The operation of all types of scanners is the same and basically scanning takes place from a lamp and mirrors that are internal to the device.

When the process starts, the lamp will scan all lines of the document to be scanned. This light will reflect and pass from one mirror to the other, until when it reaches the last mirror it will reflect the image in a lens that is focused on an image capture sensor.

Then the coupled charging device (CCD), which is the main part of a scanner, comes into action. This CCD has semiconductor crystals called diodes, which convert the light emitted by the passage of the lamp on the paper and the set of mirrors into electrical charges, the stronger the light, the greater the accumulation of electrical charge on the plate.

At the end of this process, the image will appear on the computer screen and can be saved on the device.

With regard to types of scanner currently on the market there are three, the flatbed, the Sheet-fed model and the handheld or also called portable.

The big difference between these three is related to the type of use that can be made with the device.

The flatbed model is intended for professional and even domestic use, but in an intermediate way, since it has a fast scanning capacity and a daily cycle, which is the average number of sheets that the scanner supports per day.

The sheetfed is more suitable for those who make heavy use of the device, because their daily cycle is high and the speed is the highest possible. However, this model lacks quality a little, since the focus is on agility and quantity.

Finally, the portable scanner has the great advantage of being small and being able to scan documents anywhere easily. However, it also loses points in resolution quality and scanning speed.

Below we have prepared a table with more information about the differences between these three models.

Purchasing criteria: Factors for comparing flatbed scanner models

Now is the time to help you choose your flatbed scanner and for that we separate below the main points that you must take into consideration before finalizing the purchase, they are:

• Scanner size
• Scan speed and daily cycle
• Connection type
• Optical resolution

Now we will detail each one of them.

Scanner size

The first step in making a good choice is to analyze the size you have available for your scanner and limit your search to a model that fits that.

The table options have different sizes and with that it is possible to find models that are more portable and that end up helping those who use the device at home or who work in small offices.

Scan speed and daily cycle

Each scanner model has a different scanning speed and there are options that are capable of scanning 18 pages per minute, another 25 pages and so on.

Which one to choose will depend on the intensity of use you make per day and that also includes the daily cycle, which is the number of sheets that the scanner can scan in a day.

If you make heavy use of the product it is important to choose a scanner with a higher speed and high daily cycle, since in your case the use is intermediate or low, you can easily choose a simpler model.

Connection type

As we have already said, there are scanners that need to be connected to a computer with a USB cable to connect to the computer, while others have a Wi-Fi connection and do not require a cable.

This is a point to be taken into account depending on the distance the scanner will be from the computer and also by those who hate wires scattered everywhere.

Optical resolution

The optical resolution of a scanner is described by the acronym dpi and is related to the precision with which the device will be able to capture images or lines, having a greater or lesser sharpness of the image.

It is essential to choose a scanner with good resolution, especially for those who work with photos and images. In this way, it is more guaranteed that the file that will result from the scan will be of good quality and sharp enough.