subject: Useful Information About A Flatbed Scanner [print this page] Useful Information About A Flatbed Scanner
A flatbed scanner is a type of scanner that's particularly designed to be placed on a desktop. The way it works is just like a typical photocopying machine. There's a hinged lid which you have to lift to reveal a glass panel. It's on this glass panel that the document you have to scan is placed.
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It's the scanning head inside the unit that moves, and not the document you're converting digitally. Having the document you need to work on static can be very convenient. It's because of this why such can come with a compact design. Additionally, its mechanism makes it ideal for use in scanning a variety of articles printed on paper. For instance, since there's no document feeder present, it's much easier to scan the pages of a book, magazine, etc.
As soon as the machine is finished scanning a document, a copy of it is sent to the computer as a digital form. It's possible to have it in image format, or even document format with the use of an additional software. The user is free to edit or modify the document in any form necessary. The file may be saved on the computer's hard drive, or be printed on paper.
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In shopping for one, several things need to be put into consideration. First, you have to consider what are type of documents that you need to scan on a regular basis. If you have to work on photos or graphics that requires editing or reprinting in a much larger size, go for a unit with a high resolution. Such will prevent any loss in quality. But for the usual text-based documents, something with lower or average resolution is good enough.
The color or bit depth is also important to note. Of course the higher it is, the more colors you can have and the better the quality of the image is. A 24-bit model will give you something around 17 million colors. On the other hand, a 36-bit one can yield a little over than 68 billion of colors. Some units can go higher than that; but having a 24-bit model in the office or at home is good enough for everyday document or photo scanning.
Some units come in plug-and-play type. By plugging it into the USB port of your computer, it automatically installs itself so it's ready for use in no time. This can be an advantage if you have to share it with several different computers. Others come with installation discs necessary for setting up the machine.
If it's needed in an office setup, a convenient feature you can look for is its ability to be used in a network. Such type of unit may come with a more expensive price tag. However, it spares you from taking the scanner to different workstations where it's needed, thus it saves time. With a network-ready one, you need to install it once into the network, and any computer hooked up to it the may use the unit.
There are several different types of scanners which you can buy these days. There are drum, hand, sheet-fed, slide and photo scanners. But the most popular of all, because of the ease of use and flexibility, is the flatbed scanner. By taking note of the considerations mentioned above in shopping for one, you can get the right kind of flatbed type of scanner for your needs.