Troubleshoot a Computer Scanner

Computer scanners are used to scan images, including documents and photos. Simple computer scanners are flat bed---they just have a sheet of glass on which you can place the document or photograph to be scanned. 

 

More elaborate scanners have flat beds and automatic document feeders (ADFs) that are good for scanning a stack of documents at one time. Problems with the scanners are related to poor images or to ADF failures including jams. Troubleshooting scanners can be accomplished by following some steps.

Instructions

1. Remove any shipping materials if you can't achieve a good scan result. Many scanners ship with a protective sheet over the glass. Remove it and any tape from the ADF.
    
2. Clear any document jams in the ADF by pulling paper out in the direction it was originally traveling. Fan the paper, verify that it is undamaged, dry and try the scan again.
    
3. Clean the glass with some isopropyl alcohol if you experience poor scanning results. Dirty glass is often the cause of image quality issues.
    
4. Try a scan and check the results on a computer screen rather than by printing the scan. Printing the scan introduces another element---the printer---that may be causing the quality problem. If the scan looks good on screen but poor printed, the problem is with the printer, not the scanner.
    
5. Calibrate the scanner if you continue to experience bad scans, in particular all black scans or all blank scans. Place a blank piece of paper on the glass. From the Windows Control Panel access the Scanners and Cameras area. Click on "Advanced" and choose "Calibrate" Allow the calibration to take place with the blank paper.
   
   Place the calibration sheet that came in the scanner box on the glass and calibrate again. Allow the second calibration to take place and try the scan again.
    
6. Reinstall the software that came with the scanner if you continue to experience problems. Insert the disk that came in the box into the computer's drive bay and follow the onscreen prompts.

How to Scan film Slides using a Flat Bed Scanner

How to Scan film Slides using a Flat Bed Scanner

The flatbed scanner, common in many households, does not typically offer transparency (Like film slides) scanning if the device is low-end. Some flatbed scanners have a motorized slot in the lid for negative strips, but this will not work if the slides to be scanned are cut and mounted. In this situation, only a scanner with a full cover light source will work.

Steps To Follow 

1.Clean the slides with the can of compressed air, carefully blowing off any dust and debris that may have accumulated. If the slides are clean before scanning, it will make less work when using the photo editing software later.

2.Place the slides in their mounts on the scanner glass. You can line them up squarely so they touch at the mounts in order to get more slides in one batch scan. Nearly all of the scanner glass area can be filled with slides, but does a test preview scan to make certain the whole glass is scanned. Some scanners may cut off at the edges.

3.Use the enclosed plastic slide templates if they came with the scanner. Most full transparency flatbed scanners include several different such templates to allow you to snap in negative strips or mounted slides. You will get fewer digital images per batch scan, but you can be assured the slides are lined up evenly. This eliminates a lot of turning and cropping later.

4.Open the scanner software. Slides, particularly small ones such as 35 mm, need high-quality scanning to provide the best possible digital information to work with later. If the software's resolution is set at a low default setting, change it to a high setting. The minimum resolution should be 600 pixels per inch, but make that number as high as possible. This provides better scanning, but scan time will increase.

5.Save the batch scan files to the computer's hard drive or to an external hard drive if you will be scanning many slides. Once the file is saved, you can scan more batches. Use the photo editing software to cut apart the individual images and save them as separate files on the computer's hard drive.