HP Officejet J6480

Pros: Copier, scanner, wireless and duplex printing

Cons: Poor setup and auto document feeder does NOT work.

Summary: I have to say I was really enthusiastic at the prospect of a device that would meet almost all of my needs.

Enthusiasim turned to disappointment when trying to used the automatic document feeder (ADF). I had a number of family photos to scan for a project. I used the feeder to scan 4x6 prints. Each scan had the exact same issue - about 4 7/8" down the scan there appeared a horizontal line and the photo lost 1/4" of the image. There were also vertical lines (artifacts) that appeared randomly. It made the image look as if it were scratched.

I then tried scanning via the flatbed. The scan came out perfect. No horizontal line or random artifacts.

I packed up the original unit and returned it to the retailer. I exchanged the J6480 for a brand new unit, took it home and set it up. The setup of the second was a bit frustrating as I had to delete the first printer and re-install. Also had to setup the wireless connection once again.

Once I finally got the computer (HP Pavillion DV6345) to recognize the printer, I embarked on my scanning mission again. I was ready to put the photos in the ADF and let the machine do the work it was designed to do.

Before I committed to an investment of time and disk space I wanted to make sure the spectre of my earlier issues would not reappear. I placed the 4x6 photo in the ADF and pressed "scan".

Well, I was not impressed. I was now experiencing the very same issues as on the first unit I purchased. This time I opted to call the experts at HP Tech Support.

One Hundred and Seven minutes later I was no further along than when I discovered the ADF issues. It didn't matter if I was copying or scanning a photo (or paper document) with the ADF - results were consistently the same. The image always contains a horizontal line where it gets compressed by 1/4".

I tried different size photos - same results.

Conclusion - I received either two units from a bad manufacturing lot or there is a design issue with the ADF. Without the ADF this unit is severely crippled in the capacity in which it is sold and marketed. Don't take my word for it. Scan or copy your own photos or documents using both the ADF and flatbed options. Physically compare the results to the originals. I'd be interested to see if many other folks experience or notice the same issues (feedback at ray_parker59@hotmail.com).

If HP can get the ADF portion of this device working properly and ease the installation pain a bit, it will have an awesome product with little competition in this price/performance range. I really hope they can remedy this quickly.