HP Scanjet 4600 scanner = $29.94 OTD @ Staples

[usernamemax20charact]

SKU: 517220

$59.98 - $30 instant savings = $29.94

 

[isekii]

what are you talking about ?

it's 59.98

30 instant savings don't show up for me

NVM starts tomororw
Is this online or B&M?

 

[allisolm]

Starts tomorrow. See this thread for more information and the ad: Staples ad 4/17-4/30. I'm planning to get one of these to replace my very old scanner.

 

[usernamemax20charact]

should be available online and B&M

 

[T3C]

thanks!

 

[alm4rr]

here

 

[Illusio]

ok, I picked up this scanner today and I will be returning it. Just as a warning, if what your are scanning isnt completly flat against the glass surface, the scan will have alternating 1/2" bands and the scan will be out of focus and useless. So no scanning 3d objects or even large bound books with this thing.

 

[gsaldivar]

Originally posted by: Dark Jedi
ok, I picked up this scanner today and I will be returning it. Just as a warning, if what your are scanning isnt completly flat against the glass surface, the scan will have alternating 1/2" bands and the scan will be out of focus and useless. So no scanning 3d objects or even large bound books with this thing.

3d objects? wtf?

 

[StormRider]

Does this scanner get its power from the USB cable like some Canon scanners do?

 

[Illusio]

Originally posted by: StormRider
Does this scanner get its power from the USB cable like some Canon scanners do?

no, it has a seperate power cable., the USB cable is a bit short though, so be careful

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Dark Jedi
ok, I picked up this scanner today and I will be returning it. Just as a warning, if what your are scanning isnt completly flat against the glass surface, the scan will have alternating 1/2" bands and the scan will be out of focus and useless. So no scanning 3d objects or even large bound books with this thing.

Hmm, too bad, I thought that was kind of the point of how it was designed. At least for "flat" scans - how is the visual accuracy/resolution/color/etc. ?

I've got an old (old!) AcerScan Prisa 600 parallel-port model, that I would like to move up from.. something with 48-bit color and at least 1200 or 2400 optical DPI would be nice. It seems like this HP scanner would fit the bill.

Is this USB 2.0, or just 1.1, in terms of transfer rates? 1.1 is sloooow when it comes to multi-megabyte high-res scans. :| (I still prefer SCSI scanners, but I don't know if those are even still made.)

I have some sort of vague feeling, that the reason that this model is "ultra-slim", is that they've replaced a normal scanner's CCD element bar with a cheaper CMOS element, just like in cheaper recent USB-connected webcams. Still, for $30... I'm in.

 

[mawg]

Got mine, was at the store just as it opened. they had about a half-dozen in a stack, the employees wouldn't believe me when I told them the price. Finally the guy looked it up on their own web site, admitted they would "price match" the web site. I didn't ask how they thought selling something at the advertised price was price-matching.

 

[Kato]

I got one earlier today and there is a banding problem if the document/pix is not flat against the glass. The design of the scanner is so very nice but scanning items which is not perfectly flat will produce banding. After warmup, the scans are quite fast with USB 2.0 connection. This is the reply I got from hp on the banding issue.

"When scanning an object that is not in direct contact with the scanners
glass, such as a three dimensional (3-D) object or a photo that is
curled, the resulting scanned image will have alternating dark and light
zones that display as bands. This alternate banding is known as the
Odd-Even effect.

An object that is not touching the glass and contains a straight
horizontal line will alternately shift higher or lower in each band.

The alternate banding may also occur even when the scanned object is
completely flat with the banding showing in the darker areas of an
image.

The breakthrough design of this scanner allows the scanner to be very
thin while increasing bit depth and returning faster scan speeds;
however, this design also makes the scanner inappropriate for scanning
3-D objects.

There is no solution for this banding when scanning 3-D objects. The
following are workarounds to correct this issue when scanning flat
originals.

=== Workaround 1 ===

Place the original flat on the scanner glass, then place several pieces
of paper on top of the original before closing the scanner lid. This
places a downward force on the original, pressing it tightly against the
scanner glass. If this does not entirely alleviate the banding,
continue with workaround 2.

=== Workaround 2 ===

Increase the shadows value of the scanned image using the lighten/darken
image adjustment tool in the HP Scanning software to reduce the banding
effect. "

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Kato
I got one earlier today and there is a banding problem if the document/pix is not flat against the glass.

The alternate banding may also occur even when the scanned object is
completely flat with the banding showing in the darker areas of an
image.

=== Workaround 2 ===
Increase the shadows value of the scanned image using the lighten/darken
image adjustment tool in the HP Scanning software to reduce the banding
effect. "

Is it really that bad? My current scanner doesn't exhibit any sort of design defects; it's just a bit slow. The problem with the HP scanner sounds like it would almost be worse, especially if it happens even if the item being scanned is properly flat against the glass. I wonder what the cause of it is? You don't suppose that they are using an *interlaced* webcam-style CMOS imaging chip for scanning purposes, do you? Cost-wise, that would be brilliant. Design-wise, that would be horrible. (I was wondering why HP would even describe the problem as an "even-odd" problem - interlacing is the only thing that comes to my mind.)

I actually didn't get to the store before it was going to close, now I'm not sure if I want to pick one up or not. Hopefully someone else who owns one will chime in too. The thing that I don't get is, the whole point of an increased bit-depth for scanning, is increased clarity and dynamic-range at the low-end - eg. the darker portions of the image. Yet that seems to be where HP is suggesting that the problem could occur. If it's cheap, flat, USB 2.0 high-speed, and scans documents (high-contrast images) well, would it still be worth it to get one? (Edit: Decided not to at this point, I'm "picky" about my hardware.)

 

[Bucksnort]

Very cheaply made, buggy and a quickly discontinued model.

 

[Thump553]

I was pretty tempted by this scanner, till I saw all the bad evaluations (here and on Amazon). I'm looking for a CHEAP scanner that will be used mostly for text-scanning bills, bank statements, etc. and maybe the occassional photo. Any suggestions?

 

[l0pher]

to be honest, I'm thinking of picking one up anyway, not bad deal for $29.94 out the door

 

[emeraldsky]

This deal is still good until the 30th

 

[Zim]

Originally posted by: Kato
I got one earlier today and there is a banding problem if the document/pix is not flat against the glass. The design of the scanner is so very nice but scanning items which is not perfectly flat will produce banding. After warmup, the scans are quite fast with USB 2.0 connection. This is the reply I got from hp on the banding issue.

When scanning an object that is not in direct contact with the scanners
glass, such as a three dimensional (3-D) object or a photo that is
curled, the resulting scanned image will have alternating dark and light
zones that display as bands. This alternate banding is known as the
Odd-Even effect. "

"An object that is not touching the glass and contains a straight
horizontal line will alternately shift higher or lower in each band.

The alternate banding may also occur even when the scanned object is
completely flat with the banding showing in the darker areas of an
image."

Yeah, yeah, yeah! Obvious attempt to BS you.

The breakthrough design of this scanner allows the scanner to be very
thin while increasing bit depth and returning faster scan speeds;
however, this design also makes the scanner inappropriate for scanning
3-D objects."

Interesting! The bottom line is therefore to steer clear of this scanner. Thanks for the info. I was almost going to buy one of these but I'll be avoiding it now.

BTW, if you can find a Canon LiDE 50 at Staples, they are a better deal. They are $50 with no rebate, and come with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0. Note that the LiDE 30 is the same scanner without PS Elements.

 

[allisolm]

I bought this. Works fine for me. Worked great to copy the UPC/serial # label on my new TiVo box by placing the scanner on the box instead of having to put the entire box on top of the scanner.

 

[emeraldsky]

Originally posted by: allisolm
I bought this. Works fine for me. Worked great to copy the UPC/serial # label on my new TiVo box by placing the scanner on the box instead of having to put the entire box on top of the scanner.

How cool. It's even funny!

 

[ParatoOptimal]

So then, is a black and white picture with a black background going to turn out with gray and black bands in the background.

I don't need it to add louvers behind the subject in a picture.

I often scan newpaper and magazine articles by just holding them on my current scanner with my hands and not putting the lid down. sometimes a few typed words are a little fuzzy because they weren't sufficiently pressed against the scanner. I wonder if this beast would add bars as if the words were edited out with a marker.

I seem to recall when these things came out that they got terrible reviews.

The popular advice was to wait until they perfected it.

The 4670 model is $179.99.

Does anyone have the answer to the CCD/CMOS question?

Thanks

 

[StormRider]

That's my main purpose for having a scanner. To scan UPC codes and receipts to get my rebates!

 

[DainBrammage]

I bought the scanner and its fine. No problems with banding etc. For all the naysayers PLONK!!!! super fast, super clean, super esy to set up and super easy on the old wallet.

 

[one7]

I've used a Visioneer/Paperport scanner for years, and would love to get this one since it's so compact. Anyone know if the HP scanners play nice with Paperport softare? (the document management program, not the drivers...) Thanks!