Scanner buying guide

A scanner is an ancillary computing device that enables the digitisation of analogue documents. Some models are capable of digitalising all types of documents, while others are designed for specific formats. Pansolutions’ handy scanner buying guide will help you determine which unit is best for your circumstances.

When in the market for a new scanner, many buyers primarily look at the speed and maximum resolution of the model because these are the specifications they’re most familiar with on the printers or multifunction printers that they already own. Although speed and resolution are important features to investigate, they are not the most significant aspects of a scanner. To ensure a quality product, those looking to purchase a document scanner should always consult a comprehensive scanner buying guide before making their final decision.

The Pansolutions’ scanner buying guide will assist you in finding the ideal make and model for your business or home.

Types

There are a variety of scanners on the market, all of which cater for different needs. Make sure that you take the following scanner buying guide into account when looking for a specific type of model.

• Sheet-fed: This type of scanner is able to digitalise documents sheet by sheet. Although limited in its usage options, the sheet-fed machine is very compact and highly efficient.
• Flat-bed: This is the most common type of scanner. It has the ability to digitalise all types of documents as well as a variety of different size pages. The flat-bed machine allows you to digitalise clear documents too, including documents on film transparencies and film negatives.
• Film: The film scanner is specially designed for the digitalisation of 24x36 negatives or APS (Advanced Film Format). It has the capability of achieving high resolutions and excellent print quality.

Specifications

Knowing what specifications you require can make buying a scanner a lot easier - not to mention more effective. Read on in the handy scanner buying guide to find out about important specifications.

• Colour sampling depth: Calculated in bits, colour sampling depth is the number of colour gradations that the specific model is capable of dissociating. The higher colour sampling depth, the better the colour gradation of your scanned document. The industry standard for colour sampling depth is 24-bit colour.
• Optical resolution: Measured in dots per inch (dpi), a scanner’s optical resolution is the number of pixels that the device’s sensor is able to distinguish on a document’s surface per square inch. It is crucial to choose a model that operates at a resolution of at least 600x600 dpi.

Interfaces

Scanners offer various types of interfaces, sometimes even concurrently. To make sure you buy a model with the appropriate port for your setup, read our helpful scanner buying guide.

• Parallel port: This has been the most widely used interface for scanners and printers for several years. Recently it has been made obsolete by USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology, which offers superior performances and reduced resource expenditure.
• USB (Universal Serial Bus): Fast and practical to use, USB technology is also compatible with PC as well as Mac workstations. Certain modern scanners can even be powered directly from the USB port.
• SCSI (Small Computer System Interface): Designed for specialised workstations, the SCSI interface requires the least processor power to operate. SCSI machines are rare and are often top-of-the-range models.
• IEEE 1394 interface: Also known as FireWire, iLink or Linx, the IEEE 1394 interface enables transfer speeds of up to 400Mbit/s and is well suited to the transfer of large amounts of data.

Software:

The software that is included with a scanner on purchase can be exceptionally beneficial to you or your organisation. Read our scanner buying guide to find out more about standard bundle software.

• Image editing software: standard image editing software that ships with some scanners is usually a lighter version of the expensive commercial software. They are suited to standard image editing and can be advantageous to a business.
• Character recognition: Also known as OCR (Optical Character Recognition), character recognition is a major benefit included with certain modern scanners. OCR software enables the machine to interpret the text in a document and convert it into a digital text document that is fully editable, while still maintaining original page dimensions.

Scanners from Pansolutions

Pansolutions offer quality scanners that can be immensely beneficial to your business or home office. Contact Pansolutions for more information on affordable document scanners for your home or organisation.