The Ultimate ScanJet
Written: Jul 10 '00 (Updated Jul 10 '00)
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Pros: Easy to use, 5 quick scanner buttons, excellent resolution, unlimited enhanced resolution, HP quality, PC and Mac compatible, USB and SCSI interface, Sheet feeder, includes Photoshop 5, includes SCSI card and cable, fast!
Cons: Really really expensive to majority of users!
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| yusakugo's Full Review: HP ScanJet 6390 |
If you read my ScanJet 5300 and 6300 reviews, you know how much I love those two scanners. I mentioned in my 6300 review that the hospital I work at got 6300 and 6390 scanners into quite a few offices and the computer room. I finally got a chance to play with the 6390 scanner and all its accessories, and I was completely impressed by this scanner and accessory bundle. This review contains some info from the 6300 review and many revisions specific to the 6390 package!
Overall, the scanner is the base 6300 series scanner with alot of trimmings. You get the Automatic 25 page Sheet Feeder, the slide adapter, Adobe Photoshop 5, ReadIRIS 5 professional OCR software, and a SCSI card and cable. So you get the same great quality scanner in the 6300 plus alot of accessories and software at a substantial discount!
This is truly a professional level scanner and you will pay the price for getting it... This bundle costs a whopping $899 at retail prices. You can get it much cheaper at a few places that I'll mention at the end of the review. If money is no object, you want a SCSI connection, and you need Photoshop, get this package! If you don't want SCSI, don't need Photoshop, and are on a budget, look at other offerings like HP Scanjet 5300 and 6300 series and even the 3300, 3400, and 4300 scanners. The ScanJet 3400 that was just released is very impressive for a sub-$150 scanner (I'll post a review on the 3400 when the scanner comes up on the scanner list).
The scanner is capable of 1200 dpi optical resolution, and if you really need it, it is capable of UNLIMITED enhanced resolution (i.e. it has a ridiculously high enhanced resolution of 999,999 that very few home users would ever need and even some professional users). This is a 36-bit color scanner. The scanner is a snap to use with five buttons for quick scanning... one each for scan, copy, e-mail, fax, and file. Did I mention that this scanner is fast? This is one of the speediest scanners I have seen in this price range although prices don't get much higher than this. If you want speed, quality, and clarity... HP certainly has made a winner with the 63xx series ScanJets period!
The scanner is by far one of the easiest scanners to use that I've played with. You stick in what you want to scan and press one of the 5 buttons. You can press the copy button and get a preview on your screen... and print. The e-mail and fax work only with some programs (most/all of the major ones) but I really haven't tested it out on a wide range of programs since the hospital does place these programs on the computer. I'm not sure how the File button works since I haven't used it. Pressing the scan button brings up a menu allowing you to choose the program that you want to scan to go to... the software will optimize the picture for that program. The software will divide the image to regions that are automatically adjusted for the best results (or whatever you placed in preferences). On top of that, the scan preview allows you to adjust the settings for different regions of the scanned image/text page and even select particular regions to be scanned. And to top it off, the scan will detect text regions and apply the OCR software to just those regions. You can fine tune regions by selecting the region and right clicking on it... this gives you options to modify that region of the scan. Scan will maintain the format and layout of the page to a fairly accurate degree. Everyone will be very happy with the software implementation for this scanner. The buttons are also reprogrammable for other functions as well.
The scanner is fairly heavy at 15.9 lbs (7.2 kg). The footprint is 19.9" (505 mm) depth x 12.4" (313 mm) width x 7.7" (195 mm) height. The 6390 uses CCD technology or Charged-Coupled Device, which is found in the majority of scanners and copiers today. You can compare this to the CanoScan 600 series that use LED/LIDE technology. The scanner has an optical resolution of 1200 dpi and "unlimited" enhanced resolution. Scan are performed in 36-bit color. All the various 6300 models come with the scanner, USB cable, a power cable, PC and Mac software, and a setup poster. The 6390 package includes a 25 page automatic document feeder (ADF), a transparency adapter (much better than the slide adapter!), SCSI card and cable, and USB cable. These additions would add at least $250 to the price of a 6300 scanner if purchased separately! The ADF takes up to 25 sheets of paper for scanning and it didn't jam all the time I used it. I don't know what type of SCSI card comes with the kit, but I am fairly sure that it is produced by Adaptec. Scans of 4x6 photos are rated at less than 9 seconds by HP. To me it seems to be more of 15 seconds or so but I didn't pay attention to the scan time too much since it is still extremely speedy!
Since you get the SCSI card and cable, I would recommend installing them. This will maximize the speed and power of your new 6390 scanner! You still have the option of using the USB connection instead but why if you bought the 6390 package? The whole installation should be less than 1 hour.
Software wise... you get Photoshop 5. One of the top notch graphics programs on the planet. Many will call Photoshop the best graphics program in the market... This software package alone would cost in excess of $350 if purchased seperate from the scanner. What more software could you want after getting this for your scanner?
HP backs the scanner with an extensive warranty. 90 days free telephone support for hardware and installation issues, 24 hour online support, and a limited 1 year hardware warranty. There is an optional HP Support Pack for 2 years as well. 24 hour online assistance is also available through www.hp.com.
Overall
You have the money to burn for a scanner... burn it on this! If you need every major accessory, needed a high powered graphics program, and were looking to add SCSI features to your computer, just get this package. You won't regret it! The drivers and interface are top notch. The Precision Scan Pro software with the scanner is absolutely excellent! The scanner is fast, oozes with quality, and has power to spare. Budget conscious people, look elsewhere... this setup is not for the weak of wallet! If you don't need all this stuff... you know what, look at the other HP offerings. The HP 6300 is a good choice still as well as the 5300. For the sub-$150 group, look at the ScanJet 3300, 3400, 4200, and 4300 scanners.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 899 MSRP/$744 at buy.com
Interface: SCSI
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yusakugo
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Member: Rich Go
Location: Somewhere in the NorthEast
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Losing Sleep and Lacking Time... sigh...
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