simple things make me happy
Jan. 2nd, 2004 03:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioI just installed my new scanner, an HP ScanJet 3670. It replaces a well-worn MicroTek ScanWizard (SCSI interface) from, oh, 7 or 8 years ago. It was a good scanner, but either it or the SCSI card has started to fail (I have no other SCSI devices), and scanner technology has gotten better in the meantime, so... (The new scanner was a gift from my father, who can be relied on to research hardware and software and choose well.)
When I installed my previous scanner, I remember having to install associated software, twiddle around with TWAIN settings (whatever TWAIN means), and go through some false starts before the machine could even see the scanner. Later I got a digital camera that came with its own image-manipulation software, and when I wanted to use the scanner with that software (why have two different programs that do virtually the same thing?), I had it to do all over again, and it was painful. And this scanner is now on its third machine, which means I've gone through the installation hassle more than once. So I waited until I had a chunk of free time before breaking out the new scanner.
I plugged it in (USB, of course). I loaded the driver and associated software from the CD. I put something on the glass and pushed the "scan" button on the scanner. (A "scan" button! What a novelty!) And an image appeared, just like that. No configuration; it just worked. I expect that from hardware these days, but I thought I would still have some software configuration ahead of me. Nope. Let's hear it for good UI!
The scanner can also be driven by imaging software, of course. If I were already set up with PhotoShop or some such, and that was my environment of choice, I could integrate my scanner. But I'm not, and that "scan" button will be just perfect for my needs. If I don't like the image, I can always pop it into the program that came with the last scanner and go wild. But I don't have to go through another piece of software if I don't want to; from the scanner itself I can launch HP's capture program, preview the image, and save it to disk as a JPG.
It more than makes up for the steroid-enhanced power cord that doesn't play nicely with other plugs. :-)
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lyev, watch your mailbox for some test scans of the material we discussed a while ago. If you like this first batch (1200 dpi, by the way), I'll queue up the rest.
When I installed my previous scanner, I remember having to install associated software, twiddle around with TWAIN settings (whatever TWAIN means), and go through some false starts before the machine could even see the scanner. Later I got a digital camera that came with its own image-manipulation software, and when I wanted to use the scanner with that software (why have two different programs that do virtually the same thing?), I had it to do all over again, and it was painful. And this scanner is now on its third machine, which means I've gone through the installation hassle more than once. So I waited until I had a chunk of free time before breaking out the new scanner.
I plugged it in (USB, of course). I loaded the driver and associated software from the CD. I put something on the glass and pushed the "scan" button on the scanner. (A "scan" button! What a novelty!) And an image appeared, just like that. No configuration; it just worked. I expect that from hardware these days, but I thought I would still have some software configuration ahead of me. Nope. Let's hear it for good UI!
The scanner can also be driven by imaging software, of course. If I were already set up with PhotoShop or some such, and that was my environment of choice, I could integrate my scanner. But I'm not, and that "scan" button will be just perfect for my needs. If I don't like the image, I can always pop it into the program that came with the last scanner and go wild. But I don't have to go through another piece of software if I don't want to; from the scanner itself I can launch HP's capture program, preview the image, and save it to disk as a JPG.
It more than makes up for the steroid-enhanced power cord that doesn't play nicely with other plugs. :-)
lyev, watch your mailbox for some test scans of the material we discussed a while ago. If you like this first batch (1200 dpi, by the way), I'll queue up the rest.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-02 12:43 pm (UTC)TWAIN means, and I kid you not, "Thing Without An Interesting Name."