The HP 3380 is an all-in-one printer with many features to meet your needs. It can print, copy, fax and scan. You can scan using the flatbed or with an automatic document feeder. The HP 3380 scans two pages per minute for color documents and about 3.1 pages per minute for grayscale documents. Occasionally, you may run into scanner errors when using the device. You can solve most of the errors at home.
Poor Image Quality
When you scan something, it may not come out looking exactly like the original. This is frustrating, but you can sometimes easily solve the problem. Not using the original picture or document can cause image quality problems. Some possible solutions include reducing the size of the image after scanning, printing the scanned image to see if it's any clearer, and checking the resolution and color settings. If the image looks better on screen than when it prints, adjust your computer monitor settings or the resolution and color settings in the scanner software.
Partial Scan
If the entire image doesn't scan, consider adjusting the resolution and color settings on the scanner if the image has a color background. You can also enhance the image after you scan it using the scanner software. If the document you scan has two sides, the back side can sometimes bleed through into the scanned image if the media is too thin. Verify that the original meets the minimum and maximum size requirements.
Slow Scan
A scan that takes too long is also frustrating. If your resolution and color levels are set high, the scan will take longer. You can speed up the scan by setting it to scan in grayscale or black and white. A print or copy job that's in progress will also slow down a scan because they all processes share the same memory.
Scanner Error Messages
Four error messages are most common with the HP 3380: "Unable to activate TWAIN source," "An error occurred while acquiring the image," "Scanner initialization failed" and "Error communicating with scanner." Most of these errors have to do with a connection problem. Check that the USB or IEEE 1284-B parallel cable is correctly connected to the port on your computer. If you have more than one port, connect to another port. If you have another device connected to the port, disconnect it because it might interfere with the scanner. Ensure the correct TWAIN source, which allows the scanner to communicate with the image processing software, is selected. Click the "File" menu while in the scanner software and select "Select Scanner."
