Skanery

Skanery is the Polish plural form of skaner, referring to devices that convert physical representations of information into digital data. In English, the equivalent term is scanner. Skanery reproduce images, text, or barcodes by optical capture and convert the result into a digital image or data file for storage, editing, or transmission.

Common types include flatbed scanners for general-purpose use; sheet-fed scanners designed for rapid document capture; handheld scanners for portable use; and film or slide scanners for negatives and transparencies. In retail and logistics, barcode scanners and RFID scanners are also encompassed by the broader idea of skanery, used to read coded data.

Technologies used include contact image sensor (CIS) and charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors to capture light. Scanners vary in optical resolution measured in dots per inch (dpi) and color depth. Modern models may include automatic document feeders, built-in optical character recognition (OCR) software, and connectivity via USB, Wi-Fi, or network interfaces. Output formats include JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF, and searchable PDFs when OCR is available.

Historically, drum scanners offered very high image quality for professional work, while consumer flatbed scanners became common in the late 20th century. Advances in image processing and OCR have integrated scanning with digital workflows, archiving, and cloud storage.

Applications span digitizing documents, photographs, and archival material to enable text recognition and long-term preservation. In commercial settings, barcode and QR code scanning supports inventory management and point-of-sale operations.