A scanner is a device that turns an image into a digital likeness that can be stored in your computer. A scanner will allow you to store pictures, magazine articles, recipes, legal documents and just about any other paper document in your computer. New low prices are making scanners one of this year's hottest computer accessories. However, purchasing a scanner can be almost as complicated and confusing for the uninitiated as purchasing a personal computer.
Flatbed scanners are the most common.
They are about an inch high and larger than a sheet of paper. They work something like a copy machine, where you open the cover and lay the sheet to be scanned on the glass plate inside the scanner. The advantage of this type of scanner is that you can copy pages from books and you can even scan small three-dimensional objects. The most obvious disadvantage is that these scanners take up a lot of space on the desk or table where you keep your computer. Sheetfed scanners take up a lot less valuable desktop real estate.