  of Ernst & Young LLP as its  auditors in a Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 8, 2004.

         Peter  H.  Stelling,   Chief  Financial  Officer,  Vice  President  and
Treasurer  stated,  "UHY  LLP has a  strong  reputation  within  the  accounting
profession,  and we are pleased to be entering into a relationship with them. We
believe  UHY LLP is a firm whose  mission and  resources  are well suited to our
requirements."

         The reports of Ernst & Young LLP on the Company's financial  statements
for the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2003 contained an unqualified  opinion
and  there  were  no  disagreements  with  Ernst & Young  LLP on any  matter  of
accounting principle or practices,  financial statements  disclosure or auditing
scope or procedure.





         Page 2


         Statements about  Scan-Optics'  future  expectations,  including future
revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than
historical  facts  are  "forward-looking  statements"  made  under  safe  harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a
number of risks and  uncertainties  that could materially affect future results.
Among these risk factors are changes in general economic and business conditions
in the United States and foreign  markets,  which impact capital  investments by
customers,  the cyclical  nature of funding within federal and state  government
agencies, further adverse changes in Scan-Optics' banking, lending and financing
relationship,  insufficient cash resources,  increased  competition from similar
products, the implementation of other technologies which may provide alternative
solutions,  ability to  complete  projects  in a timely  manner,  and other risk
factors  and  cautionary  statements  listed  from time to time in  Scan-Optics'
periodic  reports filed with the Securities and Exchange  Commission,  including
but not limited to the  Scan-Optics'  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2003.


                                      ####