ScanJet 4300Cse
Idea Cafe's Use and Abuse Test
Of all the scanners we've tested at Idea Cafe, the HP 4300Cse is without a doubt the most basic (simple to use) and possibly the most practical for everyday use. It has a maximum scan size of 8.5 by 11.5... which is standard. It has a more than acceptable level of 600-dpi optical resolution, 600 x 1200-dpi hardware, 9600-dpi enhanced. Add that to its 36-bit color depth and you should have the ability to do most any project a small business needs on a daily basis. At least that's the assumption we entered the testing under. Our initial testing focused on the features HP touts with the unit. For those of us used to controlling our scanners from the computer itself (Twain_32 etc.) the concept of giving the commands via a couple of buttons on the scanners face is almost too easy. Two buttons to scan and e-mail and four copy control buttons. That's it. So, going under the assumption that I have a small office or work at home, and don't currently have a scanner or copier, I'll see if this unit can make your job easier. I know one thing many people have a problem with is sending documents or photos to clients through e-mail. Well you put a document into the 4300Cse and push the e-mail button on the front of the scanner (which launches HP PrecisionScan LTX into e-mail mode). You select the e-mail program you want to send your scan to in the Scan To drop-down list, then set your resolution (75, 150 or 300 dpi) and output type (true color or B&W). The HP PrecisionScan LTX automatically sends the scan to your e-mail program. Fill in the address you're sending it to. Hit send.. Done deal. Yep, it's that easy. The e-mail feature worked equally as well with photos and line art. However, you may want to do more correction in this area than the scanners built in enhancement of photos, color logos, drawings, and clip art. File size is another thing to consider when e-mailing images. We found that even at the 75dpi setting, the file size of an 8x10 photo may clog up not only your mail server but that of the recipient. If this is a concern you can simply scan the image directly into an application by pushing the Scan button. The HP 4300C scanner automatically selects the correct file format for your application. (Also supports TWAIN software interface standards that allow you to scan images directly into software programs that support these interfaces, such as Adobe Photoshop.) Once your corrections (size, color etc.) are made, you can then e-mail it without tying up your line for half an hour. Speaking of scanning, like I mentioned above, this too is a push button deal. You either push the gray Scan button on the front of the scanner, or open HP PrecisionScan LTX and click on Step 1: "Start a new scan." Then select final scan area by clicking inside the preview window to activate the crop tool. Click and drag the handles to your desired area. Bingo - sized. Next you select where you want the scan to go like to your word processing, graphics or image-editing application, to your printer or to your e-mail program. Then, if you don't want to make any further adjustments, you save your scanned image as a file to use for whatever. Again, it was that easy. Okay, other scanners will do basically the same thing but... here's the really cool feature on the HP 4300Cse that we've not seen on any other scanner near its price range. You can select up to 99 copies and choose between black-and-white or color using the front-panel copy control buttons. It's so simple, you can even make color copies without interacting with any copy software on your PC. Needless to say, your printer becomes a factor here so you may not want to make 99 copies of a large color photo. But for monotone and color documents, this is great.
continued
Page 1 - 2
- 3 - 4
Why wait? Get it right now from MicroWarehouse!
 
|
Ask Questions 
Share Tips 
People in Biz - Profiles 
Coffee Talk with Experts 
Biz Planning | Sample Plans 
Idea 
Name 
$ 
Do It! 
Marketing | Sales | Customers
Managing | Operations
Work @ Home 
Yoga @ Your Desk 
