What is the main purpose of a scanner?

The main purpose of a scanner is to convert physical documents into digital format. This process allows users to create electronic versions of paper documents, making them easier to store, share, and edit digitally. By scanning a document, the information it contains is transformed into a digital file, which can be saved on a computer or other digital storage devices for further use.

Converting physical documents into a digital format is essential in many contexts, such as archiving records, facilitating online sharing, enhancing accessibility, and preserving information that might deteriorate in physical form. Through this conversion, organizations and individuals can streamline their operations and reduce reliance on paper.

In contrast, while a scanner can produce an image that may be printed (which relates to creating hard copies of documents), its primary function remains the digitization of content. Storing historical data and enhancing print quality are not intrinsic to the function of a scanner; rather, they pertain more to data management systems and image editing software respectively.