Truly useful
Written: Nov 30 '02
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Pros: Easy to use, nice output, handy film scanner
Cons: Hardware: none. Software: driver doesn't store settings
The Bottom Line: I would purchase this again. Good price, great features and scan quality. For most people this easy-to-use yet feature rich scanner will fit the bill nicely.
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| pgifford's Full Review: Hewlett Packard ScanJet 4470C Flatbed Scanner |
I purchased this scanner to replace a 5 year old parallel port scanner. What a difference 5 years makes! For some background, I'm running Windows XP and have had this scanner 8 months or so (as of this writing).
Installation: Installation is a breeze. Plug it in, pop in the disk (or download the latest software from HP's website) and you're ready to go. The scanner was immediately available from my editor of choice, Ulead's PhotoImpact.
There are two ways to get a scan, either initiate it from a graphics program or use the front buttons. The main difference between the two methods is the disposition of the image after scanning. Using a graphics program you'll likely just save it to disk. Using the scanner's buttons you'll get to use some of HP's software (unless you selected otherwise).
Buttons:
All buttons give you the choice of scanning to your installed graphics software, if any. HP provides functionality with each button as well. I didn't think I'd care for the buttons, initially considering them to be a bit of fluff. I now find them to be useful and a minor time saver...they're quite handy.
Scan to: This button will scan to HP PrecisionScanPro. This will allow you to to a basic save to disk or to pass the output to another program.
Scan to web: Scans to HP's Share To Web program, allowing images to be easily post to a web site. I have not used this feature.
Photo reprint: Insert a photo and HP's software will format it into different sizes on a single sheet as you get at a portrait place (e.g., a 5x7 and several wallets).
Scan to e-mail: Takes the output from the scan and puts it in a e-mail message. You'll be asked what you're scanning, photo or document, in order to get the best output.
Scanjet copy utility: Making copies...set the number desired on the front control panel, press the copy button, and the result pops out of your default printer.
How well does it work?
Really well. You can search the web for rigorous reviews and comparisons conducted by professionals (I'd post some links but I don't think epinions would appreciate it). Here's my take:
Scan quality is quite good. I generally have to do very little tweaking after scanning - the output is nice and bright and the color seems right on. There are a number of settings to choose from - this is where it would be nice if the software remembered your scanning preferences between sessions. It's a minor chore having to reset the settings each scan, though "save" and "load" functions streamline this a bit. I've scanned at high resolution and lower resolution and I've always been happy with the output. The lid is a bit light so for things that aren't perfectly flat I find it helps to put some weight on the lid.
What is really nice about this scanner is the included negative/slide scanner. It plugs into the back of the scanner and makes short work of scanning negatives or posting those slides to the web. It's easy to use and the output is good, though not as good as if the original photo was scanned.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 120
Interface: USB
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Epinions.com ID:
pgifford
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Location: Elkridge, MD, USA
Reviews written: 29
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Daddy, meteorologist, computer programmer, former game store owner, big kid.
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