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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 44 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The good: Fast; picture quality is generally excellent.
The bad: OCR of text columns is tricky; bulky power adapter takes up valuable outlet space; weak support.
The bottom line: From the seamless installation wizard to the easy-to-use software, this is an excellent scanner for the first-time home user.
Specifications: Type: Flatbed scanner - Desktop ; Optical Resolution: 600 dpi x 600 dpi ; Scanner interface type: USB ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 05/23/2001
Talk about more bang for the buck. While it has OCR (optical character recognition) problems and a few other annoyances, the $79 Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 2200c is still a good deal for the money.Talk about more bang for the buck. While it has OCR (optical character recognition) problems and a few other annoyances, the $79 Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 2200c is still a good deal for the money.
Ready, set, go!
The ScanJet 2200c ships with a USB cable, a large power adapter, and a quick-start guide in three languages. As an extra bonus, it ships with the sensitive CCD scanning head locked to help prevent damage in transit. Setting up the scanner is easy, thanks to an excellent wizard with step-by-step instructions. It starts off by installing PrecisionScan LTX, which handles scanning and OCR, and Adobe ActiveShare, a photo-management and sharing application. Next, the wizard takes you through the simple connection process. The only bad part of the installation process is trying to find space for the bulky and cumbersome power adapter.
The 2200c keeps it simple with its two scanning buttons: Scan and Copy. The Copy button launches the Copy utility, which both allows you to send your scan straight to your printer and lets you alter everything from print quality to image lightness and darkness. The Scan button launches PrecisionScan LTX and scans your document, offering adjustable options ranging from resolution quality to output size. The PrecisionScan software features a simple, clean interface, and text and visual aids help make every option easy to use. The software also performs OCR and exports scanned text and graphics to software installed on your computer (such as Word or Dreamweaver) or straight to file in formats such as BMP, JPEG, or GIF.
However, while the software provides clear pictures and descriptions for many options, some key choices--such as Descreen Printed Originals, Use Maximum Bit Depth, and Sharpen Detail In Photos--are not described anywhere, so novice users will be left to trial and error.
Pretty is as pretty does
For a low-cost scanner, the HP 2200c did a pretty good job of producing high-quality images. CNET Labs' scanner jury found that the grayscale scan quality was excellent and color representation was good, showing an overall true scan in both cases. However, when scanning at 600 dots per inch (dpi) in grayscale, the Hercules Scan@home 48USB delivered significantly better results than the ScanJet 2200c, which displayed some fading and a grainy image--odd, considering that the Scan@home does a generally poor job elsewhere. But although HP's high-resolution image quality suffers a bit, it is still acceptable.
In CNET Labs' performance tests, the 2200c far outclassed the Hercules Scan@home. The 150dpi, full-page color scan took 23.3 seconds, almost 70 seconds less than the Hercules. The 150dpi grayscale scan took only 24.6 seconds for a full page, compared to the Scan@home's 44 seconds.
The HP's OCR quality turned out to be more of a mixed bag. On the good side, the PrecisionScan LTX software was able to recognize nearly every word on the tested pages with little or no artifacts. On the bad side, it couldn't handle text columns. When we scanned a page from a newspaper, for example, the software took the first line from each column and merged it into one line. Choosing to scan both pictures and text simultaneously maintained the columns and formatting--at the cost of image quality--with resulting streaks and spots.
Beauty's only skin deep
On a sad note, HP's service and support on the 2200c is something of a letdown. The scanner is covered by an extremely brief 90-day limited hardware warranty and 90 days of free (but not toll-free) tech support. The support center is open Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. By way of consolation, HP's online support is thorough and comprehensive, and e-mail support is also available.
Considering its overall high-quality scans, terrific scanning speed, and generally good software, the ScanJet 2200c is a great scanner for its price. Unfortunately, HP's stingy service and support keep this ScanJet from the winners' circle.
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Performance test Time, in seconds, to complete one scan (shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Scan quality Results based on a poll of CNET staff, who rate scan quality on a scale of 1 to 10 (longer bars equal better performance)
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| The HP ScanJet 2200c performed well in CNET Labs' tests, proving itself both speedy and capable of high-quality scans. |
User reviews
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 44 reviews
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