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How to Choose the Best Scanner for Your Computer |
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Tuesday, 07 August 2007 |
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Computer scanners have become very important pieces of peripheral equipment for any computer. Many people use them to scan photographs, textbook pages, notes and letters, or anything else they would like to save an image of. This image is then stored on the hard drive of the computer. You can then arrange the images any way you would like, and can copy them onto a CD, or share them via email with someone else.Choosing the best computer scanner for your needs requires a little thought and research. There are several criteria to consider when choosing a scanner. Let’s take a look at them one by one so you can know what to look for.
The first factor is resolution. This determines how detailed the scanned digital image will be, and how much space the file will take up on your computer’s hard drive. It is expressed in dots-per-inch, which is abbreviated as dpi. The more detail you want, the higher resolution you will need. The figures you will see in ads or in the store will show dpi across by dpi down. Low-end scanners will have a range of 600 by 1200 dpi, while higher quality scanners may be 2400 by 4800 dpi and up. You will want to try to get the highest resolution you can afford.The second factor to consider is the scan area. You will need enough scan area to cover the largest of any documents you want to scan. If you want to scan from larger documents like newspapers or maps, you will certainly want something larger than 8 ½ x 11! Also, you need to consider how much desk space you have available for your scanner, so keep an eye on that too. Third is to consider how the scanner will be hooked up to your computer. These days most scanners use one of the USB ports to connect. Check to see if your computer has any free USB ports, and check your computer’s owner’s manual to see what type USB ports they are. Older models have USB 1.1 ports, while newer ones are USB 2.0. Make sure they’re compatible! |
