CS101 Computer Basic
Topic 9: Different types of Scanner
CS101 Computer Basic
Topic 1: Introduction to Computer System
Topic 2: Central Processing Unit or CPU
Topic 3: Primary Memory or Main Memory
Topic 4: Secondary Memory or Auxiliary Memory
Topic 5: Input and Output Devices
Topic 6: Various Input Devices
Topic 7: Keyboard – Types of Keys
Topic 8: Different types of Pointing Devices
Topic 9: Different types of Scanner
Topic 10: Various Output Devices
Topic 11: Different types of Monitor
Topic 12: Different types of Printers
Topic 13: Other Components and Peripheral Devices
Topic 14: The Operating System – Microsoft Windows
Topic 15: Application Software
Topic 16: Basics of Networking and Internet

In the old times, documents were stored in hard copy. Due to aging, moisture, loss, etc., it was very difficult to protect them for a long time. We also had to take them from one place to another to be sent or copied. Thanks to the scanner, which is an input device that produces a digital copy of a paper, document, or object. Which can be saved on a computer as an image or PDF document. A scanned copy is much easier to preserve than a hard copy. They can be sent anywhere via the Internet in an instant. Moreover, they can be easily printed to make more copies.
Scanners can be classified into the following three categories.
Flatbed Scanner

Flatbed scanners are the most commonly used scanners. Like the photocopy machine, they have a flat transparent glass platform, called a flatbed. The document or object to be scanned is placed on it. Under the glass is a movable scanning device, which scans the document. Although these scanners can only scan one document at a time, their scanning quality is much better than other scanners. Moreover, they can also scan bound papers, books, and other objects.
Sheetfed Scanner

Sheetfed scanners are generally used in those offices where a lot of documents or pages have to be scanned daily. Like flatbed, there is no need to change the document repeatedly. For this, such scanners have a feeder tray instead of a flatbed. It can hold multiple documents or pages simultaneously. The document feeder mechanism feeds the documents one by one into the scanner. Such scanners consist of one or two fixed scanning devices. The document runs on these devices and is scanned. These scanners can scan single or both sides.
Due to their fast speed, these scanners are more expensive than flatbed scanners. Besides, there is a possibility of spoiling the original document being stuck inside the scanner.
Handheld Scanner

Handheld scanners are quite light and small in size. They are used to scan signatures, small images, book pages, etc. Most such scanners are portable and run on a battery. Which can also be used without connecting to the computer. They also have their own storage to save scan copies. They can be connected to the computer later to transfer the scanned images.