HP - ScanJet G4050
Flatbed scanners range from about £40 to several thousand pounds, so how does the technology improve as the price increases? The maximum resolution and colour depth of scans increases, facilities like transparency scanning come into play and, perhaps above all, the quality of the scans should improve.
HP’s ScanJet G4050 costs well under £200, but has several features that suggest it’s a high-end device. The main unit has a bulbous lid, supported on a well-sprung hinge, and this contains a secondary scanning sensor. This means that the scanner can handle transmissive media such as transparencies and film, as well as reflective media such as text pages and photographic prints.
Various combinations of slides and negative film can be laid on the flatbed, using the holders supplied, including up to sixteen 35mm transparencies, thirty frames of 35mm film, two medium-format frames or a single 4 x 5-inch negative. Dedicated buttons set into the lid of the scanner start a paper scan, a film scan, a scan for print or a scan to PDF. These functions all work with the HP Scanning driver, so you don’t need to control all scanning tasks from your PC or Mac.