Hi guys
I'm currently looking for some scanning software with which to use the HP scanner at work. They currently have setup an old version of some HP ImageZone suite which is basically crud. It is extremely slow, not easy for people even more novice than me to use and I can't even find how to set it to scan to PDF 
Also every start up one gets the warning message that without admin rights the software cannot be updated. I've even seen a few people get scared when they log onto the pc with the scanner a few times as they think they've somehow done something to mess up the computer.
Basically just need some links and if possible comments recommending this or that to help with my research on this. Being free is a pre-requisite as I seem to be able to get the IT guys at work to install anything as long as its free and have actually saved a lot of money installing base versions of OSS apps found here on this site or that I saw posted about here. Preference is for OSS but if there is a freeware app that is superior will opt for it.
Just needs to be able to scan docs and images to at least JPEG and PDF and if possible to other image formats. Also needs to be able to recognise text as text. By that I mean doesn't have to have OCR capabilities, though this is desirable, but needs to be able to scan a document and see it all as one big image. This way one can copy and paste text from the scan. Oh and using XP SP3 with latest updates (I hope).
Many thanks for any and all help 
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have you tried looking on sourceforge. i know HP sponsors a few projects on sourceforge like HPLIP and some others. google is your friend. also mosts programs that would do what you want will require administrative rights and write to the registry.
And couldn't find much at all. And yes I checked Sourceforge. Scoured it in fact till 1:30 am which was pretty dumb as I then had to power thru a Tafe assignment till 2 and somehow got up at 6:30 to be at work
Don't know how I done it but I did 
Anyway I couldn't find anything for windows. Oh and it doesn't matter about admin privileges or registry as this will be installed to the host computer so I just need something simple and reliable.
PortableApps.com Advocate
I have to say, that all those scanners need their HP driver otherwise they will not do what you expect.
Some scanners (in multidevices) which have LAN connection, will also do some rudimental scanning via the web service they have on board, but this is just for emergency.
None of the drivers I have installed during last abt 3 years will provide pdf by themselves, most provide some jpg output themselves however.
To scan to pdf: open your pdf creator or acrobat or what ever, and call the import from scanner from there, it will call up the HP driver and the result will be in the pdf creator.
I use often other graphic programs from where I call import/scanner and have then the format what ever ready.
The software supplied by HP is in my opinion quite 'substandard software engineering' to say it polightly. I have no idea why a printer/scanner needs 1.5Gb junk to be installed on the PC before one is able to use it.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
yup.
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
scan2pdf
have no clue where I have it from
will use any of the registered scanners (or cameras etc) of the particular PC and produce pdf with it.
seems to convert also jpg to pdf , probably some other feature I had no time to test.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland