Of these, you will probably choose either a flat bed, hand held, sheet fed, or photo scanner. If all you need to scan are photos, one of the specialty photo scanners may be for you. Maybe a sheet feed or hand held would be practical. By far the most popular and versatile is the flat bed scanner. It can be used to scan almost anything, and I do mean anything.
Software can be very expensive.
Most scanners come with a mix of software that you might need. The quality and usefulness of this software should be considered in your purchasing decision. Digital Cameras Questions to consider before you purchase a digital camera. How you want to use your digital images will determine the minimal requirements of the camera. The requirements for capturing images for use on a web page are very different than those for printing high quality images on a photo quality printer.