Marred by Slow Scans, Limited Software

Replacing the ScanJet 4p as the entry-level contender in Hewlett-Packard's product line, the ScanJet 5p offers few improvements. In addition to its lower price, the ScanJet 5p is attractively packaged in a smaller case, with some interesting design features that simplify setup and use. Unfortunately, there are trade-offs to its convenience.

Marginal Performer

In subjective tests, I found the ScanJet 5p to be not much different in terms of image quality from its predecessor, the ScanJet 4p (see Reviews, July 1996). On the test bench, Macworld Lab found that the ScanJet 5p generates a greater amount of image noise than do competing scanners, which affects the ability to fine-tune your scans.

Scanning speed is a mixed bag. Using HP's PictureScan 3.0 application, the ScanJet 5p is faster than the 4p for final color scans. If you bring your image directly into Adobe Photoshop using the TWAIN Acquire function--as most operators do--it's dramatically slower...