The scanner market is expected to boom through the early 1990s, particularly in the area of desktop publishing. Analysts estimate 25,000 scanners will be shipped in 1987, with that number expected to grow to 350,000 in 1991. Applications other than desktop publishing that will drive the scanner market include computer-aided design, facsimile communications, and integrated text-graphics applications. Dataquest research analyst Ed Wong claims scanner sales will rise as more users become aware of the usefulness of the devices and as the price of the systems drops from the current average of around $2,800 to about $1,900 in 1990; low-end scanners may even be priced under $1,000 by then. The outlook for the scanner market and potential obstacles to their increased use are discussed.