In the mid-2000s, the scanner market was split into two distinct camps: the flatbed (for books, photos, and fragile originals) and the sheet-fed (for stacks of business documents). The average user had to choose one or the other—until the HP Scanjet 5590 arrived. It wasn't just a scanner; it was a productivity statement. It asked the question: Why buy two devices when one desk can hold a transformer?
The spec that mattered here was : Approximately 8 pages per minute for black-and-white and 5 pages per minute for color at 150 dpi. That’s glacial by 2025 standards, but in 2005, that was light-speed for a sub-$300 scanner. The CCD Advantage: Depth Over Speed Why did this matter? Many cheaper scanners used CIS (Contact Image Sensor) technology. CIS was thin and power-efficient, but it had terrible depth of field. The HP 5590 used a CCD sensor —the same kind found in high-end digital cameras of the era. hp scanner 5590 specification
The spec to highlight: . This meant you could scan a wrinkled document, a thick textbook spine, or even a 3D object like a small seashell or a circuit board, and the entire thing would remain in focus. A CIS scanner would turn those 3D objects into a blurry mess. Resolution That Outran Your Printer At 2400 x 2400 optical dpi , the 5590 was overkill for documents. You used that resolution for film and photos. In fact, HP included a 35mm film adapter in the box—a transparency unit that sat under the lid. This allowed the scanner to digitize old slides and negatives at true optical resolution. You could take a tiny 1-inch negative and blow it up to an 8x10 print without seeing the pixel "staircase" effect. In the mid-2000s, the scanner market was split
The HP Scanjet 5590 wasn't just a list of numbers. It was the bridge between the messy paper office and the clean digital future. It had the soul of a drum scanner (thanks to the CCD) but the appetite of a office copier (thanks to the 50-sheet feeder). It was heavy, loud, slow to warm up, and absolutely brilliant at its job. It asked the question: Why buy two devices
For collectors and retro-enthusiasts, the 5590 is sought after because of that combination. Modern sub-$200 scanners are almost all CIS, which means they hate creased paper. The 5590, with its heavy chassis and CCD sensor, chewed up crinkled, stapled, and folded paper like it was personal.
Please wait... it will take a second!