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Photographs, letters and all kinds of documents typically occupy boxes and cabinets at home. But now there are new scanners and backup systems that allow storing in digital form. What you need to know to buy the equipment and move everything to bits.

We have always saved documents, important letters and photographs in boxes or cabinets, idly occupying space. Would not it be a good thing if there was a way to scan them without risk either, making them electronic copies ?
There is. Only two things are needed: a good document scanner and a backup system or backup reliable.
The typical flatbed scanner, although cheaper, does not lend itself well to the work of scanning and archiving many paper documents, unless it has an automatic document feeder (ADF), which are accessory equipped with some of the best models on the market.

But even with an ADF, a common scanner will still work with a slowness that will test your patience . To succeed in this task, it is best to work with a high-speed duplex scanner. For example, Fujitsu document scanners produce good reputation, such as models and FI-6130 FI-6140, which represents a good investment for those who have a lot of paper documents that must be quickly scanned and saved with a high level of automation as PDF file. Epson, Xerox and Canon also offered in the United States competitive models with similar characteristics.

The resource “duplex” – which means that the scanner is capable of reading a document on both sides – is critical, since many documents are written on both sides. The essence of speed is also l. Can you put into the machine 10, 20, 30 or more pages, trusting that the scanner to read without error and quickly scan them, promising the same performance in a job that can involve thousands of documents.

Dedicated document scanners, such as the Fujitsu above, have speeds up to 120 pages per minute black and white and color. These machines are connected to the computer via a standard USB cable and usually come with all necessary software to convert documents to PDF and save them directly into a folder on your computer.

Once scanned, not destroy documents before making a reliable backup. A fully automated solution such as HP MediaSmart Server, which is based on the Windows Home Server software from Microsoft, is ideal, since it will automatically nightly backup of everything you have on your PC.

While expensive, good document scanners such as those mentioned here are not inaccessible. FI-6130 model, for example, costs about $ 875 in the United States. But if you are determined to reduce the amount of paper in your life, this unit may represent a good buy technology. After all, the printed documents will continue to enter into your life. With a dedicated scanner can convert them into digital files to delete them later.

Photographs
To scan photographs, there are two ways: if you have a digital camera with high quality and latest model, you can make pictures of their pictures . Or invest in a photo scanner . Both solutions have their pros and cons.
First, to take pictures of your pictures you must use a tripod that allows you to aim the camera directly on the surface on which are placed the photographs. A tripod is essential to prevent any movement in the chamber that degrades the quality of an old photograph. The lighting should be uniform, natural – no flash – and sufficient to achieve adequate exposure.

The achievement of adequate lighting and good support are the main difficulties in using a camera to take pictures of pictures to be scanned. Moreover, according to the quality of your digital camera, you may not reach her resolution could be achieved with a dedicated photo scanner.
If you choose to use a scanner to digitize your old photos, make sure to do it with one that has a color depth hardware and at least 36 or 48 bits and a non-interpolated resolution of at least 6400 x 9600 dots per inch (dpi) . See
interpolated resolutions much higher than this (“interpolated” is the resolution that is achieved by tampering with the software after scanning).

Other points to consider are the scanner – which means if you have great pictures to play – and if the unit comes with a device to facilitate the scanning of slides. Epson is well known for its flat photo scanners, but there are good models of Canon, HP and other major manufacturers.

If your collection is primarily photographic films and slides could also consider buying a dedicated scanner that material. They are smaller than flatbed scanners and usually also more convenient and faster. Plustek, Pacific Image, Nikon, Braun and other manufacturers produce high-quality scanners for these media, which are already on sale in the United States.