HP Scanjet G4050 Expert Reviews

Scanners are hardly considered cutting-edge tech these days, but every now and then some company comes along and surprises me. This time, it's HP, with its six-channel Scanjet G4000 series. Like the proverbial "overnight sensation," the G4000 has been ...

. That's because the scanners you're used to all use three colors for scans. So does the default setting for the Hewlett-Packard Scanjet G4050 Photo Scanner ($200 street). But what's new-and very much different-about the G4050 is the option to scan in ...

HP's G4050 flatbed scanner employs a novel two-pass technique to extract maximum detail.

Build quality, fundamental scan quality is good

Speed, poor control software, large design

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 ...

As long as you don't need blazingly fast scans, the ScanJet G4050 punches well above its weight, in flatbed scanning terms. The versatility of its film and transparency scanning and the ease of use provided by the dedicated function keys make it a ...

It's been a while since anything innovative appeared in the scanner market, so it's refreshing to see HP try something different. The ScanJet G4050, and its cheaper cousin the ScanJet G4010, are the first to break new ground, with a six-colour ...

Pros: Good colour quality, reasonable build quality, decent support at the price for a wide range of different slide formats

Cons: Can be slow at higher resolutions, slight softening on both paper and slide scans, drivers and software need to be streamlined and simplified

Good colour-quality but slow speeds make this a more compelling proposition for those who occasionally need high-quality scans rather than for professional or semi-professional applications. At the price, there are alternatives that may not quite ...

HP's ScanJet G4050 photo scanner offers a six-colour scanning process, with stylish looks and solid performance.

Good colour-quality but slow speeds make the HP ScanJet G4050 a more compelling proposition for those who occasionally need high-quality scans rather than for professional or semi-professional applications. At the price, there are alternatives that ...

Superlative quality is let down by slow scan times and unintuitive driver software.

Superlative quality is let down by slow scan times and unintuitive driver software.

Hot on the heels of the Epson Perfection V700 and V750 (which lured customers with the promise of not one but two lenses) comes this ambitious six-colour scanner from HP.

Considering the wealth of features on board, £202 seems a paltry sum to pay for the HP ScanJet G4050. It's about half the price of the Epson Perfection V700, yet the HP certainly isn't outclassed on general performance and results. If you have a ...