What scanners are: types and purpose of each

It is difficult to imagine a modern office without the presence of technology that accelerates and facilitates the processes of transferring and copying information. One of the main devices of this type is the scanner, which over the long years of its existence has gone the way of modernization and separation into types.

What are the scanners

Distinguish the types of "converters" by purpose and method of operation, each with its own characteristics.

Tablet

This type of office equipment got its name due to the external resemblance to a folder for notes - a tablet. They are the most common and convenient for most users, as they provide good quality of the finished image, speed and ease of use.

To scan a document using a flatbed scanner, you need to put it under the cover on the glass, face down. After pressing the button that starts the device, the lamp located under the transparent glass starts moving. The light reflected from the paper will fall onto the matrix, which reads the information and transfers it in binary form to the application programs interacting with the scanner.

Important! Tablet-type devices are distinguished by their clear controls and the ability to work with any source of digitization. From the latter, only compact dimensions and light weight are required. Flatbed scanners are purchased for home and office use, their prices are more than affordable.

Manual

Manual devices are much less popular than tablet devices, since the user must manually move the document or photo that needs to be processed. However, they cost much less, which is considered their main advantage.

Among the significant disadvantages include low resolution and image quality. Text or picture may be skewed, shifted or not fully printed. Manual models work very slowly and noisily.

Listening

In appearance, sheet-carrying scanners resemble a printer. They got their name due to the fact that sheets with text or images must be manually pulled through the external slot in the scanner to transfer them to the computer. There are models with an automatic feeder, but they are not so common.

Book

Such scanners were created specifically for scanning books and brochures in order to increase the number of documents stored in archives. They allow you to accurately transfer information from ancient and expensive publications without jamming or spoiling the sheets. There are models that can even scan information from a half-open book, fully reading text and images. The clamping glass included in the structure straightens the pages, which allows you to transfer the image in numerical form in full, without distortion.

Planetary

As well as book, planetary models are used to work with books and other carriers that are particularly fragile. Unlike book ones, when working with planetary models, contact with the subject of study does not occur. These are very expensive devices that are available in archives, large libraries, research institutes, etc.

Drum

Models of drum type are used in large-scale printing industry, where high-quality reproduction is required from finished images. Reading takes place while advancing along the drum carrier. Different lines of pixels are read in one advance.

Slide scanner

These devices are used to transfer information from film slides. Most often, they are issued as an addition to conventional scanners, but you can buy them separately. Some craftsmen even make slide scanners with their own hands using cardboard boxes and PVC pipes for this.

Barcode

Miniature devices used to read information embedded in barcodes of goods. They are used in the field of trade and services for accurate and quick identification of goods. Finding them on free sale is quite difficult.

Fingerprint

Fingerprint readers integrated into modern smartphones and other gadgets are used to protect private information. They can receive an image and analyze it for consistency with fingerprints stored in the database.

3D scanner

To get a three-dimensional model of an object using 3D scanners. They are used in medicine, design, engineering analysis and the entertainment industry. In order for the device to recognize the object, special marks are attached to it, whose combination forms a unique coordinate system in which the surfaces are built. On shiny and smooth, light reflecting surfaces, anti-glare compounds are applied before the reading process begins. By scanning methods, such devices are divided into several types: non-contact, active and passive.

When choosing a suitable model, it is necessary to determine the list of tasks assigned to it. Before buying, you need to weigh the pros and cons and take into account such recommendations:

1. The scanner for working in the office must meet its specifics. If the volume of documents is large, the machine should be at a good speed and automatically feed clean paper.
2. In printing, a device that can process large-format documents, transmitting an image with an accuracy of one pixel, is useful.
3. For home use, you can buy a cheap “tablet”, which will be able to satisfy the modest demands of a student or student. Do not worry about the quality, speed and quiet operation - these are extra options for which you will have to overpay 2-3 times. To scan film or photographs, the scanner must be equipped with additional adapters that can remove red-eye and restore colors.

When making a purchase, you need to check how the scanner works. To do this, ask the seller to connect the device to the network and scan a text document and photo. If the scanner is factory-defective, it will immediately become visible by the quality of the image transferred to the computer.