HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3302fdwg

[Elekthromas]

Hello,

I am very dissatisfied with the scan quality of my HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3302fdwg. In particular, black and white photos are heavily overprocessed (sharpened) and highly compressed, even though I have disabled all filters in the scanning software (HP Smart & VueScan). Please find attached two comparison scans (one from the HP scanner and the same scan from an Epson scanner). It seems that sharpening and compression are already embedded in the HP firmware. My question: Is there a way to disable these settings?

I am using MacOS Sonoma (14.7.4.7) and the latest Firmware of the printer and the latest Versions of HP Smart and VueScan.

 Epson-Scan: Smooth and authentic

 HP-Scan: Tonal value tear-offs at the nose and bad quality of typo

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Elekthromas,

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding your printer!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

Here are some steps to help mitigate the issue:

1. Try Scanning in a Different Mode

If using HP Smart, try scanning in grayscale instead of black & white.

This often reduces artificial sharpening and compression artifacts.

You can find this in HP Smart under Scan → Settings → Color Mode.

2. Adjust Scan Resolution & Format

Increase the DPI (Dots Per Inch) setting in your scan software. Try 600 DPI or higher if available.

Save the scan as PNG or TIFF instead of JPG or PDF to avoid automatic compression.

3. Use Image Editing Software to Reverse Sharpening

If firmware-level sharpening cannot be disabled, post-processing with Photoshop, GIMP, or Affinity Photo may help:

Use a Gaussian Blur filter at a very low radius (~0.3–0.5 pixels).

Reduce Clarity or Texture settings (in Lightroom or similar software).

4. Check for HP Twain or ICA Scanner Drivers

Since you’re using MacOS Sonoma, try using the HP ICA Scanner Driver instead of HP Smart.

You can check for driver updates here: HP Software & Driver Downloads

5. Use an Alternative Scanning Software

Since VueScan already exhibits the same issues, try ExactScan or NAPS2, which might bypass HP’s default processing.

Let me know if you need further guidance!

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[Elekthromas]

Hi Kuroi_Kenshi

Thanks a lot for the detailed answer.

Unfortunately, I've already tried tips 1 and 2, but they didn't improve the quality.

Tip 3 isn't effective either. Post-processing can improve a poor scan somewhat, but it doesn't improve the tonal breaks in the image. The artificial sharpening is also only unsatisfactorily improved by subsequent blurring.

Regarding tip 4: I can't find an HP ICA driver. Do you perhaps have a direct link?

I've now tried tip 5. Apart from the fact that both scanning programs are very weak in terms of operation and features compared to VueScan or HP Smart, it didn't change the results either.

I'll probably just have to hope that HP will disable the automatic corrections in the firmware at some point, or at least make them disableable via the software.

Kind regards, Thomas

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Elekthromas,

Thank you for troubleshooting so far

Here are a few more steps you can try:

Try Scanning from a Different Application (Preview or Image Capture on Mac)

Open Preview on macOS → File → Import from Scanner

Open Image Capture (built-in macOS app)

Use either to scan and compare quality

Manually Adjust Contrast & Sharpness in VueScan

In VueScan, navigate to Filter Settings

Reduce ‘Sharpen’ or ‘Contrast’ manually before scanning

If VueScan is applying its own processing, tweaking these settings may help

Test Scanning to a USB Drive Directly (Bypass Software)

Insert a USB drive into the printer

On the printer’s touchscreen, go to Scan → USB Drive

Save the scan and compare quality (this tests if software settings are causing the issue)

Reset Printer to Factory Defaults

Refer to the steps on this link to restore factory defaults.

Adjust Paper Type in Printer Settings

Some printers auto-adjust scan contrast based on the paper type

Try setting paper type to "Plain Paper" in printer settings

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,