Customer Reviews

Hewlett-Packard Official Scanner Handbook, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I wish I'd had this book when I started using my scanner. It clearly explains a lot of confusing terms and helped me correct a lot of the things I was doing wrong. The chapter that explained resolution was worth the price I paid all by itself. I disagree with the reviewer who says the book is a rehash of the material supplied with scanners. Half of this book consists of projects to apply to your scanning, something that I wish more vendors *would* provide with their products. The other half is detailed information about scanning that I wish had been supplied with my scanner. If I want a book on image editing with Photoshop, I'll buy one. I wanted a book on how scanners work and how to use them, and that's what the authors have done a good job in writing this handbook. Thanks!

This book does not live up to its title. There are generalities galore but a scanner is a specific item and the 'how to' is needed. For example "Use your software tools to erase all of the background...." and "...spice it up using the contrast and brightness controls on your scanner..." are meaningless for the starting user. The 31 color plates included are pretty but add no specifics. The book has a 1999 publication date but ignores most current HP models. The troubleshooting section looks as if it could be useful but who can tell until there's trouble. Since Hewlett Packard chooses to provide just one sheet of instructions with its scanners there is a real need for a handbook that does the job. Of the 460 pages in the book, only 172 deal with scanners. The rest covers such grade school projects as paperweights and napkin rings. The title and the on-screen blurb were misleading. Perhaps Amazon.com can come up with a way to browse a book for content before purchase. After all, the bookstores have always been that way.

This book is full of great information about scanning. The reader will come away with a wealth of knowledge about scanning.

The problem I had was that I bought an HP 6300C scanner and since HP doesn't supply owner's manuals, I purchased this book to help me learn more about my scanner. There doesn't seem to be anything directly related to the 6300 scanner series and how to use the multifunctions that are a part of it - copying, faxing, e-mailing and filing.

I learned a great deal from this book about scanning, but very little about how to use my scanner since the ScanJetII they use for examples isn't like the newer HP scanners.

I've been using a UMAX scanner for over a year, and wish this book had been available earlier. Although it had "Hewlett-Packard" in the title, most of the information applied to my scanner, as well. I was able to use the tips the authors provided to really improve my results. The examples were great, and the color pages showed exactly what I was going to get. I use my scanner in my work, and this book was a life-saver in helping me solve a couple very thorny problems. The writing is very clear, and doesn't talk down to you. If all the Hewlett-Packard guides are this good, I'm going to check out their printer handbook next. Thanks, authors!

It's great to finally have an authoritative book available that covers scanners so completely. I liked that the book provided information for users of any brand scanner, rather than just Hewlett Packard equipment. Scanner models change so frequently anyway that advice on how to select and use the best one for your needs is more valuable than a feature-by-feature comparison of specific scanners. This book has just what I needed, without being padded out with how-tos you can find in any Photoshop book. The projects were great, too. I'm on my third scanner, and was delighted to see suggestions for interesting things to do with it. Good job, authors!

The first half of this book covers the same information I teach during the first half of my 3 hour scanning class at a local community college. The book provides troubleshooting info (I get many such questions) and basic scanning facts. It is geared to the type of students my class draws, rather than the graphic artist. The projects in the second half of the book, however, are not especially useful to the real estate agent and other small business person or librarians and geneologists who need specific information on working with old photos.

The best thing about this book is what it covers: a solid grounding in how scanners work, how to choose resolution, how to get the best scans, and what all the confusing terminology means. The second-best thing about this book is what it *doesn't* cover; namely topics only peripherally related to scanners that are covered thoroughly in other books. If I want a Photoshop book or PaintShop Pro book, I'll buy one. If I want to know how to set up my Epson scanner, I'll read the manual that came with it.

The true value of this handbook is that it *doesn't* cover what is included in the owner's pamphlet that came with your scanner. Instead, it goes beyond those basics to give you a solid background in scanning that applies to any scanner model, and some interesting things to do with your scanner that will help you build your scanning skills quickly. HP has done a real service to scanner owners everywhere in publishing this book.

I'm always amazed when people buy a great book on scanning, like this one, then complain because it doesn't have detailed information on their particular scanner or lots of chapters telling them how to use Photoshop. If you want a Photoshop book, buy a Photoshop book! There are hundreds of them. If you want to know how to use the controls of your scanner, read the manual!

This book is the best general guide to scanning that I've seen, with lots of information on how scanners work, how to choose the best resolution, and how to get the best scans, and other essential information. Then, the last half of the book shows you lots of fun things you can do with a scanner, with a nice collection of easy projects. I recommend this book for beginners who want to understand scanning, and more advanced users who want a little more depth of coverage and a resource of ideas and applications. Good job, authors!

This large volume is little more than a compilation of manufacturers' instructions and just as lacking in usefulness. It repeats the information one would get with the product and adds virtually nothing else. For example, I want to add titles to my scanned photographs. There is no information on this subject other than that accompanying a type of scanner I do not own. Even though mine is an H-P product, information on such crucial information for my model, which pre-dates the publication date of the book, does not appear anywhere in the volume.

This book is limited in scope, with little coverage of image editing. Frankly, any book on scanning worth buying is going to go into detail about editing scanned images, so it had better have more information than I found here. Why should I buy another book to find out how to take care of common tasks? I'm using my scanner for work, and trying to converse intelligently with graphics professionals, and there's not much to go on here.

Although this book is supposed to be for all scanner types, it really centers completely on HP scanners (and programs, and printers, and paper, etc). Since HP no longer owns the lion's share of the market, this is very disappointing. Discussion of other programs related to scanning are nowhere to be found. Thanks HP, but no thanks. I don't have the proprietary software used in this book, so how about a book that uses Photoshop Essentials?

The information I wanted just wasn't in this book. It's not well-rounded, and concentrates far too much on making "interesting things." Someone else may need napkin rings, but I want to find out how to perfect my scanned images. This is NOT a solid background in scanning, and unlike the editorial review, I am not a "adult-and-kid duo" on the proverbial rainy day.