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Scanner Tips & Guide
Use the scanner tips before buying new scanner. Find the best scanner price & deals. Also get Free OCR Software info and tips.
Tips on buying a computer scanner
• Select a hardware resolution depending on the kind of document you are going to scan. For example, 300 dpi is not enough if you plan to scan photographs.
• Check the packaging contents and make sure that the requisite cables and connectors are included.
• Check whether the vendor gives carry-in or on-site warranty. On-site warranty is a better option as the technician comes to your place for repairs.
• A transparency adapter is a must if you are going to scan negatives. Also ensure that the scanner has an interface to connect the required adapter.
• New scanners might have thermocol bits on their inner sides that will show up as black dots on the media scanned. Remove such particles from the scanner by wiping it with a soft cloth and make sure there are no scratches on the glass surface.
• If you're scanning thick books or such, go for a scanner with a removable lid, or one where the lid can rise to a height of two inches or more.
• 36-bit scanners are on their way out; 48-bit is now considered entry-level for scanners.
• A good OCR and imaging software bundled along with the scanner will not only save you additional investment, but will also extend the usability of your scanner.
Smart scanner tips
The light source : This is either a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) or Xenon lamp. Xenon lamps provide better performance.
Resolution: The higher the resolution of the scanner, the sharper will be the image reproduced. Most low and mid-range scanners today have an optical (or hardware) resolution of 600 x 1,200 pixels. Here 600 is the number of CCDs or CIS (Contact Image Sensors) that are arranged in a horizontal row, and 1,200 means that the stepper motor is capable of moving in steps of 1/1200th of an inch.
Platform size: For most home users, A4 size scanners are sufficient. However, for professional uses, a scanner with an A3 sized platform is preferred.
Color depth: 48-bit color depth is preferred, and you should not opt for anything less that 36-bit color depth.
Connectors: If you have a free USB port in your system then a USB scanner is the recommended choice. Parallel port scanners have lower data transfer rates, and although the SCSI models offer the fastest rate, they require you to buy special adapters.
OCR software: Most bundled OCR software offer basic functionality. For heavy text based scanning you should look to buy third-party OCR packages, such as ABBY FineReader 6.0.
OCR Tips:
• Always choose a scanner that has a white surface under the lid— this will give more accurate results.
• Always keep the document flat, and see that there are no wrinkles or folded corners—this may produce black patches.
• Look for de-skew and despeckle options. This will give more accurate images and also increase the accuracy of OCR software.
• Do not scan a document with black fonts on white background in line-art mode; it will return very poor results. The results will not improve even if you increase the resolution Use greyscale mode instead.
• 48-bit setting at 200-dpi is more than enough for most new OCR software. If the document has images, increase the resolution to 300-dpi, and preserve the format of the document.
Power Scanner tips - scan smartly. Use these tips for scanning smartly? I think you are smart enough. Ahha !
Select your scanning area: Instead of placing a document or image and scanning the full area, always select the area to be scanned. This will reduce scanning time, as well as file size.
Resist scanning at high resolutions: If you intend to scan your documents only for viewing on a PC or on the Web, scanning at a resolution of 100 to 150 dpi is usually sufficient as monitors can only display at 72 dpi, and scanning at any higher resolution for this purpose would be useless. However, if you intend to print your images, you should scan at a higher resolution.
Using descreen: When you scan content from magazines or newspapers you will notice moire patterns on the content. The best way to reduce this is by using the Descreen option that comes within the TWAIN drivers. If you have a scanner that does not have a descreen option in its scanning software, you can minimize this effect by applying it from an image-editing software.
Save format: First identify the target format you would like to save the image in. If you are using it for the Web or for animation, it would be appropriate to save it as a JPEG or GIF, as these save a lot of disk space. But if you would like to send the image for printing, TIFF is the best format as it can compress the image with no loss in image quality.
Correct ghost images: A ghost image occurs when the scanner picks up images from the back of a page. Often this can be corrected by changing the brightness and contrast controls. You will have to experiment to find the best setting of these controls for your particular scanner.
OCR scanning: Almost all scanners come with Optical Character Recognition software, but this is usually a stripped down version of a full package that the software company wants to sell you. Although these packages lack some of the sophistication of full-fledged OCR programs, they are much simpler to use. Simpler programs sometimes have problems with multiple columns of text, or documents that include photos and logos, etc. There's an easy solution to this. Photocopy the original and cut the columns into strips and remove the photographs. Now identifying the text for the OCR software will be much simpler.
Adjust brightness, contrast and sharpness: Often you may notice that a bright image turns out pretty dull when scanned. This can be easily manipulated through the Twain driver (if it is supported), or through an image-editing software that lets you increase the contrast and brightness levels so that the dull image looks much brighter.
Scanner Accessories:
If you thought your scanner was intended just for Scanning images, you'll be in for a surprise—you can do much more Than casual scanning. All you need is a couple of accessories such as:
Transparency adapter: With this, you scan negatives, slides, and Larger transparencies.
Automatic document feeder: This will let you feed a Stack of pages for scanning without having to manually place each page on the Scanner.
Software: Whether you need to use your scanner for faxing, copying, optical character recognition or graphics, you'll need the right software to do the job. Depending on what the manufacturer bundles with the scanner, you may need to buy additional software. Be sure to consider the added cost when comparing prices.
Care and Maintenance tips : If you find the images you are scanning are smeared with light or dark stripes, or displaying a checquerboard pattern, it's time you cleaned your scanner glass. In order to effectively clean the glass, unplug your scanner and raise the front lid. Apply a very mild streak-free cleaner to a soft lint-free cloth and clean the glass. Now, dry the glass with a soft cloth.
Scanner Tips - \" Do's & Don'ts \"
Do's:
• Always unplug your scanner before cleaning it.
• Place your scanner away from heating vents or windows, or other locations where moisture might affect its functioning.
• Always keep the scanner on a level surface so that it has a good grip, otherwise the mechanism carrying the CCD and fluorescent lamp may get damaged over time.
Don'ts:
Never apply solution directly on the scanner glass. If you find that the glass is dirty or has a slight dust or smoke film underneath and on the inside, do not unscrew the lid and try to clean it from inside. It's always advisable to call an authorized service center.
Never use abrasives, isopropyl alcohol, benzene, acetone etc on the scanner glass, as this will streak and cloud the glass, and can Even cause damage.
Never place your scanner near heating vents or windows, or other locations where moisture might affect its functioning. Also remember: If you are moving the scanner from one place to another, make sure that the transportation lock is enabled, as this prevents the CCD array mechanism from moving. Push down the lock, which is located at the back of the scanner. Remember to unlock the scanner before you attempt to operate it, or you may end up damaging it.
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