Purchasing a scanner that best fits your needs can be challenging. Scanners come in a wide variety of types and sizes. Different models are tweaked for different purposes. So, you must look for the type and size that suits your needs. That’s where we come in. We are here, at Ryans, to help you find the scanner that lives up to your specific needs.

What kind of media will you scan? 

Typically, people get the scanner to scan photos and documents. Besides, bound books, business cards, magazines, and easily damaged originals like postage stamps are also common scan targets. Some people also want 3D objects, like coins, to be scanned as well. Details related to the maximum size of the originals and whether you need to scan both sides of the documents or not, these issues need to be taken into account when purchasing a scanner.

Flatbed or Sheet-fed Scanner

The flatbed scanner is excellent for scanning photos, books, magazines, newspapers, and any easily damaged material, including 3D objects. Flatbed models come with a large glass platen where you’ll place the document, photos, books, or any other item to be scanned.

Sheet-fed scanners, on the other hand, are the better alternative for anyone who wants to create large volumes of digital files. A manual sheet feeder is fine if you scan one or two pages at a time. But for scanning longer documents regularly, you need to opt for an automatic document feeder (ADF) that will stack an entire stack of pages unattended. This variant is typically capable of scanning multi-page documents at high speeds, a relief from feeding single pages manually.

Some scanners combine the function of both Sheet-fed and Flatbed scanners. These scanners can be used for both high-speed scanning and for scanning documents that require a higher DPI using the flatbed. However, you have to pay a large sum for such models, although they are certainly worth it.

Features to look for

Duplex Scanning: If you have to scan documents that are printed on both sides repeatedly, you’ll certainly want a scanner with duplexing feature, which enables the scanner to scan both sides of a page at once. 

Some duplexing scanners come with two scan elements, so that they can scan both sides of a page at the same time. These models are faster than scanners with a simple duplexing ADF. These models, however, tend to be on the pricier side. 

Maximum Page Size: You need to opt for a scanner that can handle the maximum size of the pages you may need to scan. Most flatbeds come with a letter-size platen, which will be a problem if you occasionally need to scan legal-size pages. Most flatbeds with ADF are capable of scanning pages via ADF, but not all do, so it is necessary to check before you make the purchase. There are scanners with larger flatbeds as well but they will certainly take up more desk space. 

Special-Purpose Scanner: If you need a scanner for some specific scanning tasks, such as, for business cards, books, or slides, Ryans offers a variety of such alternatives to meet your specific needs. 

There are portable scanners, small enough to fit in a laptop bag, for people who need to travel frequently. If you find it difficult to pick the right scanner from the plethora of options available in the market, experts at Ryans are always ready to help you out. Feel free to knock or visit any of our showrooms nearby.