taken from PC Advisor (issue 90 March 2003 p.65)

The ScanJet 5500c must surely rank as the Rolls-Royce of flatbed scanners.

It's so chock-full of features, we were almost expecting to find a hidden coffee maker function.

Multiple photos can be fed into the scanner courtesy of the automatic photo feeder, while the transparent materials adapter is perfect for 35mm slides - the later is connected externally, so HP has been able to amend the design to ensure that it's as effective as possible.

The ScanJet's hardware specifications include a USB 2.0 interface and a first-class 2,400 x 2,400dpi (dots per inch) optical resolution. The 48bit colour is rich and extremely accurate, producing sizzling quality across the range of resolutions.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the HP is the fastest low-resolution scanner we've seen, taking a mere five and seven seconds respectively to scan a photo and A4 page at 300dpi. But it's also blistering at 600dpi, producing an A4 scan in 41 seconds. At 1,200dpi and beyond, though, the CanoScan 5000F* is the speedier model but the HP retains the edge when it comes to scan quality.

Different functions can be assigned to up to five control panel buttons, and you can adjust settings such as the number of copies and toggle between mono and colour without needing to glance at a computer screen.

As with most scanners a selection of low-end software is supplied, but for professional use you'll want to upgrade to high-end packages.

VERDICT

The HP is undoubtedly a heavyweight scanner which generates superior quality scans and is fast enough to ensure its place in the scanners hall of fame.

Robin Morris

*also available from Readycrest on 08451 304060

For more information on our range of HP scanners, click here