HP Scanjet 5550c

HP Scanjet 5550c

Scanjet 5550c Review, by Richard Jantz March 26, 2003

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• Reviewed by: parvathysunil

  Strengths: None

  Weaknesses: Frequent Jams, non compatibility with Windows XP Home

  Overall: We bought this scanner for office use; Could not use it even once. The set up was very difficult, though it said OK, it would never scan. Then there was the paper jams which would crash the whole computer system..the list goes on. I have a networked office - so thought it was a problem with the network - but all other systems work beautifully, just this scanner!

• Reviewed by: bcole56

  Strengths: Automatic Document Feeder that works well and rarely jams

  Weaknesses: HP Scanning software is SLOW and poorly integrated with 3rd party programs.

  Overall: The HP Scanjet 5550c is solidly-constructed. The 35-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) works well, it rarely jams, and it's able to feed up to legal-size paper. Unlike most other scanners, the 5550c ADF/lid opens from the side of the scanner, which makes it more convenient. The ADF hinges also look fairly sturdy, so it seems like the scanner would survive the thousands of pages that I anticipate I'll be putting through the scanner. There are various hardware buttons on the front panel, the most useful of which are "scan," "scan to disk (CD-R or hard disk," and "copy" (which prints to the printer of your choice, including your PDF printer). The "copy" feature even has an LCD screen and extra buttons to control how many copies you want and whether you want the copies B&W or color. There are also useless buttons, including "scan to webpage" and "scan to email." The scans are fast from the ADF: 300 dpi greyscale pages take 10 sec each and 300 dpi color scans take 15 sec. Note: the Scanjet 5550c is really just a Scanjet 4500 with the ADF. You may choose to buy the 4500 and ADF separately, but you'd save money if you just buy the 5550c. SOFTWARE: Unfortunately, he HP scanning software, while it gets the job done, is SLOW and inefficient--with splash screens for everything and too many separate scanning mini-programs. I run a P3 WinXP 256 MB, and the various canning modules of the software take up to 10 sec to load. Plus, the software takes up huge amounts of HD space...nearl

• Reviewed by: kblam

  Strengths: Automatic document feeder works well; it rarely jams.

  Weaknesses: HP scannning software is very slow and does not allow enough control over scanning parameters during multi-page scans. It does not integrate well with 3rd party programs like PaperPort & Acrobat.

  Overall: The hardware works well. The automatic document feeder rarely jams, and the scans coming from from the ADF are not distorted or crooked. The construction of the entire scanner is very solid, including solid-looking hinges on which the heavy ADF rests. Overall construction looks like good quality. There are many hardware buttons: "scan," "scan to a website," "scan to hard disk," "scan to email," "copy" (i.e. scan to printer). There is even an LED and hardware buttons setting how many copies you want to make. The software integration with these buttons is adequate, though it doesn't let you consistently set the scan parameters (B&W, resolution, etc) for each button. It's nice to be able to save the scans to PDF, but you can set any PDF settings. I scan most of my docs into PDF and wish there is better setting adjustments. But...The software is also VERY SLOW. On my P3 256 MB machine, many of the different scanning modules took over 10 sec to load. The scanning itself is speedy: 300 dpi millions of color took just 10 sec; B&W and grey scale are even faster. This speed is good for the ADF, which keeps things moving along very quickly. But the HP scanning software's integration with 3rd party apps is terrible. For example, when I try to initiate multi-page scans from Adobe Acrobat 5 or 6, I am not allowed to set the scan parameters; I'm forced to accept the default scanning parameters...which is 1 bit B&W.

• Reviewed by: acarie

  Strengths: Hardware wise a good product. Document feeder works well,

  Weaknesses: Poor software. Paperport which comes bundled with unit is not compatible with this scanner.

  Overall: Setup program crashed at the end of installation. Had to run it again. The hardware itself works well, document feeder worked without any problems. Software is poorly designed. Biggest complaint is this scanner does not work with Paperport even though Paperport came bundled with unit. Front panel buttons were useless when trying to use with Paperport. HP support could not help. They said it was a Paperport problem. Paperport wants $20.00 up front just to talk to you. HP Director, the scanning software, is poorly designed and awkward to use. It is also very slow. I have had good luck with HP products up until this one. I do not recommend this scanner. I sent mine back to HP for a no hassle refund.