7 Different types of scanners that ease our daily life

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The computer has dramatically changed the use of technology throughout the world. However, from 1957 with the development of the scanner, the use of technology has grown tremendously. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to do any kind of office activity and business correspondence without using a scanner. Scientists have developed new features placed within a scanner in order to perform multiple tasks. Different kinds of scanners are in the market. Some scanners are made to scan the photos only, some others are made to scan the documents and photos both. So, it is vital to know the business’ needs first before purchasing a scanner.

laser scanner

Definition of the scanner and its history

A scanner is simply defined as a device that helps in converting any text or image file into an editable image file. However, the first scanner was developed back in 1957 at the US National Bureau of Standards by a team led by Russell A. Kirsch. The first image ever scanned on this scanner was a 5 cm square photograph of Russell’s 3-month old son, Walden.

Types of scanners which are useful today

People buy the scanner depending upon the features and durability in terms of quality scanning and accessibility. However, large organizations prefer to adopt bigger scanners in addition to performing a large number of activities. The followings are some of the most common forms of scanners that are used in offices, personal uses, and business organizations.

Flatbed Scanner

The flatbed scanner was developed by Ray Kurzweil in the early 1970s with an aim of turning printed material into digitized text. However, this scanner only worked on a horizontal strip a little more than an inch high and had a memory of 64 kilobytes. It does use its flat glass surface to scan an object while the scan head of the device moved under the glass. The reason why it has always been popular just for its quality of work and its ability to scan thicker objects better than any other types of scanners. the only problem associated with the scanner is its size, which is much bigger than any other type of scanner. It does require more space than other types.

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Handheld Scanner

The handheld Scanner is one of the widely used scanners. Handheld scanners are mostly used in retail shops, embassies, large grocery stores, and businesses where products are sold by scanning the barcodes. However, the very first scanning of the now ubiquitous Universal Product Code (UPC) a barcode was on a pack of chewing gum of the Wrigley Company in June 1974 at a Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio. “QR codes” is a specific type of 2D barcode that has become so popular in today’s retail industry.

Sheetfed Scanner

The sheetfed scanner is one of the most flexible scanners in terms of using for a quick scan and its smaller size. The main advantage of using the sheetfed scanner is that it is smaller in size than a flatbed scanner and uses much less disk space. People mostly use the sheetfed scanner just because of its size and scanning capability much faster than other types. The followings are some of the best-sheetfed scanners that are flexible in use;

  • Brother ADS-2700W
  • Visioneer Patriot H60
  • ImageCenter ADS-2800W
  • Enterprise Flow 7000
  • Kodak Alaris S2070
  • Epson DS-575W
  • Fujitsu iX500 ScanSnap
  • Sender Flow 8500

Business Card Scanner

A business card scanner is used for quickly transferring and organizing contact information into digital transcribed contacts. With the use of a business card scanner, you can easily scan massive numbers of business cards by using some specifically designed software. However, you should purchase a business card scanner depending upon your business’ needs. The followings are some of the best software that is used in the business card scanner;

  • ABBYY Business Card Reader (Android, iOS, Windows)
  • ScanBizCards (Android, iOS)
  • Wantedly People (Android, iOS)
  • CamCard (Android, iOS)
  • Evernote (Android, iOS for scanning; Windows, Mac, Web for viewing)
  • Sansan (Android, iOS, Web)
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Drum Scanner

The drum scanner is used for capturing the highest resolution images. Drum scanners are widely used for commercial graphics production. This kind of scanner is essential to convert photos into posters and wall-size images. Transparencies can be taped onto the drum. Drum scanners are used by the publishing industry to capture incredibly detailed images. However, they have to use a technology called a photomultiplier tube (PMT).

Photo Scanner

Photo scanner is a device that normally scans images, printed text, handwriting or any kind of written object and converts it to a digital image. Photo scanners are generally used in offices. People use this scanner just for its quality of scanning. Quality matters when you need a well-defined scan of your documents. There are hundreds of photo scanners available with a number of features. 

Portable Scanners

A portable scanner refers to an electronic device that performs the same scanning as that of a flatbed scanner. However, the use of a portable scanner is many. It most uses to scan physical documents into their digital forms that can be stored, edited, transferred, and shared with other people. The followings are the eight best portable scanners as of 2020;

  • Epson WorkForce ES-300W
  • Doxie Q
  • Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner
  • Vupoint Solutions Magic Wand
  • Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300i
  • Brother Wireless Portable ADS-1250W
  • Epson WorkForce DS-30 Portable Document and Image Scanner
  • Aibecy Portable Handheld Document Scanner

 

Conclusion

Before you purchase a scanner, it is required for you to know the key features of a scanner. There are different kinds of scanners are available in the market. You need to identify the best one depending on your work size and use for your particular field. Large organizations require a heavyweight scanner in terms of doing multiple activities. For personal use, you may take a scanner that can cover your work. The scanner is a fundamental element of an office. It helps to scan numerous documents, photos, and objects that are necessary in order to send somewhere.