A method of generating on a laser printer an image that requires varying densities or shades to accurately render the image. This is achieved by representing the image as a pattern of dots of varying size. Larger dots represent darker areas, and smaller dots represent lighter areas of an image.

This is the method in which the scanner does the scanning process.

It converts the scanned image into an electronic signal and this electronic signal is converted back into an electronic image, which can be seen on the display (monitor screen) through appropriate software. Two types of photoelectric devices are available for scanning, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) scanner and a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) scanner. Sheetfeed scanners use only the CIS photoelectric device.

A CCD scanner is more durable, and most importantly-provides better looking scans. However CIS scanners can be smaller, use less power, and cost less to manufacture.

The maximum number of different colours each pixel can display in an image, often measured in number of bits.

The greater the bit depth, more colours, shades, tones or grayscales can be represented.

Text Enhanced Technology can add value to your scanner by making it possible to scan in pages of printed material and convert it to editable text.

Text Enhanced Technology is quite similar to OCR, but is more advanced and better in scanning text. The difference being that the text enhanced technology has a software that is able to identify many more scripts and alphabet fonts and styles.

It saves you the trouble of re-typing documents. Just scan it using this feature and convert the document into editable text.

An optical character recognition (OCR) utility can add value to your scanner by making it possible to scan in pages of printed material and convert it to editable text.

It is similar to Text Enhanced Technology but is not able to identify certain types of text and styles, which the more advanced Text Enhanced Technology can. While OCR programs often produce less than excellent results from faxes or magazine pages, they certainly eliminate the need to retype many documents -particularly business letters and other fairly plain printed pages.

It saves you the trouble of re-typing documents. Just scan it using this feature and convert the document into editable text.

Automatic Document Feeder allows documents to be feed in automatically whereby the rollers automatically take in the paper and feed it into the printer/copier.

Automatic Document Feeder is a type of feeder that allows you to simply load a stack of paper, press start, and leave the multifunctional do its job.

This eliminates the need to manually feed the paper. Most multifunctional devices today have auto feed features.