Film
Main article: Film scanner
This type of scanner is sometimes called a slide or transparency scanner and it works by passing a narrowly focused beam of light through the film and reading the intensity and color of the light that emerges.Usually, uncut film strips of up to six frames, or four mounted slides, are inserted in a carrier, which is moved by a stepper motor across a lens and CCD sensor inside the scanner. Some models are mainly used for same-size scans. Film scanners vary a great deal in price and quality.The lowest-cost dedicated film scanners can be had for less than $50 and they might be sufficient for modest needs. From there they inch up in staggered levels of quality and advanced features upward of five figures. "The specifics vary by brand and model and the end results are greatly determined by the level of sophistication of the scanner's optical system and, equally important, the sophistication of the scanning software.
Roller scanner
Scanners are available that pull a flat sheet over the scanning element between rotating rollers. They can only handle single sheets up to a specified width (typically about 210 mm, the width of many printed letters and documents), but can be very compact, just requiring a pair of narrow rollers between which the document is passed. Some are portable, powered by batteries and with their own storage, eventually transferring stored scans to a computer over a USB or other interface.