John Fahlbush, IT Services, scanners page, Scanners

Scanners

When we think of computer scanners most of us think of the traditional flatbed scanner. The flatbed scanner is an age old solution to allow the consumer to scan their photos and documents directly to the PC. These flatbed units normally sit flat on the desktop and are between book size (8.5"x 11") and mega-book size (11" x 17"). The flatbed scanner works in a way that a scanning lens moves across the entire dimension of the scanner. This takes time. Even the fastest of flatbeds take 4-6 seconds to scan a full page document at 300 dpi. If you're scanning paper documents this can be a very slow and cumbersome process.

This brings us to the Flatbed Scanner with ADF (auto document feeder). This type scanner actually combines the flatbed scanner with a device that feeds documents across the scanning lens allowing you to scan paper documents one side at a time. Moreover, you can also lift this ADF top off the scanner and use it as a traditional flatbed. This solution is good for those use the flatbed most of the time but scan that stack of bills at the end of the month. This is not always the case but for the lesser expensive units the rollers tend to wear out quickly and document pick-up can be erratic.

For those who scan paper documents entirely the solution is the High Speed Document Scanner. These speedy units can fly through pages at blistering speeds scanning both sides of the page at the same time. A SOHO (small office home office) scanner such as the Canon P-150C can scan B&W text and color documents at 15ppm with utilizing a fast USB interface. This ultra-portable scanner weighs around 2lbs and can be purchased with included software for less than $300. Documents can be saved as pictures (JPEG) or portable document files (PDF) written to large capacity external hard drives. There are also many other types of portable scanners on the market that can really enhance any small office productivity and workflow. Scanners can range in size from small business card only scanners to a desktop model that scans both sides of a document at speeds of 300ipm.

John Fahlbush

IT Services - Carmel Valley, CA