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Pick your port
Flatbed scanners hook up to computers
via ports in four different ways. Here's the lowdown:
- Parallel port
scanners Exclusively
for Windows-based machines, these attach to the computer at the
printer port. They come with a pass-through port,allowing a
printer to be hooked up at the same time. However, some printers
won't work properly when hooked up this way, and these scanners
are somewhat slow. Manufacturers and brands include Canon
Canoscan, Hewlett-Packard, Microtek SlimScan, Umax Astra, and
Visioneer Paperport.
- SCSI port
scanners (SCSI,
pronounced "scuzzy," stands for Small Computer System Interface)
These scanners are faster than parallel ports. On most older
Macintosh machines, a SCSI port is built in. Owners of newer
Macintosh computers and Windows machines can add a SCSI card so
the computer can use SCSI scanner. Check if a SCSI card and cable
are included with the scanner. If not, you will need to buy them.
Manufacturers and brands include Agfa Snapscan, Epson Perfection,
Microtek Scanmaker, and Umax Astra.
- Universal Serial
Bus (USB) port scanners This port is supported by computers
running Windows 98 and the new iMac, G3's, and G4's. I recommend
this method of attaching a scanner, as it has fast information
transfer. Most new computers and laptops come with USB ports, so
it is easy to just plug in a USB scanner and scan away. (Be sure
to check if the USB cable is included.) Manufacturers of PC and
Mac USB port scanners include Agfa Snapscan, Epson Perfection,
Microtek SlimScan, and Umax Astra. Manufacturers of PC-only
machines include Canon Canoscan, Hewlett-Packard Scanjet, and
Visioneer OneTouch.
- IEEE1394 port
scanners (also
called FireWire and iLink) The future of scanning is with this
small port which processes information at lightning speed.
However, it's only available with Sony PC machines and it ships
with only the newest Macintosh G3's and G4's.
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Scanner software
Scanners come with the software you
need to scan. The programs allow you to choose the resolution (the
degree of sharpness, called "dots per inch" or dpi)and scan
size. They also let you see the image before you scan it. Choose a
scanner that has the fastest scanning speed in seconds per page for
a 300 dpi black-and-white image and 600 dpi color scan. (You won't
need a higher resolution than that.) Be sure to find out the size of
the largest item that can be scanned. Also, look for a scanner that
comes with image-editing software that allows you to edit images
once they are scanned. This means that you can crop, touch up, and
save the scan to the format you need (such as JPEG for Web pages,
TIFF for Appleworks, and BMP for Microsoft
applications).
Some scanners come with optical character
recognition (OCR) software. This allows you to scan typed documents
to edit in any word-processing program.
Sources: Choosing the
best option These online resources offer more advice and
provide further information about scanners and scanning.
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www.scantips.com/
This site provides scanning tips for both the first-time and
advanced user, and it examines scanner software. |
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www.zdnet.com/products/scanneruser/
Designed to help you choose the brand of scanner that's right
for you, this site features reviews of 20 scanners, including
prices. |
Thoughts: Afterward, reflect on your
quest After researching your options, be sure to take the
following information with you to the computer store:
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the make and
model of your computer |
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the current
and original operating system (Note, for instance, if a
Windows 95 machine was updated to Windows 98. Although the new
operating system supports USB, the original hardware purchased
with the machine may not have any USB ports.) |
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the type of
port on your
computer | |
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