Types of Paper Scanners

There are many types of scanners available in the market today. The most common types obtainable in the market are flatbed and film scanners. Scanners proffer the flexibility of image enhancement and modification through software editing. So, the demand for scanners is growing and many online websites are offering various types of scanners to meet the need of their clients. Let us take a look on the type of paper scanners available in the market.

There are mainly four different types of scanners namely the hand-held, flatbed, film and drum.

Hand-held scanners: Hand-held scanners are tiny scanners that allow you to slide across the image manually. They scan only 2" to 5" at a time, so it is useful only for small photos. They are also called as half-page scanners and it is the least expensive type available in the market.

Film Scanners/Slide Scanners: Film scanners are desktop scanners that are used to scan 35mm slides or film. Some film scanners include an Advanced Photo System film adapter which can be used for APS film format. Normally, these scanners are costly and the quality of the prints depends on the cost of the scanner. When the scanner is expensive, the prints will be excellent and the quality decreases with the cost.

Flatbed Scanners: Flatbed scanners vary from cheap low-cost scanners to high quality expensive units. But, they do not provide high quality as the drum scanners. Images are normally placed on a glass bed which comes with or without a holder. In some models, the bed is stationary and the scanning head moves and in some other models the reverse happens. Flatbed scanners can scan images of varying thicknesses, and some are competent of scanning three-dimensional objects. For automatic page feeders, you can add some adapters. Also, there are templates that you can use to hold pieces like slides.

Drum Scanners: The drum scanner scans the images that are kept on a rotating drum. The drum spins facing a stationary reading head on either a vertical or horizontal unit. The vertical units are beneficial as you can save some space. Generally, drum scanners have bigger scanning area than any other type. The bigger scanning area allows you to scan an assortment of several smaller items or large items. The main disadvantage of drum scanner is that the image kept on the rotating drum must be thin and supple enough to be cover around the drum.

Sheet-fed Scanners: The functions of Sheet-fed scanners are comparable to the flatbed scanners with the exemption that the scanner is immobile and the document is moved.

You can also find scanners which are also a printer performing all-in-one tasks. Some other types of paper scanners are fingerprint, planetary and 3D scanners. Most of these scanners come with basic, usually weak image editing software. You have to upgrade it with more advanced programs for enhanced image scanning. While purchasing the scanner, you should make sure the type which you purchase is suitable for the tasks that you wish to perform.