Requiring a workspace reorganisation, Michael checks out a stand-alone scanner
Rather than forming part of a multifunction device, the HP ScanJet 2500F1 is that rarest of things these days: a stand-alone A4 flatbed scanner. You might expect a stand-alone device to require less space on your worktop but this is not the case with this HP product. This flatbed's dimensions of 450 x 150 x 120mm mean it has a larger footprint than many of the multifunction devices I have seen recently. With a colour scheme that combines light and dark grey, the ScanJet 2500F1 is not going to be mistaken for anything else, however. It has a top-mounted ADF (automatic document feeder) with a capacity for 50 sheets fed through the unit for either single or double sided scanning that's conducted in a single pass.
Power and USB connection sockets are located towards the rear on the right side. Positioned on the left side is a row of buttons for power, scan, single/duplex toggle, shortcut scan and cancel operations. These buttons are slightly obscured by the overhang of the scanner lid. The reason for the overhang is to help when raising the scanner lid from the left side rather than the front where I expected it to happen.
I was also disconcerted a little when the setting up procedure did not follow the route mentioned in the installation guide. This document stated that the USB lead should only be connected when prompted by the software installation. However this prompt never appeared. Connecting the USB lead after the software installation has run its course solved the problem as searches were automatically carried out prior to the connection being made.
HP has bundled a number of software tools with this scanner. Along with the TWAIN driver, you get a copy of the well-respected I.R.I.S. OCR (optical character recognition) software, which will need to be registered before use, and the HP Scanner Tool, offering a range of editing features.
With this tool kit you can opt to save scans as editable text for use with the OCR product, JPEG or PDF format. Scans can be directed towards a user-definable folder stored locally or sent to the Cloud where HP has set up a Dropbox option. You can also opt for scans to be attached to emails for distribution to others.
When setting up a scan there is a choice of document type and page size. The documents to be scanned can be fed from the ADF or placed on the scanner's glass plate if just a single page is involved. As mentioned you can go for a single or double sided operation with just a single pass being required when using the ADF. When using the ADF, the scan resolution is limited to 600 x 600 dpi. However by using the glass plate, resolution can be increased to 1200 x 1200 dpi.
While the various settings need to be adjusted from the tool kit, the actual scan operation can be instigated from the buttons on the scanner or the tool kit. However, you do need to be aware that the scan button on the device is deactivated whenever the tool kit is in use. Personally, I preferred using the tool kit for scan operations as you are shown thumbnail images of each page to help ensure quality.
HP has rated this scanner of being capable of producing 40 images per minute with two-sided scanning. My tests confirmed this figure when opting for JPEG, but the rate fell slightly to 38 images when using the PDF option. Michael Fereday
A capable scanner, but overpriced.