Scanner Configuration
- Many office printers are implemented as multi-function devices (MFDs)
- typically performs the functions of a printer, scanner/copier, and fax machine
- scanner is a digital imaging device, designed to create computer file data from a real-life object
- handle flat objects, like documents, receipts, or photographs
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software can be used to convert scanned text into digital documents, ready for editing
Scanner Types
- two basic formats:
- flatbed scanner
- works by shining a bright light at the object, which is placed on a protective glass surface
- system of mirrors reflects the illuminated image of the object onto a lens
- lens either uses a prism to split the image into its component RGB colors or focuses it onto imaging sensors coated with different color filters
- used to create a bitmap file of the object
- automatic document feeder (ADF)
- passes paper over a fixed scan head
- more efficient means of scanning multi-page documents
Network Scan Services
- MFD or standalone scanner can be configured as a network device in the same way as a basic print device
- When configured on the network
- one or more services is used to direct the scan output to a particular media:
- Scan to email
- the scan is created as a file attachment to an email message
- MFD must be configured with the IP address of an SMTP server
- SMTP server will authenticate the user account before accepting the message for delivery
- Server Message Block (SMB) or scan to folder
- the scan is created as a file on a shared network folder
- MFD must be configured with the path to the file server and shared folder
- Each user must have permission to write to the share
- Scan to cloud
- the scan is uploaded as a file to a document storage and sharing account in the cloud
- cloud services are available as options in the MFD
- may be the ability to configure a custom service via a template
- scan dialogs will allow the user to authenticate to a given cloud account