Scanner problems

[OldNick]

My scanner does not even come close to picking up all of the detail in my drawings, even in the darkest areas.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/Zixor/witchhunter2.jpg

When I tweak the colors and options on the image, the drawing is more detailed, but also messier, and it seems to become messier as it becomes more detailed.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/Zixor/witchhunter.jpg

Does anyone know I can fix this? I skimmed over a few other threads and I did not even know how to access the menus they were referencing. I have an HP Photosmart 2610 all-in-one, if that helps.

Thanks.

[jhofferle]

Messing with the white balance or tone usually fixes issues like this for me.

[Elwell]

Are you doing your adjustments in the scanner software or in Photoshop? Sometimes you're better off turning off all the automatic features of the scanner and getting as raw a scan as you can, then adjusting in PS.

[kev ferrara]

Some scanners simply will not pick up the subtlety of pencil. As elwell suggests, turn off all the setting and just scan. Try this at the highest resolution and at the various color setting (b/w photo, color photo, especially, right?)

You may just have a turkey of a scanner.

[arttorney]

I have an HP scanner of a different model and when I was trying to resolve an issue related to making document pdf files with it I researched some of the comments made about the scanner on the HP website. I found a lot of people on there ranting about the HP software and saying the scanner will work with other software (which it does). Maybe you have a different driver on your computer (or on a disk by a non-HP company that may have come in the box with your scanner) that will actually drive your scanner better or give you more functionality.

For scans of drawings I do what Elwell says, though. I just crank the resolution, get my scan, and take the file over to Photoshop or the GIMP to adjust brightness/contrast/resolution/file size. Frankly, that is kind of what Photoshop is for.

[OldNick]

I think I found where I can change the resolution and color settings. However I am still unable to find out where I can turn off all of the automatic features.

As far as a non-HP driver, I found my old scanner box and it is empty and if there were other scanner drivers on my PC I would not know where to find them.

I never actually used GIMP or Photoshop, but rather the options available from "HP Photosmart Essential". I'll download GIMP since I do not have photoshop on this computer.

[Portus]

Try VueScan first, if it fails then get a Canon :) Also check what tech you need, CIS or CCD.

[arttorney]

In your scanner software, watch for little buttons or links or options in pull down menus that talk about "preferences" or maybe "properties" or "scan Mode" because those will probably be the likely areas where you can find the real controls. HP kind of gives you a simple set of buttons up front that they seemed to have designed under the assumption that everyone is an idiot. Be alert for if there are additional index tabs on a page that you can sort through.

Maybe you can get a reasonable freeware driver on download.com and that might be a place to look for vuescan.

Here is a FAQ I found for your all in one on the HP website:
Content starts here

Introduction
Scan settings include resolution, output type, and file type. These settings can be changed using HP Director.
Changing scan settings in HP Director

1.
Open HP Director, if it is not already open:
*
Windows 2000: Click Start , click Programs , point to HP , and then click HP Director .
*
Windows XP: Click Start , click All Programs , point to HP , and then click HP Director .
2.
In the Select Device list, select your product, if it is not already selected.
3.
Click Settings , and then point to Scan Settings & Preferences .
4.
Click the scan setting menu that corresponds to the type of file you are scanning.
*
Scan picture settings : Designed for scanning pictures, including any type of non-text image, such as a drawing, logo, or photograph
*
Scan document settings : Designed for scanning documents
*
Scan preferences : Control scanning preferences, such as automatically straightening crooked images
*
Button settings and Scan to... setup : Control the defaults for the scanner buttons on the control panel of the product
After selecting the appropriate menu, the corresponding window opens.
5.
Change settings as appropriate, and then click OK . The scan setting window closes.
6.
Click Scan Picture or Scan Document HP Director to scan with the changed settings.