Looking for a new scanner?

Whether it's for a business or the home, a scanner can be a good piece of technology to have around, enabling you to create digital copies of your favourite photographs, as well as important documents.

Flat bed scanners are the most popular type of scanner. These comprise a sheet of glass, on which the item to be scanned is placed. A bright light slowly runs underneath the glass and the image is captured on a CCD.

If you will be scanning images or thick items like books, flatbed scanners are the ideal choice. Due to recent and on-going technological advancements cheap scanners can now be purchased without detracting from the build quality.

Document - or drum - scanners are designed so that the paper to be scanned is passed through the device.

These are very efficient, especially when scanning many sheets, as they can be automatically fed in one at a time (duplex options are commonly available too). However, they cannot be used for anything thicker than a single sheet of paper.

Some devices are available that integrate both flat bed and drum technology. Alternatively, all-in-one printers include scanners, making them a multi-use device that could help you save money. ...more