MainelyDesign.com Blog

Fixing the Default HP OfficeJet Scanner Settings (which suck)

Posted on 05/28/2009 at 11:11 pm by Kevin Wentworth
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The default settings for my OfficeJet L7500 All-In-One Scanner suck!  I thought the scanner was junk.  Every photo I scanned, espcially glossy finished photos, were coming out looking like they were from a 1960s era camera: over-exposed and super high contrast.  Not good!  I thought I had good Photoshop skills, but even they were no match for the over-exposed mess that HP was sending into Photoshop.

How did I improve the quality? Easy (usabilty rant- they should be the default settings, or at least changeable from a button in the main user interface screen)

1. When you are in the scan dialogue window (If using Photoshop, after you've selected File > Import > OfficeJet Pro L7500 Twain) choose Scan > Scan Preferences
2. Uncheck the setting for Automatically Adjust Exposure
3. Click the button for Quality vs. Speed
4. Check the box for scan at a higher bit depth
5. That's it... now you can make all your adjustments in Photoshop.  Nevermind HP's crappy built-in functions.

And yes, that is a photo of me from Senior Year in high school, circa 1998.  Go Trojans!

Cheers,

-Kevin Wentworth