HP Q3112A ScanJet 4600 See-Thru Flatbed Scanner

• 2,400 dpi optical resolution
• 48-bit color depth, 256-level grayscale
• See through scanner cover
• Front panel buttons for power save, scan, copy, and HP Instant Share
• USB interface, PC and Mac compatible

As an avid scrapbooker and scrapbook business owner, scanning images that are "lumpy and bumpy" is next to impossible and believe me, I''ve tried every possible scanner out there. One of HP''s ScanJet''s did the trick for a while but it took up a majority of my desk. NOW I have a scanner that allows me to scan all my "lumpy and bumpy" objects with ease. Having a tough time finding something to scan something larger than 8x10? That''s alright! This scanner comes with stitching software that gives PERFECT, SEAMLESS stitching. Awesome, awesome scanner. The best part is that I can stand it upright and store it beside my monitor so that I have more room for .... well .... more junk on my desk! :)

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I have just purchased this scanner with trepidation, given the bad reviews it''s received here. Yet, it has been highly rated by other consumer reporting websites. After being burned by Visioneer''s technical support (2+ hours wait period, then asked to call back the following day), I decided to give HP ScanJet 4600 a chance. Falling prices have made this unit much more affordable.

I had no issues with installation using WinXP, SP2. I found that it scans text, illustrations, and newspaper print (post-edited with bundled stitching software) very well. I use third party software for image-editing and OCR. Therefore, I cannot comment on the performance of included software other than the stitching software, which was very easy to use for obtaining a quality image. This machine is also portable enough to take to libraries to scan materials such as newspapers and books (where the book binding isn''t prohibitive). For me, this is a big plus. It''s lightweight and much thinner than other bulky scanners, which would be a burden to carry. It scans items face up or face down and is detachable from it''s horizontal base. This is a bonus for scanning items like maps or oversized books. In addition, it takes up little space when stored vertically.

I have scanned few photos, as this was not my primary purpose for purchasing a scanner. I found that the scanning surface must be cleaned with lens towels prior to glossy photo scanning to remove all dust particles, which will show up in images. If archiving photos were my primary scanner purpose, I would recommend selecting a different scanner, because post-scan editing is required to return some images to more natural hues.

I will say that while scanning one book, I did see black and white banding at the crease, which is analogous to how loss of focus occurs when photocopying books near the crease. I found that the binding must be pressed such that the book was flush against the scanning surface. If one plans to scan many books where the binding holds the book tightly closed, then you may have problems with this product.

All in all, this product works very well for my purposes as well as appealing aesthetically.

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Scans of various drawings and paintings done with the HP Scanjet 4600 exhibit alternating light and dark bands parallel to the direction of the scan. The bands vary in intensity depending on the color or value of the area being scanned. This problem showed up on two samples of the scanner. HP has been of no real help in solving this problem and I have returned both samples. The design is ideal for scanning large items but, unfortunately, the bands make the product useless.

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Granted, this is a great scanner and an inventive design. For me, however, the design screams to be used in a mobile fashion. After all, the unit is touted as a great scanner for large or unwieldy items (as opposed to a strictly desktop scanner, for instance). In my case, I was looking to use it for copying from books for use in research. If you have tried copying from a book on a flatbed scanner, even one with an expandable lid, you''ll know the difficulty involved. With the 4600, one can effectively crop the book in realtime, eliminating the guesswork. BUT, imagine my surprise to learn that the scanner comes with a wall wart AC transformer! The addition of a power adapter significantly undercuts the 4600''s utility as a mobile scanner (e.g.--books in a library). As an owner of a usb-powered Canon flatbed scanner, it didn''t even occur to me that the 4600 would be different. Note that the marketing materials leave the impression that the 4600 is usb-powered. It touts a "combination usb/AC cable", a phrase that is certainly open to interpretation. In this case, it isn''t even true: at some point, the "combination cable" _must_ split into a piece leading to the pc and a piece leading to the AC adapter. What is the advantage in this??? Also, the marketing materials cryptically list among the contents this line: AC adapter (where applicable). What does this even mean? A big thumbs down to HP for crippling a potentially great scanner, and attempting to hide its true identity. It''s great as a desktop scanner, but there are loads of competitors that are cheaper in that class.

This is the best scanner I have used so far. Though I have only used it for scanning in book pages (with pictures) and documents and not photographs. It is very easy to use and the software worked fine on my XP SP2. I like the see through feature, you can see the area that is being scanned. Also it is much easier to handle than other scanners so you''ll scan much faster. I just place the scanner over the book pages I need to scan and not the other way round. Overall I was very pleased.