Help with computer

[d2dave]

I have a scanner which I need some help with. I have scanned a normal sized business card to a computer file. The scanned file is 8.52 meg in size!! It is a business card for Christ's sake.

I have only had this machine for nine months and have not used it much, as like most computer stuff the instructions that come with them are for Bill Gates type people.

I wish to to be able to play with this like I can with photos, eg downsize the file size, enlarge it, touch up (it is very old) and send as an email etc.

Can anyone help me?

Dave.

[V8Ian]

Try the computer section on this site.

[Blknight.aus]

what scanning software are you using

open the scanner settings or using a different scanning software you should be able to set the capture area and the resolution.

most scanners can do over 3600DPI but in reality you only need about 320DPI for basic work thats going to be jpeg'd for the internet, 640-720ish if your doing simple photo work that wont be messed with too much or if your only reproducing at say 6x4 at one of those chemist style plugnplay photo printer stands.

[dmdigital]

Dave, set the scanner to somewhere between 150 and 300dpi. Anything more will be wasted on a business card. If you are scanning negatives or slide film then you need the really high resolution but if you just want a replica of the card this will be fine.

[Tank]

I only use 75DPI and find no problem with that setting, Regards Frank.

[hoadie72]

75DPI is ideal for displaying on screen.

Things to look for are

file type & compression. I tend to use JPG and you could probably get away with 50% or more compression
colour vs greyscale. They're only business cards so greyscale should suffice
DPI. has already been covered

[d2dave]

My problem is that I can't find where to change the DPI.

When I go to scan there are some options available but nothing about DPI.

I also want my scanned document to be like a word doc where I can edit and enlarge it etc.

Dave.

[hoadie72]

Scanned images are exactly that, they're images, so normally you can't edit them in a word processor. To do that, you need what's called an OCR - Optical Character Recognition - program. It converts the image into text.

To be honest it sounds like a lot of effort unless you have a massive pile of business cards to scan, in which case, you might want to invest in a dedicated business card scanner?

[d@rk51d3]

You may be able to configure it within the Windows Control Panel. Possibly in the printer section.

[dmdigital]

My problem is that I can't find where to change the DPI.

When I go to scan there are some options available but nothing about DPI.

I also want my scanned document to be like a word doc where I can edit and enlarge it etc.

Dave.

Scanner options in the control pannel, most likely.

As for the document bit you need OCR software for that (Optical Character Recognition).

[p38arover]

I have a scanner which I need some help with. I have scanned a normal sized business card to a computer file. The scanned file is 8.52 meg in size!! It is a business card for Christ's sake.

I have only had this machine for nine months and have not used it much, as like most computer stuff the instructions that come with them are for Bill Gates type people.

I wish to to be able to play with this like I can with photos, eg downsize the file size, enlarge it, touch up (it is very old) and send as an email etc.

Can anyone help me?

Dave.

Dave, which scanner and what software are you using? Maybe we can steer you to the settings change area.

[d2dave]

Scanned images are exactly that, they're images, so normally you can't edit them in a word processor. To do that, you need what's called an OCR - Optical Character Recognition - program. It converts the image into text.

To be honest it sounds like a lot of effort unless you have a massive pile of business cards to scan, in which case, you might want to invest in a dedicated business card scanner?

In this case I just had one I wanted scanned and then enlarged to make it easy to read.

Quite often I want to scan a newspaper or magazine article to keep for future reference and enlarge it to make it easier to read.

For example if I scan some thing which is 100 120mm it comes up on my screen the same size.

Dave.

[d2dave]

Ron,
It is a HP Office jet J6488 all in one. The software is what came with it when I bought it.

Dave.

[slug_burner]

Ron,
It is a HP Office jet J6488 all in one. The software is what came with it when I bought it.

Dave.

Might have "HP PrecisionScan Pro" as the interface software or some later version of the same. I have this on a fairly old flatbed scanner so it might be that yours is similar. Try the following:

Start by selecting the Scan menu and use the Preview option. This will warm the lamp and produce a scan and then allow you to select the area that you want to concentrate on by dragging a rectangle out over the business card.

Then use the Output Type menu to select either True Colour if you want a JPG image or Text if you want the OCR software to convert the image to a text file.

Hope this helps