It is a puzzling but true fact that people generally are capable of using all manner of modern electronic device but frequently never had the chance to learn how to scan. Here are some tips and suggestions designed to get newcomers to this field off to a better start.
Start by becoming familiar with the scanner hardware. This could be a standalone flatbed scanner or the second most common type is those that offer a combination of printer, copier and scanner within one piece of equipment. This is frequently referred to as a multifunctional or MFD device found frequently in the office and home environment. Less common are the hand held types not discussed here.
The majority of scanners have self instructional guides that explain the key steps and main features. Doing this is probably the best thing a new user can do. Despite how much one might dislike reading user manuals it will be time very well spent. These guides are normally packaged with the driver software, but if not, a web search will likely come up with something.
Learning how to set up jobs correctly follows. Deciding what type of file configuration to use, what resolution to select and where to send the image once it is scanned is the next important task. The portable document format or PDF is one practical way of scanning documents. In this form it is very simple to attach documents to an email, print them or store them on a hard drive somewhere.
Higher resolutions are not required for documents and frequently users waste disk space or clog up network traffic by setting this too high. Resolution is normally defined in dots per inch or DPI, which crudely described, refers to the density of ink or toner, and thus the eventual quality, when printing. For text a setting of 150 DPI is sufficient. For more complex documents containing images, color or diagrams, try a setting of 300 DPI.
One great way to get older photos digitized for use on computers is to scan them as JPEG images. This is a popular way to scan photographs which uses a system of compression making it possible to manage and edit images. Developed by a firm called Joint Photographic Experts Group. Scanning resolutions up to 600DPI can produce excellent image quality.
Beware that adjusting scanning resolution is not a cure all for improving image quality. Bad images will remain bad no matter what kind of setting is selected. Additionally remember that the larger the resolution the larger the resulting file size. Computers with older or slower processors will battle to handle very large resolution images.
A final introductory tip is to give each scanned file a unique name. Most scanners, especially multifunctional devices, that automatically place files in mail boxes or predefined folders on a PC, will automatically assign random alpha numeric file names to scans, if users fail to assign their own. If a large number of images have been scanned, recognizing the right file can be difficult.
The idea of this guide is to give inexperienced users enough basics knowledge to get going. Obviously there is much more to learn about using other file types and other techniques. Continuing to learn how to scan by acquiring more knowledge and experience can be very useful.
Start by becoming familiar with the scanner hardware. This could be a standalone flatbed scanner or the second most common type is those that offer a combination of printer, copier and scanner within one piece of equipment. This is frequently referred to as a multifunctional or MFD device found frequently in the office and home environment. Less common are the hand held types not discussed here.
The majority of scanners have self instructional guides that explain the key steps and main features. Doing this is probably the best thing a new user can do. Despite how much one might dislike reading user manuals it will be time very well spent. These guides are normally packaged with the driver software, but if not, a web search will likely come up with something.
Learning how to set up jobs correctly follows. Deciding what type of file configuration to use, what resolution to select and where to send the image once it is scanned is the next important task. The portable document format or PDF is one practical way of scanning documents. In this form it is very simple to attach documents to an email, print them or store them on a hard drive somewhere.
Higher resolutions are not required for documents and frequently users waste disk space or clog up network traffic by setting this too high. Resolution is normally defined in dots per inch or DPI, which crudely described, refers to the density of ink or toner, and thus the eventual quality, when printing. For text a setting of 150 DPI is sufficient. For more complex documents containing images, color or diagrams, try a setting of 300 DPI.
One great way to get older photos digitized for use on computers is to scan them as JPEG images. This is a popular way to scan photographs which uses a system of compression making it possible to manage and edit images. Developed by a firm called Joint Photographic Experts Group. Scanning resolutions up to 600DPI can produce excellent image quality.
Beware that adjusting scanning resolution is not a cure all for improving image quality. Bad images will remain bad no matter what kind of setting is selected. Additionally remember that the larger the resolution the larger the resulting file size. Computers with older or slower processors will battle to handle very large resolution images.
A final introductory tip is to give each scanned file a unique name. Most scanners, especially multifunctional devices, that automatically place files in mail boxes or predefined folders on a PC, will automatically assign random alpha numeric file names to scans, if users fail to assign their own. If a large number of images have been scanned, recognizing the right file can be difficult.
The idea of this guide is to give inexperienced users enough basics knowledge to get going. Obviously there is much more to learn about using other file types and other techniques. Continuing to learn how to scan by acquiring more knowledge and experience can be very useful.
About the Author:
Read more about Increase Computer Skills And Learn How To Scan visiting our website.