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Flatbed Scanner, 4800 x 9600 dpi, Color Depth: 48-bit Color, USB 2.0 |  |
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| Product Reviews from Amazon.com (Rating System 1 to 5) |
| Review | Rating | Last Updated | Unbelievably Bad
I've never been so disappointed with a piece of equipment that I've been moved to write a review here. But after over a year of fighting with this thing, I'm done with it. As stated earlier by someone else, the unit will scan 2 or 3 documents then stop. I would reset it and it would scan a bit more, but now it doesn't scan at all. I tried of it. I, too, want to toss it from my second story apartment window. I'll never buy another HP product if I can help it. | 1 | Today | Love the scanner, hate the software
Google-searching for alternate software solutions, I came across these reviews, and figured I'd write one of my own.
I've had this scanner for over two years now, after grabbing it off the shelf my first year of college. I installed the software initially, but never needed to use it because I'd import scans to Photoshop just using the scanner's driver. Then later, I reinstalled my operating system, didn't bother with the software this time around, because my computer just found the driver online and it worked absolutely fine through Photoshop. I've never had any issue actually retrieving scans, and the scan quality is awesome, so I can't complain.
However, I've recently started using the scanner for slides and negatives, so I was forced to download the special software so that I could get the slide/negatives aspect to work. Of course, I couldn't just get the scanner operating software (which is all I needed), the storage/editing software came in the package too, and I got warned when I tried to delete it (don't need 300 MB of junk wasting space) because it claimed that the scan software would not work without it, which I hope is BS. I don't need some stupid bloated program to help me organize my pictures, and I don't need it to edit my pictures, because I can already do that.
The scan software itself is a joke. It is so dumbed down it's inoperable. Options for settings are extremely limited, as are the formats you can actually import to. It is extremely irritating. Also, in using the software, I experienced for the first time in over two years the scanner freezing. This is why I've been on a search for third party software that most likely doesn't exist. I don't get it, why make a great scanner and then ruin it with clumsy, bloated software?
My rating would have been a five if I had never experienced the software, because through an imaging program like Photoshop with just the driver, it works wonderfually and delivers beautiful scans. Now that I've had to put up with the software for scanning slides, it's hurt my experience, but only for when I scan slides and negatives, which is not too often.
Otherwise, it's a great scanner and if you plan to operate it through a program like Photoshop and not through the ridiculous HP software, and only scan film once in a while, then I'd wholly recommend it. If you're relying solely on HP's software, operating the thing is annoying and cumbersome. It's really a shame that such a great machine had to be ruined by dumb software.
| 4 | Today | Can we make it any slower than that ?
I bought this item thinking that it would be a great help for me to scan negatives and slides into digital format. Oh boy, was I wrong. The scanner comes with a 450MB software+driver (why so big ???) and although it seems to work the first time, it takes forever to scan anything. The software delivered with the scanner is not user-friendly at all, slow, and doesn't help much. One example, if you want to scan a band of negatives (4 of them) it will take 25mn on my computer. I tried with HP software and Photoshop : same results.
Previously I had a $30 scanner that worked perfectly except for negatives. I thought I could upgrade with an HP model but I will now look for an other brand and model. I am so sorry about this because HP used to have much better products. | 1 | Today | Scanjet 4850 not ready for Vista
HP hasn't distributed the software yet that will let the HP Scanjet 4850 scanner work with the new Microsoft Vista operating system. The software on the CD in the box doesn't work with Vista. HP will allow you to download a bare-bones version that will let you use the scanner for very simple things only. But as of March 8th, 2007, they still haven't released the full version.
Maybe someone forgot to tell HP that Vista was under development for the last few years? | 4 | Today | DON'T EVEN CONSIDER BUYING THIS SCANNER
I have been trying to install the software for 5 months. No one from HP can even help. Each time I call HP I'm on the phone for at least 15 minutes & the problem still exists. I am not happy with the machine. But I am most unhappy with HP's "technical support". | 1 | Today | HP Scanjet 4850 Photo Scanner
Scans photos and documents fairly well. Film and slide scanning dificult at best. The instructions are very poor giving only the very basic directions for use with no help in using any of the advanced functions. On line help is not much better. Would not buy another unit. | 2 | Today | HP Scanjet 4850 Photo Scanner
Installation quick and easy to accomplish; directions for use are clear and concise; happy with overall performance and quality. | 5 | Today | Affordable, yes; usable, no.
I have a Dell Latitude D520 laptop. I received the HP Scanjet 4850 for a Christmas gift. I had requested a "slide scanner" so that I could digitize my boxes of 35 mm slide photographs. I loaded the "HP Image Zone Software" and started having conflicts and error messages immediately. I spent some time searching for common errors and updates on the HP website, thinking a software update from HP would iron out the kinks. Nope. Then I unloaded the software, reloaded it, and finally gave up the ghost. The experience reminded me of the 80's when application software and system software routinely conflicted. It's almost like HP doesn't care whether it works with standard computer HW and SW. Nowhere do they discuss solutions to common problems.
The scanner unit itself is elegant enough in appearance. Inside the lid of the scanner is a vertical slot for holding 4-5 35 mm slides or film negatives for scanning. The "slide holder" is crudely designed and requires finesse to properly insert the slides, one at a time. Insert the slide too fast or off center and the slide pops awkwardly into the plastic sheath, requiring you to carefully extricate the slide with a finger nail and start the process over again. Move carefully as you load the slide holder with multiple slides or you'll dislodge them all, requiring you to start again. Frustrating. Tedious. Slow. Even if I could get the thing to work, at 4 - 5 slides at a time, at least 5 minutes a pop to painstakingly load the slides and then scan ...that adds up when you have hundreds of slides to scan. | 1 | Today | HP- "What Happened"?
Updated: I can't believe it's been a year. I have learned to work work the software- and I am realizing that it seems to have been designed, essentially, to scan photos without a whole lot of effort, which it seems to do pretty well. Once I learned how to set it up for this- and actually had a need for this- it began to make a little more sense. But not much else has changed, and look forward to upgrading to something a little - no, make that a lot- better thought out.
They used to make such reliable stuff. Buy an HP peripheral and you knew that was the end of it. So what happened? Why do they feel a need to constantly "improve" such an essentially simple device? I know HP can build great hardware, but at what point, exactly, does a gasping designer rush in and say, "Oh, wait, that old software isn't as GOOD as *ours*!" What is a scanner but a mirror? How complicated is that? I want to make images of my images, and the easier it is for me to do this the happier a consumer I will be. Instead, I find apparent refugees from Microsoft or some community college software design school polluting the work of good engineers by muddying up the UI so badly I am compelled to hate this product beyond words.
Show me what is on the glass and ask me where to put it. Should be no more complicated than this.
After reading all the reviews of all the scanners I possibly could before need took over, I had to replace my venerable old HP ScanJet 5730 without feeling like I really would be improving the situation a whole lot. I settled on a ScanJet 4850 mostly because it was the least objectionable off-the-shelf choice I could make in this little town of mine. It looks like my old 5730. It fits in the drawer I custom built to house it. And I am still trying to find a direct way to quickly and simply get a photo saved or a document copied.
I am still shocked beyond disappointment. And it has only been about two hours. I may have to buy every unit in town to see if it's just me or not.
For now: One star for software, 4 for the machine. Averages a 2. Sort of. More later.
| 2 | Today | Sloooooooooow scanner
If you are using this to scan images to put on a webpage or to send via email the scanner works great. The default dpi is 200 and when you increase the dpi to create images you can print it slows way down. I would not recommend this scanner if you are looking to print the photos you have scanned. | 3 | Today |
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