Essential guide to buying the right scanner

Selecting the right scanners entails having full details of scanners in the market and matching them with the appropriate requirements. A scanner is a device that can be used in homes, offices, or other professional places to form images from documents photographs and various types of media and print them in the same place. The following tips will come in handy when choosing the ideal product.

Types of scanners 

There exist many types of scanners but mostly with a defined specialty. Flatbed scanners are great for the scanning of documents or photographs daily. Large format mainly sheet-fed scanners are ideal for use in the office since it enables the scanning of many pages at one time. Handheld scanners are small and can be easily carried around by on-the-go professionals. Film or slide scanners are ideal to scan negatives or slides. One should assess the kind of scanning work expected to be conducted before making a purchase.

Evaluate scanner resolution and quality

Density is one area that must be balanced right, especially if detailed scans of images or photographs are necessary. In terms of size, DPI means dots per inch and increased DPI is encouraged for photographs or graphics printing processes. For a document, one should print at 300 DPI will be okay but for professional photo scanning one needs to look at 600 DPI or more. More specifically, particular attention should be paid to the analysis of the optical resolution of the scanner rather than the interpolated one that will give a more or less accurate picture of the quality potential.

Consider scanner speed and volume

Speed is important particularly for offices with increased traffic or for organizations that require frequent scanning. As for Scanner speed, the parameter is measured in the number of pages per minute (PPM) or images per minute (IPM). While personal users may not need a fast scan, various businesses, which scan documents daily, will find faster models useful. Furthermore, assessing the device duty cycle that reveals the overall scan capability of a scanner per day or in a month also plays an important role in matching the scanner with its workload.

Connectivity options matter

There are current versions of manufacturers with different connectivity features that make work easier. USB connections are common, but great for a scanner to have a wireless connection which is much better for shared office settings where different devices can join easily. Some models even have given the capability of cloud integration, where scanned documents go directly to cloud storage services. In case, the scanner will be connected to printers or other office equipment, compatibility tests and multiple connectivity interfaces would be smart to consider.

Compare software integrations and features

The usability of the software attached to a scanner can be greatly improved. Some models have included robust software like editing, text recognition, etc. and file organization. Thus, if is needed to turn scanned documents into editable text, optical character recognition (OCR) is a must-have feature. This is also important if you want to run your app with the operating system and other third-party apps. Cutting-edge scanners that just fit in with existing productivity tools, making it a simpler, more efficient process, are worth exploring.

Look for Duplex scanning features

Duplex scanning enables the two faces of an ID document to be scanned at the same time, which is advantageous in environments where many members are served at once. Those people who regularly scan documents with two sides, can significantly save time if they buy a duplex scanner. This feature is particularly beneficial in the environment where employees work in offices where it may be important to flip through pages while scanning and printing documents.

Balance price and performance

Buying the cheapest product sounds tempting but don’t take for granted that price comes first as you have to look at the performance and features. Most mid-range or even high-end scanners will have nicer software or be a higher resolution, but if all you need is a scanner for everyday tasks, then a mid-range model might be more than enough. Before buying, setting a budget and narrowing down to features that are a must-have, will help you make sure you don’t overspend. In addition, reading reviews and viewing things like warranty can also tell you whether the scanner is going to be reliable long term and relatively inexpensive.

After looking at these factors, you can grab a scanner that matches your requirements — for office or home. What’s interesting about scanners and printers is their relationship and how they can aid the workflow. A well-researched purchase will make you efficient, quality, and your satisfaction in just one purchase.

Clare Louise