Compare & Contrast

Law Technology Product News (Volume 6, Issue 2, p. 20, col. 1)
February 1999

Scanners in the Law Office: A Short Primer

DEFINITION: A scanner is a device that permits a printed document and/or photograph to be digitized and placed in an appropriate format for input into a computer.

The dream of a paperless office, as far as law firms are concerned, is an oxymoron. It just will never happen.

Although more and more courts are now placing decisions on the Web, court filings, at least in the near future, will all be paper based.

Nevertheless, by using a scanner, lawyers can digitize all information on a particular case, allowing fast and easy access to the data. Document management systems, cataloging of information and Optical Character Resolution (OCR) engines make it possible to take these images and create hard copy documents.

Selecting the right scanner is extremely important. There are several types of scanners, each best suited for a particular function and/or price point. If some of these features sound like your fax machine or copying machine, you are not hallucinating: the technology is similar.

The overwhelming factor that will determine how the scanner will work for you is the bundled software. What type of OCR engine does it use? If the scanner doesn't include a "Twain" driver, don't buy it. Twain software lets all the other software talk and work with the scanner and scanned images.

Image manipulation software, which is outside the bounds of this article, enables you to go from faxing to image morphing and back again.

Look at the software and decide whether it will perform the tasks you will normally be doing with the scanner.

For example, if your primary need is to scan legal papers and convert them into text, get software that's designed to perform this as its basic function. If you're producing Web sites, select software that can be used to take your dog's picture and make it into a cat.

Here are some terms used in the Scanner industry:

Color: A 24-bit scanner offers 256 shades for each of the primary colors for a total of 16.7 million colors. Higher bit scanners - (30 & 36 offer more colors, but you won't see them) ­ yet.

B&W: Only shades of gray (a.k.a. "grayscale").

Resolution (high/low): Resolution is measured in "dpi" -- or "dots per inch." You want no less than 300 dpi -- which is considered adequate for most scan work, especially legal work, where most items are documents. If you use a lot of graphics, 600 dpi is a better investment.

Flatbed: A "flatbed" scanner allows you to place books and other objects on the scanning surface (as opposed to feeding sheets of paper into the scanner thru a narrow slot). If you're going to scan anything other than plain paper: i.e., books, magazines, and the like, this is your only choice.

Sheet feed: Good only for single sheets.

Single sheet/multi-sheet: Does the scanner have multiple feed capability?

ACER: Color
Type: Flatbed
Interface: SCSI, USB, Par
Cost: <$100, <$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 226		 AGFA
Color
Flatbed
PCI, SCSI, USB
<$100, <$500, >$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 227		 AVENTEC DIRECT
Color
Flatbed
SCSI, ISA, PCI
<$100
Circle No. 228		 BELL & HOWELL
Color, B/W
Flatbed
SCSI
>$500
Circle No. 229		 CALCOMP
B/W only
Flatbed
SCSI
>$500
Circle No. 230		 CANON
Color
Flatbed
PCI
<$100, <$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 231
EPSON
Color, B/W
Flatbed, Photo
SCSI, PCI
<$100, <$500, >$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 232		 FUJITSU
Color, B/W
Flatbed
SCSI, Serial
>$500

Circle No. 233		 HEIDELBERG USA
Color
Flatbed
SCSI
<$500
Circle No. 234		 HP
Color, B/W
Flatbed, Photo
USB, PCI, SCSI
<$100, <$500, >$500
Doc Feeder,
Bundled Software
Circle No. 235		 INFO PERIPHERALS
Color
Flatbed
PCI
<$100
Circle No. 236		 KYE INTERNATIONAL
Color
Flatbed, Handheld
PCI, SCSI, ISA
<$100, <$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 244
LA CIE
Color
Flatbed
SCSI
<$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 243		 LOGITECH
Flatbed, Handheld
PCI
<$100, <$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 242		 MICROTEK LAB
Color
Flatbed, Slide
PCI, SCSI, USB
<$100, <$500, >$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 241		 MINOLTA
Color
Flatbed, Slide
SCSI
>$500
Circle No. 240		 MITSUBISHI
Color
Flatbed
<$500
Circle No. 239		 MUSTEK
Color
Flatbed
SCSI, PCI
<$100, <$500, >$500
Circle No. 238
NIKON
Color
Flatbed, Slide, Photo
SCSI, PCI
<$500, >$500
Circle No. 237		 OLYMPUS AMERICA
Color
Flatbed, Slide
ISA
<$500
Circle No. 245		 OPTROX
Color
Flatbed
PCI
<$100, <$500
Circle No. 246		 PACIFIC IMAGE
Color
Flatbed
SCSI, PCI
<$100, <$500, >$500
Circle No. 251		 PANASONIC
Color, B/W
Flatbed
SCSI
>$500
Circle No. 252		 PLUSTEK U.S.A.
Color
Flatbed, Photo
PCI
<$100, <$500
Circle No. 253
POLAROID
Color
Flatbed, Photo, Slide
SCSI
>$500
Circle No. 258		 RADIUS
Color
Sheet Feed
USB
<$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 257		 RELISYS
Color
Flatbed
SCSI
<$100, <$500
Circle No. 259		 RICOH
Color, B/W
Flatbed
SCSI
>$500
Circle No. 262		 SCANPORT
Color
Flatbed
PCI
<$100
Circle No. 247		 STORM TECHNOLOGY
Color
Photo, Flatbed
ISA, PCI, USB
<$100, <$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 248
ULTIMA INTERNATIONAL
Color
Flatbed
SCSI
<$500
Circle No. 250		 UMAX COMPUTER
Color
Flatbed
SCSI, PCI, USB
<$100, <$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 249		 UMAX TECHNOLOGY
Color
Flatbed
SCSI, PCI, USB
<$100, <$500, >$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 254		 VERBATIM
Color
Flatbed
PCI, SCSI
<$500, >$500
Circle No. 256		 VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY
Color
Flatbed
SCSI
<$500
Circle No. 255		 VISIONEER COMMUNICATIONS
Color, B/W
Flatbed, Sheet Feed, Photo, Slide
PCI, ISA, SCSI, USB
<$100, <$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 260
VIVITAR
Color
Flatbed
PCI
<$500
Bundled Software
Circle No. 261		          

Wayne Spivak is president of Bellmore, N.Y.'s SBA*Consulting.