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Are you looking for a whole slide scanner for your digital pathology projects? In this podcast episode Doug Stapleton, the Service Manager of the digital slide scanner division of Hamamatsu, is guiding us through this process.  

He is listing 10 questions you need to ask before purchasing a whole slide scanner tailored to your digital pathology needs.

Question 1: What is your budget and throughput?

Question 2: What is your intended use now and in the future? Brightfield, immunofluorescence or both?

Question 3: What is the cross-organizational demand for scanning services?

Question 4: How much space do you need in the lab for your scanner?

Question 5: What size of pathology slides do you want to scan? Standard size or non-standard?

Question 6: What magnification will you be scanning at? 20x, 40x or other?

Question 7: Is it just the whole slide scanner or does it come with additional equipment?

Question 9: How easy is it to scan the slides? How many times do you need to click?

Question 10: How does the whole slide scanner integrate with other systems in your lab?

Bonus Question 11: Are any extras included in the package?

              Is there a special functionality that you are interested in, such as: 

-          telepathology capabilities

-          virtual slide conferences

-          slide annotations 

-          or cloud storage options?

Hamamatsu offers all of these functions which makes them a potential one-stop-shop for all your digital pathology needs.

Answer the questions above and you will gain clarity on what you really need. Equipped with this information you can start “scanner shopping.”

Just remember, no matter which scanner you choose, always dry and clean your slides before scanning!

Listen to the full episode to gain more insights or read the blog post based on this podcast episode.

This episode’s resources:

Hamamatsu digital pathology slide scanners

Doug Stapleton LinkedIn profile

How to choose a whole slide scanner for digital pathology – the ultimate guide (blog post).

How to choose a whole slide scanner for digital pathology – downloadable questionnaire + PDF of the blog ar

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