A tutorial on how to scan an image in room 114

The multimedia computer in room 114 is setup to help students digitize data and scan images. The station does not have any word processing, GIS, or graphic editing software. It is best to save your work to the H: drive and then access the file from any of the other lab computers.

• Make sure the computer hooked up to the scanner is turned on. The scanner is always on.
• Log in using the same username and password as in the labs.
• Start the scanner program by double clicking the HP PrecisionScan icon.

A window will appear giving you the control of the scanner that looks like this.

• Place your image under the cover in the top right hand corner of the scanner.
• From the Scan To: dropdown menu, select Image File.
• Leave Select part of page or View page first check mark on.
• Turn on/off the Scan in color check mark depending on your needs.

By default, the scanner is setup to scan images at 150 dpi, and will use True Color when scanning photographs. Note: more colours and/or higher resolution mean a larger the file size. You can change the scanning parameters from the Settings menu in the initial scanner screen:

• Change the scan resolution from the Page Settings option
• Change the number of colors from the Preferences option

After the parameters have been set, click on the Scan button. The image will now be scanned and displayed on a preview window.

• You can zoom into a portion of your image by using the Zoom controls.
• You can also scan a smaller area within the image by drawing a marquee over the area of interest using the Select tool.
• When you are satisfied with the preview (size, colour, etc.) save the image by clicking on Accept button.
• Make sure to save your work to the H: drive
• Pick the appropriate file type from the dropdown menu

You have the ability to save the image in multiple formats. Here is a short guide on when to use the most common types:

• TIFF and BMP - best used when image will be used with GIS software. The image is not compressed, which can result in very large files.
• GIF - good format for web use. Works well for images with large areas of like-color, or extensive line work and text. Proprietary compression scheme turns out small files ideal for web download. This format supports partial or total image transparency. Limited to 256 colours, which makes it unsuitable for photographs.
• JPG or JPEG - good format for web use. Works well with photographic, continuous-tone, and grayscale images. Allows 'millions of colours' (24-bit colour), but does not support transparency. The compression algorithm turns out small files.
• PNG - good format for web use. Produces small files using a license-free compression algorithm. Similar to GIF, but a bit more technically sophisticated.

If you want the new graphic for a web page, make sure you save it as a .gif or .jpg file. Remember, large graphic files on the web take a long time to display.