PC users today are faced with a plethora of scanners. First-time home users want a scanner that is affordable and relevant to their specific needs. Ease of use is one of the most important benefits users look for when choosing a scanner.
The new Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 3200C promises ease of use in all departments, from installing the hardware and software to making the first scan. This sounded too good to be true, so it was with much expectation that I unpacked the ScanJet 3200C. I was not disappointed.
Installing the scanner
The set-up poster promised that in just four steps I would be ready to make my first scan and this proved to be the case.
Unlocking and locking the scanner is fairly simple. This feature is intended for users who would like to take their scanner to work with them.
The scanner comes with a parallel cable as well as a power cable. This is good for those who still work on Windows 95 and do not have access to the universal serial bus features of Windows 98.
There is no need for additional parallel ports as the scanner uses the existing parallel port of the PC while the printer plugs into the scanner.
Installation of software certainly has changed in the past few years and is becoming increasingly user-friendly. The user is taken through various options in a step-by-step format when installing the software from the accompanying CD-ROM.
The install process covers both the HP PrecisionScan LT software and Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.0. If the user does not understand a procedure, there is a help button that covers all aspects of the install process.
Making the first scan
The PrecisionScan LT software is fairly intuitive and even a technophobe will find the program easy. After putting the desired page on the flatbed scanner, the user selects the "Start a new scan" option. It takes approximately 50 seconds for the scan to finish, whether it is an ordinary text page or a large full colour photograph.
Step two enables the user to choose where he/she wants the scan to go. The user can either choose to send the scan directly to the printer or into an Internet browser, e-mail program, Adobe PhotoDeluxe or MS Word. Other choices allow the user to save the scanned image as a text file, an image and text file, or an image file.
After the user chooses where to send the scan, he/she can now make optional adjustments to the image. These include changing the output type, the selection border and the size of the scan.
You can customise the quality of the scan with the output type. Choices range from normal text (the smallest file size) to the best colour photograph (the largest file size). The size of the file is given next to each option so you always know how large the image is going to be. This is especially useful for those who like to send family photographs to relatives over the Internet via e-mail without thinking of the download speed of the average dial-up connection.
The selection border and size of the scan will also determine how large the file is going to be. With this facility, you can focus on a specific area of the scan thereby eliminating wasted space. Re-sizing the scan is also very intuitive, providing options that include scaling the image smaller or larger.
All that is left is for the user to send the scan to the relevant application. The speeds for sending the scan into WordPad were as follows:
- A full page of text using the optical character recognition facility took 70 seconds.
- A black and white drawing took 75 seconds.
- An A4-size photograph took 75 seconds.
Wrapping up
The HP ScanJet 3200C is the ideal scanner for the first-time home user and for families who want to undertake a variety of projects without paying thousands of rands for an expensive scanner with superfluous functions.
The HP Intelligent Scanning Technology automatically optimises scanned text, drawings and photos. This also enables documents that contain text, graphics and photos to be scanned into the PC with one scan and then be turned into editable text files.
The ScanJet 3200C retails for a recommended price of R845.
System requirements:
PC with Pentium (586 and up) or equivalent processor
Parallel port
Windows 95 or above
16MB RAM or more (32MB recommended)
VGA monitor
CD-ROM drive
Hardware specifications:
600dpi optical
600 x 1200dpi hardware
9600dpi enhanced
30-bit internal hardware processor
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