These images can then be edited by image editing software or even used with card making software to create those holiday greeting cards. The scanned graphics can even be included in your latest creation for the Web. Another possible application is to use the scanner to scan in document images that can be stored on your computers hard disk. This allows you to use the computer has an electronic filing cabinet. This is a great way to store and organize letters, receipts, and important papers.
Scanners sometimes come packaged with Optical Character Recognition software.
This allows the scanner to scan the text of a typed document and store the results as a word-processing file. The file then can be opened and edited by your favorite word-processing package. When combined with your computer and printer, the scanner can masquerade as a copy machine for light duty copying. The included software simply scans in the image you want to copy and then immediately sends the image to your printer. This works very well for occasional copies, but is no substitute for a heavy-duty office type copier.