HP ScanJet Pro N4000 snw1 produces corrupt pdf files

[ScanUserN4000]

Hi HP Support team,

I use HP ScanJet Pro N4000 snw1 (firmware 0.60) with HP Scan app (Ver 2.1.0.5371) on Win10 Pro 64bit system () via USB connection (3.0). All components with latest updates as of today.

When scanning multiple pages I use the following configuration in the HP Scan app:

- 2-sided document

- input DIN A4, output DIN A4, portrait

- data transfer level 2

- activated wrong move in detection

- 300dpi, 24bit, automatic brightness

- adjust straightening

- remove blank pages, remove perforations

- filetype PDF/A (I also tried PDF-OCR)

- target local folder

The outcome are the following errors:

- on sam Win 10 Pro machine, using PDF-XChange Viewer displays all pages correctly, but warns about broken file, error message: XREF-table with problems

- opening the very same file on Mac OS 11.1 with Preview (ver 11.0) shows page 1 correctly, but all subsequent pages are blank

- same with Skim (ver 1.5.13) on Mac

- Acrobat Reader (ver 2020.013.20074) shows all pages correctly

Please help. Maybe this error is related to this post almost 6 years ago (https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Scanning-Faxing-Copying/scanning-always-produces-invalid-PDF-files/td-...) which hasn't been fixed yet.

side note: HP Scan app for Mac has only the basic 10% of the functionality the Win version has. Almost nothing of the settings described above (remove blank pages, separate documents by blank pages etc.) can be found on Mac version. That's a shame.

another side note to HP marketing guys: you do offer scanners. your website should offer "scanner" as category. I chose "other printer" since only printer categories are available.

Thanks for your help.

[ScanUserN4000]

Update 12/22/2020:

Support hotline failed to solve the problem. There advice was to uninstall and re-install the scanner drivers, which I did, but didn't help. The produced PDFs are still broken and cannot be shown from page 2 onwards.

Then, even worse, I checked the PDF/A status online. Here's the result:

 ******

CHECK FAILED
THE DOCUMENT DOES NOT CONFORM TO THE PDF/A-2A STANDARD.

 ******

PDF/A-1a
CompressedXRef is set, but shouldn't be
XMPMetaDataMissing is set, but shouldn't be
InfoMeetsPDFA1a_2005 is required but missing
PDF/A-1b:2005
CompressedXRef is set, but shouldn't be
XMPMetaDataMissing is set, but shouldn't be
InfoMeetsPDFA1b_2005 is required but missing
PDF/A-2a
XMPMetaDataMissing is set, but shouldn't be

So, for all of you who belong on PDF/A: ***.

Those who want to scan mulitple pages and share them with other users: forget it.

But for the rest, who only want to scan single pages, maybe HP is the solution. Although a little over priced...

For me, I'm frustrated with HP - the product hardware, the bundled software, the service . Maybe Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1500 will do the job.

Merry Christmas!

[ScanUserN4000]

OK, so far we have:

- HP software that doesn't work (PDF/A standards not fullfilled, pages 2 ff. are blank, HP software for Windows does not comply with Win UI standards, HP software for Mac has only basic functionality, bundled ReadIris software has no PDF/A supported)

- HP hardware comes with high-frequency noise when idle, trays are made of duroplastic that brake easily, extension trap is too short to hold DIN A4 paper

- HP service: hotline has no solution (nor clue), support forum is no help at all (thread started on 12-20-2020, re-post on 12-22-2020 which has been edited by mod @MatheusH, so far no solution in sight