Scanning and Emailing Tips

Scanning 101 

To scan an image, place your copy face-down on the scanner bed. Start one of the "host" applications (the image software that came with your scanner or camera). You'll find these applications in your Start menu under their own program groups under Programs.

Make certain that you have selected your TWAIN data source: This operation needs to be performed only once -- the proper TWAIN source should remain in place unless another is selected (in the event that you have another TWAIN device such as a digital camera, etc. installed on your system).

From the File menu, choose "Acquire" or "Import." You will then be presented with the scanner control screen, the TWAIN dialog box. This screen allows you to select the scan mode, either color, grayscale or line art. You can also select the resolution, or dots-per-inch (dpi), of the scan. The choices you make here are entirely up to your taste, and the needs of the project you are scanning for. It's recommended, for your first image scan, to use the 72 dpi setting in color mode.

The only exception to the above is when using Optical Character Recognition software designed for capturing text for conversion to word processor text format), the settings MUST be line art and 300 dpi.

Once you have chosen the parameters of the scan, you may "prescan" or preview the image by clicking the "prescan" or "preview" button in the TWAIN interface. Once you have pre-scanned, you'll see a rough, thumbnail sketch of the material in the preview window.

Along with the image, there will be a floating, dotted-line box in the preview window. This box is known as the crop frame. The entire purpose of a prescan is to adjust the crop frame so that it is surrounding only the portion of the image to be scanned. Stretch the crop frame by dragging it's sides to include only the portion of the material that you want to capture.

You may now click on the "Scan" button, and the image will appear on the screen in a moment. In some cases, you will need to close the TWAIN interface to see the image.

After Scanning

Once the image is on the screen, you can either print it by going to the File menu and choosing Print, or save the image by choosing Save As. At this point, if you are going to save the image, you will need to type a path (see below), name the file, and give it a proper file extension.

The file extension (which determines not only what format the file will be saved in, but, in certain cases, whether you will be "compressing" the image to save space) can either be selected from a drop-down menu, or typed in manually. Two common extensions are the Windows Bitmap (.bmp) and the JPEG (.jpg). You can now save the file for later retrieval.

It is best to save all scans to the hard drive first, then transfer them to whatever medium you intend to use to transport the file. In many cases, a high-resolution scan will NOT fit on some types of removable media, due to its great size.

File Management

It's always best to save files (just as you would with money, jewelry, etc.) in a place where you know where to go to retrieve them. To best do this, you need a basic knowledge of something called "file management. Your Windows manual is the best possible resource to start learning file management. Here are some tips, however, to help you get started:

To make things easier, it's a good idea to create a directory on your hard drive specifically for your scanned images. In Windows Explorer, go to File, then New and select Folder.

After you've created the folder, re-name it from "new folder" to "pix," "pics," or something short and easy to remember (and type). Now, you'll save all your images that you've scanned to that folder.

Then, when you want to open or import that image file into another program, you'll know exactly where to look.

To save scanned images to this folder, go to "Save As" in your image editing software and name the file C:/(the folder name)/(the filename).bmp, .jpg, etc.

When you need to get that file back, just "browse" your way back to that directory from wherever you are, and the images will be there.

For a more verbose tutorial on File Management, click here.

Scanning and E-Mailing

Your e-mail program, Internet browser or on-line service provider's interface likely contains a function which allows you to "attach" a document.

Just select this option (you may need help from the program's publisher or your on-line service provider if you're not familiar with this feature), tell the program in which directory you saved the image (you'll really need to understand file management as covered above), and the name of the file in question. It will then attach to, and send with, your e-mail message.

Make sure that you are not sending a super-large file, as this may take a very long time to upload (and, consequently, download on the other end). Resolutions above 75 dpi are unnecessary for on-screen viewing.

It is best to save image files for delivery over the Internet with the file extension .jpg, as this file format compresses the image in a relatively non-destructive way, and sends the file in the most compact, and therefore fastest, way. 

E-Mail Basics

• Use Low Resolution – When scanning images for e-mail, it is best to use the lowest resolution available on the scanner. This keeps the file size of the image low and, in most cases, ensures that the recipient can view the entire image without scrolling up and down.

• Save Images in the .jpg format – The JPEG (.jpg) file format uses compression to further reduce image file size. Smaller files upload and download faster than large ones and some e-mail services have size restrictions for files. Also, the JPEG format is fairly common and most recipients will be able to view the images without using special programs.

• Keep Filenames Simple – When naming the saved files, keep the names short and easy to remember. This will make them easier for you find and for the recipient to understand. Consider how easy bob1.jpg is to remember compared to bobtryingtolookfunny.jpg.

• Remember Where Files are Saved – Choose or create a folder on the hard drive specifically for images to be e-mailed so that they are easy to find when you’re prompted to choose the one to attach to e-mail.

• Save Documents as .gif or .jpg files. When scanning a document for e-mail, save it as a .gif or .jpg file. This will make it easier for the recipient to display and use the document.

• Don’t Blame Yourself – If you send an e-mail, and the recipient doesn’t get it, you may not have done anything wrong. There may have been trouble in the transfer, or, in some cases, the recipient is using an e-mail provider that doesn’t allow for attached files. Try sending it again and if they still don’t receive the image, suggest that they consult with their internet service provider.

| home |  services | portfolio | support | contact us |

| Copyright 2008 © Publishing Excellence| All rights reserved | Terms & conditions | Privacy policy |