HP ScanJet 4600 See-Thru Flatbed Scanner (Q3112A)

by HP

Product Details

Product Manual [907kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000C9ZJR
• Item model number: Q3112A#A2L
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #43 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Printers & Scanners > Flatbed Scanners
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The ScanJet 4600 from HP is a see-through flatbed scanner that allows you to view documents and materials as they are being scanned. The see-through window lets you make precise scans, showing you the exact scanning area, while the included HP photo and imaging software helps you to get the most out of your scans. With larger items, simply scan multiple sections of the original and reassemble with the included software.

With 2,400 dpi optical resolution and 48-bit color, scans are accurate, crisp, and true-to-life, while the maximum document size of 8.5 by 11.7 inches lets you easily scan up to letter size documents and accepts a wide variety of media types including paper (plain, inkjet, photo), envelopes, labels, cards, banner paper, and more. The 4600 easily scans to multiple file formats, including BMP, TIFF, GIF, PDF, HTML, JPEG, FPX, TIFF compressed, PCX, RTF, TXT, and PNG, while the OCR (optical character recognition) software lets you scan documents to text.

Preview scan times are as little as 6 seconds, with 4-by-6-inch color photos taking as little as 27 seconds. Four front panel buttons (power save, scan, copy, launch HP Instant Share) provide convenient automation of commonly used functions, and HP's memories disc creator helps you easily create slide shows from your scans. The 4600 connects via a USB port (USB 2.0 compatible) and is compatible with both PC and Mac platforms.

What's in the Box
ScanJet 4600 see-thru flatbed scanner, combined USB and power cable assembly, horizontal holder, power adapter and A/C power cord (where applicable), quick-start setup poster, user's manual, CD-ROMs with software for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh: HP Photo & Imaging software with HP memories disc creator software and HP instant share, HP copying software, suite of electronic help tools, Adobe Acrobat Reader, ArcSoft Panorama Maker, I.R.I.S. Readiris Pro 8.0 (for Microsoft Windows only), I.R.I.S. Readiris

Product Description

Scan documents, photos and more with this HP ScanJet 4600 Flatbed Scanner. It features a see-thru window constructed of polycarbonate that resists breakage, so you can view what's being scanned and a USB 2.0 interface. You'll get photo quality results at 2400 dpi optical resolutions and 48-bit color. With this HP ScanJet 4600, scanning is fast, easy and quiet, and you can preview your scans in as little as six seconds! Order this HP Scanjet 4600 Scanner today!

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT when scanning 3D documents, December 12, 2003

By 

Carrie Zohn (Monroe, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HP ScanJet 4600 See-Thru Flatbed Scanner (Q3112A) (Office Product)

As an avid scrapbooker and scrapbook business owner, scanning images that are "lumpy and bumpy" is next to impossible and believe me, I've tried every possible scanner out there. One of HP's ScanJet's did the trick for a while but it took up a majority of my desk. NOW I have a scanner that allows me to scan all my "lumpy and bumpy" objects with ease. Having a tough time finding something to scan something larger than 8x10? That's alright! This scanner comes with stitching software that gives PERFECT, SEAMLESS stitching. Awesome, awesome scanner. The best part is that I can stand it upright and store it beside my monitor so that I have more room for .... well .... more junk on my desk! :)

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Scanner, December 18, 2004

By 

Skylar Martin (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HP ScanJet 4600 See-Thru Flatbed Scanner (Q3112A) (Office Product)

I have just purchased this scanner with trepidation, given the bad reviews it's received here. Yet, it has been highly rated by other consumer reporting websites. After being burned by Visioneer's technical support (2+ hours wait period, then asked to call back the following day), I decided to give HP ScanJet 4600 a chance. Falling prices have made this unit much more affordable.

I had no issues with installation using WinXP, SP2. I found that it scans text, illustrations, and newspaper print (post-edited with bundled stitching software) very well. I use third party software for image-editing and OCR. Therefore, I cannot comment on the performance of included software other than the stitching software, which was very easy to use for obtaining a quality image. This machine is also portable enough to take to libraries to scan materials such as newspapers and books (where the book binding isn't prohibitive). For me, this is a big plus. It's lightweight and much thinner than other bulky scanners, which would be a burden to carry. It scans items face up or face down and is detachable from it's horizontal base. This is a bonus for scanning items like maps or oversized books. In addition, it takes up little space when stored vertically.

I have scanned few photos, as this was not my primary purpose for purchasing a scanner. I found that the scanning surface must be cleaned with lens towels prior to glossy photo scanning to remove all dust particles, which will show up in images. If archiving photos were my primary scanner purpose, I would recommend selecting a different scanner, because post-scan editing is required to return some images to more natural hues.

I will say that while scanning one book, I did see black and white banding at the crease, which is analogous to how loss of focus occurs when photocopying books near the crease. I found that the binding must be pressed such that the book was flush against the scanning surface. If one plans to scan many books where the binding holds the book tightly closed, then you may have problems with this product.

All in all, this product works very well for my purposes as well as appealing aesthetically.

71 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great design, BUT... also, questionable marketing, February 9, 2004

By 

michael e. costello (Marblehead, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HP ScanJet 4600 See-Thru Flatbed Scanner (Q3112A) (Office Product)

Granted, this is a great scanner and an inventive design. For me, however, the design screams to be used in a mobile fashion. After all, the unit is touted as a great scanner for large or unwieldy items (as opposed to a strictly desktop scanner, for instance). In my case, I was looking to use it for copying from books for use in research. If you have tried copying from a book on a flatbed scanner, even one with an expandable lid, you'll know the difficulty involved. With the 4600, one can effectively crop the book in realtime, eliminating the guesswork. BUT, imagine my surprise to learn that the scanner comes with a wall wart AC transformer! The addition of a power adapter significantly undercuts the 4600's utility as a mobile scanner (e.g.--books in a library). As an owner of a usb-powered Canon flatbed scanner, it didn't even occur to me that the 4600 would be different. Note that the marketing materials leave the impression that the 4600 is usb-powered. It touts a "combination usb/AC cable", a phrase that is certainly open to interpretation. In this case, it isn't even true: at some point, the "combination cable" _must_ split into a piece leading to the pc and a piece leading to the AC adapter. What is the advantage in this??? Also, the marketing materials cryptically list among the contents this line: AC adapter (where applicable). What does this even mean? A big thumbs down to HP for crippling a potentially great scanner, and attempting to hide its true identity. It's great as a desktop scanner, but there are loads of competitors that are cheaper in that class.