Has anyone seen the Leopard driver for Scanjet 5550c the HP promised in 10/2007?

[donh273]

Before I go out shopping for another scanner, and intentionally avoid anything from HP, I thought I should present my problem with my current scanner, and ask if anyone knows of anything that I've overlooked.

I've got an HP Scanjet 5550c, with duplexing auto feeder and slide/film adapter. My computer is a Mac, currently running Mac OS 10.5.8. The scanner worked well until I upgraded from Mac OS 10.4 to 10.5. At the time of the Apple's release of Mac OS 10.5, HP declared (and still continues to declare - it's still on their website at "h41140.www4.hp.com/mac_connect/pdf/Mac_OS_launch_special.pdf", page 3) that HP planned to release Leopard compatible software updates for scanners and All-in-Ones in 30 to 60 days. The pages of this document are dated "October 2007". On page 5 of this document HP lists a large number of models of printers, scanners, all-in-ones, and cameras, all under the banner "Ready for Leopard - drivers for HP peripherals built into Mac OS 10.5" (although the scanner sublist carries a reference to the earlier commitment to release software updates in 30 to 60 days).

As far as I know, HP has never delivered on their promise to to release a Leopard compatible update for the Scanjet 5550c within 30 to 60 days of October 2007, or at any time while 10.5 remained the current version of the Mac OS. The most recent software listed on the support webpage for this model is HP ImageZone including support for Mac OS 10.4, version 8.4, dated 29 July 2005.

This week Apple released Mac OS X 10.6, the successor to Mac OS 10.5, and my search of the HP and Apple websites did not turn up any mention of a 10.6 compatible driver for the Scanjet 5550c. 

Is/Was there a Mac OS 10.5 Scanjet 5550c driver released by HP that I overlooked, or did they, as I suspect, simply promise a lot and do nothing? What about support for 10.6? In light of what I consider their prior and continuing failure to deliver on this promise to their customers, I think it highly unlikely, but does anyone know of a Snow Leopard driver for this Scanjet model?

[GregCo]

I don't know the answers to your questions.

I found a 10.5 update for the 5590 scanner, which may work for the 5550, too.  It's at http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=15179&prodSeriesId=377689&prodNameId=377691&swEnvOID=219&swLang=8&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=cs-56610-1 

The Scanjet support info on 10.6 is here:

 http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c01863616&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

If the 5590 software supports the 5550, it's in the Phase 2 group. 

[GregCo]

Got into work and did some checking with an authoritative source.  I was wrong.  The 5550 is not related to the 5590.  The word I was given is that the Scanjet 5550 won't be supported on 10.6.  Sorry for the earlier misinformation.

[m_ueberall]

Hi,

While there's sadly still no official driver, it is nonetheless possible to use the Scanjet 5550c thanks to both the Sane and the MacPorts projects.

Once you installed MacPorts, it's easy to add the required ports using "sudo port install sane-backends xsane" (the latter is the GUI; just connect the scanner and invoke xsane). There's also a TWAIN interface (cf.port twain-sane) which should enable you to access the scanner using "native" applications, but I haven't tried that yet.

Ad astra, Markus

Message Edited by m_ueberall on 09-17-2009 10:41 AM

[BWI]

Hi,

Thank you for the information.  I was able to use my Scanjet 5550c with Snow Leopard after I installed Sane.   Great!

[frankc]

How did you do this specifically? I downloaded everything that was mentioned, but now don't know how to use it. I've never done anything like this. Please help with step-by-step instructions. Otherwise, I'm going to have to buy a new scanner. Thanks!

[donh273]

I'd like to learn how to do this too. Some months ago I installed the SANE packages, but when I tried to configure the pref pane, there were no controls available for this model scanner. I could not see how to control the auto doc feeder or the slide scanner, and went with my Plan B because SANE didn't deliver full control of the scanner capabilities. If someone can explain, I'd like to learn how to install, configure, and use it to access the full capabilities of the scanner.

Plan B: I just finished erasing and partioning the drive of a Mac that can still run Mac OS 10.4, installing the final Scanjet 5550c driver HP released, then upgrading that partition to 10.5.1. I stopped at that release because posts on this forum indicate that the driver became inoperable after Mac OS 10.5.1. The other disk partition will remain current with the current Mac OS release. When I need to scan (not a frequent occurrence) I'll restart the Mac in the scanner partition, do scan or copy, then reboot back to the main partition to use the scanned image. It's a kludge, but I didn't have to buy a new scanner or get an old Mac mini to just control the scanner.

Referring back to my original post in this thread, I'm disappointed that HP did not deliver the Mac OS 10.5 drivers that they promised, but incensed that they continue to maintain the posting of this promise, when it is clear to anyone who investigates that this is an empty promise. Inability to deliver is one thing, but continuing to promise what you know you can not accomplish is far worse.

[desideria]

I am having exactly the same problem. And not just with my 5550c Scanjet, but also with a Laserjet 3020. I am still using a HP Laserjet 6MP from 1997 that functions perfectly! What is with HP and the Mac? Their machines last. But why don't they support upgrades to the Mac System? And—while we are at it—does anyone out there know of a company that does continue to upgrade its software to support new Mac systems? I can't continue to accumulate an HP graveyard!   Distressedly, Desideria

[imacinTucson]

I am still working on the scanner issue myself, but we were able to use our very old HP LaserJet2100TN, even though it said it was not supported.  This old HP is a work horse but only ethernet accessible.  We found someone online with the instructions on how to reset the printer manually (override as normal was not working) and are accessing it via a connection through its IP address on our network.  

If I find an easier way for the scanner I will post it.

[sadgfsdf]

Used the Sane USBLIB, backend, and TWIAN drivers and the sw that you can dl from hp for the scanjet 5550C and OS X 10.4.

Huge Kuddos for the Sane developers.  HP, recruit folks like these instead of the shmoes you have in your cube farm.