Advantages & Disadvantages of Scanners

Nowadays, scanners are commonly used by businesses and people to reproduce documents and photographs. These can be standalone scanners or all-in-one scanners that can also print. To assess whether a scanner is a viable investment, you must weigh the machine’s benefits and drawbacks. The diversity of feature sets complicates the approach.

pro: quick reproduction with preservation of original

Scanners eliminate the need to retype text or redraw graphics. As a result, even if the original took hours or days to create, you may recreate it in as little as 10 seconds. The scanner can make this replica without causing any damage to the original item.

con: sides copied

The majority of scanners are designed to replicate text and images printed on sheets of paper. Even if the scanner is two-sided, they are not intended for scanning 3D things (can scan front and back). Because of the design, you are limited in what you can scan. 3D scanning would necessitate more advanced laser technology not generally seen in office scanners.

pro: digitalization

After scanning a document, you can save the scanned image to your computer as a file. This file can be modified using a variety of software. Digitizing a document or image also allows you to conveniently move the generated file, such as by putting it on a pen drive or emailing it to a coworker.

con: decrease in quality

A scan is a photograph that contains text, images, or both. As a result of software and hardware constraints, scans will never be as good as the original item that you scanned. Data compression during digital conversion reduces the quality of the scanned image; certain compression formats are worse than others in this regard. Data loss may not be evident to the human eye, but it happens all the time. This isn’t a big deal for simple text documents, but it becomes a difficulty when you need to keep image detail and colour. Getting a higher quality scan usually entails creating a larger file, which is more difficult to keep or send over email.

con: technical issues and portability

Scanners can become outdated and need replacement over time. Maintenance and replacement can be expensive, particularly for large office scanners that are complex. Portability can be an issue because of the size of the scanner and its dependence on a host computer. The LED bulbs may dim, requiring replacement, and the scanner bed can become dirty.