Hi Drayman
I have a 733 and here is what I do.
Set the camera to macro setting (the tulip). Press the mode button 3 time until the tulip icon shows up in the screen.
Next, reset the EV compensation to lighten up the picture. Press the OK button on the back of the camera. Press OK again if the EV Compensation line is highlighted. Use the up arrow button to move the pointer up the (+) side of the scale. I usually set mine to '1' unless I am taking a picture of a very light pen on a light background.
These two things will make a lot of difference in your pix. I also change the White Balance setting to 'Fluorescent' when I use my white box with the curly fluorescent bulbs in it. If I don't use my light box I usually leave that setting on automatic, although I would encourage you to play around with it.
This admittedly is not the best camera in the world, but it has a lot of settings that you can experiment with. Set a pen up for a picture and start trying different things. Make notes, so that when you find the right combination, you can remember what it was. Take a look at the pics in my signature link, and you'll see that it can do OK.
One last thing. You might want to check the HP web site to see if there is a firmware update for your camera (there was for mine). They also have a manual PDF for download (I just checked). Good Luck!!