The technology of scanners is a convenient one, and scanning units of many different kinds make the reading and transmission of data fast and easy for everyone involved. This ranges from a handheld drivers license scanner for police officers or other officials all the way to a ballot scanner at voting stations to barcode readers in a grocery store or lottery scanners. If someone wants to present their ID to another party, vote, or make a purchase, a scanner may be involved, such as a handheld drivers license scanner. Passports and credit and debit cards may also be used in this manner, and a person may not even realize just how much scanning tech is in their everyday life. An American consumer probably does not have his or her own handheld drivers license scanner, but they may make use of scanners at a grocery store.

Scanners for ID and Shopping

Many American citizens will make use of scanning tech during their everyday life, even if they don’t own the device themselves. ID scanners are often used, for example, such as for making a purchase that has an age requirement (such as alcohol) or presenting their driver’s license to a police officer or state trooper if need be. An officer may use a handheld drivers license scanner if they pull someone over, and scanning that card helps the officer finish their work quickly and easily. Not that an average American will get pulled over every day, but if need be, a handheld drivers license scanner can make things easier. Americans may often have their passport and other ID cards scanned at an airport when purchasing a ticket or going through security, and given the sheer volume of people at such places, this tech is indispensable. Nearly 46% of Americans have a passport, and some 218 million of them have a driver’s license. Such licenses may be useful for doing paperwork at the DMV, for example.

Even more common than all that is using scanners for purchased at retailers, in person or online. At a store, a person may use cash or store credit to make a purchase, but otherwise, they will use a debit or credit card for their purchase. Modern cards like these have magnetic strips for transmitting data to a scanner, and that scanner, in turn, will send that data to relevant parties remotely to complete that purchase. A scanner may use lasers as well. In fact, some modern debit cards have electronic chips in them that can be used with chip readers, to help prevent card theft and fraud. Either way, scanners allow a retailer to quickly and conveniently scan any purchase and allow the funds to transfer as needed. This can be helpful if a store has a lot of customers, or if those customers are buying expensive items.

Such cards are useful for e-commerce, too. This is when consumers buy items online, and even though a consumer won’t have a scanner at home, there are other ways to complete a transaction. The buyer may enter their credit/debit card information such as its number, security code, the card holder’s full name, and the card’s expiration date (month and year).

Document Scanning

Meanwhile, a business-to-business (B2B) way of using scanners is when an office hires document scanning services to handle all of their paperwork. Paper has not been made obsolete due to the Internet and e-mail, and is still useful for reports, plans, and other documents. But too much paper can be a liability, and excess paper can take up a lot of room and present a fire hazard. Papers can get lost in this mess and are expensive to replace or find, and remote workers can’t access paper in the office at all. So, document scanner crews can be hired to help out.

These crews will scan many thousands of documents at their client’s office, and help upload all the digital images to the client’s data center and/or their Cloud storage account as well. Once all documents are scanned like this, they can be shredded for security reasons and set out for recycling. Digital documents aren’t so easily lost, and don’t take up room or catch fire. Remote workers at home or on board a jet can access them online, a great convenience.