How Operate Scanners

Scanners
Because there are so many scanner manufacturers and scanner operation and software varies greatly, it is impossible to go into great depth or provide multiple manufacturer links here. Since HP 6100C scanners were purchased for the labs, there is more specific information about this scanner. There is also generic information about scanner operation that may be helpful to users of other scanners.

install the HP 6100c scanner
You will need the scanner, connecting cable, SCSI card (triangular card that goes inside the computer) and scanner CD. If you are using Windows 95, you must install the software before you install the SCSI card in your computer and connect the scanner. Unfortunately, the scanner card causes hardware conflicts with the network cards installed in the EDS machines. For a successful install of the scanner in an EDS computer

If you are using Windows 98, simply plug in the card, hook up the scanner and follow the prompts to let Windows 98 install the software. Win 98 will install the SCSI card first, then the scanner. You can then install the Corel software to use with the scanner.

The HP 6100C software includes a test to see if it has been successfully installed. Look for the HP scanner program menu in Start/Programs Menu or click the HP scanner icon in Control Panel.

For further HP scanner information and support, go to Hewlett-Packard's home page. Since there are so many scanner manufacturers, you will need to locate your scanner manufacturer on the Internet if you have purchased your own scanner.

operate the scanner

Whatever scanner you buy comes with software to operate the scanner. Most come with the basic scanner software plus a graphics program. Since this software will vary with each scanner, install the software according to the instructions provided with your scanner.

Place your document face down on the scanner glass with the corner of the document in the top corner of the glass - some scanners have a arrow in the desired corner, if not use the top left corner. Make sure scanner is turned on and cables are connected properly.

To operate the basic HP scanner software, look in your Start/Programs Menu for HP Scanner or the icon in Control Panel. Others probably operate in a similar manner. To scan using a graphics program, you can usually run the program and click File and look for Scan. If you have more than one digital device installed on your computer, like a scanner and a digital camera, you may be asked to select the desired device. This should start your scanner's software.

Scanner software varies greatly, but here is the general process. Look at the settings offered. You often can select from a list of black & white and color options and even slide if your scanner has that option. Choose the one that best fits what you want to scan. If you can select resolutions (e.g. 50 dpi, 75 dpi), choose with care. Larger dpi makes for bigger files. Although scanning photographs in higher dpi can make them look better, the larger file size can make it impossible to use on the web or in a document. Try to strike a balance between quality and file size.

Select a Text option if you just want the words for use in a word processing document. This is called OCR (Optical Character Reader). OCR will try to convert the printed text characters on your page - not graphics, columns or tables - to characters and words that you can change like a text document. Some OCR software is better than others, so you may find many errors in the results. Some HP scanners came with full OCR software, while others only have 30 day trial software - it's not worth it to install this trial software unless you want to see what OCR can do (then if you want OCR, go buy it).

Once you've selected the options you want, click the Preview or Pre-Scan button. Your scanner will scan and show you the results. You should see a dashed box on your scan. You can click and drag these lines to cover only the area you want to scan. This can reduce file size and scan time greatly if you only want a portion of a document. As you see the pre-scannned image, you can change settings (like brightness, contrast, colors) to improve the quality of the image scanned. These changes should adjust the preview image you see.

When you're satisfied, click Scan. A final scan will be made. If you're scanning into a graphics program or OCR into a word processor, the scan should appear in that program's window. If you create a large file or want to make scan changes, just repeat the scanning process.