A scanner is a device that uses an optical sensor to convert physical images, such as documents, artwork, photographs, and other printed material to digital images.

History

The first scanners were invented in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were large machines that could scan only the front of a page at once.

The next generation of scanners was invented in the early 1980s, and they could scan both sides of a page at once.

Scanner Components

A scanner is a device that has many components. These components are necessary for the scanner to work.

The scanner’s light source is usually a lamp or LED that produces the light that scans an image and converts it to an electric signal.

The scanning component of a scanner is the part of the device that moves back and forth, scanning an object or document across its width and producing an electronic copy of it.

Scanning Technologies

Flatbed Scanners: usually scan large items with a glass surface, such as photos or drawings.

Document Scanners: are more appropriate for scanning small items like receipts and invoices or large items like books that need to scan in sections.

There are many different types of scanners, but they all have one thing in common: they are used to convert images into digital form by scanning them with light beams.

Common Types Of Scans

• Paper: Scans can be done on paper, then converted into an editable file like a PDF or a JPEG.
• Text: A scanner can also scan text, then convert it into editable text in the form of an image.
• Images: Scanners can scan images, then convert them into editable files like JPEGs or PNGs.