You can scan all sorts of material with a scanner, including pictures, paper documents like bank statements, pages from books, magazine articles, maps and even things like coins (3D objects that don't have a lot of dimension). Once you scan the material, it makes an image in the memory of your computer, instead of another piece of paper like a copy machine does.

Once you have your digital image on your computer, you can bring it up on your monitor, e-mail it, print it or anything you want to do with it. Scanning gives you a lot more options.

You do have to have software to go along with your scanner. A lot of times, the software that will work best with your scanner will come along with it when you buy it. If not, you can do a search online to find different kinds of scanner software that will work with your machine. Some scanning software can work on its own, but most have a toolbar, similar to one you see in a Web browser, that will guide you through the scanning process.

Scanners also often work with a TWAIN driver, which is also used with other devices like digital cameras. The TWAIN driver is basically the software that is provided by the scanner manufacturer to make your scanner work. All scanner manufacturers have agreed on using a TWAIN driver, so your scanner will come with the correct driver made specifically for your type of scanner. It also helps transfer the scanned material into the image that will show up on your computer screen.

To get started, open the image program that came with your scanner (or if you use a different imaging program, open that). Open the lid of your scanner and place the document, photo or whatever you're scanning onto the glass bed. Then close the lid. Make sure you read through the manual that comes with your scanner to be sure there are no additional steps that I may be missing in this article.

You may also have to select the TWAIN driver for your scanner if it doesn't automatically come up, but all of that should be explained in your manual. Now, you will just press the Scan button to scan the item and make an image. It usually takes anywhere between 15 to 60 seconds to complete the scan.

Once the image is scanned, it will appear on your screen and you can modify it any way you want. If it's a picture, you can rotate it, clear out red eye, etc. If it's a text document, you can make the text larger, highlight things, etc. You can do whatever you want with the tools that your scanning software provides.

Once you have the item edited the way you want it, you can save it just like you would anything else. Go to File, Save As and choose a TIF or JPEG format. You can place it wherever you want (in My Documents, My Pictures, on a flash drive, etc). You can also print it right then if you so choose.

Note: All scanners are different and you will have to read through your manual for specific instructions from what I have given you. Always consult your manual if you run into problems. The scanning process is pretty simple though, so have fun with it and happy scanning!

~ Erin

Wrapped With Style
Do you use a lot of pictures in your MS Word documents?

Hate the way they push the text around the document, often causing awkward looking gaps and layout problems?

How would you like a way to get the text and picture to "play together nicely"? You know, make them work in a way that doesn't cause all the gaps and other problems.

Maybe even turn this

What we're looking for is called text wrapping. (Makes sense given that we need to wrap the text around the picture.)

There's a couple of ways to find the text wrapping settings - one of them is on the Picture Toolbar that opens when a picture is selected.

You're looking for the Text Wrapping button. The little dog represents a picture and the lines represent text so you can tell by looking at the button how the relationship between the two is currently set.

If you click the button then a whole list of choices will appear.

Choose from the list how you want the text to interact with the picture (the names are pretty self-explanatory). I tend to choose either Tight (which has the text follow the contours of the picture as shown above) or Square (which will force the text into a square shape at the edges of the picture).

But, whatever your choice you should see a change in the way the text behaves around the picture. Hopefully your choice makes an improvement but if it doesn't then select a different option.

Now, on to the second way to cause text wrapping changes…

Should you, for some reason, not have the picture toolbar handy or not like it at all then you could choose to right click on the picture and choose Format Picture from the menu that pops open.

When the Picture Format window opens you're looking for the tab that contains the wrapping choices. In the newer versions it's on the Layout tab and in the older versions you may find a Wrapping Tab.

Either way, when you get there you're presented with pretty much the same choices. Make your selection and click OK.

Once again, you're back in your document where you should find that the text and picture have begun a very pleasant relationship giving you that professional look you were seeking.

~ April

Do you constantly find yourself looking for a way to "jazz up" a document, presentation or worksheet?

Most of you already know that you can use the Drawing Toolbar's AutoShape feature to create simple shapes for emphasis.

Maybe something like this:

Look familiar?

Yes, that's right, it's pretty much the shape used in the title but with one huge difference—that title is in a 3D form. Way more interesting, don't you think?

Well, if you agree, then read on because you'll want to know the rest.

Once you have an object drawn (AutoShape, lines, rectangles, ovals, text boxes, WordArt, etc...) you need to make sure it's selected.

(Try clicking on the object once to get the outside borders and/or handles.)

Now you're looking for the 3D button on the Drawing Toolbar.

When you click the 3D button a palette of options will pop open. (If you've selected something that can not have the 3D effects then the options will be transparent and won't work.)

Select a 3D choice and poof!

Your object has transformed from flat and boring to eye-popping.
Yeah! 3D effect without the goofy 3D glasses.

~ April