Objective: This job aid shows you how to scan images. It is also helpful to save each page of a document as an image and then insert each page into a Word or PDF file. By saving each page as an image first, your file size will be much smaller.

Step 1: Open your scanning program (such as HP Precision Scan Pro).

Select the output resolution. The output resolution dialogue box will appear when you open the program. Most scanning programs default to 200. An output resolution of 200 is sufficient for normal scanning of documents to PDF files, which can be uploaded to an online course. To scan a graphic that is to be used on a website, set the output resolution to 75. For printing scanned documents or graphics, set the output resolution to 300.

Step 2: Place your document face down on the scanner and close the cover. Be careful not to shift your document when closing the lid, as this will create an off-center copy of your document.

Before making the scan of your document, preview it first. To preview, go to Scan>Preview.

The document will appear on your screen. It may be difficult to read, but you will be able to correct this in the next steps.

Step 3: To create a scanned image that is easy to read, select Output Type>True Color or Output Type>Grayscale. If you are scanning a page as an image to be saved as a Word document, select Output Type>Black & White>Bitmap.

Step 4: Once you select an output type, the image on your screen will appear as it will after you scan it. At this time, you can crop the image to select only a specific portion of the document to be scanned. Drag the cursor over the area you want to select.

Step 5: To scan the document, select Scan>Scan To.

Step 6: Once you select "Scan To," a destination box will be presented for you to select where you want your document to be scanned. Select the program to which you want your file to be scanned and select Scan.

Your document will open in the program you selected.

Step 7: If you want to scan several pages into one document you can create a small file by creating an image of each page and then inserting them into a Word or PDF file. To do this, scan each page to Photoshop.

Step 8: Save each page as a .gif or .jpeg.

* If you are using an older version of Photoshop (6.0 or older), choose File>Save as Copy to save as a .gif or .jpeg.

Step 9: Open Word or Adobe Acrobat and insert each image (of each page you scanned) into your document.