Microsoft Encarta defines a scanner as:

     "Optical Scanner, computer input device that uses light-sensing equipment to scan paper or another medium, translating the pattern into a digital signal that can be manipulated by either optical character recognition software or graphics software." 

We use scanners for two main reasons, to:

1. scan images (pictures, line drawings, etc.) into the computer to be used in PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, web pages, or just printed.
2. scan documents into a Word document to be edited and electronically saved.

How Do I Scan a Picture?

1.Choose the best quality picture you can find on the subject.  Remember:  garbage in = garbage out.  The scanner cannot improve on the original picture.

2.Place the picture on the glass surface of the scanner so that the picture is "squared."  In other words, take the time to place the picture on the scanner so that your picture is straight.

3.Place the image against the right corner of the glass surface of the scanner (the arrow marks the spot).

4.Open the computer program Microsoft Photo Editor, a part of the Microsoft Office 97product.

5.Click on the icon of a scanner on the Photo Editor's Standard menu.

6.Photo Editor will open HP ScanJetsoftware.  The scanning option screen will appear inside Photo Editor.

7.Choose carefully the type of image you have.  Also consider how you are going to use that image, i.e. if you are going to use the picture in a black and white printout, check to see if the picture would look best scanned as a black and white picture.  Preview several settings before you make your choice.

8.There are several options you can change to get the best possible digital image - brightness, contrast, etc.  Most images are best scanned using the default settings.  Change the settings on the scanning option screen and see how they effect your graphic.

9.Zoom in on the part of the picture you are interested.

10.Click on Final to scan the image into Photo Editor.

11.Once your image is in Photo Editor you can manipulate the image and save it in the format you desire.

12.When you are satisfied with your image, save it to a disk or hard drive using the best graphic format for your needs.  There are many formats for graphic images.  Knowing which to choose is very important if you are going to be happy with your digital image.  Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with graphic formats using Graphics.

13.Images scanned for web pages must be either graphics interchange format (GIF) or JPEG.

14.Images scanned for printed documents are usually saved as Windows Bitmaps (BMP), PC Paintbrush (PCX), and Tag Image File Format (TIFF).

How do I scan text into my word processor?

1.Choose a file that has simple, standard fonts.

2.Open the computer program OmniPage Pro.

3.Click on Auto.  OmniPage is setup to automatically go through the steps necessary for scanning text into a word document.  You can do these steps manually, but why???

4.If you have multiple pages to scan, choose Add Pages. OmniPage will continue scanning all your pages and save them to one file.

5.When you are finished scanning, click on Stop Scanning.

6.OmniPage will go through the process of trying to recognize the text in your file.  You will be asked to verify anything OmniPage does not recognize.

7.Once you have verified the text OmniPage does not recognize you will be asked to save the document.  Choose which word process you will be using to ensure the file is saved in the correct format.

Note: OmniPage is a great tool.  However, it will not recognize all of your text, nor will it always save your formatting.  Most scanned documents still require some manipulation and formatting on the part of the user.  When you save your scanned text as a Word document, it is just like any other Word document which can be opened, edited, save, copied, etc.  OmniPage can save you time in retyping your documents, but remember, it is scanning software -- not a copier!