Slide 1 There are many types of scanners and many types of scanning software. Even with such variety, all scanners and software use the same basic principles. This presentation is not meant to teach you how to use a scanner and the software but rather to introduce the basic principles involved in producing good scanned output.
Slide 2 Scanners and the software that runs them, come in many different models, versions and price ranges. There are scanners available for less than $50 and scanners that cost more than $50,000. I’m not going to tell you what scanner to buy or how to shop for one, but you can use these principles to help guide your decision if you will be purchasing one.

Throughout this presentation I will be showing examples of various scanner software that I have used on different scanners. Even though each program appears to be different, they all have the same functions -- you just have to figure out exactly what each function is called in that particular software program and how the functions are organized in the menu structure.

The difference in scanners is pretty much based on how well they can scan your image or how much information they gather into the image file -- which affects the cost. Less expensive ones won’t do as good a job of scanning your image as those that cost upwards of $50,000. But anymore you can get pretty decent results for presentations and posters from fairly inexpensive models. Often the software that is bundled with the scanner will work in conjunction with an image editing program such as Photoshop. This makes it convenient to then edit the scan since it is already open in that program.
Slide 3 Scanners come in several different types. These include:
- Slide scanners scan 35mm slides and negative film.
- Flatbed scanners are low-end desktop scanners and are the most commonly purchased type of scanner. They can usually be bought anywhere that sells computers. They are for small (11” x 14” or smaller) flat pieces of art. Scanning 35mm slides or negatives on a flatbed scanner will not give very good results even though manufacturers may tell you it can be done.
- Drum scanners are the shape of a drum and artwork and pictures are wrapped around it. Drum scanners are VERY expensive and used mainly by professional printers or service bureaus.
- Hand-held scanners are little scanners that you hold in your hand and wipe across what needs to be scanned. These are not very common anymore as the prices for flatbed scanners has come down significantly.
Slide 4 Images can also be captured into digital format with the use of digital cameras and still-video cameras.
Slide 5

The choices you will have in a scanner will be based mostly upon the cost and the functionality of the software that runs it. High-end scanners are going to cost a lot of money and will be those that print houses or service bureaus use for scans that will be used in professional printing of 4 color print jobs.
Low-end scanners are considered those that we can buy. These do a great job of scanning images for presentations, posters, and printing in laser printers or ink-jet printers.

For best results choose the scanner based upon what your output will be.

Slide 6 Scanning images that are going out for four color printing are going to require a professional scan job on a high-end scanner. To save yourself a lot of grief, don’t even try to scan images for professional color printing. You can scan them to use the image as placement on your layout. Anytime you are going to have an image in a four color print job, you will need to have a professional service bureau or the print shop scan your images. They have their computer monitors color calibrated to the printer so when they scan, they will get the colors printed that they see when they scan. If you scan it and then give it to the printer to print, chances are real good the colors printed will not be accurate to the actual image.
Slide 7 So you have an inexpensive low-end desk scanner. What good is it? Low priced scanners can do quite a good job of scanning images for computer presentations and posters and printing to laser and ink-jet printers. Color printing for posters, laser and ink-jet printers is technically 4 color printing, but the resolution and quality are not at the same level as professional printing so scanning for these can be done with low-end scanners. However, your colors won’t be exact since your monitor isn’t color calibrated to the poster printer.
Slide 8

So let’s start on the basic principles of scanning. Like I said, each scanner and the software that comes with it are all going to be different. Less expensive scanners usually have software that is more frustrating than more expensive scanners. Scanners that are lower in price tend to have almost the same hardware and capabilities of more expensive models but the software interface is the major difference. This can work but it can be frustrating because the cheaper software may not give you as many options to choose from while scanning.

 
Slide 9 This is one example of the software interface to a scanner.
Slide 10 This is another example.
Slide 11

And this is another. They are all different. And they all do a great job of scanning images. The settings are just in different locations and may be named something else.
Slide 12 Some questions to ask BEFORE you start scanning:
1. What kind of image are you scanning? Is it black and white, color, grayscale? Different types of images require different settings.
2. What is your intended output? How you set up the scan is going to depend on what the final output will be. Is it intended for the web, paper, film, poster, or a computer show?
3. How much information do you need in the image? What resolution is needed? How large of a file can your computer handle?
4. How many colors do you need in the image? Is it a black and white image or is it full color?
5. What file format will you need?

Let’s go through each one of these questions briefly.
   
 
Last updated September 2004. These courses are copyrighted by the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Communications and Information Technology. Contact Lana Johnson ljohnson1@unl.edu