HP ScanJet 8250 Document Scanner

High 4,800 dpi optical resolution and 48-bit color combine together to deliver professional quality results every time. Plus, you can by-pass your computer keyboard and use the six one-touch buttons to copy, save, or e-mail your scanned images, and more.

PC and Mac compatible, the 8250 comes with everything you'll need to get set up, including a handy bundle of imaging tools and software. The ScanJet 8250 comes backed by a one-year warranty.

What's in the Box
HP ScanJet 8250, HP ScanJet automatic document feeder, transparent materials adapter, USB cable, external power adapter, user's manual, TWAIN driver, CD-ROMs with software for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh [HP Photo & Imaging software with Share-to-Web software and HP Memories Disc Creator, HP ScanJet copy utility, suite of electronic help tools (includes paper manual), NewSoft Presto! BizCard Reader, IRIS ReadIris Pro, Adobe PhotoShop Elements, Adobe Acrobat Reader (Windows only)]

1) The color rendition is incredible and looks nearly identical to the item scanned.

2) You do not have to choose the image size. When I scan a letter document, the scanner knows it. And when I scan a legal document, it knows that too. I don't even know how to trick the thing.

3) As for the grayscale having to be chosen every time: Under "scan settings" you can choose your default settings. You can tell it to default to 1 bit or 8 bit grayscale, or many different color options. This will be the default setting if you elect not to change them every time you scan.

I wonderered if this reviewer had just opened the box and didn't bother to read the manual or play with the software settings before posting. Or maybe he's a Canon person.

Oh well. Just thought I'd dispell some untruths on the scanjet 8250. In my opinion and use, it has been a great, full featured scanner!


Reliable Black and White Scanner   December 12, 2004
Randall Beck (Kansas City, MO USA)
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

We use the 8250 in a small office with 3 employees. We scan our mail daily and use it for larger jobs as well. Most scanning is letter sized black and white pages. The software that HP packaged with the scanner was worthless. Unbelievably, the driver was 100s of megs and even at that did not work properly. Luckily, we discovered on HP's website a small "commercial" driver for the 8250. This driver stripped out the "bells and whistles." We used that driver for about 6 months. The problem was our actual scanning speed using the "commercial" driver was only 4 pages per minute. Finally, HP updated the commercial driver and now we are getting about 13 pages a minute, which is acceptable for us.

The ADF does not jam as often as other scanners we have owned. We dab alcohol on the roller when it starts to act up. I have an HP 6110; Epson 1200U, and the 8250. All feed well. I have returned the Fujitsu ScanSnap and a Microtek scanner, because neither could feed properly. My rule now, is that I will not buy a scanner that I do not already own, unless I can test its ADF.


Avoid like the plague   April 14, 2004
Javier Minero Escobar (Mexico)
13 out of 17 found this review helpful

The main problem with this scanner is its below average scanning software. The scanning area of the preview is a mere 15% of the screen (and if you'd like a close up, prepare for a rescan of the document!). And forget about using a third party scanning applications, nobody but HP will be able to use this piece of junk.

Contrast in the scans are by default bad, making the content of the document difficult to read. You can adjust the contrast in the first page (although it is a time consuming process, and since the document scan is a mere 15% of the total screen area, you are left second guessing the optimal settings). But believe it or not, by the time you scan your second page, the settings will go back to default, forcing you to readjust them.

If you think you can scan a document to a third party application and manipulate it with it via TWAIN (such as Windows Imaging), and save yourself the pain of having to deal with HP Scan, think again. You will end up with a beautiful picture of THE LAST PAGE ("oh yes, this is by design" - HP Technician).

The ADF is prone to paperjams, and they are tough and time consuming to clear. Only the smoothest paper will allow pass through without problems.

I open a case with HP support (case no. 7161364157). They told me a technician would call back (this was a month ago). Still waiting for the call.

HP really dropped the ball with this twinky. If you are planning to buy a document scanner, this is not the way to go. If you are planning to buy a photograph scanner, I suggest one of Epson's Perfection scanners, and save yourself 500 dolars worth of junk.


correction and complaint   January 14, 2004
12 out of 16 found this review helpful

The technical data is wrong. The scanning area is 8 1/2 by 14. The auto document feeder scans both sides.
The color scans are below average. It's amazing how distorted and super saturated the colors are, considering the price. It took me hours to fiddle with all the slide bars and dials to come up with an image that more closely represents that actual colors of the image. It took 5 seconds for my $80 Canon flatbed to come up with an almost perfect image. You would think at this price, HP would have spent a little more time fine tuning the software. When scanning on the HP, you have to choose the size of the image every time you use the auto feeder otherwise everything comes out legal size. The default choice is true color, it is necessary to choose grayscale for every scan if black and white documents are going to be scanned. Now let me figure this out, this scanner is aimed at offices primarily for document scans and grayscale has to be chosen every time? The color scanning is so poor, why is it the default if that is not what this scanner is made for. I have to pick grayscale every time I scan. That is a hassle. You can make a custom profile that can be programmed to the buttons on the front of the scanner, but the buttons don't work for Paperport which comes with the scanner. The auto feeder only reads one side at a time. It flips the pages over and reads the other side. It is cool to watch, but I wonder how long the intricate workings of this mechanism will last... The pages have to be reasonably sturdy and thick otherwise the papers jam and everything has to be rescanned.


HP ScanJet 8250 - Document feeder jams too much   May 17, 2004
8 out of 12 found this review helpful

Don't buy this product if you really need the document scanner to scan photos. It consistantly jams and misaligns photos. The software included and other scanning functions work great, but the document loader is not good for photos.