WHAT'S HOT: The $199 Scanjet 4470c scored especially well in the scan-quality and ease-of-use categories. The 4470c boasts 1200-by-1200-dpi resolution and attractive 48-bit color that displayed bright, pleasing colors and accurate details in both print and on-screen tests. The front panel includes a bevy of buttons for automatically starting common tasks (scan, copy, print, and e-mail) and an LCD screen that displays the number and quality of copies when printing scans. The 4470c comes bundled with a well-designed transparency adapter capable of scanning multiple 35mm slides or negatives.

WHAT'S NOT: HP offers free technical support for only 90 days after purchase, and you pay all toll charges. After three months, you'll have to pay to speak to a technician. Likewise, HP's woefully short warranty is good for only 90 days, as opposed to the standard one-year warranty provided by all other scanners on the SOHO chart. You can't get an automatic document feeder for this HP scanner series.

WHAT ELSE: In our speed tests, the 4470c's scores ranked average among the USB scanners we've tested, though it trails the fastest models on the SOHO chart. For instance, when scanning a 5-by-7-inch color print at maximum optical resolution (1200 dpi), the 4470's rate of data throughput (580 kilobytes per second) fell behind that of the Canon CanoScan D1230UF, Visioneer OneTouch 8820, and Epson Perfection 1240U, which clocked in at 826 KBps, 691 KBps, and 653 KBps, respectively.

Instead of the single charge-coupled-device image sensor found in most scanners, the 4470c uses two sensors: a 1200-dpi CCD for high-resolution images (such as 35mm slides), and a separate CCD that maxes out at 300 dpi for faster, low-resolution scans (such as text documents).

The software bundle includes an image editor (ArcSoft PhotoImpression 3.0) an image manager (ACDSee 3.1), a Web site builder (TrellixWeb Express 1.0), and an easy-to-use scanner driver (HP PrecisionScan Pro 3.1) with integrated OCR capability and an option for saving scanned images onto CDs (if your PC is equipped with a CD-RW drive). For $50 less, the $149 Scanjet 4400c comes with all the same features but lacks the transparency adapter.

UPSHOT: The $199 HP Scanjet 4470c is a good choice for SOHO and home users who don't mind paying a bit extra for admirable scan quality in an easy-to-use, dual-format unit that can handle transparencies as well as reflective materials.

SUMMARY

HP Scanjet 4470c Parallel and USB, 1200 by 1200 dpi, 12 by 19.9 by 2.9 inches (width by depth by height), 6.3 pounds, 8.5-by-11.7-inch scanning area; includes transparency adapter, no optional automatic document feeder. Ninety-day warranty; toll-call technical support (16 hours weekdays, 7 hours weekends) limited to 90 days. $199 800/722-6538 www.scanjet.hp.com