Smart Computing Article - Scanners

February 2000 • Vol.4 Issue 1 Add To My Personal Library Scanners are no longer the luxury item they once were. Prices have dropped to the $100 range for a decent, low-end flatbed scanner, making scanners a practical and affordable peripheral. Whether it's adding a graphic to a World Wide Web page, scanning a photograph to send via e-mail, or digitizing a messy pile of paper into manageable files, computer imaging is no longer just for computer experts and graphic artists. It's for everyone. The type of scanner you buy, the software that comes with it, and how you use the scanner will play a big role in your satisfaction as a user. Even though prices have come down and scanners are easier to use than they used to be, buying one shouldn't be an impulse decision. Spend some time researching your needs and the capabilities of different scanners. Also pay attention to the image-editing and , the process in which the images of letters, entered into a computer with a scanner, are translated into characters that are worked with in the computer as text, not as an image.) programs bundled with the scanners because they help determine how well a scanner performs. If you are just going to scan an occasional photo or document to send via e-mail, your needs will be different from a high-volume user who requires exceptional image quality. scanner is a small device you