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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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HP's almost pro scanner October 16, 2001 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/hardware/printersscanners/soa/HP-s-almost-pro-scanner/0,139023422,120261195,00.htm
If consumer-grade scanner leave you cold, then have a look at Hewlett-Packard's new Scanjet 5400C. It comes with features that push it close to pro territory, while retaining user-friendly touches such as one-touch front panel buttons and fast pre-scans. However, you do have pay twice what you'd fork over for a low-end scanner. Zippy pre-scans
How fast is a pre-scan? It took less than 20 seconds for the Scanjet 5400C to wake up from cold (mains power off) and zip its sensor across the A4-sized screen. This speed, according to HP, is thanks to the use of two sensors; one for pre-scans and another for detailed work. It took almost 4 minutes for 1200 dpi scan of a 15 x 9 cm photograph on our 800 MHz Pentium III PC with 128 MB of memory. The Scanjet 5400C won't break any speed records, but the time taken is about average for a scan of this resolution. To make things easy, scanning to text editor file format, such as MS Word, will trigger the optical character recognition engine automatically. In our test scan of a colour photo, the resulting image was relatively noise-free and detailed; HP's rated 48-bit colour range helped make for a rich, bright scan with good contrasts and dynamic range. However, do note that the high number of bits will lead to larger-sized files. You can, however, opt for lower bit levels in the software. Buttons galore
The numerous front panel buttons that let users perform jobs such as scan, copy, print, print-to-Web and attach-to-email with one touch are also a nice touch that home users may find useful. What makes the 5400C a class above cheaper scanners is its maximum resolution of 2400 dpi; most home scanners top out at 600 or 1200 dpi. This feature makes this machine suitable for graphics pros who may need something more than a draft image for mockups, or who may need a tight crop of a large photo. Such high resolutions, however, are used mostly in film and transparency scans, where the source image is only a couple of inches across and needs lots of blowing up. An optional film adaptor is available for the 5400C, or you can opt for the complete package in the 5470C. Pro and home features in one
Also, it's bulkier than most; whether this is a drawback is a matter of taste, as some may prefer seeing something rugged and substantial for their money. The bundled software, too, is substantial, and covers all the basics you need to scan, edit and organise images and documents, and includes such classics as ACDsee. You also get software for creating print and Web layouts. The Scanjet 5400C sits squarely in between the pro and home markets, and combines features of both. For families who need a Swiss Army knife machine, ready to tackle any sort of job, the 5400C would make a good choice. For graphics pros who don't need all the features of a top end flatbed, the same machine should fit the bill. Hewlett-Packard 5400C
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