Scanjet 8290 Fits The Imaging Bill

Hardware and software technology both have pushed the price-to-performance ratio to levels where imaging easily can be cost-justified by and implemented into any business.

Hewlett-Packard's recently released Scanjet 8290 digital flatbed scanner combines both hardware and software for either the small- or midsize-business market. The scanner delivers high speeds and reliable quality and can process up to 25 ppm, which Test Center engineers have confirmed. Users will get up to 4,800-dpi optical resolution and 48-bit color.

The 8290's high-resolution capacity is amazing. For example, the version of a document output from the scanner revealed blemishes that were present in the original but not visible. Close inspection of the original showed this was not a scanning error. In addition, scanner-version documents displayed precise clarity and vivid colors.

The Scanjet includes an automatic document feeder and a full SCSI kit for fast connectivity to a PC or a Mac. However, the speed and simplicity of USB made it the connection of choice for testing. The Scanjet weighs in at almost 15 pounds and, unlike many midmarket scanners, the footprint will not take up an entire desk or table.

CRN engineers liked the fact that the scanner isn't loud and doesn't shine a bright light when scanning.

The unit comes with robust image-editing software that enables images to be scanned within seconds,Iris Readiris Pro 8.0 OCR (optical character recognition) software for converting text to electronic files is just one example. Pages dense with type were also scanned to test the quality of OCR. The OCR application capability is remarkable. It rarely misses a character and automatically finds errors, allowing for instant correction.

The Test Center scanned multiple images to test color accuracy and rendering. Scanned images displayed white scales and black scales well, and colors were vivid, bright and true-to-life.

Professionals of all types will love the precision of the scanner. Solution providers will also appreciate the ease of installation and impressive software bundle.

CHANNEL PROGRAM SNAPSHOTS
>HP SCANJET 8290 FLATBED SCANNER
PRICE: $1,499
MARGIN: 8 percent
WARRANTY: 1 year
DISTRIBUTORS: Ingram Micro, Synnex, Tech Data
TECH RATING:

CHANNEL RATING:

CHANNEL OVERVIEW: Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, Calif., provides broad support through its PartnerOne program, which includes compnsation tools and customized marketing assistance. Marketing and collateral tools, sales presentations, road maps and other resources are available online. --Michael Gros

Note: Vendors can earn up to five stars for technical merit and five for their channel program. If the average of these two scores is four stars or greater, the product earns CRN Test Center Recommended status.