Nightmare installation, Dream Scanner ! (HP Scanjet 5470C)

Member Name: manhunter

Product:	HP Scanjet 5470C
Date:	09/05/02 (4198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's an HP scanner, 2400 x 2400 resolution cabable, Can scan slides and negatives too!

Disadvantages: Possible installation problems, No printed manuals included., Needs a fair amount of desk space.

I was initially attracted to this HP scanner for a few reasons. Firstly, my previous (ageing) scanner was also made by HP (a Scanjet 5p) and I had had no problems with it whatsoever over the years. The second key reason was the capabilites of the 5470c model. The top resolution of 2400 x 2400 was exactly what I was looking for. Finally, the inclusion of the XPA unit, allowing the scanning of slides and negatives was another big plus point for me.

So, overall, the combination of these attractive features and a reasonable (but not cheap) price tag made this certainly the device for me. I ordered the product on-line and it was with me the next day. Excellent.

But that's where my problems began!

After an apparently smooth and problem-free installation (it was suspicious easy thanks to the USB interface option), I prepared to make my first scan. However, I was greeted with the message :

"Scanner not found - there was a problem communicating with your scanner."

And this message came after a reboot and also after a "The installation was successful!" message. I was not amused!

To cut a LONG story short though, the problem in the end turned out to be a Windows issue on my PC. HP's telephone support did NOT solve the problem, but they were extremely keen to try and also very helpful, so I cannot fault HP on that issue. The only issues I have with HP really are that a) A printed manual is NOT included but could have made the installation easier and b) the software claimed that the installation had been successful when clearly it had not :(

Now that the device is actually up and running, I cannot fault it however (so far) The XPA unit for slide scanning is much better than I expected and has turned from being a novelty extra into a real bonus for me. Scanning quality is excellent and the Precision Scan software works well with other applications. Personally I choose not to use the buttons
actuall on the scanner, but they do work and it's a nice alternative way of using the device I suppose.

One final thing to bear in mind with this excellent scanner is it's size. width and height wise, the dimensions are fairly standard, but depth-wise, it's a monster! Check with the dimensions on the HP site before purchasing and allow a extra inch or so for when the cables are sticking out the back.

Final analysis : Assuming you have no installtion issues like I did, you are going to be delighted with the top-notch scanner from HP.

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