How to
use a scanner

After owning two scanners, having a sister as an artist with artist connections, I feel that I've learned a thing or two about scanning.  So here is a list of simple scanning techniques and explanation of terms to help out beginners.

Terms

DPI: Dots Per Inch?  Well whatever it means, this determines how close to the original picture your scan will be. Basically DPI is like the density of dots in an inch, the more dots you have, the more close it will be to an original. Think of it like filling an empty cube, to get the most accurate cube, do you try to build it with rocks, or with tiny little particles? Anyway, I've heard that 72 DPI is the least DPI needed to maintain a realistic picture. I've taken real photos and stuff, saved it as 72 DPI from 100's of DPI, and I can't tell the difference. DPI is the measurement for RESOLUTION.  Computers usually don't display more than 72 DPI.  Note, if you want to print, you might want something as high as 300 DPI, though.

Resolution: How many DPI's you have.

Descreen: Ah, this is an important one that I didn't learn till I got my new scanner. This option helps to scan illustrations and magazines pictures, which use a format that can make your scans look funny.  Basically, for printed things, you'll probably want to use descreen. For illustrations and photos, I think that you wouldn't need it, although I haven't encountered a need to check that yet.

??-Bit color: Obviously how many colors you have. You only really need as much color as your video card can output.  I have a 42 bit color scanner, but my video card can only show 32 bits of color, so it's kinda wasted, and causes problems with some of my old editing programs. Also, if you have an option, RGB colors is usually what you would select for the best color.

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Cr: 05-23-00 Up: NEW