How to Troubleshoot a Hewlett Packard 5400 Scanner

Change the hue and saturation settings in HP Precisionscan Pro if the colors in the scanned images look different from the original.

The Hewlett Packard 5,400 is a 48-bit, color scanning device with an optical resolution of 2,400 dots per inch (dpi). Troubleshooting an HP 5,400 scanner tends to be related to either the scanner or the software not working, or the output being of unacceptable quality. Fortunately, many problems with the Hewlett Packard 5,400 Scanner can be troubleshot.

Instructions

1. Check that the power cable is connected if the scanner won't work. If the scanner is plugged into a surge protector, make sure the surge protector is plugged into a power outlet and that the surge protector is turned on. Check that the USB cable is connected between the scanner and the computer.

2. Reboot the scanner and computer if the scanner won't turn on. Simply unplug the scanner from the power outlet and turn off the computer. Wait about half-a-minute and turn the computer back on.

3. Open the HP Precisionscan Pro software on your computer if the scans are of poor quality, and make some adjustments. Adjust the midtone, highlight and shadow settings if the scanned images are too dark or too light. Try the scan again.

4. Change the hue and saturation settings in HP Precisionscan Pro if the colors in the scanned images appear different from the original. Try the scan again.

5. Add more ink if the scanned printed output looks faded. Vertical white stripes are a dead giveaway that the printer is out of ink. Print a different file to see if the problem is with the generation of the output or with the scan itself.

6. Place the document, image side down, on the glass if the scan is completely white.

References

• HP Scanjet 5400c Series Scanner User's Manual