The document provides step-by-step instructions for scanning documents at the North Bend Public Library using their Skanlite scanning software. It explains how to place documents on the scanner, open the scanning program, select scan settings like color or grayscale and resolution, preview and select a scan area, and save the scanned file to the desktop. The process results in a digital file of the document that can be saved, emailed or transferred via thumb drive.

1. Scanning documents
at the North Bend
Public Library
Do you need to scan a few pages to email to someone or just so that you
can have a digital copy? This simple walkthrough will show you how to use
our computer to perform simple scans.
Getting started
When choosing a document to scan, make sure to find the cleanest copy of it you can if
possible. Papers that are dirty or have blemishes on them will not produce as good
scanned images. The scan is only as good as our original.
1. Open the lid of the scanner (to the right of the computer).
2. place the document you'd like to scan face-down on the scanner glass in the top-
right corner. For a two-sided document, make sure that the side you'd like to scan
is face down.
3. Close the lid of the scanner.
To open the scanning software (which is called “Skanlite”), double-click the
scanner icon shown at right on the desktop. A small window will pop up
saying “Looking for devices. Please wait” (shown below). Shortly after, the
window shown on the next page will pop up. Now you're able to scan!
Scanning documents at NBPL, p.1

2. The main Skanlite screen
Scan mode:
Choose
whether to
scan in color,
grayscale, or
black & white. Preview area:
Shows you what
your scan will look
Resolution: like before you
Determines make a final scan.
the quality
and size of
the scanned Brightness & Contrast:
Action buttons:
image. Adjust how dark or light
Allow you to
the scan of your
preview, change
document will be.
settings, and make
your final scan.
Scanning a document
To scan a color document, simply follow these steps.
1. Make sure that the option to the right of “Scan mode” says “Color” (as
shown at right) for color documents, “Grayscale” for black, white, and
grey documents, or “Lineart” for black and white documents. If it doesn't, click the
small down arrow to open a menu and left-click the color option.
2. In the Scan resolution box, using the up & down arrows or simply by typing in the
box, change the DPI to 300 for a color or grayscale document or 150 for a black &
white document.
DPI, or “Dots Per Inch,” is a measure of how high quality the scan is. The higher the
number, the larger the size (in computer terms) will be for your final scanned document.
Three hundred is a reasonable size for most color or grayscale documents, particularly if
you are emailing them. If you are planning to use your scan for graphic design or other
purposes, a higher DPI may be in order. Keep in mind, though, that the higher this
number, the slower the scanning will take.
3. Click the “Preview” button in the bottom right of the screen to preview your scan.
A sample preview of scanned document is shown below.
Scanning documents at NBPL, p.2

3. A preview of your
document will
appear on this part
of the screen. Use
your mouse to
select the portion
you want to scan.
4. A preview of your document is shown on the right side of the screen. If you just
want to use part of the image, move your mouse cursor just to the outside of the
part of the document you want to save. A dotted line will appear around what
you've selected. Click and hold your left mouse button and drag it to create a box
around the area you want to scan (as shown above). Once you have the area you
want selected, release your left mouse button.
5. If you would like, you can adjust the brightness and contrast settings to change
the appearance of the image. If in doubt, just leave them as is.
6. Once you're finished, click the “Scan” button near the bottom right. Your scanned
image will automatically save to the desktop, as shown below. You can now save
Your scanned document
will appear on the desktop.
Scanning documents at NBPL, p.3

4. it, transfer it to a thumb drive, or attach it to an email.
7. Once you've scanned your document, you can now either scan another document
or just click the “X” in the top left corner of the program to close the scanning
software.
8. To delete your scanned image from the desktop, click on the icon of the image and
press the “Delete” key on the keyboard.
Other settings
Skanlite defaults to save scanned files in .jpg format. If you'd like to save them in
another image format, such as .png or .bmp, click the “Settings” button near the bottom
right of the screen and change the format in the drop down menu on the right side of the
screen. Unfortunately, our scanning software is not capable of scanning directly to .pdf
format.
Change the image
type here.
Last updated: March 2, 2010, by Buzzy Nielsen
This walkthrough is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution
United States license. For more information, visit http://www.creativecommons.org.
Scanning documents at NBPL, p.4