How to choose the right scanner?
What type of device a scanner is?
A scanner is a hardware input device that captures documents such as photographs,
drawings, and text documents. After putting the text page for scanning, the
process of scanning the document starts. At first, the scanner converts the
text into a digital file. Then you can see it on the screen of a laptop or
computer. Then you can edit the scanned image's color and size. You can also
edit the scanned document's texts. For example, font, font size, font color,
bold, italic, and underline.
As long
as both digital files and hard copies of documents are used in government or
private offices, you will need images, pages, and ways to edit them.
Why is the scanner called an input device?
A scanner is an input device that scans documents such as photographs, text
pages, and images. It converts the image or text into a digital format. A
scanner is able only to send the information to the computer, and it cannot
receive information from the computer. So, the scanner is called an input
device.
The printer is an output device because it can receive information from the
computer. It can print documents or images and gives the output in the form
of a hard copy.
How is the scanner connecting to a computer?
A scanner can connect to a computer using many different interfaces like SCSI,
TWAN, and Firewire, and Parallel is used to connect the scanner to the
computer. But now USB cables are widely used. Recently, wireless scanners have been available in the market.
Scanner connecting devices
USBSCSI
TWAN
Firewire
Parallel
When was the first image scanner invented?
The first image scanner was invented in 1957 by a man named Russell Kirsch. Under
the leadership of Russell Kirsch at the United States National Bureau of
Standards. It was a drum scanner, connected with a computer for scanning. The first image scanned on this scanner was Kirsch's three-month-old son's
picture. This black and white scanned image was measured 5 cm square and had a
resolution of 176 pixels on all sides.
Types of Scanners
Scanners are of many types according to their designs, scanning mechanisms, and specifications. The following are different types of scanners.
Drum Scanner
Flatbed Scanner
Image-Photo Scanner
Hand Scanner
Sheet-Fed Scanner
Jumbo-Large Format Scanner
Multifunction Scanner
Film Scanner
Roller Scanner
3D Scanner
Planetary Scanner
Drum Scanner
A drum scanner captures the highest resolution from an image. Photographs and
transparencies are taped, clamped, or fitted into a drum that spun at speeds
exceeding 1,000 RPM during the scanning process. A light source that focuses on
one pixel beamed onto the drum, and it moves a line down at a time.
The use
of the scanner is to scan text documents and images. They produce quality
images with low resolution. Drum scanners are the best in terms of resolution,
sharpness, dynamic range, and color. There is no other scanner that can give
you drum scanning.
The
drum scanner consists of a photo-multiplier tube, which is a light-sensing
device. That is why drum scanners offer high sensitivity and better images.
Companies build scanners with such high values and quality putting them in mind.
Flatbed Scanner
Most
people use Flatbed scanners in offices or homes. They are also known as the
Xerox machine. These scanners look like a micro-printer with a flip-up cover
like a Xerox machine. The Flatbed scanner provides a flat glass surface to hold
a sheet of paper, book, or another object for scanning. The scan head moves
under the glass. Flatbed scanners often come with a sheet feeder to scan more
than one document. These scanners are great for scanning articles, book chapters,
or photographs.
Image-Photo Scanner
An image scanner is a digital device used to scan images, pictures, printed text,
and objects and then convert them into digital images. Mostly image
scanners are used for various domestic and industrial works such as design,
reverse engineering, orthotics, gaming, and testing.
Scanning
documents do not require high resolution or color depth. But if you don't want
a separate device for scanning pictures, you can use the same scanner to scan
documents and images.
After
placing a document inside a scanner, the scanner processes it into a digital
signal. Then it sends it to a computer system. Scanners can read different
colors like red, green, and blue from the color array, and the depth of these
colors is measured based on the characteristics, picture, or image resolution
measures in pixels.
Handheld Scanner
Handheld
scanners are much like flatbed scanners. The handheld scanners are small in
size, but they are the most useful electronic devices. The handheld scanner is used for the digitization of printed documents. Handheld scanners are still very
popular because they are cheaper than flatbeds. Low space, low cost, and
portability are the advantages of a handheld scanner, but the low quality is
its disadvantage.
Some
handheld scanners now read aloud the defined, translated, and printed text.
They are available with features and functionality, such as storing and sending
scanned content to computers and other devices.
Sheet-Fed Scanner
Sheet
Fed scanners are also known as automatic document scanners or ADF scanners. It
is a digital imaging system specifically designed to scan scraps of paper. Most
people use these scanners for business or in offices.
Sheet
Fed scanners are smaller than flatbed scanners. As the name implies, you can
place one image or page at a time or the image scanner's automatic document
feeder. These scanners are a great option if you are scanning only documents.
Jumbo / Large Format Scanner
Flatbed
scanners and sheet feed scanners are both versatile machines. However, they are
limited in the size of the document they can scan. If you want to have large
pages for the business, for example, for CAD drawings, plans, blueprints, maps,
posters, architectural drawings, artwork, books, and more, you need a scanner
that can scan large-sized papers. These scanners look like a musician's
electronic piano.
People
use LFD scanners for large-scale scanning, which involves the process of
digitizing large documents. They can convert large-sized paper to small-size
documents and distribute digital files in PDF, TIFF, DWG, DXF, and JPEG
formats.
Multifunction Printer-Scanner
Most
printer manufacturers make multifunction laser or inkjet printers capable of
scanning. So you don't need to buy a separate printer or scanner for different
tasks.
Multifunction
printers give you the added convenience of working as a print, scan, or
sometimes fax machine. A Multifunction printer is a great option in small offices
where the use of all these machines is limited, and the user is single, but all
these machines are needed. A single "all-in-one" device is often more
practical than buying a separate machine for different tasks.
There
are many multifunction printers available in the market. These printers
can scan, fax, print, and copy from a single unit. Scanning capabilities on
these systems may vary.
Film Scanners
A film scanner is a device made for scanning photographic films. It can scan the
photographic film directly into a computer without the use of any intermediate
printmaking. It can accept either strips of 35 mm or 120 films or individual
slides. Low-end scanners typically only take 35 mm film strips, while medium- and high-end film scanners often have interchangeable film loaders. It
allows one scanning platform for different sizes and packaging.
A
motion picture film scanner is a device used in digital filmmaking to scan
original film for storage as high-resolution digital intermediate files. A film
scanner scans original film stock, negative or positive print, or reversal.
Roller scanner
A roller scanner can handle only single sheets up to a specified width of 210 mm,
the width of many printed letters, and documents. But it can be very compact,
just requires a pair of narrow rollers between which the page passes. Scanners
are available that pull a flat sheet over the scanning element between rotating
rollers.
3D Scanner
3D
scanning is a technology for creating high-precision 3D models of real-world
objects. A 3D scanner can take multiple snapshots. The shots are then fused into a 3D model, an
exact three-dimensional copy of the scanned object, which you can rotate and
view from different angles on your computer.
3D
scanning is the process of analyzing a real-world object or environment to
collect data on its shape and possibly its appearance. The collected data can
be useful for constructing digital 3D models. The advantages, limitations, and
technologies are different in each 3D scanner. So, there is a difference in
costs too.
Planetary scanner
A planetary scanner is a type of image scanner for making scans of rare books and
other easily damaged documents. It is also called an orbital scanner. In
essence, such a scanner is a mounted camera taking photos of a well-lit
environment. The implementation of making these scanners is scanning other
fragile documents such as old maps.
Other information about scanners
The speed of scanners
PPM -
Pages Per Minute. PPM is used to measure the scanning speed of the scanner
under configuration. Most scanners include a PPM rating for both black and
color-scanned images. These speed measurement lists are in the printer's
technical specifications.
Scanner Drivers
canner
drivers are software programs that tell computers how to run and communicate
with a scanner. Installing scanner drivers is an essential step in setting up a
working scanner. Common types of scanners include feed scanners, handheld
scanners, flatbed scanners, and all-in-one printer-scanner devices.
USB
cables are used to connect the scanner to a computer or a laptop. The communication between the software and
the scanner is through the "driver" Many different scanner
communication protocols can be used to control scanners.
Scanners capability
Scanners
come in three basic categories, high-end, mid-range, and low-end. High-end
scanners are capable of scanning more than 60 pages per minute (ppm). They fit
large-sized documents into paper sizes.
The
mid-range includes scanners in the 20-40 pages per minute (ppm) range. Most
scanners in this category have dual scanning capabilities. Scanners in this
category are very popular among Remark Office OMR users.
Low-end
scanners scan at speeds of 10 or less per minute. If your scanning rate is low,
use a low-end scanner.
Scanner manufacturing companies
There
are many scanner manufacturing companies. Each company's product quality and
features are different. Every company is trying to make its products more
useful by using the latest technology.
Canon
Epson
HP
Plustek
Fujitsu
Kodak
Ricoh
Conclusion
When
buying a new scanner, consider the nature of your work, the company, features,
specifications, accessories, and the warranty. Contact scanner users. Know
their experiences. Shop carefully; be alert because the prices of the scanner
change from store to store and website to website.