Flatbed Scanners
A scanner is a computer peripheral device that analyzes an object and converts it to a digital image. Flatbed scanners are the most common type of scanner and can easily be connected to a personal computer or an office network.
Flatbed scanners have provided a new level of convenience to home and office users. Pictures, logos, graphics, and documents can be scanned and turned into files that can be easily shared or edited.
Prices for flatbed and digital scanners are reasonable depending on the quality and features needed from the machine. Most general home and office users find that flatbed scanners will meet their needs. The flatbed scanner sits flat on a desk making it very easy to scan pictures, documents, books and magazine pages.
Consumers planning to use scanned images in high-end print jobs may want to look into purchasing a drum scanner. Drum scanners use more complicated technology to take and reproduce an image and create output for uses such as museum-quality photograph archiving or magazine advertising.
Another available product is the handheld scanner. These handheld devices are manually dragged across the surface of the image to create a digital output. Handheld scanners are an inexpensive option and can be especially useful where space is limited.
Flatbed Scanner Basics
- Read red, green, blue (RGB) data
- Photomultiplier tube (PMT) or charge-coupled device (CCD) technology
- 600-1200 dots per inch (DPI) resolution
- 24 bit or better color depth
- Dynamic color range 2.8 or higher
- Parallel port, small computer system interface (SCSI), universal serial bus (USB) connection options
- Automatic feeder trays for document scanning