HP ScanJet 4670 See-Thru Vertical Scanner (Q3122A#A2L)

Rating:
Summary: Nice scanner, neat idea
Review: I became fascinated with this scanner when I saw it in a local store -- the ability to take a scanning "plate" and put it over objects (a book or whatever) seemed like one of those ideas they should have done a long time ago. The design, which looks a little like a picture frame, is nice too -- you can use it to store favorite photos when it's not in use. Unlike a previous reviewer, I had no problems with the software and, yes, there are options to save settings in between settings (I suggest examining the help files or more fully exploring the software menus.) I tried it on an XP and MacOS X system and it worked well. Really impressed with the Mac support overall for the scanner. It's a little slower than I'd like, but still a nice package.

Rating:
Summary: Nice design, not sure about the scanning quality
Review: I bought this for several reasons - the physical design, which both looks nice and doesn't take up too much space on my already cluttered desk, the ability to do panoramic scans by moving the scanner over the medium rather than the other way round, and the general technical specs. I've had it less than a day so far, and have mixed feelings. I haven't owned a scanner before, other than a drop in scan cartridge for Canon printer, and so didn't really know what to expect, but the quality on scanning photos seems poor. I suspect this is mostly due to the settings. For example, if you change the default sharpness from "medium" to "none", the results are much better. Of course, you can fix up a lot of this stuff in software afterwards, but I'd prefer it if I didn't have to.

Rating:
Summary: Nice to look at, poor scan quality
Review: I have an HP Scanjet 4C that has been a workhorse for the past 4-5 years (It still works, but my new Macintosh doesn't support SCSI devices). So, in deciding on a purchase I chose HP again out of loyalty. Set-up on the 4670 was easy, the software acceptable (typical of HPs), and the scanner itself was beautiful. Unfortunately all images that I scanned were plagued with 1/2" tall bands of light and dark areas. I found no way to remedy this and was forced to return the scanner for a refund.

Rating:
Summary: Seriously flawed
Review: I loved the design of this scanner and needed to be able to scan both large items and negatives. Unfortunately, the scanner doesn't work properly. Negatives come out greenish yellow where there should be blue; light colored pictures come out with banding -- dark and light bands across the picture. Tech support seemed very aware of both problems and told me to return the scanner to the store where I bought it. Both phone and email support did not indicate that there was any fix for these problems. Too bad, as I really wanted this scanner. I hope HP fixes the problem; if they do, I'll buy it again.

Rating:
Summary: Great, but not perfect!
Review: I preordered this scanner because it looked like it would really suit my needs with the ability to scan slides and negatives. I was a little dissapointed that it will only scan 35mm slides/negatives and not older formats. May this was my mistake in assuming it could do too much. Otherwise it operates fast, smooth and perfectly. I am running this on a XP Pro system and having NO problems. The software is fairly basic yet flexible enough for beginner or advanced settings. Scan quality is Excellent. The ability to lay the scanner on material is a great idea. I thinks HP really did a good job on this one so if you're looking for a good midrange scanner with a lot of versitility then I'd say go for it!

Rating:
Summary: HP 4670 Scanner
Review: I purchased this scanner for the flexability that the form factor offered, but I was frustrated by several aspects of the design, documentation and software. 1. The scanner has a long USB cable that pulls laterally from the USB prt on your PC. If you leave it connected for any length of time or accidenty pull on the cable the port is sure to be damaged. 2. the software is junk. It's hard to figure out, crashes and gives less than perfect results. To save a scan you have to click several times and rename the file completly (it does not remember the last file name and allow to you append a number to it, you have to reenter the name completly every time.) So doing lots of scans quickly becomes a chore. The dark areas of scans have scan lines through them. 3. There is no manual. Well, there is a manual, but it's worthless. Nothing explains how to use settings and how to change them. The Arcsoft panoramic software crashes when trying to save and takes a huge amount of time to stitch high res large files.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful to look at but deeply flawed
Review: I purchased this scanner for the simple reason that it looked beautiful and took up less space than the conventional flat bed scanner. This was a mistake. The software that drives the scanner is unnecessarily complex, clunky and difficult to use. Scanning slides often results in the HP Software locking up. What is a great idea has been spoiled by poor unfriendly software. Even the manual is difficult to follow - there isn't even a clear instruction of how to fix the slide adapter. A simple show and tell DVD might have helped. Perhaps, HP might expand their new relationship with Apple with iTunes to advice on how to write easy to use software. I cannot recommend this scanner until HP re-writes their scanning software.

Rating:
Summary: Dreadful: Crashed on both PC & Mac
Review: I run a small imaging workgroup. This scanner seemed worth a try for scanning odd formats: textiles & orginial art.

This is about the 20th scanner that I have installed over the years--the only one that would not function on either platform.

Clever design: too bad that the hardware is so buggy.




Rating:
Summary: Banding makes scanner WORTHLESS
Review: I tried everything. Upgrading software, drivers, RAM, PCI cards. I gave this thing more than a chance to perform. But every single scan has horrible bands through it. Large alternating light and dark stripes. This scanner is utterly worthless. If you actually care about the quality of your scans, do not buy it for any reason.

Rating:
Summary: FAR to slow!
Review: I waited 10 minutes for a scan of a bussines card in 600 dpi!!
300 dpi scans fine but anything higher takes to long, with a bigger scan you can wait more than 30 minutes where my Epson takes 4...