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Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055) A scanner can automatically convert information to digital files using optical character recognition. Learn more. A Scanner is machine which recognizes optical characters. It has a computer processor, a scan head and an output device. The scan head is used to read images which in turn is translated by the computer and produced in a usable form. For example, a scanner is used to read invoices that have been returned with the payment checks by a direct-mail marketer. The code on the invoice is picked up by the scanner that indicates how much was owed and which customer is paying. It is a multipurpose tool that is used in the office. It reads the images as thousands of individual pixels or dots. The scanner does all this with the help of scanning software. The file which has the images then can be used to enlarge, reduce or store databases. It can also be transferred into an excel worksheet or a word document. Scanners like digital cameras help the user convert slides and three-dimensional objects into files that can be posted on the internet, pasted into a brochure or inserted into a presentation. These images can be manipulated to fit in accordance to the space and size required. A scanner can automatically convert information to digital files using optical character recognition software, so instead of giving money to someone to manually enter reams of data into the computer, we can use the scanner. A scanner can also help to create electronic filing cabinets for expense reports to invoice. There are three main types of scanners which are used in the office. They are Flatbed Scanner which is particularly useful when required to scan more than one page of a document. Instead of copying each page individually pages from a book can easily be scanned. Sheet fed Scanner is very much like a fax machine. It can easily be adjusted between the keyboard and monitor as it is only a couple of inches deep. Lastly the Slide Scanner can only scan slides, though there are some new models in the market that can handle negative strips also. There are scanners which are capable of reading preprinted specific fonts in alphanumeric characters, hand-printed letters or symbols or barcodes. Encoders are payment scanners. Document scanners are used to enter responses to direct-mail promotions that can read at speeds of 18,000 documents per hour. In order to read bar-coded information such as stock number and price, Wand scanners are used. As barcodes are used prices can be altered without doing any alteration with the price tags. This can be done merely by changing the instructions in the computer which interprets the barcodes. Almost all the scanners can be connected by SCSI, USB, or ports that are parallel. The only difference amongst them is the speed at which they work. Common parallel ports are a little slower than the SCSI and USB ports. An automatic document feeder is of great importance for large data entry projects. All scanners come along with scanning software of different types. The package usually has a color calibration software, driver program, and applications like image-editing programs or OCR. Cross checking the version of the software is also very important as sometimes we are forced to upgrade the software in order to use it to its utmost capacity. If it has the right software a scanner can also be used as a fax machine or a Xerox machine. Buying a scanner does not hurt the pocket much, still people are going in for other equipments to keep in the office. A scanner can do much more than just scan a photograph , but is not being used to its full capability. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
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Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)Get to know about the features of multifunction printers. They can save you money and space. Multifunction printers are the best for small offices and or the home. It is a real miracle - one unit that prints, copies and scans. It saves on space and money. One point has to be kept in mind that it does all these functions but not all of them well. If the requirement is for high grade scanning then this three-in-one model might prove to be inadequate. It is all right for moderate use and not for intensive application. As regards the speed the printer might prove to be too slow for professional use. This is especially so in the case of colour printers. While using a multifunction printer and trying to get some fast assignment completed then the rate of 22 pages per minute as against the crawl of 12 pages per minute does matter. Multifunction printers that have more memory turn out to be more costly. This inadequacy becomes apparent when one tries to do three things together - scanning, printing and copying. If the requirement is heavy then it is best to opt for a multifunction printer that has 16 MB - to say the least. The quality of the image depends on dpi or dots per inch. The standard (600x600) will suffice for printing but is unsuitable as regards quality of photo. Scanner resolutions must be noticed, as these are usually low in multifunction models. There is a wide gap as regards quality between interpolated and optimal resolution. Multifunction printers that have to be fed with one page at a time can become a real headache and eat up the whole day. It is best to buy a multifunction printer that is fitted with a document feeder system that is automatic and at each go holds 15 sheets at the minimum. It is advisable not to just pick a multipurpose printer off the store shelf, have it packed, pay and walk off with it. Always play around with it in the store giving a good amount of time and attention. Carefully scrutinize the specifications and see how the printer actually behaves when put to the test. Each operation should be tested separately. After all it must meet the specific requirements of the buyer - no matter how small it is. Most of the multifunction printers are manufactured with the prime function of photographic output. But being three-in-one the other utilities are kept in mind. The scanner function is of great importance. There are two main types technologies involved in manufacture of scanners. CCD or charge-coupled-device performs better as regards quality of image especially when dealing with books. On the other hand the other technology of CIS or contact-image-sensor makes the machine more durable. Other points to consider are sheet-fed versus flat-bed machines. The flat-bed ones allow scanning of thicker objects. Try to include in the purchase package an OCR or optical-character-recognition. It converts the pages that are scanned into text documents that can be edited. This will save a lot of time - running into hours - if the original soft copy is misplaced. For those who want to store old photographs purchase with this multipurpose printer attachments that will enable scanning of slides and films. The speed of making copies can never be up to the mark unless the unit has these gizmos. Always bear in mind that documents have to be lifted and replaced innumerable times. Apart from speed other areas of importance are user friendliness and storage of memory. But with all the attachments included it will be child`s play to manage multiple copies; only few buttons will have to be pressed. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
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Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)Why Web Application Security Securing a company's web applications is today's most overlooked aspect of securing the enterprise. Hacking is on the rise with as many as 75% of cyber attacks done through the web and via web applications. Most corporations have secured their data at the network level, but have overlooked the crucial step of checking whether their web applications are vulnerable to attack. Web applications raise certain security concerns. 1. To deliver the service (intended by design) to customers, web applications must be online and available 24x7x365 2. This means that they are always publicly available and cannot discriminate between legitimate users and hackers 3. To function properly web applications must have direct access to backend databases that contain sensitive information. 4. Most web applications are custom-made and rarely pass through the rigorous quality assurance checks of off-the-shelf applications 5. Through a lack of awareness of the nature of hack attacks, organisations view the web application layer as part of the network layer when it comes to security issues. The Jeffrey Rubin Story In a 2005 review published by Information Week, a prominent security expert called Jeffrey Rubin, narrates his experience with a successful hack attack. The following is a citation from his article (the full reference is given at the end of this article): ?We're like most Web developers who use the Microsoft platform ... Although we try to stay up to date with patches and service packs, we realize attackers often go after application, rather than network, vulnerabilities. A colleague suggested we install a hardware firewall to prevent future attacks. Not a bad suggestion, but hardly a cure-all given that we have Ports 21, 80 and 443 and our SQL server (on a nonstandard port) wide open for development purposes. After all, we're in the business of developing dynamic Web pages, and our clients are all over the country?. Jeff?s story is striking simply because (a) developers, like all, are also prone to error despite all the precautions they take to sanitize their developed applications and (b) as an expert he was still lulled into a false sense of security by applying the latest patches and service packs. Jeff?s story, sadly, is not unique and arises from misconceiving the security infrastructure of an organization and the solutions available to assist people in their fight to protect their data. Since many organizations do not monitor online activity at the web application level, hackers have free reign and even with the tiniest of loop holes in a company?s web application code, any experienced hacker can break in using only a web browser and a dose of creativity and determination. The slack security also means that attempted attacks will go unnoticed as companies react only to successful hacks. This means that companies will fix the situation AFTER the damage is done. Finally, most hack attacks are discovered months after the initial breach simply because attackers do not want and will not leave an audit trial. Systems administrators, CTOs and business people alike conceive cyber intrusion as standard physical intrusion: a thief in your house leaves markers, e.g., a broken window or a forced lock. In web application attacks this physical evidence is inexistent. The Security Infrastructure of an Organization It is convenient to think of the infrastructure of an organization as one with various layers. In the same way you would protect against rust by applying a variety of paints, chemicals and anti-oxidants in layers, a systems administrator puts in place several specialized security solutions each addressing specific problem areas. These security layers represent a holistic outlook that looks at security as hardened measures taken to minimize intrusion risks and maximize the protection around the key asset of any organization, its data. Standard security layers include: - The User layer containing software including personal firewalls, anti-root kits, registry cleaners, backup, anti-virus, anti-phishing and anti-spy/adware
- The Transport layer including SSL encryption, HTTPS and similar protocols
- The Access layer with access control, authentication, crypography, firewalls, VPNs, Web Application Firewalls
- The Network layer with firewalls, network scanners, VPNs, and intrusion detection.
The Fifth layer is the Application layer and must include web siote and web vulnerability scanning. Source code analysis fits in here Web Vulnerability Scanners are not Network Scanners Web vulnerability scanners (e.g., Acunetix WVS, Spi Dynamics WebInspect) are not network scanners (e.g., Qualys, Nessus). Whereas network security scanners analyze the security of assets on the network for possible vulnerabilities, Web Vulnerability Scanners (WVS) scan and analyse web applications (e.g., shopping carts, forms, login pages, dynamic content) for any gaps resulting from improper coding that may be manipulated by hackers. For example, it may be possible to trick a login form to believe that you have administration rights by injecting specifically-crafted SQL (the language understood by databases) commands. This is only possible if the inputs (i.e., username and/or password fields) are not properly sanitized (i.e., made invulnerable) and sent directly with the SQL query to the database. This is SQL Injection! Network security defense provides no protection against such web application attacks since these attacks are launched on port 80 (default for websites) which has to remain open to allow regular operation of the business. What is needed is a web application scanner / web vulnerability scanner or a black-box testing tool. Black box Testing Black box testing is simply a test design methodology.. In web application black box testing, the web application itself is treated as a whole without analyzing the internal logic and structure. Typically, web application scanners would see whether the web application as a whole could be manipulated to get access to the database. Modern technology allows for a great degree of automation, in effect, reducing the manual input required in testing web applications. It is important to say reducing and not minimizing or doing away with. As any security consultant will tell you, automation will never replace the intelligence and creativity of human intervention. In general, automated scanners first crawl an entire website, analyzing in-depth each file they would find and displaying the entire website structure. After this discovery stage, the scanner performs an automatic audit for vulnerabilities by launching a series of hacking attacks, in effect emulating a hacker. Scanners would analyze each page for places where data could be input and will subsequently attempt all the different input combinations. The scanners would check for vulnerabilities on web servers (on open ports), all web applications and in website content itself. The more robust products launch such attacks intelligently using varying degrees of heuristics. Heuristic Web Scanning It is important to understand that web vulnerability scanning should not be limited to scanning known applications (e.g. off-the-shelf shopping carts) and/or module vulnerabilities (e.g. SQL injection in phpBB Login Form) against a pre-determined library of known issues. If it were to do so, custom applications would remain untested for their vulnerabilities. This is the main weakness of products that are based on matching vulnerability signatures. Consider anti-virus software as an example. Standard antivirus products scan for thousands of known viruses including old and known viruses (even ones that were created for old Windows 95 systems). In this day and age you would rarely encounter this OS but in the minds of consumers what is most important is "how many viruses does this software detect??. In reality, having the latest AV will give you protection for all but the viruses running in the wild. And it is these viruses that create the greatest damage. Standard AV products without the right technologies will not detect a virus in the wild if these could only match for ?known? viruses. Good antivirus technology will allow heuristic file checking or intelligent ways of trying to identify patterns of application behavior which can result in a virus. Web vulnerability scanning works in a very similar way. It would be useless to detect the known vulnerabilities of known applications alone. A significant degree of heuristics is involved in detecting vulnerabilities since hackers are extremely creative and launch their attacks against bespoke web applications to create maximum impact. Of course, such an approach does give out false positives but even here there lies misconception and confusion. False positives are caused because an automated scan will flag issues that may seem to be a vulnerability. Automation is an invaluable aid and the accuracy of a scan depends on (a) how well your site is crawled to establish its structure and various components and links, and (b) on the ability of the scanner to leverage intelligently the various hacking methods and techniques against web applications. Automated scanning will lead to false positives. Of course, this level of technological complexity does not lead to zero false positives. That is impossible. An automated scan will always generate false positives whichever product you use. We always recommend automated scans to be supplemented with manual scans ? this is probably one of the points that all security experts emphasize. Sadly, companies do not recognize the importance of the manual input. If you want your web applications to be secure you must spend a considerable amount of time checking the automated side of things. This is not to say that automation is inaccurate ? on the contrary, it is very accurate and has cut down on much of the work. The automated scan will help you flag the possible problems including the false positives and prompt further manual investigation. In web application security, it is better to have false positives than nothing at all. Source Code Analysis Another set of products related to web vulnerability scanning are source code analyzers but these work differently to web vulnerability scanners. Source code analyzers are white-box testing tools that assist developers in their work by automatically analyzing the internal structure and logic of source code directly for errors and security loopholes. The level of complexity of such products is based on the complexity of logic of certain applications and the variety of coding languages. This means that few stable products exist on the market even though the technology is moving very fast.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)There are a number of reasons being discussed by booksellers all over the Internet. Some of the reasons I have read include: 1) A desire by some to curtail the profiteers and assure that there are some good books left when the sale opens to the general public. Certainly, this hinders the online bookseller and limits the number of books that he/she is able to check, but I do not think this is the reason. 2) Another hypothesis I have heard is that booksellers rummaging through the books and scanning them leave the unwanted books in disarray, thus making more work for the volunteers to straighten out the mess, but I do not think this is the reason either. The time it takes to straighten out tables of books after a couple hundred booksellers have finished rummaging around is probably not any longer than straightening out after a few thousand people during the "open to the public" period. 3) There are also some that believe the cashiers do not like ringing up hundreds of books for booksellers, This does not make any sense because it is a lot easier to make one sale of hundreds of books to one buyer than to ring up two books for hundreds of customers, so I do not think this is the reason. 4) The volunteers and helpers at the book sales are jealous of booksellers coming in and buying up all the good books to make a profit on them. I do not doubt that there a people working the book sales and attending them that are jealous of dealers coming in and buying up the valuable books, and this probably does play into the decision to ban scanners, but I do not think it is the primary reason either. I believe the book sale organizers are genuinely concerned about safety and potential litigation. If you have ever been zapped in the eyes by a careless bookseller with a total disregard for where he/she is pointing their scanner, you know exactly what I mean. You will see spots and/or floaters for a good half hour. If exposed to a direct laser of the intensity of my HP 5P (class II) scanner, I do not doubt that you would suffer some permanent eye damage. I was personally zapped accidentally by someone using their laser scanner and I could not read ISBN's or the screen on my PDA for almost 45 minutes. I believe laser scanners are being banned from book sales because of liability issues; and with our society being so focused on taking someone to court; the book sale organizers do not want to risk being held responsible for the actions of a careless bookseller. As obnoxious as some of the booksellers I have seen can be, I would not put it past some of them to intentionally zap me if for no other reason than to temporarily give them an edge in buying while my eyes recover. Michael E. Mould is the author of "Online Bookselling: A Practical Guide with Detailed Explanations and Insightful Tips," [Paperback ISBN 1427600708, CD-ROM ISBN 1599714876] and the developer of "Bookkeeping for Booksellers" [CD ISBN 1427600694], you can learn more about online bookselling at: http://www.online-bookselling.com or by emailing mike@online-bookselling.com | |
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)One year at Christmas time, my dad told me that if I wanted to get him something special I could go out and look for police scanners. It seems that there are a lot of people in my fathers small town that like to have these. I guess it is because in such a small community it is nice to know what is going on, and usually when there is emergency most people know the other people involved. There have been many times when my father was made aware of a family illness from the information that has come over the scanner. Most police scanners work in the same way. They can be tuned to the same frequency as the scanners that the police, fire, and emergency crews use when transmitting information. I always wondered if police scanners were illegal, but there are so many people that have them, I am guessing that they are perfectly fine to have in your home. I know that when I am at my dads I can hear everything that goes on through the police scanner, and sometimes the noise will make me jump. I suspect if my dad lived in a larger area that the police scanners would be something he would not have. The small town he lives in does not have a lot of constant activity, so information coming over the police scanners is only once in awhile. Now, if he lived in a city, perhaps the scanner would not be such a good idea. There would be so much information, and so much going on that you would never get a moments peace. He would probably also not know most of the names he heard, so it would be of little interest to him. If you are interested in police scanners, be prepared to spend a little money when buying. In the end, we did not end up buying my father one for Christmas because the police scanners we found were all too expensive for our buying budget. He did go out get one of his own that year, and told us that once he realized how much they were, he was glad that we did not spend that much money on him. I would have had no problem doing so, but it was simply not something we could afford. In the end it was probably a good idea that he got his own however, as he was able to choose the exact one he wanted.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)If you suspect that your PC has been infected by spyware, one of your first stops should be at a web site that allows you to download a free spyware/adware scanner. Many companies offer free programs that are cut-down versions of their commercial products. Some programs are also available as freeware or Open Source. In general, these spyware/adware scanners are free for non-commercial use only. This means that the program can only be used at home or college and is for your personal use only. If you use the program at work, or install it on more than one computer system at a time, you are usually required to pay for it. Some companies ask you to register the software before using it. Registration is often required if you want to be able to update the program via the Internet. Although it might be a little inconvenient, registration costs nothing and helps software developers continue to let people use their programs for free. Although anti-spyware programs may offer lots of different features, most work in basically the same way. When the program first starts, it will usually attempt to update its internal database of spyware information via the Internet. The amount of time this takes will vary according to the speed of your Internet connection but shouldn't take more than a minute of two. Once any updates have been downloaded, the program will then carry out a full scan of your machine. This can take a long time, so be prepared to wait patiently or, better still, go and grab a coffee! When the scan is complete, a list of infected files will be displayed, together with details of the spyware/adware found. You can then choose how to deal with each case. Typical options include repairing infected files, deleting them or placing them in quarantine. Repairing a file involves removing the spyware and restoring the file to its previous condition. No data will be lost and the file can be used as normal. If a file can not be repaired, sometimes the only option is to delete it. Once deleted, the file can not be recovered and any data it contained will be lost forever. If an infected file can not be repaired, it can sometimes be placed in quarantine until such time as a way of removing the infection is found. Although the file is not deleted, it will not be possible to use it until it can be repaired. Quarantined files can remain inaccessible for weeks, months or even years. Sometimes, it becomes clear that it will never be possible to repair a quarantined file, leaving no choice but to delete it. If a spyware scanner fails to detect any viruses, this does not necessarily mean that the computer is "clean". It may simply be that the particular program you are using is unable to identify certain forms of spyware. Similarly, while one program may fail to repair files infected by a particular type of spyware, another may be more successful. For this reason, it is always a good idea to check your computer with two or more scanners if you suspect infection by spyware or adware. Under normal circumstances only one package needs to be installed permanently. As mentioned earlier, all of the programs listed here can be used completely free of charge. In addition, all are offered by companies with good reputations in the field. Please remember that there will be many occasions when free spyware scanners are not convenient or appropriate. Since diect links are not allowable in articles like this, you will need to copy and paste the links below into your browser. Online Services Trojan Scan (online service)
http://www.windowsecurity.com/trojanscan/ SpySweeper Scan
http://www.webroot.com/consumer/products/spysweeper/freescan.html eTrust Pest Scan
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/pestscan/ Trend Micro Spyware Scanner (online service)
http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/ Software SwatIt!
http://www.lockdowncorp.com/bots/downloadswatit.html AVG Anti Spyware
http://www.ewido.net/en/download/ a-squared
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/ Spyware Blaster
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html Ad-Aware Personal
http://www.lavasoft.de/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html Paul Edwards is the psudonym of one of the UK's best-selling authors in the area of ICT. He earns his living as a freelance writer and consultant, specialising in cybercrime and computer security. More information on protecting your computer from viruses, spyware, hackers and other threats can be found at http://www.protect-your-pc.co.uk | |
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)No one can deny that the experience of working with information contained on real paper provides a lot more comfort and satisfaction than viewing it on a computer monitor. This is not just the case when trying to view portrait oriented office documents on a landscape monitor, but even more so when it comes to working with large documents such as engineering plan drawings or maps. Many image viewing applications try and make the experience more pleasant with an innovative array of software functions such as displaying thumbnails with birds eye views and smooth panning. Luckily however, the incredible advances in computer hardware together with much higher monitor resolution is making the experience a lot more bearable. So why are we trying our damnedest to cram wide format documents into computers, even though the user experience remains less than ideal? Of course the reasons are compelling, especially from a business point of view. One of the most powerful motivators for going digital has got to be the cost savings in terms of digital distribution by means of e-mail or publishing on the Internet. Other compelling reasons include the ability to convert images from plan drawings, maps and other wide format documents to CAD format by means of a process called vectorization. This software process operates similar to OCR or optical character recognition, a complex software application that converts scanned text into computer recognisable text. Vectorisation software is extremely useful for the conversion of engineering plan drawings and GIS information from maps into popular CAD file formats for the purposes of editing or to act as electronic stencils for the purposes of cutting or milling shapes in the fields of product manufacture and reverse engineering. Unfortunately though, the cost of acquiring large format scanning capability has been prohibitive for all but the larger and more profitable organisations. With the typical cost of a wide format colour scanner ranging between $10K to $20K, it has never been economically viable for smaller organisations to benefit from this crucial technology. However, one can always rely on the typical Australian "can-do" attitude to come up with a simpler solution. Due to their rugged and unforgiving environment, Australians have always managed to come up with category busters when it comes to innovative solutions. Some examples of Australian ingenuity include the old Tommy Gun, Grain Harvesters, the ubiquitous Ute or Pickup and the Cement Spun water pipe. One of their latest inventions, the Deskan 6 wide format colour scanner finally breaks the entry barrier to smaller organisations who would like to benefit from an in-house capacity to convert large format documents to digital format. With a scanning resolution of up to 600 DPI and the capacity to scan in either 24 bit colour, greyscale or black and white from wide format documents even larger than "E" or "A0" size, this rugged and reliable Australian innovation offers the same set of features found in traditional wide format roller scanners, but at a quarter of the normal price. The only real compromise is scanning speed. However, with the capacity of realistically scanning up to 90x E-size (A0) wide format colour documents at the industry standard resolution of 200 dpi and up to 150 similar size documents in black and white in an eight hour shift, it would only be the most demanding commercial imaging service providers and large government organisations who may find this compromise unsuitable. However, due to its unique simplified construction, the Deskan 6 now offers complete affordability to smaller organisations who would never have been able to justify the cost of a traditional wide format scanner. Consider this. A standard wide format colour roller scanner of around $15,000 works out to a monthly lease repayment of approximately $600.00, an expense that can hardly be justified by most smaller organisations. On the other hand, the Deskan 6 comes to only US$4500.00 which includes international shipping to the USA, Canada or the UK. This means you can enjoy all the benefits of an in-house wide format colour scanner for only $175 per month which works out to less than $6.00 per day. If you cannot benefit from having a colour wide format scanner at $6.00 per day, you don't need one. Let's have a closer look at some of the organisations that may benefit from investing in the Deskan 6 Instead of relying on expensive courier services, Architects, landscapers and other artists are instantly empowered to serve a much wider geographic client base by being able to scan and e-mail their freehand drawings or art. What used to take days can now be on the client's desktop for approval with in a matter of minutes. Manufacturing and maintenance divisions can now provide key employees with controlled and instant online access to collections of plan drawings or other information contained in wide format documents. This reduces downtime and increases productivity to the extent of having become a no-brainer to organisations who wish to stay competitive. Manufacturing engineers involved in reverse engineering of components now have a low cost and viable option for the scanning and vectorisation of 2.5d components. Other individuals who may benefit include those who need to create CAD format stencils and templates for electronic embroidering, vinyl sign or laser component cutting, custom auto detailers and artists, fabric and carpet pattern designers, smaller photocopy shops and printing businesses etc. For those who need more information and would like to see an online video presentation, please do not hesitate to check out this amazing new innovation. With a solid involvement in computer hardware stemming from the early 80s, and specialising in the conversion of hardcopy to searchable electronic information for the last 13 years, I have always been motivated to bring the latest innovations to clients who could benefit from digital imaging. As founder owner of numerous computer-based businesses, most of whom have been acquired by large listed organisations, I now offer various document imaging and consulting services from http://www.docsondisc.com/Deskan.html on the Australian Gold Coast, our premier holiday destination. | |
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)A film scanner is a device that can convert an image on a film negative or a slide into a digital image file usable on a computer. Film scanning is gaining momentum because it produces better digital reproductions than a scanned photographic print. Even though film scanners have lesser clarity when compared to photographs made directly from film, the images produced are detailed enough to be enlarged without becoming grainy or blurry. When it becomes necessary to scan large sized films it may become necessary to use the large format film scanners. Many of these large format scanners are equipped with various pre-scan and post-scan settings. Before actually beginning the scan resolution needs to be set (represented as dpi, or dots per inch). User can also select color and contrast with the software to get the right saturation or the deep shadows or reset the boundaries if there is need to crop the image. The large format film scanners differ in the size of film accepted, their accompanying software, the time it takes to complete a scan, and the maximum resolution it can handle. These scanners also demonstrate a varying sensitivity to contrast. While a good large format film scanner will catch bright highlights, an inferior model may dim them. Most are able to capture several distinct colors too. A buyer should have a precise idea of the requirements before initiating research. Recently, a few large format film scanners have been combined with flatbed scanners that process print images, outfitted with specialty dust removers, compartments that scan more than one negative at a time, and adapters for slides. They are proving to be very useful to remove scratches and dust on the film that cannot be cleaned or smoothed mechanically. Film and slides are original images and so they give higher resolution, strong contrast, amazing range of color and great degree of detail when reproduced. Scanning such an image using large format film scanners ensures that the user gets the best resolution.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)A large format optical scanner is a device that can read textual or graphical information from large paper sizes and reproduce it into a format that can be used by a computer. Most large format optical scanners can digitize data with width of up to 1000mm and 5000mm in length. Any document larger than this, can be scanned in parts and then pasted together to achieve the look of the original. The working of a large format optical scanner is simple. It scans all data, irrespective of whether it is text or images and converts them into bitmaps. However, it is mainly used to scan images like record drawings, architectural plans, structural details, area maps, landscape designs, engineering drawings and building plans. As a result, it is not well adapted to needs of a textual document since a scanned text document cannot be edited directly. In order to enable editing in such scanned text, most large format optical scanners have an optical character recognition (OCR) system, which converts the texts into ASCII characters. A large format optical scanner enables a user to digitally clean old, dirty or torn drawings. A large format optical scanners with an OCR system is also able to enhance an image by adding or erasing text, removing or introducing new lines, or highlighting areas and many such functions. Even though large format optical scanners are available in flatbed and overhead models the most common one is the sheet-fed scanner. Sheet-fed scanners are excellent for loose sheets of paper however they are less capable of handling bound documents, which are better off if scanned using a flat bed or overhead model. Most large format optical scanners are available in color as well as black and white models. Most of the large format optical scanners available in the market are able to store data in two formats, TIFF (Tag Image File Format) or PDF (Portable Document Format). Colortrac, Oce, Contex, Altek Corporation, ACTion Imaging solutions, ANAtech, CST, Vidar systems, and WideCom are some of the leading companies producing large format optical scanners.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)After a certain time period, all scanners will begin showing signs of wear and tear. Specialized equipment can show such signs based on the intensity of use. In most cases, the scanner's data capturing ability decreases, the data scanned is of poor quality and a scanner begins to take more time to scan data than it previously used to. When users begin to face such problems from their large format scanners, it is time to send off the scanner for repair. A large number of companies provide repairing services for scanners. Most of these can be contacted over the phone or through their sites in the Internet. A person contacting these firms must leave exact description of the type and model of the scanner being sent for repair and if possible the problem with unit. Most of these firms take as much as 4-6 weeks to repair a unit (repair turnaround). The turnaround time usually depends the nature of repair, the availability of parts, and the number of repairs or units to be finished. Many of these firms guarantee the repairs done for 90 days from invoice date of completion. In order to insure warranty repair is available users are required to send in the registration cards upon purchase. User should ascertain that a particular firm is capable and willing to undertake the repair work of the specific scanner before hiring them as some firms do not accept certain types of scanners. While shipping a scanner for repair, a person must make sure that the unit is packed properly with at least 3-6 inches of foam peanuts or similar packing material (do not use newspaper or shredded paper as packing material) between all sides of the unit and shipping box. The owner must take special care to wrap the battery and accessories separately. In case an owners are unable to handle the packing, they can use a shipping service which includes a packing service. It is always preferable if the owner uses a shipper who can track the package and provide this information online. Scanner owners must always take care to put their name, address, phone and email directly on the unit with a sticker or tag. Most repair firms give an estimate for unit repair before the work is done. Users may pre-pay this amount by check, money order, certified funds, Visa, Master Card, or even PayPal.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)Scanner software enables a scanner to translate a picture or typed text into data, which is recognized and saved by a computer, thus helping to digitize an analog image of the document. Most scanners come with the software required for scanning however, most of the time this software is not efficient enough to perform all the task expected by users. Hence, it becomes necessary to buy software that fits the current needs of the buyer. Most of this software is scanner specific and hence may not be compatible with different kinds of scanners. Hence a person using a large format scanner may have to purchase software that is compatible with the specific machine they purchase. Large format scanner software is required for scanning extremely large documents and most of this software comes with several features groups. Most of them have high and low resolution options. They are able to store data in three different color modes, colored, grayscale and black and white. They enable the user to store the files as PDF, TIFF, PNG, BMP, JPEG among numerous other more esoteric formats. If users require specific features its best they analyze availability prior to purchase. For example, if the user needs to scan a lot of pictures and only a small amount of text then an optical scanner is better while text requires a superior ORC (optical character recognition) system. As these software packages have become specialized a large number of function specific applications have become available. In addition to scanning features some software packages allow multiple users to access and use the scanners using network access. When such network applications are used its important to ensure that practical page management is used. Companies like VueScan, SilverFast and Art-Copy Enterprise sell large format scanner software. Many of these companies have web sites, which enable users to download a mini version of their software and test its compatibility and usability on a user's scanner for a short time period.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)If you are one of the many who seems to spend a lot of time being given business cards during your working day and just do not have the time to start inputting the information into your contact manager on your computer and wonder what you should do with them (other than throw them into the trash). Well help is at hand. So instead of just letting them sit on your desk or in a drawer gathering dust why not get yourself a business card scanner. In fact many people put of setting up a database into which they can enter all the details on the business cards that they receive because it can be such a tedious task. However with the use of a business card scanner this task can be completed in minutes rather than hours. A business card scanner is a small card scanner which allows you to quickly scan business cards and then converts them into text. Once converted into text you can decide whether you want them to be placed in your Outlook contact list or you can use the software that comes with them in order to organize your own database. Certainly when they first appeared on the scene business card scanners were over priced and considered to be a frivolous piece of computer equipment so many companies would spend their money on more important things. However as you will soon discover the prices of these business card scanners have dropped dramatically and now becoming a very important part of everyday office equipment. This type of business card scanner is particularly useful in both CRM and Sales orientated environments as no longer does it mean time is being wasted in searching for the information that is required with regards to a particular client. Once the information has been input into the database on a computer then others can easily gain access to it as long as they have access. This is particularly great for sales staffs who when away from the office are able to gain access to their list of clients just by opening up the database on their own Pocket PC, smart phone or Palm OS device as the software provided with a business card scanner allows for these devices to be synched to the database. So if you are looking for an easier way to get all the information from all those business cards you have sat on your desk gathering dust then investing in a business card scanner may be a good way to go.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)Probably the main reason why so many sales and CRM orientated companies are using a good business card scanner is in order to help speed up their transactions as well as reducing the amount of paperwork they do. A great thing about a good card scanner is allows to archive all that important data you see on people's business cards in to a database which can then be easily accessed by all those that work for the company. Within a few minutes a person can soon be carrying out flexible searches and so be able to find the information that is really important to them in a matter of seconds. Certainly where both sales and CRM companies are concerned the staff are likely to collect dozens if not hundreds of business cards during their travels. So rather than someone having to sit down in front of the computer in putting the details provided on those cards one at the time all they do is feed them in to the card scanner and the work is done for you. The software that this system uses and which only takes a few minutes to set up on to your computer is then able to read the information provided on the cards and put it in to a database which anyone can use no matter where they are. Also this software also allows a company to synch both Palm OS devices, along with Pocket PC's and smart phone an essential piece of equipment that is carried by many sales executives today. This means that no longer do they need to phone the office in order to get details of a particular client all they need do is open up the database on their handheld and they can then search for the information themselves. Longer will they be wasting money and time in trying to get the details that they want as they will all be close at hand all it takes is a click of a button and everything they need is there. When you are considering purchasing a card scanner for your company or business it is important that you consider what you are going to be using the application for? Will you use it when at trade shows or during day to day activities for example when meeting a new client? Also will you need to be able to use it when you are traveling so it is vital that it is small enough that you can bring it along with your laptop. If you receive a lo of business cards than using a business card scanners will save you a lot of time.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)Two products that some may say independently epitomise America and Britain are chewing gum and tea. These two items have played a role in dramatically changing our lives. Not because the Americans are known for chewing gum and the Britain's are known for drinking tea, but those two products have represented their countries in being the very first to wear a barcode. When Andrew Melrose chose to sell tea for a living, did he know what landmarks he would bequeath? In 1833 Melrose's became the first company to legally land tea independently of the East Indies Trading Co.
William Wrigley only went into the chewing gum business after discovering that the gum he gave away as an incentive to buy his father's soap was more popular with customers than the soap itself. Was it choice or circumstance that chewing gum pieces in the USA and tea in the UK would be the first to start the Epos industry rolling? In the UK we have nothing left to celebrate this great achievement. The keymarkets supermarket in Spalding, Lincolnshire was absorbed by another giant in the 80's, the identity of the would-be famous shopper who bought those teabags is unknown as is the fate of that first bar-coded box of tea bags. The person who used the barcode scanner is also unknown. However, the packet of Wrigley's chewing gum that was the first American product to be barcoded and scanned in June 26, 1974, at Marsh's supermarket in Troy, Ohio - now proudly sits in the Smithsonian Museum alongside other objects of distinction such as the Hope diamond. The customer is known as Clyde Dawson and Sharon Buchanan (now retired) was the cashier who made the first UPC scan. We don't know why the Keymarkets store in Spalding (UK) was chosen or whether it was a blanket operation and it just happened to be the branch that used the scanner first. Surely they would have used the Boston branch for their tea party? We do know that the Troy store was specifically chosen because of its close proximity to the Dayton based NCR Corporation, the designers of checkout counter. Three decades later, let's look at some comparisons. The actual scanner used was from PSC Inc., and at the time cost $4,000 (the entire check-out counter cost $10,000). These days, scanners cost a fraction of that, we can buy a CCD reader for ?55.00 ...a far cry from $4,000. The box of tea bags at the time didn't have a factory-applied barcode, Keymarkets shop workers stuck the barcode labels on products before they were put on the shop shelves ready for customers to buy. Because Keymarkets no longer exist, we can look at the other giants; J. Sainsbury, for example, operated 201 stores in 1975. Today it has 735 and the vast majority of those have at least double the floor space of those mid-70s stores. At that time grocers only stocked a couple of thousand or so product lines at the most. Simply because of the logistics in putting price stickers on all those products allbeit boxes, packets, bags, bottles or cans, the intellectual load on staff who had to know how much each individual product cost and also because of margins for error made this an impossible and expensive task. Despite the fact that the price of barcode scanners and barcode reading equipment has plummeted, the 1970s UK inflation peaked at 28%, now it hovers around the 2% mark. Prices are bound to go down when almost every shop and store in the modern world uses them. Bulk buying and mass production aside, technology has enhanced reliability. CCD readers are the most popular type of bar code reader for low to medium use. No moving parts means a high level of reliability and robustness. Unlike the bar code wand/pen reader which has to be 'swiped' across the code, the CCD remains still during scanning - the scanner normally being activated by depressing the button/trigger. The limiting factor to the type of code you may scan with this sort of reader is the physical width of the read head - either 65mm or 90mm. If you need to scan a code wider than 90mm, you need to specify either a Linear Imager or a Laser Scanner. How is it used....? The read head is placed on the bar code and the trigger depressed. The reader connects to your computer via either PS2 keyboard wedge, RS232 serial interface or via USB Was the barcode invented just to assist the retail industry? Are bar code systems strictly for big business or can a small or medium sized business or service centre adopt bar code systems to streamline operations, increase profit and save money? Are the Mac or Windows suitable platforms for bar code based data collection and control? In 1959 David J. Collins earned his master's degree and went to work for the Syvania Corporation, whilst they were researching military applications for computers, Collins had his mind on a new venture. He had previously worked for The Pennsyvania Railroad and knew that there was an urgent need to create a system that could identify, track and handle the gathered information relating to the movement of freight cars. A coded label seemed to be the cheapest solution. Instead of being black and white, labels were orange and blue. The system worked and it pushed Collins to look at other applications. In 1967 he approached his bosses at Synania and said that he wanted to develop a black and white version for conveyor control and just about everything that moves. The bosses refused to invest in the idea because they felt they had a massive market already. Collins was adamant that the future was in the black and white bar codes and resigned, he co-founded Computer Identics Corporation. Whilst Sylvania never made any money from their system and suffered during the recession, Computer Identics Corporation truly prospered. It used laser ( Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation ) as opposed to a milliwatt helium-neon beam used by others. The fine red stripe was absorbed by the black bars and reflected by the white. The great advantage was that lasers could read the codes several feet away from many different angles and still read damaged labels, useful for warehouse, point of sale and many other applications. . Modern cost effective hand held barcode laser scanners Older types of laser scanner had spinning mirrors and prisms and were rather prone to damage if handled roughly. Modern devices have cut down on the amount of moving parts and so are much more reliable. Many such scanners now carry 2, 3 and 5 year warranties. There are a number of substances which 'Lase'. Modern laser devices such as these, are based on a semiconductor which is excited by a current which then emits light of a single wavelength (normally red) which is then focused. Many household appliances such as computer printers, CD and DVD players, now utilise the unique properties of Lasers. Back in the spring of 1969 Collins was installing what were probably the first true bar code sytems anywhere in the world. One into General Motors and the other into General Trading Company. Today just about everything has a barcode. We often think of barcodes being a retail application but they are used as much for security purposes and asset tracking.
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)If you want to succeed in business you are aware of the fact that you need to network, network, network. After all, the more people who you get in touch with the more potential sales you will have sitting in front of you. But how are you going to keep track of all these contacts? One of the best ways is by collecting business cards from all of them. But even then, you may still have a hard time keeping everything in order. This is where a business card scanner comes into play. When you use a business card scanner you will be able to make things much easier on yourself.
The great thing about a business card scanner is that it will scan any card, and then automatically create a contact point for them in your Microsoft Outlook email manager. As you can imagine, this makes it easier than ever before for you to convert business cards into contacts in your computer. Gone are the days when you had to type each card?s information into your computer. This is outdated, and if you are still doing this you need to consider what a business card reader can do for you.
The main reason that a lot of people do not buy a business card scanner is because they do not want to spend the money. But even though you may have to pay a bit of money for a scanner, you will more than make this back in the amount of time that you save. Can you imagine logging hundreds of business cards into your computer? This could take you hours on end. But with a scanner you never have to worry about this.
All in all, a business card scanner can really help you to organize any new contacts that you make. In turn, this will help your overall business success.
About the Author:
ScanShell Store offers solutions for Business card scanning, Portable scanner . To learn more about this topic Scanshell recommends you visit: Business Card Scanner.com
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)When you are looking for computer supplies, you have probably mostly been looking for things that you have to buy separately which aren?t going to work together as well as you?d like them to. When it comes right down to it, this happens often with things such as your scanners and other things. If you are in the business of needing equipment that works well, you are going to want to look for a Snapshell brand name. You can either get a Snapshell IDR or a Driver license scanner that is made by the same brand. When it comes right down to it, whether you get a Snapshell IDR or a Snapshell Driver license scanner is going to be something that you can take advantage of for many reasons.
Why Do you Need One
You might be wondering why you need a Snapshell IDR or a Snapshell Driver license scanner from http://www.scanshell-store.com/driver_license_scanner.htm. Well, there are many reasons that you might want to get a Snapshell IDR or a Snapshell Driver license scanner from this site. If you are running a place or an organization that requires an ID to be used as people enter it, you are going to want to get a Snapshell IDR or a Snapshell Driver license scanner because this is going to be the only way that you know you are using the correct IDs and that you aren?t allowing people in your place that don?t belong here.
Follow Laws
When you are running an establishment that requires people to be of a certain age or have a certain thing in order to come in, it is very important that you are following the laws and making sure that no one else comes in. In the world today, getting fake IDs is very easy, and this is something that happens a lot. However, as long as you have a Snapshell IDR or a Snapshell Driver license scanner you can make sure that you are not getting scammed because the Snapshell IDR or a Snapshell Driver license scanner will identify when you have been scanning an ID that is fake. This is something that can save you a lot of hardship.
In most places, you will find that just claiming you have Ided the people who come into your establishment is not going to be good enough. The fact is that if you claim that you have asked people for their IDs, and it is found that you have people in your establishment that aren?t supposed to be there, you are still going to get in trouble, no matter what you might have done. So, a Snapshell IDR or a Snapshell Driver license scanner is going to make sure that you don?t? have anyone in your place that doesn?t need to be there. This is going to be a great way to make sure that you stay out of trouble.
About the Author:
ScanShell Store offers solutions for document scanning, ID and Driver license scanning . To learn more about this topic Scanshell recommends you visit: Snapshell IDR.com
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)Each day, billions of products are scanned at retail store checkouts. These retail establishments include grocery stores, department stores, clothing stores, jewelry stores, dollar stores, and much more. If you own one of these establishments, there is a good chance that thousands, if not millions, of items could be scanned at your establishment each day. If you aren?t already using a handheld POS scanner to get the job done, you will want to closely examine them, as there are a number of benefits to outfitting each of your cash registers with handheld scanners.
One of the many benefits to outfitting all of your cash registers with handheld POS scanners is that they will help to increase productivity. POS handheld scanners are often used in addition to flat, countertop scanners. What is unique about POS scanners is that many are wireless or attached to a long cord, cords that an often be used to reach around even large counters. Handheld POS scanners, when in used in conjunction with flat, countertop scanners, are often used to scan large items; items that cannot be placed on a checkout counter. Without the use of a handheld POS scanner, a cashier would likely need to exit the cashier station, write down the barcode information of the product in question, return the cashier station, and manually key in the information. This can take up a considerable amount of time; therefore, in that aspect, handheld POS scanners can help to increase productivity.
Another one of the many benefit to outfitting your cash registers with handheld POS scanners is the matters in which they can be purchased. Handheld POS scanners can be purchased individually or as a component of a complete POS cash register system. Individually purchased scanners are often later purchased as add-ons or as replacements for broken, non-repairable handheld POS scanners. Complete POS cash registers systems are often purchased by new retailers or by those looking to replace their own cash register systems. Handheld POS scanners are not the only component of a complete POS cash register system. Often times, a flat, countertop scanner is also included in a complete POS cash register package.
Another benefit to outfitting your cash registers with handheld POS scanners is that they are cost effective. As it was previously mentioned, handheld POS scanners can be purchased individually or as part of a complete POS cash register system. If you are only in need of a replacement handheld POS or if you would like to add one on to your existing POS cash register, do not need to repurchase a whole new system, you can just buy the part that you need. The only thing that you need to do, when buying an individual handheld POS scanner is ensure that it is compatible with your current POS cash register.
When ordering a handheld POS scanner online, you should be provided with a detailed POS product description, as well as a picture. You will want to thoroughly read through all of the information that you are given. If a handheld POS scanner is considered universal, it should be stated so in the description. Should a handheld POS scanner only be compatible with a number of POS cash registers, those register makes and models should be outlined. As long as you thoroughly read through all product descriptions, you should be able to find and purchase a handheld POS replacement scanner. Should you not find what you were looking for, you will want to contact the POS supplier?s customer service department, as you don?t want to take any chances.
By taking the time to ensure that the individual handheld POS scanner you want is compatible with your current POS cash register, you are helping to ensure that you get a return on your investment. To ensure that you get a return on your investment, whether you end up purchasing an individual POS handheld scanner or a complete POS cash register system, you will want to make sure that you do business with a reputable POS supplier, like VisionPOS.com. With a large selection of POS handheld scanners, as well as services, such as a maintence program and a POS software updating program, you are sure to see a large return on your POS product investments.
About the Author:
I found a great deal on our point of sale system. Vision POS had everything we needed to open shop. If you are looking for point of sale systems for your business I suggest you shop online and save!
Fujitsu fi-6130 Duplex Scanner (PA03540-B055)A few people have recently asked me why I think many of the big book sales are banning scanners and it has been a topic of discussion among many booksellers. There are a number of reasons being discussed by booksellers all over the Internet. Some of the reasons I have read include: 1) A desire by some to curtail the profiteers and assure that there are some good books left when the sale opens to the general public.
Certainly, this hinders the online bookseller and limits the number of books that he/she is able to check, but I do not think this is the reason.
2) Another hypothesis I have heard is that booksellers rummaging through the books and scanning them leave the unwanted books in disarray, thus making more work for the volunteers to straighten out the mess, but I do not think this is the reason either.
The time it takes to straighten out tables of books after a couple hundred booksellers have finished rummaging around is probably not any longer than straightening out after a few thousand people during the "open to the public" period.
3) There are also some that believe the cashiers do not like ringing up hundreds of books for booksellers,This does not make any sense because it is a lot easier to make one sale of hundreds of books to one buyer than to ring up two books for hundreds of customers, so I do not think this is the reason.
4) The volunteers and helpers at the book sales are jealous of booksellers coming in and buying up all the good books to make a profit on them.
I do not doubt that there a people working the book sales and attending them that are jealous of dealers coming in and buying up the valuable books, and this probably does play into the decision to ban scanners, but I do not think it is the primary reason either.
I believe the book sale organizers are genuinely concerned about safety and potential litigation. If you have ever been zapped in the eyes by a careless bookseller with a total disregard for where he/she is pointing their scanner, you know exactly what I mean. You will see spots and/or floaters for a good half hour. If exposed to a direct laser of the intensity of my HP 5P (class II) scanner, I do not doubt that you would suffer some permanent eye damage.
I was personally zapped accidentally by someone using their laser scanner and I could not read ISBN's or the screen on my PDA for almost 45 minutes. I believe laser scanners are being banned from book sales because of liability issues; and with our society being so focused on taking someone to court; the book sale organizers do not want to risk being held responsible for the actions of a careless bookseller. As obnoxious as some of the booksellers I have seen can be, I would not put it past some of them to intentionally zap me if for no other reason than to temporarily give them an edge in buying while my eyes recover. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael E. Mould is the author of "Online Bookselling: A Practical Guide with Detailed Explanations and Insightful Tips," [Paperback ISBN 1427600708, CD-ROM ISBN 1599714876] and the developer of "Bookkeeping for Booksellers" [CD ISBN 1427600694], you can learn more about online bookselling at: http://www.online-bookselling.com , or by emailing mike@online-bookselling.com .
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