Finding the right scanner might be a challenge for you. Most scanners can be used to read any document. Today's scanners are not like the past 5 years, now scanners are specially designed and specifically for various activities and user needs. Therefore, you should first consider the type of scanner that suits your needs. If you want your office to be paperless or various office needs require you to digitize your documents such as invoices, tax receipts, and receipts, a document scanner is a right scanner for such needs. You might consider purchasing a flatbed scanner if you want to read a photo or other graphic-smelling documents.
Types of Scanners
Before identifying your needs, it is better if you identify the various types of scanners according to their types and uses. Identifying the types of scanners available can help you purchase and choose the right scanner for you. Here they are, the types of scanners on the market
Flatbed Scanners
The flatbed scanner is arguably a versatile scanner, working as a copier is one of its advantages. This scanner can read all materials, be it objects made from thin or thick objects. If you want to print using this scanner, simply place your object to be scanned by placing it on the top glass of the scanner, and press the scan button then let the scanner read the object you place and convert it into an image format. It's just that this flatbed scanner is usually not too large, the largest is only the size of legal paper.
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Photo Scanners
A photo scanner is a scanner that is designed with a machine that has high image-processing (high quality), this scanner can read a negative photo and produce the photo with good quality. Some of the scanner products on the market such as Canon CanoScan, HP Scanjet, or Epson Perfection. Photo scanning has high capabilities for various objects to be read.
Sheetfed Scanners
A sheetfed scanner is a scanner that is combined with a fax machine and both work well. A document that comes from a fax machine can be turned into a file on your computer. By using Optical Character Reader (OCR) software, the text contained in documents can be read and then edited on your computer. The feature that distinguishes a sheetfed document from an ordinary scanner is the automatic document feeder (ADF). This feature can make the user put several documents to be read on the scanner at once, so there is no need to read the document one by one. The scan speed, quality, and performance can also vary depending on the brand and technology of the sheetfed scanner. Usually, these scanners have a smaller scan space than flatbed scanners.
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Handheld Scanners
A handheld scanner works by the operator's grip or can be placed in a place so that the scanner can stand. In this type of scanner, the light source and sensor are on the scanner head. The light emitted from this scanner is reflected by the glass so that it can be read by existing sensors. The operator of this scanner moves this scanner throughout the document so that the document is read by the existing sensors. This scanner is a special scanner because it can read fabrics too. Currently, we can find that most handheld scanners are usually used to read the barcode of a product in supermarkets.
The most basic weakness of this handheld scanner is the absence of technology that can anticipate the hand suddenly moving out of line with the initial scan path and causing the results to tend to blur. After all, no product is perfect, besides that, there are various advantages that can be used, such as this type of scanner is quite mobile and portable. This scanner is also widely used in several international airports to find out the completeness of existing documents or passports.
Portable Scanners
This type of scanner has a size that is larger than the handheld scanner, but smaller than the flatbed scanner. Portable scanners can work well when used in travel situations. This type of scanner is an option for those of you who frequently travel to your work and also need to scan documents at the same time. The shape of this scanner can be loaded into your travel bag.
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Business Card Scanners
An example of a product of a business card type scanner is the Fujitsu mobile scanner, this scanner has been built by Fujitsu to facilitate the work of entrepreneurs. By using this scanner you can read both the images and characters on your business card and after that, the data is stored directly in contact management software such as Microsoft Outlook.
For this type of scanner, existing users must perform calibration for the first time before using it. After the calibration process is complete, further operations are fairly straightforward. The process of scanning a business card is quite simple, and you just need to insert your card into the input slot of the scanner and then just wait for the card scan process. After all these processes are complete, the software where you save the data will automatically appear and notify you of the details of the card you have read.
Drum Scanners
Drum scanners are capable of producing high-resolution scans. Some companies that require high graphics processing use this type of scanner. The drum scanner uses photomultiplier tube (PMTs) technology on each filter which can responsively convert light to electronic pulses and produces a high dynamic range. The high dynamic range represents a high level of brightness resolution, it is an important factor in capturing every detail of the image.
When comparing drum scanners with each other, the information you need to pay attention to about a product is the optical resolution of the drum scanner. You can find this information on the manufacturer's website or a product information paper. Many scanners of this type are available with resolutions between 2,400 dpi, 3,600 dpi, or some even come with 12,000 dpi.
With their high enough capability, drum scanners still have a weakness. Usually, this drum scanner is not available in homes because the price is quite high and is only operated by people who have been trained to use it.
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Scanner Features To Look For
After knowing the various types of scanners that already exist, maybe you still have a little insight into how a scanner suits your needs. It seems unfair if we give a guide on choosing a scanner without discussing some of its features, here are some features that you can pay attention to before buying a scanner.
Automatic Feeder
If you are anticipating scanning several documents at once, maybe you could consider a scanner that has an automatic document feeder feature. Some of the latest types of scanners have this facility, such as the ScanSnap ix500 and the Brother ADS-2500W. The maximum stack that can be placed on this scanner is 50 documents at a time. With the automatic feeder, time and workload are lighter.
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Duplexing
Some scanners have a duplexing feature. This feature can make you read 2 sides of a page simultaneously. so when a scanner has a scan speed of 20 pages per minute, with this feature you can capture 40 pages per minute. Many scanners that have a duplexing feature are equipped with the ability to delete blank pages. With this feature, you can speed up your scanning ability.
Resolution
Photo scanners can get scans with a high enough resolution, which is around 6400 dpi or more, this feature helps you to scan documents that have many images such as posters or brochures. A document scanner does not require a high resolution, around 300 dpi is enough to capture characters such as letters and numbers. You are not advised to scan photos using a document scanner because the results are not optimal.
Connectivity
Most document scanners can connect via USB to your PC. Now many scanners can connect to your PC using Wi-Fi. With Wi-Fi connectivity, it will certainly make it easier for you to share hardware in your office or home.
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Easy to Carry (Portability)
Some scanners are designed with the ability to be carried anywhere. They are small enough to fit into your backpack or suitcase after which you can connect them using USB or some come with batteries. In addition to the battery, now the scanner is also equipped with onboard memory, which this facility can help you to save the scan results when there is no PC or laptop. However, most scanners of this type are not supported with high scanning capabilities.
Scan To Cloud
The main function of a scanner is to make the document you scan into a digital file that resides on your computer. The current trend scanner is one that can upload to cloud storage such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or One Drive.
Scanner Buying Guide
After knowing the various types of scanners, then knowing some of the scanner features, now is the time for you to decide which scanner is right for you. Some of the explanations below can help you to choose the right scanner.
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What Documents Will You Scan?
knowing what documents you scan and how often you use them will be able to determine the specifications and features of the scanner you need. Most users choose a scanner to use for scanning photos or documents, but now there are several possibilities such as scanning for books, business cards, film negatives, or magazines. Some scanners are also capable of scanning 3D objects such as coins or flowers. Also, you can consider the details of the document that will be scanned such as the maximum size of your document or you need to scan 2 sides at once on one page.
Do You Need a Flatbed Scanner?
You need a flatbed scanner if you want to use it to scan multiple photos or documents that have been damaged, connected objects, and 3D objects. If you need a scanner that can scan 3D objects, you have to pay even more.
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It should be noted when scanning high quantity photos or stamps, you can consider buying a scanner that has an automatic feeder feature. However, it should be noted that this feature can also damage your original photo. You can add a plastic that has a bright opacity and even tends to be clear.
Do You Need Automatic Document Feeder Feature?
If you scan documents regularly every day, then consider choosing a sheet feeder scanner. This type of scanner has an automatic feeder feature that can help ease your work and cut your work time. You certainly don't want to flip through the documents one by one to do a lot of document scanning, this takes a lot of your time and effort, so your office performance is not efficient enough.
Do You Need Duplex Facilities?
Duplexing means scanning both sides of the page at the same time. if your work requires an automatic document feeder feature and on the other hand you need duplexing technology too. You can buy a scanner that has both capabilities and features. But certainly, the price is quite high.
Or you can buy a scanner that has ADF duplexing capability, this ADF duplexing scanner is only capable of scanning one side of the page and then rotating it to another part. This type of scanner is much cheaper and can be an option for those of you whose work requires the above.
How many resolutions Do You Need?
For most scanning hardware, the resolution is not a big problem. For documents, you can use a scanner that has a resolution of 200 pixels-per-inch (PPI), but you can also consider a scanner that has a PPI of 300, the greater the resolution, the better the results.
However, in recent years it is very rare to find a scanner that has a resolution below 600 PPI. For photo scanning use, you can use a scanner with this resolution.
In some cases, we need a high enough resolution. If you are used to scanning 35-mm photo negatives daily, you might consider choosing a scanner that has a fairly high resolution. Why? Because negative photos do not have a high resolution, if they are made into digital files, a high-resolution scanner is needed. A scanner with a resolution of 4,800 PPI will be able to help you.
For the record, you don't need to be confused by the high resolution offered. If you will not print a document in a large size. So don't worry, the 600 PPI and 4800 PPI sizes don't even make a difference if you only print on paper that is 20R in size.
How Big Will Your Document Be?
Choosing a scanner that can handle the size of your document is another important point. It would be unfortunate if the paper size you use every day is not accommodated by your scanner. This factor may be relatively small, but if you don't pay attention to it you will only be wasting money / multiplying expenses. For example, when you are going to use a lot of office document paper such as A4, letter, F4, or other plain paper, you can use flatbed type scanners, or if you need it for scanning outside the office, you can use a portable scanner or handheld scanner. Then what if your needs are more than just plain paper? You can buy a scanner with a settled type, apart from being able to digitize incoming fax documents, this scanner can scan A3 documents. However, if the document you want to scan is larger than an A3 document then you can use a Drum Scanner type scanner. Of course, apart from the usual documents, there are some specific documents such as business cards/business cards, photos, and sales barcodes that can be scanned using each scanner. for business/business cards, you can use a scanner of the type of Business Card Scanner, for photos you can use a Photo Scanner and for sales barcodes you can usually use a Handheld Scanner. Visit