Troubleshooting My Computer

Posted on: 26 August 2016

Scanners are great tools for sending paper documents via the Internet or adding such documents to your cloud storage database. However, storing and sending paper work easily and efficiently is just one of many things that scanning can make easier.

Unexpected uses for your computer scanner 

1. Preserving and consolidating old photos. If you have photos from the 20th century that are on paper or slides, scanning these images can help keep them from fading, water damage or yellowing—all hazards that can destroy your photographic memories. Scanning these images also makes it easy to share them with friends and family members who live far away.

2. To transmit large images. If you have large images to send, your regular computer browser may time out before the transmission is completed. Using a scanner can side-step this issue and allow you to upload and send high-quality and large images. This is especially useful if you are sending images for print publication.

3. To upload images for digital art. If you are embellishing images or cropping them to use as part of a larger collage, scanning the images can get you high-quality images to work with while making them easily available for modification via any number of digital apps.

4. To improve the quality of the images you use for online auctions. If you sell items via online auction sites like eBay, you know that the quality of the items you upload with the listing can make or break the sale. After all, buyers want to know what they are purchasing. Scanning images from a good 35mm camera, rather than uploading them from your cell phone adds an extra step, but it creates sharper, more precise images, a factor that could lead to more online sales or higher prices   on your auction items.

5. Upload documents from archives and document rooms. If you're researching a book or your family tree, a scanner can be an invaluable tool in your research. Many archives and libraries will allow you to bring your scanner directly into the document room so that you can upload copies of the actual documents directly into your computer database. 

While attaching a scanner to your computer makes it easy to upload documents securely and efficiently, scanners are also useful for preserving and sharing old photos, transmitting large images, uploading research documents and uploading images to use in your digital art projects.