RAM and hard disk sizeAccelerator boardsVideo cardsMonitorsFile compression softwareMaintenance and Troubleshooting
If you are not satisfied with the quality of the images on your monitor or with the speed of image processing, you may want to consider upgrading your system as described in this section. While this section does not contain specific recommendations, it describes various possibilities for improving your scanning system. For further information, seek advice from your dealer or an experienced scanner user.
Scanned images use much more memory than text files, so you may need more RAM (Random Access Memory) in your computer and a larger hard disk than you have used previously.
In addition to memory, processing speed is important because large files take longer to process than small ones. Therefore, you may want to add an accelerator board to your computer.
A video card that is sufficient for text may not be good enough for displaying graphic images, especially in color. If all your scanned images look coarse on your monitor, you may want to upgrade your video card. You will need 24-bit color, also called true color or millions of colors, to make the highest quality image reproductions.
The resolution of your monitor affects the quality of the image you see. Consider a high resolution monitor if you do precise color work, but also be sure you have a high quality video card.
Many different programs are available to make image files smaller for storage or transmission. For example, some compression software can store a 3 MB image file on a 1.44 MB floppy disk, and compress images and restore them with no loss of data or quality; others compress images more, but the restored file is not exactly the same as the original. The difference between the original and restored files is, however, almost unnoticeable.
