ScanSoft PAPERPORT 3.6 Manual page 32

Use the Scan Settings and PaperPort commands for improving the images
if the items that you want to scan are dirty or are too light or too dark.
The following are some samples along with suggestions for getting a
better image.
This letter was scanned too dark. It is also crooked,
and it has "speckles" (in the upper left corner)
caused by irregularities in the paper.
The Straighten Page command takes care of the
crooked page problem, but the speckles remain.
24 2: Scanning Items
TIP: For larger dirt smudges, use the Selection tool to select them, and
then choose Cut from the Edit menu.
After the image setting for brightness was changed,
the letter was scanned again. Now the text is fine,
but the speckles are still there, and the letter is still
crooked.
The Clean Page command removes the speckles.
With just a few settings, you have greatly improved
the quality of the scan.