Scanners are the oldest of the new technolgies we'll cover. They have been readily available in most computer stores for over a decade. But until recently, few could afford them. Even today "the best" scanners cost really big bucks.

Fortunately, today scanners start under $100 and even the lowest cost models are good enough for our purposes.

What is a scanner? Think of it as a photocopier for your PC. Lift the lid, place a photo or other paper (such as a birth certificate) on the glass top, start the image capturing software that comes with the scanner, click the "scan" button, and save the resulting image file to your hard disk.

Now you can paste that image into your genealogy (word processing program document, desktop published page, web page, or video project asset list). Or, if you like, you can print copies for friends. It is cheaper than paying for extra prints at the camera store.

But wait, there's more! You can also pull the captured image into an image manipulation program. (Some scanners include such an "image editor." Others are sold separately.)

Why would you want to? Perhaps to fix flaws such as folds and fades in the old original you scanned. Perhaps to delete others in a group photograph. Perhaps to highlight part of the image (the signature in a letter, or a particular stone in a cemetery shot).

If you have one photo of your grandfather and another of your grandmother, you may want to merge the two into a single image. Or just crop (cut) the image to the size you want. You can also enlarge the photo to whatever size you want.

For fun, you could merge your grandfather's photo with your grandchild's so your favorite two year old appears to be sitting on his great-great-great-grandfather's knee. (Just don't include such a lie in a genealogy you want people to believe.)

The best image manipulator / photo editor available today is Abode's PhotoShop. Unfortunately, it sells for almost $1,000(Cdn). My favorite for genealogy purposes is its little brother: Abode's PhotoShop Elements, which costs less tan $200. Another nice low-end choice (although not nearly as good or easy to use) is Microsoft's Picture It! for less than $100.

What should you look for in a scanner? Speed and ease of use for sure, but the primary specification is resolution. Look at newspaper or magazine illustrations with a magnifying glass and you will see they are composed of lots of little dots. The number of dots-per-inch a scanner can produce defines it's resolution. The higher the dpi spec, the higher the quality of your scan.

All you need is a scanner with a resolution slightly better than your printer's resolution, typically 600 dots per inch today. Any more is basically overkill. Web site graphics are typically less than 100 dpi. (Note: Resolution determines the quality of a image, not the size of  an image.)

Multi-function devices that combine printer and scanner in a single unit are growing more popular for home use. Prices start under $200. Such units save valuable workspace real estate, but to improve the quality of either component, you will have to replace the entire unit.

Tip: Start with the software that comes on CD in your scanners box. (It is typically listed on the side of the box.) You can always upgrade later.