Scanning Pictures with a Scanner

Written by Barry Dysert (last updated June 8, 2020)

There are many ways to get digital pictures onto your system. But if all you have is a hardcopy picture, one of the few choices you have is to scan the hardcopy. Of course, there are a variety of scanners and configurations of scanner/computer combinations, so providing specific instructions isn't possible. The good news is that most modern scanners provide similar functionality, even if the implementation details are different.

I have a scanner and a computer on my home network. When I want to scan a hardcopy, I place the picture on the scanner's glass and press its Scan button. It then prompts me whether I want to Scan to File, Scan to Email, Scan to OCR, or Scan to Image. I don't want to Email the picture, and there's nothing to OCR, so I could select either Scan to File, which will create a PDF file containing the picture; or I could select Scan to Image, which will create a JPG file.

I choose Scan to Image and press OK. The scanner then searches for my computer on the network. (I had to have previously installed software on the computer for the scanner so that they can communicate with each other.) When it finds the computer on the network, the scanner then prompts me to press the Start button on the scanner itself. When I do, the scanner scans my picture and transmits it to a known location on my computer's hard drive, where it creates the JPG file.

When the scanning is finished, the scanner prompts me for additional pages, but since I only have one picture to scan, I indicate that there are no more pages. The scanner then goes back into "wait" mode. I now have the scanned picture, in JPG format, on my computer and can manipulate it just like I could any other JPG file.

 This tip (11897) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Barry Dysert

Barry has been a computer professional for over 35 years, working in different positions such as technical team leader, project manager, and software developer. He is currently a software engineer with an emphasis on developing custom applications under Microsoft Windows. When not working with Windows or writing Tips, Barry is an amateur writer. His first non-fiction book is titled "A Chronological Commentary of Revelation." ...

MORE FROM BARRY

Using the Narrator

The Narrator is an accessibility feature designed for people who have trouble reading text that's on the screen. Turning ...

Discover More

Understanding Event Logs

Windows event logs are great resources to see what is "invisibly" going on with your system. By understanding the various ...

Discover More

Adjusting Speaker Volume

Adjusting your computer's speaker volume is a quick process. Windows gives you simple access to the overall volume level ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Working with ISO Files

ISO files provide a digital copy of what is stored on an optical disc. Windows allows you to treat these files as if they ...

Discover More

Understanding Windows Slide Show

If you have folders containing pictures, you may want to display them in a slide show. This tip explains how to do it.

Discover More

Understanding ISO Images

ISO images are great for archival and portability. An ISO image is a file on your hard drive that represents an optical ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five more than 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips