Tokoh Wanita Terbaik

Indonesia Kehilangan Tokoh Wanita Terbaik

In Memoriam : Dr Hasri Ainun. Alamarhumah ketika mendampingi suaminya, BJ Habibie.

Selasa, 25 Mei 2010

JAKARTA, Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono menyatakan Indonesia telah kehilangan salah seorang tokoh wanita terbaik dengan meninggalnya Ibu Hasri Ainun Habibie, istri mantan Presiden ketiga Republik Indonesia, BJ Habibie.

Dalam sambutannya selaku inspektur upacara pada upacara pemakaman Ibu Ainun yang dilangsungkan secara militer di Taman Makam Pahlawan (TMP) Kalibata, Jakarta, Selatan, Selasa, Presiden mengatakan Ibu Ainun tidak hanya seorang Ibu Negara yang penuh kasih, namun juga pejuang kemanusiaan yang tulus serta ibu dari sebuah keluarga panutan.

"Beliau telah mendampingi Presiden Republik Indonesia Ketiga, Bapak Prof Dr Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, dalam menunaikan tugas-tugas kenegaraan yang sangat berat," ujar Presiden.

Ibu Ainun, lanjut dia, dengan penuh kesetiaan dan kepercayaan senantiasa mendampingi Presiden Habibie melewati hari-hari yang tidak mudah dalam salah satu periode sejarah yang sangat menentukan ketika negara Indonesia diguncang krisis pada 1998-1999 berbarengan dengan mulai dilaksanakannya reformasi nasional yang dramatis dan berskala besar.

"Dalam suka dan duka, beliau selalu tegar menjalankan tugas sebagai Ibu Negara bagi kepentingan masyarakat, bangsa, dan negara yang kita cintai," ujar Presiden.

Pemakaman Ibu Ainun yang lahir di Semarang, Jawa Tengah, pada 11 Agustus 1937 di TMP Kalibata secara militer merupakan bentuk penghormatan dan penghargaan dari Negara dan Pemerintah atas jasa dan pengabdiannya kepada negara dan bangsa.

"Sepanjang hidupnya, beliau telah menunjukkan dharma bakti terbaiknya dengan penuh ketulusan. Dedikasi yang tak berkesudahan kepada nilai-nilai kemanusiaan menjadi bukti nyata keteladanan beliau," tutur Presiden.

Hingga akhir hayatnya, Ibu Ainun yang sempat menjadi asisten ahli di bagian anak RS Cipto Mangunkusumo adalah Ketua Umum Perhimpunan Penyantun Mata Tunanetra Indonesia (PPMTI) dan Pengurus Yayasan Amal Abadi Beasiswa Orang Tua Bimbing Terpadu (YAAB-ORBIT).

Berkat pengabdian dan jasa-jasanya di bidang kemanusiaan, Ibu Ainun yang lulus dari Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Indonesia pada 1961 itu dianugerahi Bintang Republik Indonesia Adipradana, dan Bintang Mahaputra Adipurna.

Presiden dalam sambutannya berharap agar berbagai aksi kemanusiaan bersifat universal yang dilakukan oleh Ibu Ainun Habibie dapat berlanjut untuk kehidupan yang lebih baik.

"Pada kesempatan yang khidmat ini, saya mengajak seluruh rakyat Indonesia untuk mendoakan beliau. Semoga keikhlasan Almarhumah dalam mengabdi kepada masyarakat, bangsa, dan negara dengan segala amal ibadahnya diterima oleh Tuhan Yang Maha Kuasa," tutur Presiden.

Kepada BJ Habibie dan seluruh keluarga yang ditinggalkan, Kepala Negara berharap agar Tuhan senantiasa memberikan ketabahan dan kesabaran mengatasi cobaan dengan tabah, ikhlas, dan tawakal.

BJ Habibie yang mengenakan kemeja batik bernuansa coklat tua selama prosesi pemakaman berlangsung sekitar 45 menit terlihat sedih.

Saat berjalan mengiringi peti jenazah dari pintu masuk TMP Kalibata hingga liang lahat, Habibie yang berjalan di samping Ani Yudhoyono dan didampingi dua cucunya bahkan sempat beberapa kali meneteskan air mata.

Ibu Ainun menikah dengan BJ Habibie pada 12 Mei 1962 dan dikaruniai dua putra, Ilham Akbar Habibie dan Thareq Kemal Habibie.(ANT)

Mengenang Ibu Ainun Habibie

Selasa, 25 Mei 2010

Mantan Presiden RI BJ Habibie punya banyak kisah yang membuatnya bahagia. Yang utama adalah sang istri, Dr Hasri Ainun Habibie.

Pada tahun 1963, beberapa mahasiswa Universitas Aachen menunggu di Bandara Dusseldorf, menanti kedatangan seniornya, BJ Habibie, yang membawa pasangannya yang baru.

Begitu diperkenalkan, kesan pertama kami adalah alangkah serasinya kedua sejoli ini dari segi penampilan, Habibie tidak tinggi dan Dr Hasri Ainun Besari Habibie (Ainun) tidak lebih tinggi dari suaminya.

Ia murah senyum, terlihat anggun dan menyerahkan semua percakapan kepada suaminya. Kami, anak mahasiswa Aachen, memang sudah terbiasa dengan sifat Rudy—panggilan Habibie—yang ramai, tetapi ramah. Kesan lain yang kami dapati adalah, Ainun seorang tokoh yang tidak ingin menonjol dan sengaja berada di garis belakang, tetapi bukan berarti tidak berbobot.

Mendukung dari belakang
Dalam sejarah perkenalan saya dengan keluarga ini, kesan pertama itu diperkuat lagi oleh kuatnya pendirian Ainun dalam mendukung suaminya dari belakang. Ia sangat memahami tugas-tugas suaminya dan bagaimana dengan setia mendampingi dan mendukung suaminya. Ke mana pun sang suami pergi, beliau dengan setia dan sabar mendampinginya, tidak saja secara fisik, tetapi juga dengan kata-kata dan nasihat yang bermakna.

Misalnya, sewaktu Sidang MPR tahun 1999, kata-kata kasar dari anggota DPR tetap diterima dengan anggun dan, di rumah, Ainun membantu Rudy mengatasi kecaman-kecaman yang diucapkan tidak pantas itu. Banyak dari kami yang mengatakan bahwa Ainun adalah contoh istri yang ideal, tidak menonjol tetapi menjadi satu kesatuan dengan suaminya karena selalu mendukungnya dari belakang.

Seorang sosok yang cantik, anggun, pintar, tetapi pandai menempatkan diri dalam pergaulan sehari-hari dan perjalanan karier di samping suaminya. Apalagi sang suami adalah seorang yang dinamis dan penuh dengan energi.

Dalam berbagai kesempatan, Rudy menyatakan di depan umum betapa Ainun menjadi penopang dan pendorong dalam hidup dan aktivitasnya. Betul pula pepatah yang menyatakan bahwa "di balik seorang laki laki yang sukses bisa didapati wanita yang telah mendukungnya".

Mereka mengalami masa pacaran yang singkat, tetapi cukup mengesankan. Mereka berpacaran di atas becak malam hari dengan jok tertutup kendati saat itu tidak sedang hujan.

Pada masa awal pacaran mereka, setelah Ainun menerima lamaran Rudy, Rudy secara reguler mengantar Ainun pergi bekerja ke Rumah Sakit Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM) Jakarta, tempat Ainun bekerja di bagian anak-anak. Biasanya, Rudy menjemput Ainun memakai becak, sesudah itu mereka berjalan meninggalkan kompleks RSCM.

Mereka mengalami masa pacaran yang singkat, tetapi cukup mengesankan. Mereka berpacaran di atas becak malam hari dengan jok tertutup kendati saat itu tidak sedang hujan.

Pernah pula ketika sedang pacaran mereka ketemu dengan rombongan teman-teman Ainun dari Fakultas Kedokteran. Salah seorang bertanya, "Siapa sih nama tunanganmu Ainun?" Seorang lagi memotong, "Namanya Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie. Orang Arab lagi." Ainun tersenyum lalu berkata, "Ini orang Arab-nya," sambil menunjuk Rudy yang berada di sebelahnya. Teman-teman Ainun kaget, Rudy hanya senyum-senyum.

Selalu mengingatkan
Mereka menikah 12 Mei 1962 dan Ilham—putra mereka pertama—lahir pada 1963 di Jerman karena, setelah menikah, Ainun langsung di boyong ke Jerman. Di situ mereka hidup dalam rumah tangga anak muda, berpahit-pahit karena penghasilan Rudy sebagai mahasiswa tingkat doktoral masih sangat kecil, pemasukan harus pula disisihkan sebagian untuk ditabung.

Masa itulah masa berat mereka di awal-awal pernikahan. Ketika saya harus ke Holland (Belanda dengan Aachen sangat dekat), Rudy menitipkan kepada saya untuk membelikan kereta dorong bayi karena harga di Belanda lebih murah.

Ainun sangat mencintai dan selalu memberikan perhatian besar kepada suaminya. Ketika masih menjadi Menristek/Ketua BPPT, Rudy sering pulang terlambat dari kantor, biasanya bisa lewat dari pukul 22.00. Jika sudah terlambat seperti itu, Ainun menelepon langsung dari rumah mengingatkan agar Rudy segera pulang karena harus menjaga kesehatan. Rudy biasanya minta kepada sekretariat agar menjawab "Bapak sudah menuju lift", padahal sebenarnya ia masih duduk di kursi dan meneruskan pekerjaan, tidak langsung pulang.

Perhatian Ainun juga tertuju pada makanan Rudy sehari-hari. Ia selalu menjaga kalori yang pantas dalam asupan suaminya. Ia memberikan batasan-batasan makanan apa saja seharusnya yang dikonsumsi.

Perhatian Ainun juga tertuju pada makanan Rudy sehari-hari. Ia selalu menjaga kalori yang pantas dalam asupan suaminya. Ia memberikan batasan-batasan makanan apa saja seharusnya yang dikonsumsi. Karena itu, Rudy sangat tertib dalam hal makanan jika Ainun ada di dekatnya. Namun, jika Ainun tak ada, saya lihat Rudy sering melanggar pantangan yang diberikan Ainun.

Hal lain yang menarik adalah soal waktu. Kita semua tahu jika Rudy memberikan sambutan dan berceramah biasanya selalu panjang melebihi batas waktu yang dijatahkan. Namun, jika Ainun hadir, almarhumah biasa memberikan isyarat agar segera berhenti dan Rudy dengan jujur menyampaikan kepada hadirin, ia akan segera menghentikan pidato dan ceramahnya karena sudah mendapat isyarat dari Ibu Ainun agar berhenti.

Suatu waktu, pada acara salat tarawih di kediaman beliau di Jalan Patra, Rudy diberi kesempatan menyampaikan sambutan kepada jemaah. Ternyata, sambutan Rudy berkepanjangan. Melihat jemaah sudah gelisah karena masih akan dilanjutkan acara tarawih, Ibu Ainun melalui salah seorang cucunya meminta supaya memberikan isyarat kepada "eyang kakungnya" agar mengakhiri sambutan.

Sang cucu memang menjalankan tugasnya dan tampil ke depan mengayunkan tangan seperti kalau sedang salat. Rudy mengerti isyarat itu dan mengakhiri sambutannya. Namun, ia tidak lupa berkomentar, "Itu pasti disuruh oleh Ibu Ainun." Jemaah pun tertawa.

Ainun penuh dengan energi dan tidak saja aktif sebagai ibu rumah tangga meski suaminya menteri dalam Kabinet Pembangunan. Ia aktif dengan berbagai kegiatan di bidang organisasi wanita: Dharma Wanita Pusat, Ria Pembangunan, dan banyak kegiatan sosial di bidang anak dan manula. Namun, beliau sangat religius dan pengajian secara teratur dilakukan di rumahnya.

Sewaktu menjadi Ibu Negara saya sangat terkagum-kagum bagaimana Ainun bisa mempunyai stamina dan membagi waktu untuk mengikuti setiap acara Presiden, baik di dalam maupun di luar kota. Menerima lebih banyak lagi tamu di luar kegiatan keluarga. Dan, di samping itu, ia masih dapat membagikan kepedulian dalam kegiatan sosial.

Sewaktu menjadi Ibu Negara saya sangat terkagum-kagum bagaimana Ainun bisa mempunyai stamina dan membagi waktu untuk mengikuti setiap acara Presiden

Setelah Rudy tidak lagi menjabat di pemerintahan, Ainun masih aktif dalam kegiatan sosial. Misalnya menjadi Ketua Perkumpulan Penyantun Mata Tunanetra Indonesia (PPMTI), Wakil Ketua Dewan Pendiri Yayasan SDM Iptek, mendirikan Yayasan Orbit dengan cabang di seluruh Indonesia. Juga memprakarsai majalah teknologi anak anak Orbit. Semasa gejolak di Aceh pada tahun 2000-an, Ainun mengadakan beasiswa ORBIT khusus untuk siswa Aceh.

Ibu Ainun sudah tiada, meninggalkan kita dengan banyak kenangan yang manis dan berkesan. Meskipun tak banyak diekspos media, banyak tindakan beliau semasa hidup yang menjadi suri teladan bagi kita semua. Kasih sayang dan cinta tidak saja dibagi dengan suami, anak, dan keluarga, tetapi juga dengan masyarakat.

Bagi saya, Ainun betul-betul sosok ibu dari anak-anak negara dan seorang istri teladan.

SEJAK kita merdeka belum terjadi seorang presiden atau istri presiden kita yang sedang menjabat wafat. Soekarno, Soeharto dan Abdurrahman Wahid wafat setelah mereka tidak lagi menjabat.

Bagaimana dengan istri-istri presiden? Hanya Ibu Tien Soeharto yang meninggal dunia ketika suaminya sedang menjabat. Beliau wafat bertepatan dengan Hari Raya Idul Adha tahun 1996, sama seperti ketika mantan Wakil Presiden Adam Malik meninggal dunia dan dishalatkan di Mesjid Istiqlal oleh EZ Muttaqien yang menjadi imam shalat Idul Adha tahun 1984.

Bahkan malam harinya, konduktor Zubin Mehta dengan orkes simfoninya, mengheningkan cipta untuk Adam Malik sebelum bermain di Balai Sidang Jakarta.

Indonesia pertama kali kehilangan istri pendamping presiden, ketika Ibu Fatmwati Soekarno wafat di Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia tahun 1979. Saat itu nama Soekarno sangat haram untuk diungkit-ungkit. Mau tidak mau kepergian Bu Fat (panggilan akrab), membuat semua orang terkenang saat-saat negeri ini berada dalam kritis masa perjuangan kemerdekaan.

Saya begitu trenyuh, ketika mengetahui bahwa bila ada acara-acara keagamaan Islam yang dihadiri Presiden Soekarno, Bu Fat lah yang mengaji membacakan kitab suci. Begitupun dengan Ibu Inggit yang selalu memberi kode-kode tertentu pada telur yang dikirim ke suaminya saat di penjara Sukamiskin.

Kalau telurnya retak, artinya banyak kerusuhan kecil di luar sana terhadap kezaliman kolonial Belanda. Atau memberi tanda-tanda khusus pada huruf Arab pada Quran yang dikirim ke suaminya. Nanti Soekarno akan merangkaikan tanda-tanda itu menjadi sebuah berita penting. Mengirim surat tentu akan disensor bahkan dilarang oleh petugas penjara.

Ibu Inggit Garnasih hidup dalam kesederhanaan yang sangat keterlaluan. Tahun 1981 pernah terbetik berita bahwa cucunya akan melelang surat nikah Inggit dan Soekarno untuk kebutuhan perut, sambil Ibu Inggit membuat jamu tradisional untuk nafkahnya.

Ketika ada bukti-bukti bahwa Soekarno pernah minta maaf kepada Belanda saat menjadi suaminya, agar dia jangan dipenjara dan berjanji menghentikan agitasinya melawan Belanda, Inggit ngamuk seolah bangkit dari kerentaan yang lemah. “Pamali! Kusno melakukannya!” Bahkan Wakil Presiden Adam Malik menolak fakta itu.

Inggit telah wafat tahun 1984 dan dimakamkan dalam kesederhaan dan kesepian. Lalu menyusul kepergian Ibu Hartini yang wafat pada tahun 2002 ketika anak tirinya menjadi orang nomor satu di Indonesia.

Kini, kembali Indonesia kehilangan istri presiden yang bersahaja dan paling bersiih dari hiruk pikuk kesibukan suaminya sebagai presiden Indonesia. Ibu Hasri Ainun Habibie, istri Presiden Baharuddin Jusuf Habibie wafat di Muenchen, saat klub sepak bola kota itu kalah bertanding merebut Piala Champions.

Kiprah Ibu Ainun jarang terdengar dan membuat garis hijau yang jelas antara dia dengan suaminya sebagai presiden. Tidak seperti Nancy Reagan, istri Presiden Ronald Reagan, yang banyak kalangan disebut sebagai “the real US President”, karena pengaruhnya yang sangat kuat pada kebijakan suaminya.

Ibu Ainunlah yang membuat suaminya menjadi presiden yang begitu enerjik dan paling enerjik dalam sejarah bangsa ini. Habibie sangat responsif dan terbuka dalam kesehariannya sebagai presiden. Ini tak lepas dari peran Ibu Ainun yang tekun mendampingi suaminya. Banyak orang bilang Ibu Ainun seperti oksigen bagi suaminya.

Saya tak bisa menduga bagaimana kekuatan suaminya setelah ditinggal pendamping setianya. Ketika Ibu Tien wafat tahun 1996, tahun-tahun berikutnya menjadi waktu yang melemahkan suaminya, sehingga membawanya pada akhir kekuasaan di tahun 1998.

Saya secara pribadi bangga dengan Ibu Ainun. Hanya beliaulah istri presiden yang satu-satunya satu almamater dengan saya. Ibu Ainun adalah lulusan fakultas kedokteran Universitas Indonesia, sebelum menikah dengan seorang pemuda yang kelak menjadi orang nomor satu di negeri ini.

Terbayang ketika Soekarno mengumumkan mobilisasi umum untuk merebut Trikora tahun 1961, pasti Ibu Ainun ikut digembleng untuk ikut bersiap-siap melakukan apa saja sebagai mahasiswa kala itu.

Sebuah majalah mingguan berita nasional terkemuka, pernah memberitakan bahwa sebelum dikirim ke Jerman atas usaha Muhammad Jamin, Habibie dan pemuda-pemuda lainnya digembleng di Istana Merdeka oleh Presiden Soekarno.

Entah secara kebetulan, kepalanya Habibie dipegang-pegang oleh Soekarno, sambil ditunjuk-tunjuk untuk memberi semangat sebagai contoh kepada lainnya. Mungkin saja Soekarno tertarik melihat sorot mata Habibie muda yang begitu tajam dan ini mungkin juga menjadi daya tarik Ibu Ainun untuk menjadi pendampingnya seumur hidup.

Setiap istri-istri presiden Indonesia, selalu melakukan hal yang terbaik dan proposional sebagai fungsinya pendamping lahir batin sang suami atau istri (bagi Taufik Kiemas). Kita tak bisa membayangkan, bagaimana Soekarno tanpa Bu Inggit, tanpa Bu Fatmawati, tanpa Bu Hartini, tanpa Dewi. Apa jadinya Soeharto tanpa Ibu Tien. Rasanya Gus Dur pun tak akan tegar memimpin negeri ini tanpa kehadiran Ibu Shinta.

Kehadiran istri-istri presiden Indonesia mempunyai tempat sendiri dalam sejarah bangsa ini. Bagaikan sebuah taman yang asri, istri-istri presiden bak bunga warna warni yang memancarkan parfum, sehingga membuat suami mereka selalu tegar. Ibu Ainun adalah satu dari bunga-bunga yang cantik itu.

Selamat Jalan Ibu Ainun… (*)

Image scanner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Desktop scanner, with the lid raised. An object has been laid on the glass, ready for scanning.

Scan of the jade rhinoceros seen in the photograph above.

Image scanner.

In computing, a scanner is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. Common examples found in offices are variations of the desktop (or flatbed) scanner where the document is placed on a glass window for scanning. Hand-held scanners, where the device is moved by hand, have evolved from text scanning "wands" to 3D scanners used for industrial design, reverse engineering, test and measurement, orthotics, gaming and other applications. Mechanically driven scanners that move the document are typically used for large-format documents, where a flatbed design would be impractical.

Modern scanners typically use a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a Contact Image Sensor (CIS) as the image sensor, whereas older drum scanners use a photomultiplier tube as the image sensor. A rotary scanner, used for high-speed document scanning, is another type of drum scanner, using a CCD array instead of a photomultiplier. Other types of scanners are planetary scanners, which take photographs of books and documents, and 3D scanners, for producing three-dimensional models of objects.

Another category of scanner is digital camera scanners, which are based on the concept of reprographic cameras. Due to increasing resolution and new features such as anti-shake, digital cameras have become an attractive alternative to regular scanners. While still having disadvantages compared to traditional scanners (such as distortion, reflections, shadows, low contrast), digital cameras offer advantages such as speed, portability and gentle digitizing of thick documents without damaging the book spine. New scanning technologies are combining 3D scanners with digital cameras to create full-color, photo-realistic 3D models of objects.

In the biomedical research area, detection devices for DNA microarrays are called scanners as well. These scanners are high-resolution systems (up to 1 µm/ pixel), similar to microscopes. The detection is done via CCD or a photomultiplier tube (PMT).

[edit] Historical precedent

Édouard Belin and his Belinograph

Scanners can be considered the successors of early telephotography input devices, consisting of a rotating drum with a single photodetector at a standard speed of 60 or 120 rpm (later models up to 240 rpm). They send a linear analog AM signal through standard telephone voice lines to receptors, which synchronously print the proportional intensity on special paper. This system was in use in press from the 1920s to the mid-1990s. Color photos were sent as three separated RGB filtered images consecutively, but only for special events due to transmission costs.

[edit] Types

[edit] Drum

Drum scanners capture image information with photomultiplier tubes (PMT), rather than the charge-coupled device (CCD) arrays found in flatbed scanners and inexpensive film scanners. Reflective and transmissive originals are mounted on an acrylic cylinder, the scanner drum, which rotates at high speed while it passes the object being scanned in front of precision optics that deliver image information to the PMTs. Most modern color drum scanners use three matched PMTs, which read red, blue, and green light, respectively. Light from the original artwork is split into separate red, blue, and green beams in the optical bench of the scanner.

The drum scanner gets its name from the clear acrylic cylinder, the drum, on which the original artwork is mounted for scanning. Depending on size, it is possible to mount originals up to 11"x17", but maximum size varies by manufacturer. One of the unique features of drum scanners is the ability to control sample area and aperture size independently. The sample size is the area that the scanner encoder reads to create an individual pixel. The aperture is the actual opening that allows light into the optical bench of the scanner. The ability to control aperture and sample size separately is particularly useful for smoothing film grain when scanning black-and white and color negative originals.

While drum scanners are capable of scanning both reflective and transmissive artwork, a good-quality flatbed scanner can produce good scans from reflective artwork. As a result, drum scanners are rarely used to scan prints now that high-quality, inexpensive flatbed scanners are readily available. Film, however, is where drum scanners continue to be the tool of choice for high-end applications. Because film can be wet-mounted to the scanner drum and because of the exceptional sensitivity of the PMTs, drum scanners are capable of capturing very subtle details in film originals.

Only a few companies continue to manufacture drum scanners. While prices of both new and used units have come down over the last decade, they still require a considerable monetary investment when compared to CCD flatbed and film scanners. However, drum scanners remain in demand due to their capacity to produce scans that are superior in resolution, color gradation, and value structure. Also, because drum scanners are capable of resolutions up to 12,000 PPI, their use is generally recommended when a scanned image is going to be enlarged.

The first scanned image

In most graphic-arts operations, very-high-quality flatbed scanners have replaced drum scanners, being both less expensive and faster. However, drum scanners continue to be used in high-end applications, such as museum-quality archiving of photographs and print production of high-quality books and magazine advertisements. In addition, due to the greater availability of pre-owned units, many fine-art photographers are acquiring drum scanners, which has created a new niche market for the machines.

The first image scanner ever developed was a drum scanner. It was built in 1957 at the US National Bureau of Standards by a team led by Russell A. Kirsch. The first image ever scanned on this machine was a 5 cm square photograph of Kirsch's then-three-month-old son, Walden. The black and white image had a resolution of 176 pixels on a side.^[1]

[edit] Flatbed

A flatbed scanner is usually composed of a glass pane (or platen), under which there is a bright light (often xenon or cold cathode fluorescent) which illuminates the pane, and a moving optical array in CCD scanning. CCD-type scanners typically contain three rows (arrays) of sensors with red, green, and blue filters. CIS scanning consists of a moving set of red, green and blue LEDs strobed for illumination and a connected monochromatic photodiode array for light collection. Images to be scanned are placed face down on the glass, an opaque cover is lowered over it to exclude ambient light, and the sensor array and light source move across the pane, reading the entire area. An image is therefore visible to the detector only because of the light it reflects. Transparent images do not work in this way, and require special accessories that illuminate them from the upper side. Many scanners offer this as an option.

[edit] Film

DSLR camera and slide scanner

"Slide" (positive) or negative film can be scanned in equipment specially manufactured for this purpose. 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 mainly used for same-size scans.

[edit] Hand

Hand scanners come in two forms: document and 3D scanners. Hand held document scanners are manual devices that are dragged across the surface of the image to be scanned. Scanning documents in this manner requires a steady hand, as an uneven scanning rate would produce distorted images - a little light on the scanner would indicate if the motion was too fast. They typically have a "start" button, which is held by the user for the duration of the scan; some switches to set the optical resolution; and a roller, which generates a clock pulse for synchronization with the computer. Most hand scanners were monochrome, and produced light from an array of green LEDs to illuminate the image. A typical hand scanner also had a small window through which the document being scanned could be viewed. They were popular during the early 1990s and usually had a proprietary interface module specific to a particular type of computer, usually an Atari ST or Commodore Amiga.

While popularity for document scanning has waned, use of hand held 3D scanners remains popular for many applications, including industrial design, reverse engineering, inspection & analysis, digital manufacturing and medical applications. To compensate for the uneven motion of the human hand, most 3D scanning systems rely on the placement of reference markers – typically adhesive reflective tabs that the scanner uses to align elements and mark positions in space.

[edit] Quality

Scanners typically read red-green-blue color (RGB) data from the array. This data is then processed with some proprietary algorithm to correct for different exposure conditions, and sent to the computer via the device's input/output interface (usually SCSI or bidirectional parallel port in machines pre-dating the USB standard). Color depth varies depending on the scanning array characteristics, but is usually at least 24 bits. High quality models have 48 bits or more color depth. Another qualifying parameter for a scanner is its resolution, measured in pixels per inch (ppi), sometimes more accurately referred to as Samples per inch (spi). Instead of using the scanner's true optical resolution, the only meaningful parameter, manufacturers like to refer to the interpolated resolution, which is much higher thanks to software interpolation. As of 2009^[update], a high-end flatbed scanner can scan up to 5400 ppi and a good drum scanner has an optical resolution of 12,000 ppi.

Manufacturers often claim interpolated resolutions as high as 19,200 ppi; but such numbers carry little meaningful value, because the number of possible interpolated pixels is unlimited and doing so does not increase the level of captured detail.

The size of the file created increases with the square of the resolution; doubling the resolution quadruples the file size. A resolution must be chosen that is within the capabilities of the equipment, preserves sufficient detail, and does not produce a file of excessive size. The file size can be reduced for a given resolution by using "lossy" compression methods such as JPEG, at some cost in quality. If the best possible quality is required lossless compression should be used; reduced-quality files of smaller size can be produced from such an image when required (e.g., image designed to be printed on a full page, and a much smaller file to be displayed as part of a fast-loading web page).

The third important parameter for a scanner is its density range. A high-density range means that the scanner is able to reproduce shadow details and brightness details in one scan.

By combining full-color imagery with 3D models, modern hand-held scanners are able to completely reproduce objects electronically. The addition of 3D color printers enables accurate miniaturization of these objects, with applications across many industries and professions.

[edit] Computer connection

Scanning the document is only one part of the process. For the scanned image to be useful, it must be transferred from the scanner to an application running on the computer. There are two basic issues: (1) how the scanner is physically connected to the computer and (2) how the application retrieves the information from the scanner.

[edit] Direct physical connection to a computer

The amount of data generated by a scanner can be very large: a 600 DPI 9"x11" (slightly larger than A4 paper) uncompressed 24-bit image is about 100 megabytes of data which must be transferred and stored. Recent scanners can generate this volume of data in a matter of seconds, making a fast connection desirable.

Scanners communicate to their host computer using one of the following physical interfaces, listing from slow to fast:

• Parallel - Connecting through a parallel port is the slowest common transfer method. Early scanners had parallel port connections that could not transfer data faster than 70 kilobytes/second. The primary advantage of the parallel port connection was economic: it avoided adding an interface card to the computer.

• GPIB - General Purpose Interface Bus. Certain drumscanners like the Howtek D4000 featured both a SCSI and GPIB interface. The latter conforms to the IEEE-488 standard, introduced in the mid ’70's. The GPIB-interface has only been used by a few scanner manufactures, mostly serving the DOS/Windows environment. For Apple Macintosh systems, National Instruments provided a NuBus GPIB interface card.

• Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), which is supported by most computers only via an additional SCSI interface card. Some SCSI scanners are supplied together with a dedicated SCSI card for a PC, although any SCSI controller can be used. During the evolution of the SCSI standard speeds increased, with backwards compatibility; a SCSI connection can transfer data at the highest speed which both the controller and the device support. SCSI has been largely replaced by USB and Firewire, one or both of which are directly supported by most computers, and which are easier to set up than SCSI.

• Universal Serial Bus (USB) scanners can transfer data quickly, and they are easier to use and cheaper than SCSI devices. The early USB 1.1 standard could transfer data at only 1.5 megabytes per second (slower than SCSI), but the later USB 2.0 standard can theoretically transfer up to 60 megabytes per second (although everyday rates are much lower), resulting in faster operation.

• FireWire is an interface that is much faster than USB 1.1 and comparable to USB 2.0. FireWire speeds are 25, 50, and 100, 400 and 800 megabits per second (but a device may not support all speeds). Also known as: IEEE-1394.

• Some early scanners used a proprietary interface card rather than a standard interface.

[edit] Indirect (network) connection to a computer

During the early nineties, professional flatbed scanners were targeted to professional users. Some vendors (like Umax) allowed a single scanner connected to a host computer to function as a scanner accessible by all users within a local computer network. This proved to be very handy to e.g. publishers, print shops, etc. This functionality gradually disappeared after the mid-’90's as flatbed scanners became more affordable each year. However, as of 2000 and later, all-in-one multi-purpose devices targeted to serve both (small) offices and consumers usually combine a printer, scanner, copier and fax into a single apparatus available to a whole workgroup, providing each individual fax, scan, copy and print functionality.

[edit] Applications Programming Interface

An application such as Adobe Photoshop must communicate with the scanner. There are many different scanners, and many of those scanners use different protocols. In order to simplify applications programming, some Applications Programming Interfaces ("API") were developed. The API presents a uniform interface to the scanner. This means that the application does not need to know the specific details of the scanner in order to access it directly. For example, Adobe Photoshop supports the TWAIN standard; therefore in theory Photoshop can acquire an image from any scanner that also supports TWAIN.

In practice, there are often problems with an application communicating with a scanner. Either the application or the scanner manufacturer (or both) may have faults in their implementation of the API.

Typically, the API is implemented as a dynamically linked library. Each scanner manufacturer provides software that translates the API procedure calls into primitive commands that are issued to a hardware controller (such as the SCSI, USB, or FireWire controller). The manufacturer's part of the API is commonly called a device driver, but that designation is not strictly accurate: the API does not run in kernel mode and does not directly access the device.

Some scanner manufacturers will offer more than one API.

Most scanners use the TWAIN API. The TWAIN API, originally used for low-end and home-use equipment, is now widely used for large-volume scanning.

Other scanner API's are

ISIS, created by Pixel Translations, which still uses SCSI-II for performance reasons, is used by large, departmental-scale, machines.

SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy) is a free/open source API for accessing scanners. Originally developed for Unix and Linux operating systems, it has been ported to OS/2, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. Unlike TWAIN, SANE does not handle the user interface. This allows batch scans and transparent network access without any special support from the device driver.

Windows Image Acquisition ("WIA") is an API provided by Microsoft.

[edit] Bundled applications

Although no software beyond a scanning utility is a feature of any scanner, many scanners come bundled with software. Typically, in addition to the scanning utility, some type of image-editing application (such as Photoshop), and optical character recognition (OCR) software are supplied. OCR software converts graphical images of text into standard text that can be edited using common word-processing and text-editing software; accuracy is rarely perfect.

[edit] Output data

The scanned result is a non-compressed RGB image, which can be transferred to a computer's memory. Some scanners compress and clean up the image using embedded firmware. Once on the computer, the image can be processed with a raster graphics program (such as Photoshop or the GIMP) and saved on a storage device (such as a hard disk).

Images are usually stored on a hard disk. Pictures are normally stored in image formats such as uncompressed Bitmap, "non-lossy" (lossless) compressed TIFF and PNG, and "lossy" compressed JPEG. Documents are best stored in TIFF or PDF format; JPEG is particularly unsuitable for text. Optical character recognition (OCR) software allows a scanned image of text to be converted into editable text with reasonable accuracy, so long as the text is cleanly printed and in a typeface and size that can be read by the software. OCR capability may be integrated into the scanning software, or the scanned image file can be processed with a separate OCR program.

[edit] Document processing

Document scanner

The scanning or digitization of paper documents for storage makes different requirements of the scanning equipment used than scanning of pictures for reproduction. While documents can be scanned on general-purpose scanners, it is more efficiently performed on dedicated document scanners manufactured by Atiz Innovation, Böwe Bell & Howell, Canon, Epson, Fujitsu, HP, Kodak and other companies.

When scanning large quantities of documents, speed and paper-handling is very important, but the resolution of the scan will normally be much lower than for good reproduction of pictures.

Document scanners have document feeders, usually larger than those sometimes found on copiers or all-purpose scanners. Scans are made at high speed, perhaps 20 to 150 pages per minute, often in grayscale, although many scanners support color. Many scanners can scan both sides of double-sided originals (duplex operation). Sophisticated document scanners have firmware or software that cleans up scans of text as they are produced, eliminating accidental marks and sharpening type; this would be unacceptable for photographic work, where marks cannot reliably be distinguished from desired fine detail. Files created are compressed as they are made.

The resolution used is usually from 150 to 300 dpi, although the hardware may be capable of somewhat higher resolution; this produces images of text good enough to read and for optical character recognition (OCR), without the higher demands on storage space required by higher-resolution images.

Document scans are often processed using OCR technology to create editable and searchable files. Most scanners use ISIS or TWAIN device drivers to scan documents into TIFF format so that the scanned pages can be fed into a document management system that will handle the archiving and retrieval of the scanned pages. Lossy JPEG compression, which is very efficient for pictures, is undesirable for text documents, as slanted straight edges take on a jagged appearance, and solid black (or other color) text on a light background compresses well with lossless compression formats.

While paper feeding and scanning can be done automatically and quickly, preparation and indexing are necessary and require much work by humans. Preparation involves manually inspecting the papers to be scanned and making sure that they are in order, unfolded, without staples or anything else that might jam the scanner. Additionally, some industries such as legal and medical may require documents to have Bates Numbering or some other mark giving a document identification number and date/time of the document scan.

Indexing involves associating keywords to files so that they can be retrieved by content. This process can sometimes be automated to some extent, but is likely to involve manual labour. One common practice is the use of barcode-recognition technology: during preparation, barcode sheets with folder names are inserted into the document files, folders, and document groups. Using automatic batch scanning, the documents are saved into the appropriate folders, and an index is created for integration into document-management software systems.

A specialized form of document scanning is book scanning. Technical difficulties arise from the books usually being bound and sometimes fragile and irreplaceable, but some manufacturers have developed specialized machinery to deal with this. For instance, Atiz DIY scanner uses a V-shaped cradle and a V-shaped transparent platen to handle brittle books. Often special robotic mechanisms are used to automate the page turning and scanning process.

[edit] Infrared cleaning

Main article: Infrared cleaning

Infrared cleaning is a technique used to remove dust and scratches from film, and most modern scanners incorporate this feature. It works by scanning the film with infrared light. From this, it is possible to detect dust and scratches that cut off the infrared light; and they can then be automatically removed, by considering their position, size, shape, and surroundings.

Scanner manufacturers usually have their own name attached to this technique. For example, Epson, Nikon, Microtek, and others use Digital ICE, while Canon uses its own system FARE (Film Automatic Retouching and Enhancement system).^[2] Some independent software developers are designing their own infrared cleaning tools.

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Scanner Music

Flatbed scanners are capable of synthesising simple musical scores, due to the variable speed (and tone) of their stepper motors. This property can be applied for hardware diagnostics: for example the HP Scanjet 5 plays Ode to Joy if powered on with the Scan button held down and the SCSI ID set to zero.^[3] Windows- and Linux-based software is available for several brands and types of flatbed scanners to play MIDI files for fun purposes.^[4]

Scanner art

Main article: Scanography

Scanner art is art made by placing objects on a flatbed scanner and scanning them. There has been some debate as to whether scanner art is a form of digital photography.^{[citation needed]} Images made with a scanner differ from those made with a camera, as the scanner has very little depth of field and a constant light all over the surface.