Scanning For Beginners
Are you new to scanning? Maybe you're looking into buying a scanner or would just like to know how to use the one you've already bought. As intimidating as a device like this may seem sometimes, especially with all the options and settings available on many models today, actual, basic scanning is not that complicated. The scanner and your computer are doing much of the work while you sit back and watch. So how does a scanner work? We'll take it step by step so you can easily follow along at home. For the purpose of this article, we'll assume you have or want a flatbed, or desktop, scanner.
Scanning for Beginners
Step 1: Connecting and Starting the Scanner
Before you can scan, you need to make sure your scanner is connected and powered on and that you've installed the software that came with it. Some portable flatbed scanner today only require a USB connection to your computer to both power and communicate with the computer. Others have more than one cable to do all of this. Read the setup instructions that came with the scanner carefully if you don't think it's connected properly. How does a scanner work once it's connected? This is why it's important to install the software, which includes the right drivers for that scanner. This lets your computer and scanner talk to each other in a sense. Simply connecting a cable to your computer is not enough; you need the drivers installed.
Step 2: Scanning
Open the scanner cover. You'll see a glass surface and light emitting from underneath, if you've turned on your scanner. Place a document or photograph face down on the surface and close the cover. This is important to prevent damage to the lens of the scanner. What you do next will depend on the type of scanner you have. You may only need to press a button on the scanner to scan the image or go onto your computer and into the special scanning software the scanner came with. Once you've pressed the button or clicked 'start' on your computer, how does a scanner work from there? You'll hear some noise and see the light move as the scanner does its job. It's capturing the image and sending that copy to your computer where it saves it or even emails it or turns it into a PDF.
Step 3: Saving and Editing
How does a scanner work once the image has been scanned? Once the image has scanned, you'll have options as to what to do with it. Depending on the scanner, you may be asked beforehand where you want to save it. Unless you specify otherwise, it will most likely save it in a default folder. After it's saved on to your computer, you can do any number of things with it. If you're scanning a photograph, your scanner software may have an image editing program where you can crop, enhance, and manipulate the image. You may want to share what you've scanned by emailing it to family members or friends. You can even save the document or image as a PDF, or upload it to share it online.
Scanning for beginners is not difficult. From one of the original scanners developed in 1957 by Russell Kirsch, who invented the scanner much as we know it today, scanning is still pretty basic. If you don't see an urgent need to have a scanner yourself, you can still have items scanned by seeking out a photo scanning service at local copy shops. So how does a scanner work? It doesn't seem quite so much like magic now, does it? who invented the scanner
