For more colors, and flexibility in adjusting brightness and contrast, scanners with a bit depth of 30, 36, 48 and more are equipment you'll need. However, you will spend more money with these things as they are more expensive than 24-bit scanners.

Resolution/DPI is measured in dots per inch (dpi). The dpi tells you how many spots of information are there in a given area. This relates to grid of pixels used to represent your images. The higher dpi, finer grid of pixels--- resulting to a more detailed image.

If you're going to send file via email, you have to scan at 150 dpi, or even less. For print output, anywhere from 200 to 300 is appropriate. If you plan to resize your image, a higher dpi will provide you with more detail and clarity.

Another jargon usually associated with dpi is 'interpolated'. This means that scanner software is creating extra pixels in between ones that are scanned.

Others to be considered…

Negatives- One feature that is useful later on is scanner's ability to scan negatives and/or slides. Negatives contain more detail than prints. For great results, you can scan them at 3000 dpi and then enlarge after. However, this kind of scanner is a bit expensive. In addition, you will also need to invest in specialized software to manage scans.

Speed- Scanners often show speed in seconds per page for both color and black-and-white. The speed depends on factors such as type of computer, dpi setting, and material/image you are scanning. The average specification for a good scanner would be 20 secs/page.

Software- Most scanners come in bundles that include scanner itself and software to manage scanning operations. Like any other technological device, some bundles are better than others. You just need to look into specifications that's right for you.

Interface- The interface between computer and scanner is often USB on either Mac or PC. Exceptions are ScSI or Firewire connectors.

Size- They come in letter size, 8.5 by 11 inches, and legal size at 11 by 14 inches.

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The resolution is measured by number of dots per inch (dpi), which is equal to numbers of squares of color in an inch. A standard resolution for an image should be 300dpi and 400dpi for images containing text.

In scanning black and white images, resolution is not that important. You will only have to work on contrast. Contrast can be adjusted even after scanning.

For multicolored images, difference between duplicate and original is very visible. A scanned color image, when printed, has faded and jagged colors. Meaning, quality of image is poor. To, at least, reduce problem, adjust resolution of your scanner before you scan. Set your scanner to standard resolution. The higher resolution, better quality. But setting resolution can still lead to another problem. It needs a large memory size which means that saving and retrieving require more time.

Scanning helps you edit images but do not expect to have a printed copy better than that of original. Experiment and enhance your skill in manipulating images.

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