Quick Facts on Buying a Scanner

If you walk into any office equipment store today, you’ll find a number of different scanners for sale. 

 Unlike 10 years ago, the explosion of different models is simply mind-boggling.  And the same thing holds true if you surf the web for the latest scanners.  You can simply buy the scanner that has the best price, but that won’t guarantee that the scanner will meet all of your needs.  You can also ask the salesperson at the store, but he might just tell you about the normal features such as resolution (measure of image quality) and speed.  But it’s also important to understand about other features that have an equal impact on your buying decision, like those listed below.

Software
You might be interested in buying a scanner that’s really sleek and looks as though it has all the whistles and bells imaginable.  But it might come with basic software that doesn’t allow you to do much.  For instance, you might be interested in a scanner that only offers basic software that just uploads the scanned version, and that’s it.  You won’t be able to edit it or upload the information into a database or other application.  If you need to edit or extrapolate information, you’ll need to choose a scanner that has optical character recognition (OCR) software.  That software allows the scanner to upload the digital version of the data onto a spreadsheet or database, which can then be edited as needed. 

If you really have your heart set on a particular scanner that comes with the basic software, you can always purchase separate OCR software.

Transparency adapters
If you need to scan a lot of transparencies, slides or negatives, consider buying a scanner that has a built in transparency adapter.  You’ll get a much better copy with this type of scanner.  Just be aware that these types of scanners do cost more. 

Ports
Scanners are fitted with USB 2.0 ports, which means that your computer also needs a USB 2.0 port in order for it to take advantage of a scanner’s speed.  In other words, it won’t makes sense to purchase a more expensive scanner that features a fast scanning speed if you have an older computer that’s only fitted with a USB 1.1 port.