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Get Digital with a Scanner

So cheap now you can have work and home versions

By Mike Kaltschnee

I get asked about scanners a lot, especially now that the prices have dropped. "Do I need a scanner?" "What kind should I get?" or "How much should I spend?" I hope to answer all of these questions in this article.

I started working with scanners about ten years ago, when the "cheaper" scanners cost several thousand dollars and took several hours to set up and configure. Scanners are much cheaper now, and the setup is a lot easier. The price has dropped so much that I purchased a scanner for home and spent only about $100. I just saw a rebate offer from CompUSA for $30 on the scanner I purchased, so the price is about $70 now.

Before you rush out and buy one, make sure you need one. If you're trying to get photographs into the computer, you may be better off purchasing a digital camera. The price has dropped to several hundred dollars, and with an inexpensive inkjet printer, you can get great results at home, saving money on film and developing.

If you have old photographs or plan on scanning printed materials for work, a scanner is a great idea. You can get a 4x5 photo scanner, a small scanner specifically designed to scan photos up to 4 x 5 inches. Or you can purchase a flatbed scanner, which can scan books and documents up to 8 ½ x 11 inches or more. Most flatbed scanners can add a document feeder, so you can scan stacks of documents unattended.

I bought a UMAX Astra 610P, which came with all of the necessary cables and software, and was set up and scanning in about 15 minutes. The scanner hooks up to my parallel printer port and has an additional printer port so I can attach my printer to the scanner.

Some scanners require a SCSI port, which on a Windows computer can still be a challenge to set up and configure. If you have a Macintosh, it's easy to add a scanner because
SCSI is built in and simple to work with. Since I own a Notebook computer and want to be able to hook up the scanner to other computers, parallel was the easy choice. Keep your eyes on the new USB port, which should make adding scanners and other devices even easier.

The software that came with my scanner included Adobe PhotoDeluxe and Presto! PageManager. I have to admit that I quickly deinstalled Presto! because I have no need for an OCR program (OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition), which enables you to scan documents into the computer, converting them back into editable text so you don't have to retype them. If you find yourself retyping documents a lot, you should look into OCR.

I like the bundled Adobe PhotoDeluxe, which is a great image editing program. When you scan images into the computer, PhotoDeluxe lets you edit them, change the contrast and brightness, crop, or apply special effects. The software will even remove red eye from your photos, saving previously ruined ones. Make sure the scanner you purchase includes software, the best of the bundled software being PhotoDeluxe, PhotoShop LE, or even the full version of PhotoShop.

How much should you spend on a scanner? Although I purchased a UMAX for home, we purchased two Hewlett Packard IIC scanners for work. We spent the past two years designing Web sites for companies and needed the high-quality optics, speed, and reliability that HP delivers. You'll spend up to three times as much for an HP scanner, but it's worth it if you're serious.

One confusing thing about scanners is resolution. Resolution is simply the number of pixels per inch. If you want to create Web pages with scanned images, you need only 75-150 dots per inch (dpi). This is because your computer screen is only 90 dpi. If you want to print graphics you have scanned on your inkjet or laser printer, you'll need 300 dpi. If you're doing professional print work, you'll want at least 300 if not a higher resolution. Some scanners claim 2400 dpi, which is much more than you'll ever need. Make sure your scanner resolution is "true" resolution, because software or hardware interpolation means that they are really scanning at a lower resolution and "faking it" using software.

Be gentle with your scanner and be sure to read the manual. Almost every scanner I've used required it to be "locked" before moving it. These devices are very precise, and forgetting to lock your scanner can cause it to become misaligned and unusable (and may even void your warranty!). Locking it is can be as simple as pushing a button or moving a switch.

There are a lot of scanners out there, so be sure to do your homework before rushing out to buy one. You can find great reviews of scanners on http://www.zdnet.com.

Get Digital with a Scanner

So cheap now you can have work and home versions

*By Mike Kaltschnee*
I get asked about scanners a lot, especially now that the prices have dropped. "Do I need a scanner?" "What kind should I get?" or "How much should I spend?" I hope to answer all of these questions in this article. I started working with scanners about ten years ago, when the "cheaper" scanners cost several thousand dollars and took several hours to set up and configure. Scanners are much cheaper now, and the setup is a lot easier. The price has dropped so much that I purchased a scanner for home and spent only about $100. I just saw a rebate offer from CompUSA for $30 on the scanner I purchased, so the price is about $70 now. Before you rush out and buy one, make sure you need one. If you're trying to get photographs into the computer, you may be better off purchasing a digital camera. The price has dropped to several hundred dollars, and with an inexpensive inkjet printer, you can get great results at home, saving money on film and developing. If you have old photographs or plan on scanning printed materials for work, a scanner is a great idea. You can get a 4x5 photo scanner, a small scanner specifically designed to scan photos up to 4 x 5 inches. Or you can purchase a flatbed scanner, which can scan books and documents up to 8 ½ x 11 inches or more. Most flatbed scanners can add a document feeder, so you can scan stacks of documents unattended. I bought a UMAX Astra 610P, which came with all of the necessary cables and software, and was set up and scanning in about 15 minutes. The scanner hooks up to my parallel printer port and has an additional printer port so I can attach my printer to the scanner. Some scanners require a SCSI port, which on a Windows computer can still be a challenge to set up and configure. If you have a Macintosh, it's easy to add a scanner because SCSI is built in and simple to work with. Since I own a Notebook computer and want to be able to hook up the scanner to other computers, parallel was the easy choice. Keep your eyes on the new USB port, which should make adding scanners and other devices even easier. The software that came with my scanner included Adobe PhotoDeluxe and Presto! PageManager. I have to admit that I quickly deinstalled Presto! because I have no need for an OCR program (OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition), which enables you to scan documents into the computer, converting them back into editable text so you don't have to retype them. If you find yourself retyping documents a lot, you should look into OCR. I like the bundled Adobe PhotoDeluxe, which is a great image editing program. When you scan images into the computer, PhotoDeluxe lets you edit them, change the contrast and brightness, crop, or apply special effects. The software will even remove red eye from your photos, saving previously ruined ones. Make sure the scanner you purchase includes software, the best of the bundled software being PhotoDeluxe, PhotoShop LE, or even the full version of PhotoShop. How much should you spend on a scanner? Although I purchased a UMAX for home, we purchased two Hewlett Packard IIC scanners for work. We spent the past two years designing Web sites for companies and needed the high-quality optics, speed, and reliability that HP delivers. You'll spend up to three times as much for an HP scanner, but it's worth it if you're serious. One confusing thing about scanners is resolution. Resolution is simply the number of pixels per inch. If you want to create Web pages with scanned images, you need only 75-150 dots per inch (dpi). This is because your computer screen is only 90 dpi. If you want to print graphics you have scanned on your inkjet or laser printer, you'll need 300 dpi. If you're doing professional print work, you'll want at least 300 if not a higher resolution. Some scanners claim 2400 dpi, which is much more than you'll ever need. Make sure your scanner resolution is "true" resolution, because software or hardware interpolation means that they are really scanning at a lower resolution and "faking it" using software. Be gentle with your scanner and be sure to read the manual. Almost every scanner I've used required it to be "locked" before moving it. These devices are very precise, and forgetting to lock your scanner can cause it to become misaligned and unusable (and may even void your warranty!). Locking it is can be as simple as pushing a button or moving a switch. There are a lot of scanners out there, so be sure to do your homework before rushing out to buy one. You can find great reviews of scanners on http://www.zdnet.com.

Mike Kaltschnee is a founder of DeMorgan Industries, the leading developer of Web graphics, and also teaches Webmaster and Internet marketing classes at the Internet School in Naugatuck Valley Community Technology College. You can reach Mike at: mikek@demorgan.com.