I can confirm that the software supplied with HP Scenners is very bad. I bought a new scanner but the software makes it worse than than my old Umax :(

Wish i had read this article before i bought mine. It is on its way and i am anxious to see for myself how it performs. I got a great buy $269 new with lots of goodies bundled.Including Photoshop elements. If i dont like it ill sell it and buy another. Thanks for the article .

Dear Mr. Samarin,

as written in previous e-mail, "Top model" is wrong. At the present time I have spent lot of my time by testing (test scanning) of this machine. I use for my work mostly black and white photos (historical, wartime....) and I found, this machine is not able to scan it in same quality as its grandfather HP 4c (I had since 1996 till its dead in Dec. 2005).
Now I have third example (machine) from HP service here (Prague). The last two ones are making nice vertical strips like US flag, visible in 100% on the screen. If I scan 400% of the picture (BW) and usung resolution of 450 dpi (only), strips are much more "fine" . BUT I do not want sharp photo with any aditional "scanner graphic"!! So I decided to return it to HP and I will buy like better Cannon 9950F (probably) or Epson U700 Photo.

I use PC with Duron 800, RAM 760 (approx.), Nvidia gr. card. I tested the scanner also with second computer I have here - with Sempron ?2400, RAM some 250, N vidia card. The third PC I here I did not used, because it is app. same as described the second one.
Over all, described PCs are enough in according to HP specifications for running of this scaner.
Nice design, but bad machine.

Thanks for GREAT TEST, for professional words and for last drop which rested in my patience.
On Monday I go to do exchange. Good bye HP.

Very best regards,

Miroslav