Scanner Shopping Guide

Compare Prices on Scanners

Compare Prices

What is a Scanner?
A scanner captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display. Scanners come in hand-held, feed-in, and flatbed types and for scanning black-and-white only or color. Very high resolution scanners are used for scanning for high-resolution printing, but lower resolution scanners are adequate for capturing images for computer display. Scanners usually come with software, such as Adobe's Photoshop product, that lets you resize and otherwise modify a captured image. Scanners usually attach to your personal computer with a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI). An application such as PhotoShop uses the TWAIN program to read in the image.

What is SCSI?
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is a set of ANSI standard electronic interfaces that allow personal computers to communicate with peripheral hardware such as printers and scanners faster and more flexibly than previous interfaces

What are Scanner Drivers?
Scanner drivers are a program that controls a scanner. Whenever you scan a document, the scanner driver takes over, feeding data to the scanner with the correct control commands. Most modern operating systems come with scanner drivers for the most common types of scanners, but you must install them before you can use the scanner. You can also download updated scanners from the scanner manufacturer's web site.

What are the functionalities I should be looking for in Scanners?

* Resolution: Scanner resolution (the sharpness of text and images on paper) is usually measured in dots per inch (dpi). Most inexpensive scanners provide sufficient resolution for most purposes.

* Speed: If you do much scanning, the speed of the scanner becomes important. Inexpensive scanners scan about 3 to 4 sheets per minute. More expensive scanners are much faster.

* Memory: Most scanners come with a small amount of memory (for example, one megabyte) that can be expanded by the user. Having more than the minimum amount of memory is helpful and faster when scanning larger or more detailed images.

What is the price ranges for Scanners?
Kelkoo offers many discount scanners from as little as £40.00 to over £2000.00. Price ranges for scanners general depend on total functions, speed and scan quality.

What are some of the more popular manufacturers of Scanners?
There are many quality manufacturers of scanners, but some of the best selling are HP (Hewlett Packard), Epson, Visioneer, Microtek, Umax, Mustek or Canon.

Can I review Scanner prices on Kelkoo?
Yes, you may review prices by clicking here to search for all available scanners.

Whether your looking for a scanner for home or business use, you will find the exact model, size and price you need at Kelkoo. For more frequently asked questions about Kelkoo click here.