Function

• The basic function of a scanner is to make a digital copy of a picture or a document. The digital copies can then be manipulated by the user and printed, copied or sent digitally anywhere in the world. Scanners are most often used by the general public to make copies of photos or important documents.
  
  

Size

• As with other technology, the size of scanners has continually decreased over the past several years. The width and depth of scanners has generally remained consistent at around 10 by 15 inches, simply because the scanner must accommodate full sheets of paper. The height has significantly decreased, however, and most mid-range scanners are now only around 1.5 to 3 inches tall. Depending on the size and quality standards, a scanner can weigh anywhere from 3 to 20 lbs.
  
  

Features

• Most scanners in today's market have almost identical features, with the only major difference being the quality of the digital copies they produce. Depending on how much money a person is willing to spend, some scanners can create near flawless photo-quality prints in no time at all.
  All scanners allow the user to scan in color or black and white. The quality of the scanned image can be adjusted depending on the need for higher quality or quicker completion.
  
  

Benefits

• The most significant scanner benefit is the ability to print your own photos at home. By using photo-quality paper, the need to develop photos at a local store has been eliminated entirely thanks to the technology provided by scanners.
  Preserving important documents with efficient, quality copies is another key benefit of scanning technology. Perhaps more importantly, however, is the ability to scan images and documents in order to email or fax them to anyone in the world in just a matter of minutes.
  
  

Types

• When considering types of scanners, there are basically two distinct categories: standalone scanners and those that are incorporated into a printer. While standalone scanners include only the scanner, they are often more powerful and thus capable of producing higher-quality scans.
  Scanners coupled with printers, however, provide more convenience, as they take up less space and often include one-touch scanning and printing, in which the push of a single button scans and image and prints a copy simultaneously.
  Most major computer hardware companies manufacture scanners of one kind or another; some of the most reliable and highly-rated include Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Epson and Dell.