While lower scanner prices have induced many businesses to pick up yet another peripheral for the office computer, many manufacturers feel that scanners are still not being used to their full potential. A scanner can indeed do far more than simply scan a photograph, and many of its uses could go a long way to helping a small business. Here's a quick peek at some of the applications for the scanner in a business environment.

Graphics
Graphic images are an important part of many business' marketing and sales efforts. The Internet also offers the chance to display product shots, company photos, and other design elements of a business.

Scanners, like digital cameras, enable users to convert photographs, slides, and three-dimensional objects into files that can be pasted into a brochure, inserted into a presentation or posted on the Internet. Using accompanying software, these images can be edited, cropped, or manipulated to fit space and size requirements.

Data Entry
Instead of paying someone to manually enter reams of data into the computer, you can use a scanner to automatically convert the same information to digital files using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. In conjunction with the software, a scanner reads each page and transfers the text to any number of programs.

A form letter can be saved to a word processing program, sales figures to a spreadsheet, even a brochure to web-editing software. Top of the line programs boast accuracy rates of 99 percent, and most scanners include some type of OCR software.

Digital Files
In an effort to digitize his company, Bill Gates reportedly collected every paper-based form at Microsoft to examine how communication and information were distributed across departments. After filling numerous three-ring binders with thousands of documents, he took steps to eliminate the flow of paper from desk to desk.

If the clutter of your office is keeping your business from running smoothly, a scanner can help to create electronic filing cabinets for everything from invoices to expense reports. Forms can be reproduced online, and searchable databases can provide relevant information in seconds.