Scanners were developed as a new way to input data into the
computer. The Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) was invented to convert light
into electric pulses. Optical scanners incorporate CCDs and a light source
to convert pictures into computer data. Scanners work generally the same,
despite the difference in shape and appearance. Each type of scanner has
its own unique advantages and disadvantages. The main types of scanners
are handheld, flatbed, and feed-scanners.
Scanners have grown in popularity over the years and are continuing
to grow in their marketability. A few companies have developed expert programs
to use the scanner as an optical character recognition (OCR) device. I
know your saying, "that is great, but what does it mean to me". Well, now
when you scan in a document, you can open the OCR program up and tell it
to analyze your "computer image".
The OCR program will then interpret the image and place it in your favorite
word-processing program. These programs have increased in their accuracy
and performance because of the demand for better OCR recognition.
