Poor quality of scanned photos from OfficeJet 9015

[Hani76]

I have just purchased an HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 printer. When I scan a photograph using the flatbed the quality of the resulting scan is very poor compared to the original photo. The digital image is lacking in detail and is smudged in many areas. The edges are overenhanced and the whole image is cartoon-like in appearance. To illustrate the artefacts I am observing I have attached below a crop of a scan from a photographic print using the HP 9015 printer.

Scanned using OfficeJet pro 9015

Attached below is a photograph of the same print taken using a Sony RX100 digital camera.

Photo of print taken using digital camera

I am driving the printer wirelessly from a PC running Windows 10 (64bit). Initially I used the HP Smart application to scan the photograph. The settings provided by the app were very basic and I therefore decided to try and install the 'HP OfficeJet Pro 9010 Print and Scan Driver and Accessories' package from the HP support webpage. From the HP Scan software the 'Everyday Scan' shortcut enabled me to save the scanned photo to different file formats including PNG, BMP and Tif. The highest scan resolution available was 300dpi. After experimenting with the settings I was unsuccessful in improving the quality of the resulting scan.

I have updated the firmware of the printer and it is now MANHTNPP1N001.2010B.00. The printer product number is: 3UK91B. I also ran the 'HP Print and Scan Doctor 5.4' application, but that didn't help.

Is is possible to improve the quality of the scans from this printer?

[Dragon-Fur · Accepted solution]

@Hani76 

True, scan results do not always look the way we expect or hope.

You are correct, there are limited scan settings in HP Scan to change the Image details.

Example

9025_HP_Scan_menu_JPEG_1

AND

Next, select More > Image

Select / Adjust each setting in the drop-down menus

Click OK to leave individual menu

When ready, Click Scan

That done, your choice must be to tweak the saved scan before it is printed.

What else?

Irfanview > Free

 Irfanview provides a free program that can be used for a variety of scan and print tasks, including the “Mirror” or horizontal flip function and several other options not found elsewhere.

• Create a Restore Point (optional, recommended)
• Download the appropriate version (32bit or 64bit) of the program from the Website and install the program
• Additional information at the website, including:  FAQ

Once installed, open the software > tab Help

Example help entry:

Vertical/Horizontal Flip

• Click on the Image Menu, then Vertical Flip. The image will turn upside-down. The left/right orientation will stay the same.
• Click on the Image Menu, then Horizontal Flip. The image will turn side-to-side, as in a mirror.

Note: The effect can be used on a smaller portion (rectangle selection) of an image, as well as the entire image.

NOTES

Both 32bit and 64bit versions are available.

For example,

Irfanview 64bit version – Information and Download

Software and All Plugins for 64bit version:  https://www.fosshub.com/IrfanView.html

Includes Plugin for creating Multiple-page PDF files for images (Poster or large paper printing)

===================================================================

Includes access (where available) to Scan with HP Twain > Adjust settings > Scan and Save

General how-to / hints - Scanning

Install Irfanview as described > Open Irfanview > File > Acquire / Batch Scanning

Set input (Twain and / or choices as available in list)

Set any other options in the primary scan menu and continue...

Set options (including those in More > Image  for each drop-down menu)

Scan when ready and save the file.

NOTE: 

More > Image drop-down menus might include additional or possibly fewer settings. 

Take the time to check...

Once saved, Irfanview provides options to print the photo / image file as you like.

Printer  Home Page - References and Resources – Learn about your Printer  - Solve Problems

 “Things that are your printer”

NOTE:  Content depends on device type and Operating System

Categories:  Alerts, Access to the Print and Scan Doctor (Windows), Warranty Check, HP Drivers / Software / Firmware Updates, How-to Videos, Bulletins/Notices, Lots of How-to Documents, Troubleshooting, User Guides / Manuals, Product Information (Specifications), more

When the website support page opens, Select (as available) a Category > Topic > Subtopic

HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 All-in-One Printer 

Thank you for participating in our HP Community.

We are a world community of volunteers dedicated to supporting HP technology

Click Thumbs Up on a post to show appreciation for the help.

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[Hani76]

@Dragon-Fur

Thank you for your reply.

I was able to improve the quality of the scan by scanning the photograph at 1200dpi. Both the HP Scan application and the TWAIN source (HP OfficeJetPro 9010 series TWAI 2.1) which I accessed from IrfanView using File->Acquire/Batch Scanning and then 'Select Source', do not allow me to scan at a resolution higher than 300dpi. At this resolution the resulting scan contained all the artefacts that I mentioned in my first post. However, when I selected the WIA application (WIA-HP OfficeJetPro 9010 series 1.0, or WIA-HPA313BE) I was able to select scan resolutions up to, and including, 1200dpi by clicking on 'Adjust the quality of the scanned picture'.

I have attached a scan of the same photograph captured at 1200dpi and then resized to 300dpi in IrfanView.

Photo scanned at 1200dpi and scaled to 300dpi

To me, at least, the artefacts which are probably due to oversharpening, heavy noise reduction and high compression of the scan that were seen at 300dpi are now gone and the scan is acceptable. It seems somewhat odd that the WIA scanning application offers more flexibility in scan resolution than the TWAIN application, as TWAIN is the preferred interface for driving flatbed scanners and document feeders.

I have been impressed with the OfficeJet Pro's document scanning features and it does a great job with scanning documents such as bank statements. The duplex scanning feature is also very useful to have. However, the quality that can be obtained from scanning photographs, can be improved.

[Dragon-Fur]

@Hani76 

You are welcome.

Irfanview is good photo editing / management software.  I use it for a variety of tasks.

I understand your general frustration - it would be excellent if the printer simply translated the photo the way you wanted it done.

Sometimes the solution is work and not magic.  😐

Regardless, I am glad the results worked out for you.

Stay Safe.

Thank you for participating in our HP Community.

We are a world community of volunteers dedicated to supporting HP technology

Click Thumbs Up on a post to show appreciation for the help.

Answered? Click "Accept as Solution" to help others find a solution.

[Hani76]

I experimented further and it seems that it is possible to select a scan resolution greater than 300dpi using HP Scan or the TWAIN application provided that 'Source' is set to 'Flatbed' and not 'Document Feeder if loaded'. Scanning using the auto document feeder is restricted to 300dpi but higher resolutions are possible from the scanner glass.

[Dragon-Fur]

@Hani76 

True, that.

For those reading,

Scan software provides the expanded / higher resolution settings supported by the printer.

Examples

HP Scan (Part of the Full Feature Software)

Save as JPEG > Set Source to Flatbed > More > Image

9025_HP_Scan_menu_JPEG_1

9025_HP_Scan_Menu_JPEG_More_Image_1

HP Smart for Windows 

Scan Preset set to Photo and "Scanner glass" (flatbed)

HP_Smart_W10_Scan_Photo_Screen_2

Less Common Example

 Paint (mspaint)

Paint > Scan at 1200 DPI (on those printers supporting the resolution)

Reminder:  Scan at this resolution takes longer to complete

9025_Scan_Paint_1200_DPI_Setup_1

Example

HP Scan and Capture

HP Scan and Capture Application (from the Microsoft Store - Windows 8 and up)

Select Source (ADF or flatbed) as available for the image / resolution settings

Scan_and_Capture_0A

HP Webscan - Embedded Web Server (EWS)

Webscan – located in the Embedded Web Server (EWS) – No additional software

If the printer is on the network,

• Open your favorite browser > type / enter Printer IP address into URL / Address bar
• Tab Settings > Security > Administrator Settings > make sure Webscan is checked / enabled
• Click Apply to save any changes

Next

• Tab Scan > Webscan 
• Set up Webscan the way you want it - for example, set the Source to ADF - Scan a test document using Webscan

EWS_9025_Webscan_1

References

HP Smart for Windows

HP Smart is an application available in the Microsoft Store

Learn how to use HP Smart on your Windows 10 computer.

Open the Software and Drivers Support Website for your printer > Check the Box Get the App

OR

HP Printers - Using the HP Smart App (Windows 10)

NOTE:  Website includes the HP Smart software for Windows and Mobile devices, plus an FAQ section to assist with questions / issues

HP Smart Tasks for Windows and HP Smart Mobile

Where available, Smart Tasks can be configured for several print tasks.

• Print: Send a print job to your printer.
• Email: Send an email message or attachments.
• Save to: Save a file to a cloud storage account, such as Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.

 HP Printers - HP Smart: Use Smart Tasks

HP Scan and Capture - Microsoft Store (formally Windows Store) - Requires Windows 8 or higher

• Download-Save-Install   HP Scan and Capture

Thank you for participating in our HP Community.

We are a world community of volunteers dedicated to supporting HP technology

Click Thumbs Up on a post to show appreciation for the help.

Answered? Click "Accept as Solution" to help others find a solution.