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Scanners
How many times do you look at your old photos and think, "Wouldn't it be great if I could email them to my friends and family?" Only there is no way of getting the photos to the computer. A scanner is the perfect solution for taking all those pictures created before the advent of digital photography and scanning them to a disc. With the latest editing software you can remove any flaws and email them so that everyone can remember those great Kodak moments. Scanners do more than just photos. They can digitize any type of image or text, making them perfect for both the home and office. Imagine, an office devoid of paper clutter! Amazing.
So how do you choose the right scanner? It's easy. Here are some factors to consider when narrowing down which one to buy:
Scanner Type
Flatbed 
- Flatbeds are flat out the most popular type of scanner for homes and home offices. They also happen to be reasonably priced for such a versatile device. Depending on the features and resolution you choose, the price can range from $100-$400 or more.
- The cover is usually on a flexible hinge (sometimes called expansion top) which allows for scanning large, bulky items, such as textbooks. Also an excellent choice for scanning photos.
- The large flat bed allows for scanning large or small documents at reasonable speeds.
- If you want increased convenience and enhanced speed, you may want to consider spending a little bit more for the larger feedsheet flatbed model, which run for $400-$600.
- Most flatbeds are color scanners, however, there are monochrome versions as well.
- The downside is that they take up a lot of space, and can be bulky and not very portable. However, a convenient (and bargain-friendly) option is a multifunction device, which scans, prints, and copies all in one tight package (see below).
Feedsheets aka Automatic Document Feeders aka Path-Through - Helps feed both tabloid and legal-sized documents, as well as oversized documents.
- Businesses and home offices can appreciate the speed and simplicity of a feedsheet scanner. Keep in mind that while the faster the models get, the more costly they get too. Some models can cost several thousand dollars.
- Perfect for anyone with a need for high-volume scanning of a single document.
- Option of color or monochrome scanners.
- Not recommended for scanning photos or textbooks.
Portable aka Handheld
- Handheld scanners are useful for scanning small passages and documents, such as business cards, photos, and other documents while on the go. There are even business card scanners that cost around $50.
- They are portable and take up hardly any room on your desk.
- Some models happen to be cheap alternatives to flatbeds, under $100.
- Wireless models are available but those are often quite expensive. They may however be quite good for business travelers. More affordable options are those that connect to a computer via a USB cable.
- Not good for any high resolution scanning or large documents.
Photo Scanners - 35mm film and slide transparencies can be effectively digitized with a film scanner, which are usually very high resolution and offer fine quality scans via special backlight scanning technology.
- They tend to be more expensive, but are perfect for professionals in the graphics and publishing industry. Less expensive models are available for photo enthusiasts topping off at around $300.
- If you need to scan film slides, but can't afford a photo scanner, go for a flatbed that comes with some transparency adapters.
Multi-function
- These include not only a scanner but also a printer, copier, and a fax machine.
- For the price, they are great for students or for people on a budget.
- They take up very little space.
- Don't expect excellent quality on all the various components on the system, but expect decent overall performance.
- Go to the multifunction printers buying guide for more information.
Speed & Capacity
Depending on how often and how much you need to scan at any one time will lead you towards choosing one scanner over another.
Large Items: If you need to scan large or bulky items, you would be better off with a flatbed that can accomodate various sized documents and objects. However, keep in mind that you need to hang around to remove the object, load the next, etc. If you want something slightly faster and more convenient, you may want to look into a feedsheet flatbed scanner.
Need for Speed: If speed is of the essence, go for a feedsheet scanner that can handle scanning multiple documents consecutively. You can load the items, program the scanner, and walk away without having to worry. You can get faster models that scan an 8x10 in 10 seconds at 300 dpi. Perhaps try the corporate scanner, Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110 EOX ($400).
Resolution: What is dpi?
Dpi, or dot-per-inch, is a measurement of optical and interpolated resolution, which together, determine the detail and the color quality of your scans. It is sometimes called ppi. While optical resolution is what will be the true measure of an image's quality, interpolated resolution is what will most often be listed for a scanner's resolution by the manufacturer. So be careful not to choose a scanner simply because it looks like it has a higher resolution. Bigger is not always better.
- Like most office machines, the least expensive models deliver lower resolution and should be used for those who only need to scan printed text material.
- Most feedsheet scanners have very low resolution because they are aimed at scanning simple text and graphics.
- Flatbed scanners generally have around 1200dpi, which is more than enough for scanning basic graphics, text and photos. If your interest is primarily in scanning photos, you may want to choose a photo flatbed scanner.
- Scanners have the ability to adjust the resolution for different jobs, but while the resolution can be lowered it cannot be raised higher than the maximum stated.
What's the Right Resolution?
- For basic photo editing and uploading graphics to the internet 1200 dpi is usually sufficient and found on most flatbeds.
- For professional applications, you may prefer to aim for a slightly higher resolution around 2400dpi.
- For film scans and negatives that you plan to enlarge, you should have a minimum of 2400 dpi or more, and keep in mind that such high-detail images take up lots of room on your hard drive. Don't worry about interpolated and enhanced resolutions. Most models are interpolated, and enhanced versions are only needed for doing line art.
Factors to Consider
Color Depth Also known as bit-depth. This is an important spec to look for in scanning negatives and slides because it will allow more contrasts and differentiations. just to give you an idea of what to look for -- 24-bit is low, 48-bit is high.
Document Feeder There are some flatbed models that are built with a document feeder. These models are usually more expensive, but also more versatile.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) This may be an important software feature to look for if you are scanning text documents which you desire to edit after scanning. Otherwise, the scanner will scan the text as an image instead of as an editable text document.
Software Bundles Software comes with your scanner as a standard for scanning processes, editing, and word-processing scan compatibility. Generally, they also make emailing and printing easier as well. Extra software can help repair damaged looking originals. The most important thing about software? It should be easy to install and as easy to use as possible.
One-touch Buttons Many scanners come with this function, however, it is often more effective to just use the scanner-utility software instead.
Transparency Adapters Primarily used for specialty work with transparencies.
Connectivity
- USB ports For fast scanning, make sure that your printer has a 2.0 USB port to hook the scanner up to, otherwise you can buy a 2.0 USB card.
- FireWire Some of the most recent scanners are FireWire-compatible - if you buy a scanner that is FireWire only, make sure your computer has a FireWire port.
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