> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abbyy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Scan images > Acquire images from a scanner or load them from a folder in Scanning Station: select a scanner source, start scanning, rescan pages, and tune brightness. The Scanning Station can acquire images directly from a scanner or load them from a folder through a virtual scanner. To acquire images, select a scanner source and start scanning. During scanning, you can monitor image quality and interrupt scanning or rescan defective images if necessary. ## Select a scanner source Before you can scan, select a scanner source: a hardware or virtual scanner. When you scan a batch of a certain type, all scanning settings, including the scanner source, come from the batch type properties. Set them when you create the batch type with the [Batch Type Wizard](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/interface/batch-type-wizard), or afterward on the [Scanner Source](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/interface/scanning-options-page) tab of the [Batch Type Properties](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/interface/batch-type-properties) dialog box. The scanner must be connected to your computer. For directions on connecting the scanner, refer to the scanner's documentation. If no scanner is connected, you can only use a virtual scanner to import images from a folder. Select **Tools → Options...** and, in the [Options](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/interface/options) dialog box, click the **Scanning** tab. Select the scanner source and configure its settings. ## Start scanning After you select a scanner source, start scanning in one of the following ways: * Click **Scan** on the main window [toolbar](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/interface/toolbars). * Select **Scan Pages** on the **File** [menu](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/interface/main-menu). * Press [**Ctrl+S**](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/appendix/hot-keys). ### Select a source and scan To select a scanner source and immediately scan with it: Click the arrow to the right of **Scan** and select **Select and Scan...**, select **File → Select and Scan...**, or press **Ctrl+Shift+S**. In the [Select & Scan](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/interface/select-scan-source) dialog box, select a scanner source, configure its settings, and click **Scan**. ### Load images from a folder In the [Batches](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/interface/navigator-win) window or the [image window](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/interface/image-win), select the batch or document to load images into, then use one of the following ways: * Right-click the batch or document, select **Load Images...** on the shortcut menu, and select the images to load. * Select **File → Load Images...**, then select the images to load. ## Stop scanning To stop scanning at any time, click **Stop Scanning** on the main window toolbar, or select **Stop** on the **File** menu. ## Insert scanned pages into a batch Before you start scanning, you can choose the page after which to insert the scanned images. Select that page in the [Batches](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/interface/navigator-win) window or the image window, and then select **File → Insert Pages** or click the **Insert Pages** button in the image window. ## Rescan pages You can replace scanned pages in a batch, for example, if you are not satisfied with their quality. To rescan pages and place them in the batch, select **File → Rescan Selected Pages** or click the **Rescan Selected Pages** button in the image window. ## Scanning tips You can set the scanning options in the built-in scanning dialog box or in the scanner driver dialog box. For more information, see [Select & Scan](/flexi-capture/scanning-station/shared/interface/select-scan-source). Place your documents face down on the scanner and adjust them properly. Skewed images may be converted incorrectly. Conversion quality depends on the quality of the original document and the scanning parameters. Poor image quality can reduce conversion quality, so select the scanning parameters appropriate for your document. ### Tune brightness The Scanning Station displays a warning during scanning if the brightness setting is incorrect. You may also need to adjust the brightness when scanning in black-and-white mode. If the resulting image has too many broken or merged letters, use the following table to troubleshoot. | Your image looks like this | Recommendations | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |

| This image is suitable for OCR. | |

Characters are broken or very light. | Lower the brightness to darken the image, or scan in grayscale to tune brightness automatically. | |

Characters are distorted, merged, or filled. | Increase the brightness to lighten the image, or scan in grayscale to tune brightness automatically. | ### Select the optimal resolution Recognition quality depends on the resolution at which documents are scanned. Low resolutions can reduce recognition quality. Use grayscale mode and a resolution of 300 dpi for all documents produced by a printer. The vertical and horizontal resolutions must be the same. Setting the resolution too high (over 600 dpi) increases recognition time without substantially improving results. Setting it too low (under 150 dpi) reduces recognition quality. Choose the resolution based on the font size: * 300 dpi for typical text (10 pt or larger). * 400 to 600 dpi for smaller text (9 pt or smaller) and images with barcodes.