PC scanner: keys to make a good choice [2016]

Choosing the PC scanner with the ideal conditions is not an easy task. There are many options in the market for brands and models, with different technical specifications, characteristics, applications and different prices, so in order to help you make a decision, we suggest that you follow the following tips:

PC scanner

1) The key question: What needs do I need a scanner for?

• Operational: Less paper, more efficiency. Financial: Greater efficiency, lower costs. Strategic: Agility to take advantage of commercial information. Environmental: Less paper, more free space in the company. Legal: Legal exploration obligation.

Once the importance of document digitization for your business has been defined, you should establish a budget for the acquisition of this essential tool in electronic document management .

2) Adjust the frequency and volume of the documents you are going to scan

At this stage, you should analyze the analysis profile of your company or department, the frequency and volume of shipments to scan documents. See the table below:

Frequency	volume	scanner
low	Low	entry
low	average	departmental
high	Low	departmental
high	average	Average production

• Low daily volume = up to 500 sheets per day Average daily volume = 500-1500 pages per day Scanner input: 20 ppm, 1, 000 pages / day Departmental Scanner: 30-45 ppm, 1500-3000 pages / day Average scanner output:. Above 50 ppm, 4, 000 and 6, 000 pages / day.

If the purpose is to set up a document scanning business to provide services to other companies, or you have a large volume of documents to digitize, the models to choose from are those that have a higher daily production cycle and higher speed. You can also consider leasing high-production scanners, when projects are short-term.

If your company has a very large legacy document (hundreds of thousands of documents), consider hiring a consulting firm to guide the project, as these tend to be longer and more complicated.

3) Adjustment of resolution optics

Optical resolution (given in dpi or dots per inch) is a technical parameter of the scanner, which defines the precision with which the equipment captures images. Therefore, the higher the resolution, the sharper the image obtained, however, the longer the scan and the larger the file size (in K bytes). Therefore, the resolution needs to be balanced in order to get the best value for speed, file size, and quality.

PC scanners on the market tend to scan documents up to 600 dpi optical resolution, but 200 or 300 dpi resolution is sufficient for most document scanning projects.

4) Setting the document format (A4, Legal, A3 ') and type (Bound, book, cut sheet, card, thick document)

This part is very important because an A3 PC scanner can cost up to 10 times more than an A4 scanner.

Remember, A3 format is larger than A4. An A3 scanner can scan an A4 document, but the reverse does not happen.

• To cut A4 sheet documents you need a scanner with automatic document feeder (ADF) For books, bindings or very thick documents: flatbed scanner (surface) For cut sheets and books, bound documents or too thick: scanner with automatic feeder document and flatbed (surface)

5) Scanning speed

The PC scanner speed is given in ppm or pages per minute. The largest corporate or professional use of scanners varies from 20 ppm to 65 ppm, which states that speed is the purpose and the availability of investment. Obviously, for larger daily volumes, it is suggested to choose a faster PC scanner. For departmental use in an office the 45 ppm model may suffice.

6) Simplex (front only) or duplex (single pass duplex)

Today, virtually every PC scanner on the market has the double-sided feature, allowing you to capture the front and back in one pass, eliminating white verse.

7) Output format (TIF, JPG, PDF, PDF / A, Searchable PDF file type)

It is important to define the format of the output file, which is how the document images will be saved, according to the project requirements. Currently, the vast majority of manufacturers offer scanners and capture software to save images in the main formats on the market and the PDF search standard is now predominant , allowing To search the content within document images, you type the word full-text search.

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8) Analyze and define characteristics of capture software

Features such as automatic blank verse removal, OCR, hole removal, image overcoming, barcode reading help greatly in increasing productivity as they prevent resumption. But remember that the more active functions, the greater the need for processing, therefore, the more CPU and memory resources the computer must have.

Scanners like the Panasonic models have in their Image Capture Plus software all these aggregate functions, which allow high productivity, performance and quality.

9) Fundamental requirements to take into account when scanning documents

Because the scanner process roles, it is inevitable that debris such as soot, dust, toner and others end up ending up inside the scanner, so there is a need for basic preventive periodic cleaning, which can be done by the user, using a cloth lightly moistened with isopropyl alcohol, applied to the lenses, rubber rollers, separation pads, and fairings.

Warning: Never try to take the equipment apart !!! Advanced maintenance should always be performed by a qualified technician.

10) Document preparation - an important step in document digitization

Another factor that makes all the difference in document scanning, and extends the life of your equipment, is pre-preparing your documents before inserting them into the scanner. In the preparation stage, documents must be aerated, separated manually, items that can damage the scanner must be removed, such as staples, clips, post-its, dirt, torn sheets must be repaired, avoiding materials that separate the sheet and are housed inside the machine.

Recommended PC scanner

• Canon Canoscan Lide 120 | 63 euros.Iriscan Book 3 | Document scanner | 69 euros.HP Scanjet 200 | 69 euros. Canon Lide 220 | 78 eurosEpson B11B232401 | 87 euros. HP Scanjet 300 | 94 euros. Epson Perfection V370 Photo | 105 euros.