Scanning issues - HP vs. Xerox

[ejp626]

This is probably a bit esoteric, but my workplace just switched over from Xerox to HP printers or rather all-in-one printers, since they also scan and could theoretically be used to fax as well.  I actually do a lot of scanning, and often am working with irregular sizes (like 10.2 inch x 11.4 inch for example).  Xerox has an extended menu where you can set the image size to the 0.1 inch, so essentially total control over scan size.  As far as I can tell, HP (or rather the HP 880) only allows a bunch of pre-set sizes, like 8.5 x 11, legal, A3, A4, A5, B3, etc.  I think you are supposed to then set it to crop the rest of the space out, but it doesn't work at all. It's a total nightmare.

Has anyone encountered this and have a solution?  Or is there no solution, which is my great fear? 

The manual is completely unhelpful, spending the entire time discussing how to add addresses to the CC or BCC fields, and not once discussing the details of page size (or even the difference between PDF, TIFF and MTIFF). 

Based on my experience (now and in the past), I would never get another one of these HP all-in-one machines, but sadly it is not my decision to make.

Any help would be appreciated.

[mjzee]

Do the scans go to your computer?  If so, is there software on your computer that can control the scanner?

[ejp626]

They eventually go to the computer, but the problem is that the scan size is set on the machine.  I've figured out a few options, but for a book that is 8.8 x 11.5 (and quite a few books are just slightly over letter size), you have to scan it as B4 and then ask it to crop the figure, and then you probably need to erase some of the margins, etc.  When with the Xerox, you just type in 8.8 x 11.5.  It's not just the fiddling with the settings, but it takes 3 times as long (since B4 is huge) and is extremely wasteful of electricity.  (The file size is also too large, though that is less of an issue.)  I'm super annoyed, as there doesn't appear to be any way around this.  It's definitely a lot slower scanner.  I'm hoping that there are lots of other complaints and that the contract is broken, though that is unlikely.

I will make a note if I move high enough up the foodchain here that there will be no more HP machines ever!

Edited May 22, 2016 by ejp626