HP 5490c Color Scanning Problem - Dark on one side, light on the other

[The_nth_Traveler]

Folks,

I have a HP 5490C that I bought less than two years ago (had exchnaged
one, and the exchanged one had to have the scanner assembly replaced).

I noticed the other day that I was scanning a photograph of mine in
true color, that one side of the photo was very light, and the other
side was very dark. Strangely enough, this does not show up in the HP
preview, but when it is placed in the receving application, the
dark/light shows up. It still scans grayscale and B&W okay, so I can
still use it as a document feeder. I flipped the photograph upside
down, then inverted the photegraph, and the light side was on the
opposite side of the photograph. This shows me that the problem is in
the scanner.

I bought this scanner for its document feeding capabilities, as well
as its (supposed) quality as a flatbed scanner.

Since the warranty is only one year, does anybody have any suggestions
to what is wrong with it, and what I could do to attempt to fix it?

If it cannot be fixed within a reasonable amount of time and/or money,
does anybody have suggestions for a new flatbed scanner?

Also, does anybody other than HP make a scanner with a document feeder
for under $500?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Sincerely,

The Nth Traveler

 

[CSM1]

Folks,

I have a HP 5490C that I bought less than two years ago (had exchnaged
one, and the exchanged one had to have the scanner assembly replaced).

I noticed the other day that I was scanning a photograph of mine in
true color, that one side of the photo was very light, and the other
side was very dark. Strangely enough, this does not show up in the HP
preview, but when it is placed in the receving application, the
dark/light shows up. It still scans grayscale and B&W okay, so I can
still use it as a document feeder. I flipped the photograph upside
down, then inverted the photegraph, and the light side was on the
opposite side of the photograph. This shows me that the problem is in
the scanner.

I bought this scanner for its document feeding capabilities, as well
as its (supposed) quality as a flatbed scanner.

Since the warranty is only one year, does anybody have any suggestions
to what is wrong with it, and what I could do to attempt to fix it?

If it cannot be fixed within a reasonable amount of time and/or money,
does anybody have suggestions for a new flatbed scanner?

Also, does anybody other than HP make a scanner with a document feeder
for under $500?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Sincerely,

The Nth Traveler

Have you checked the mirrors and optical light path for dirt and/or stuff on
the mirrors. If dirty, then clean them.

Maybe answer here.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...t=60235&lang=en&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&rule=30874

 

[The_nth_Traveler]

Upon further investigation, it looks like I have a hardware problem
that HP is aware of, and wants money to fix it.

I have found that if I do the color scan at resolutions of 300dpi or
less, I have no problem with the dark on the left, and light on the
right.

But If I scan over 300dpi, the problem manifests itself.

Therefore I can conclude it is not the mirrors, glass, or any other
dirt/dust problem.

However, the link that CSM1 provided (thanks CSM1!) points to another
link

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...5&lang=en&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&docname=bps05270

that does indicate that this is a known hardware problem to HP
(something at the bottom indicates if there is a blue tint that is
darker on one side than the other, a hardware problem exists.)

One of the other possibilities is that the scanner was too close to my
computer monitor, as I had moved it closer to me and the monitor to be
more convenient for me to scan documents. The above link said that
the scanner should be at least 3 feet away from the monitor (I looked
in the owner's manual and setup guide, and no mention of positioning
the scanner away from the monitor or speakers was found). However, I
moved the scanner away from the monitor and speakers, and no change.

Amazing how this manifested itself about a year after the warranty
expired.

I bought this scanner because I had a HP Scanjet 4P back in '96, that
had lasted six years, and wanted a smaller scanner that ran on USB.

I should have known that this was not the old HP, but the new (and
IMHO far inferior) HP.

I believe I would suggest to other people to look long and hard at HP
products before purchasing them.

I am now considering an Epson Perfection 3170. It looks like a good
photo scanner, and has an optional document feeder (although rather
expensive at $200). I guess what I will do is keep the HP for
documents (as I mentioned, it still scans documents ok, for now), and
get the Epson for photographs, negatives, and important color
documents.

Any Epson 3170 owners out there? Any luck? Any problems?

The Nth Traveler

 

[Mike Henry]

FWIW, my previous 2 HP scanners (6200 and 6300) died shortly after the
1-year warranty. I presently have an HP 5550 scanner and purchased an
additional 2-year HP warranty for it as that will probably be cheaper than
buying anew scanner every year. I would have bought an Epson but couldn't
find one with the features I wanted at the time. Scanners seemed to last
longer when they cost $700+.

In a recent PC Magazine interview a VP with HP mentioned that scanner sales
(for the industry) have been declining for a while, presumably due to the
popularity of the multi-function scanners. That, plus the relatively low
scanner prices and consequently low profit potential probably mean that one
shouldn't expect much in the way of support from any scanner manufacturer.

 

[The_nth_Traveler]

Mike,

I had looked at the 5550C, and to me it looks to me about the same as
the 5490 (i.e. 2400dpi, 48bit color), and therefore likely to share
the same poor imaging sensor, and thus prone to 1.5 year failure.

That alone is enough for me to turn to another manufacturer. However,
I gave HP the benefit of the doubt, and called to see if they could
give me a good price on a refurbished base (that houses the imaging
sensor).

After going through several menus, and talking to two India natives
who would answer nothing until I gave them my phone number, which I
would not (India is not held to the privacy laws that the US is), I
told them to forget it. I do not need to do business with companies
that are giving away jobs from US citizens to people outside the US
just so the upper management at HP can make a few extra million
dollars (they are overpaid as it is).

I wish you luck with your 5550c. Unless you have arranged for it in
the HP extended warranty, when your 5550c breaks (notice I did not say
if, but when, as I believe there is a high probability that it will
break), and if it is still covered by warranty, you will be without a
scanner for at least a week (my experience with HP's warranty support
on this 5490Cse that I have).

I for one will no longer do business with HP, for any of their
products.

The Nth Traveler