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what does BITS and DPI mean in a computer scanner?
looking for a good computer scanner, what should I be looking for? I want to scan alot of pictures. Also, is a bulb or a LED scanner better? As oyu can tell I know nothing about this at all, I want something that will be good and around 100 to 250 dollars...can you please help me
Scanner... Bits refers to color resolution. The higher the better, but you don't really need to go beyond 24-bit or 32-bit. As for DPI, that's "dots per inch", higher the better, though most scanners top out at 2400, and you don't really need that high for home use.
You may also want to look into scan speed. Some scanners are VERY SLOW, where as others are quite fast and can take in stuff like receipts, business cards, and such.
Bulb vs. LED... Bulb CAN burn out, and LED usually don't. I'd go for an LED one just for knowing that the bulb will never die within life of the scanner, pretty much. 
I got an old Umax that had a dead bulb, and since I paid less than $100 for it and it lasted almost 5 years, it's not worth fixing. Bought an used HP scanner instead.
Check PC Magazine and PC World's websites, as they review scanners quite often.
