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What is it?
A scanner lets you convert magazine articles, photos, charts, meeting and class notes, and just about anything else on a printed page into digital copies that you can alter and then print out or save on your computer's hard drive. It's a useful tool for any home or office. |
Why would I want one?
For the home:
- Scan family photos for permanent, digital copies that you can email.
- Scan images for home or school projects.
- Scan handwritten notes, such as directions or recipes for permanent copies without having to retype them manually.
- Uploading images to Web sites.
- Desktop publishing.
For the office:
- Create brochures, presentations, and Web content.
- Scan faxed documents.
- Scan meeting notes.
- Desktop publishing.
- Send scanned images via email.
How do I install and use it?
IMPORTANT: Carefully read the entire instruction manual included with your scanner before attempting any installation.
USB (for Windows 98 systems only): Connect the scanner to your computer's USB port. Have the software driver disc ready. Power up your computer and install the software drivers if necessary by inserting the disc into the appropriate drive.
Parallel: Connect the scanner to your computer's parallel port. If the cable is equipped with a pass-through, connect your printer to the pass-through. Have the software driver disc ready. Power up your computer and install the software drivers if necessary by inserting the disc into the appropriate drive.
SCSI: If you do not have a SCSI card installed on your computer, you will have to install one yourself. Most SCSI cards that are included with most scanners are limited in their abilities. We recommend you consider purchasing another card that supports additional SCSI devices. Check the Accessories link on the scanner page you're interested in purchasing for a compatible card.
To install a SCSI card, remove the cover from your PC. Insert the card into the appropriate slot (NEVER force a card into a slot. If it does not fit, try another slot or contact the manufacturer for technical support.) Replace the cover and turn on your computer. Windows 95 and Windows 98 systems should automatically detect the card. If not, click on the Start button and access your control panel. Select "Add New Hardware." Click "Next" until you come to a prompt asking if you want the system to search for new hardware. Click "No"and then "Next." From the list presented, select "SCSI Controllers" and click next. Click on "Have Disc" and select the path in which you disc is located (a:\ for floppy drive or d:\ for CD drive).
Connect the scanner to the port on the SCSI card and restart the computer. Install the device drivers and re-boot the computer. Leave the power to the scanner on when re-booting.
After installation, you should test the scanner thoroughly. Refer to your scanner's documentation on how to scan items.
How do I go about buying one?
There are three common types of scanners: flatbed, sheetfed, and handheld. All perform the same basic function, but are widely different from the other.
Flatbed Scanners look much like a small copy machine. Basically, a flatbed scanner is a box with a glass top and a cover. While they don't look like much, there is a lot of advanced technology inside. Flatbeds are probably the easiest to use since most offer one-button functionality. All you have to do is put a paper on the glass, close the cover, and push a button. Flatbeds are also more versatile as they can scan photos, magazine pages, pages still in books, and just about anything else you can put on the glass. Flatbeds also offer the highest resolution output, which is critical when displaying or publishing your scanned images.
Sheetfed Scanners take much less desk space than a flatbed, but are limited in their abilities. Sheetfed scanners have a motor that draws the page into the scanner and slowly passes it by the scanner's sensor. Sheetfeds take longer to scan than flatbeds and are limited to flat sheets of paper. To scan that page in a book, you'd have to actually tear the page from a book. Sheetfeds produce lower resolutions than flatbeds and are best suited for those who find it necessary to have a scanner while on the road.
Handheld Scanners are manually operated. You must physically move the scanner over a page yourself. The output quality is not near as clear as a sheetfed scanner and they tend to blur or mis-read the scan.
Flatbed scanners offer more advanced features and options than sheetfed or handheld scanners and they are ideal for both home and office use. In choosing the scanner that's right for you, consider the following attributes as most important:
Resolution: A scanner's resolution is measured in both pixels and dots per inch (dpi). They are essentially the same thing and are represented by two values for the horizontal and vertical resolution, respectively. An 800 dpi x 1200 dpi resolution scans images at 800 pixels per inch horizontally and 1200 pixels per inch vertically. The first number, the horizontal resolution, is always the most important to consider. It is the true optical resolution and represents the actual number of sensors on the CCD. The vertical resolution is actually determined by the stepper motor, which moves the scan head at 1200 steps per vertical inch in our example above.
A 300 dpi resolution is sufficient for scanning low resolution images for electronic uses, such as web publishing or sending them via email. It's even adequate for printing at low resolutions. However, a 600 dpi resolution is optimum for capturing crisp photos and text. It's always best to scan your images at a higher resolution than needed because digital images tend to degrade after editing.
CCD vs. CIS: A CCD scanner uses a complicated array of lenses, mirrors, and light. Light reflects the image off the mirrors and lenses and the CCD (charge-coupled device) converts the light signals into digital images. The number of CCD sensors on a scanner's scan head determines the scanner's true optical resolution. CIS technology is fairly new and has yet to gain mass appeal because its image quality is substandard to CCD technology. CIS scanners use LEDs instead of mirrors and lenses. Light is reflected directly to the CIS, which sends it to a converter that changes the image into a digital format. There is little difference in price between the two technologies, at least not enough that should make difference in your purchasing decision. Currently, CCD scanners are more reliable and produce better quality images.
Interpolation: If a scanner's resolution is represented by different numbers, such as 800 dpi x 1200 dpi, it's likely interpolation is involved. The scanner manufacturer is saying that their product is capable of reaching a high resolution of 1200 dpi interpolated. A scanner's true resolution is its "optical resolution" while "interpolated resolution" is the result of scanner enhancement, which it achieves by adding in extra pixels of color to fill out the image. Interpolation requires additional software and hardware and high interpolation may distort images. To avoid interpolation, always scan at or below the true optical resolution of your scanner.
Bits: Most recent scanners are at least 36-bit, but some are 24-bit, and others are available in 30-and 42-bit color. All colors in an electronic image are produced from a combination of red, green, and blue (RGB) with each having its own assigned channel. A 24-bit scanner captures 8-bits per channel. Since most graphics can only support a color depth of 24-bits, higher bit depth will make only small improvements to image quality.
Interface Options: As with any computer component, we must determine which interface is best suited to your needs. A scanner can use one of three interfaces to communicate with your computer: parallel, USB (Universal Serial Bus), or SCSI (Small Computer System Interface).
The parallel interface is the slowest of the three and it connects to the same port as your printer. It includes a pass-through connection to allow both devices to connect simultaneously. A parallel port scanner is suitable for the casual home user. However, anyone with USB capabilities should purchase a USB scanner simply for the benefits of speed and ease of use.
Although the SCSI interface is the fastest, it's also the most difficult to install and should only be considered by experienced users. A SCSI interface offers the benefit of higher resolutions thanks to its high bandwidth. That makes it the ideal interface for scanning high-end computer graphics.
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