Flat Bed === Works just like a copy machine.  You lay the document FLAT on
a glass BED and the inner parts of the scanner move while the document
stays motionless.  -- The best choice.

Sheet Feed === Works like a fax machine.  You put the document into a
slot, and a motor pulls the document through the scanner while reading it.
Often the document tilts or twists which distorts the final image.

Hand Held ===== <shudder>  <cringe>
The oldest technology and the most difficult to deal with.  It is a small
device which you hold in your hand and you manually drag it down the
document.  Most of them will only scan 4 inches wide so you can not get a
good image of a full sheet of paper.  If you do not drag the scanner at a
smooth and even speed, then the image gets "squeezed" (moving too slow) or
stretched (moving to fast)... or a little of both.  And the list of
problems goes on and on and on and on.....

Unless you are involved in the graphics industry, a 600 dpi scanner will
give you good service.  There are models with much higher resolution, but
they really aren't needed for documents and an occasional picture.
Remember that your printer will only output 600 dpi so the extra
resolution will be lost/wasted in the printout.

The magic number you want to watch for is the number of bits for color.
The higher the bit count, the more colors available/recognized.  Most
scanners list a very high number of bits for color, but they are listing
the INTERNAL bit count.  When comparing scanners you want to find and
compare the EXTERNAL bit count. The external bit count is what actually
gets to the PC/software.

Jim Meagher
=====
Micro Solutions Consulting        Member of The HTML Writers Guild
http://www.ezy.net/~microsol     International Webmasters Association
410-543-8996                MS Site Builder Network - Level 2 member
=====
-----Original Message-----
From: Ashok Bhiman <[log in to unmask]>


>Hi,
>
>What are handheld, flatbed and sheet fed scanners? What purpose is each
>useful for? What is recommended for SOHO? What are the price ranges? What
>are good brands?

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