Abstract: A scanner is housed in a similar body to that of a removable printer ink jet cartridge and can be inserted in place thereof. The scanner includes a light source mounted on the scanner housing which is able to emit light through an aperture in the housing, a CCD array mounted on the housing to receive light reflected off the image, a lens positioned between the image and the CCD for focusing the reflected light on the CCD, scanner electronics coupled to the CCD array for converting the analog output of the CCD to image data, and means for selecting between optically scanning media or printing thereupon. The scanner electronics transmits the image data to a printer CPU via a flexible interconnect which is normally used to select the individual nozzles of the removable printer cartridge. The printer CPU can forward the image data to a host personal computer for permanent storage in a first mode or store the image data in printer memory for contemporaneous reproduction in a second copy mode.