Scanner

A scanner is a device that converts a paper document or image into an electronic copy. In banks and offices, scanners are used to digitize contracts, passports and archival documents.

What is a scanner

A scanner is a peripheral device for converting a paper document into a digital format: an image or PDF file. When scanning, the device illuminates the page and captures the reflected light with a sensor, forming a raster image from dots. The main characteristics of a scanner are resolution (dpi), speed (pages per minute), scanning format (A4, A3) and color depth. 300 dpi is enough for text recognition, 600 dpi — for barcodes and banking documents, 1200 dpi and higher — for photos and small details.

Types of scanners

By design there are flatbed scanners, where the document is placed on glass, sheet-fed (auto-feeding) scanners with an automatic feeder for a stack of sheets, as well as handheld and book scanners. Sheet-fed scanners are indispensable in banks for mass digitization of incoming documents: they quickly scan two-sided sheets and recognize text. There are also specialized scanners for passports and IDs operating in conjunction with OFD or access control systems. Barcode scanners for equipment tracking are distinguished separately.

How sheet-fed scanning works

A sheet-fed scanner automatically draws sheets through a feed mechanism and scans them on both sides in one pass. The software recognizes text (OCR), rotates flipped pages and saves the result to a shared folder or document flow system. This allows processing tens of pages per minute without an operator. For a bank, it is important that the scanner supports high-quality resolution, formats of passports and documents with security elements, as well as integration with automated banking systems.

Scanner and MFD: differences

A scanner is a separate digitization device; an MFD additionally prints and copies. If a company only needs to convert paper documents to electronic form, a separate sheet-fed scanner is faster and more reliable than the built-in one. Built-in MFD scanning is convenient when the task is rare and does not require high speed, and for archives and incoming flows specialized scanners with an automatic feeder are chosen. In terms of cost of ownership, a sheet-fed scanner is justified at large volumes: it saves operator time and reduces manual processing.

Use of scanners in banks

In the banking sector, scanners are used to digitize applications, passports, payment orders and archival documents. Scanned copies are sent to an electronic repository, where they are signed and recorded. To verify documents, scanners with IR and UV illumination that recognize the security features of passports are used, which is related to the operation of passport and visa document readers. The speed and reliability of the scanner affect the customer service time, so equipment with an automatic feeder and two-sided scanning is chosen for operating halls.

Scanner maintenance

For stable operation, scanners require regular cleaning of the glass and feed rollers from dust, timely updating of drivers and software. In sheet-fed models, it is important to replace consumable kits (rollers, brake pads) in time to avoid paper jams. Scanning profiles are configured for document types: passports, contracts, checks — with the required resolution, file format and text recognition. Quality control and statistics on digitized documents help plan the load and maintenance.